As of: February 12, 2024, 6:00 p.m
By: Magnus Reitinger
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“Saving at the highest level is the order of the day”: This was what was said in the city council debate on the 2024 budget and further financial planning.
© Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa/Illustration/Symbol image
Very different approaches to dealing with the difficult financial situation were evident in the budget debate in the Weilheim city council.
Weilheim “actually has enough income” for a city of this size, stated
Hubert Schwaiger (BfW)
in his budget speech.
“But the mandatory expenditure is enormously high, basically too high.” However, the municipalities would have to receive significantly more funding for implementation.
In view of the fact that the city hardly has any money left for voluntary services, the BfW is happy about the sums priced in for planning the “long overdue” renovation of the city museum.
This is the only way to get funding for the renovation.
CSU demands: “First of all” the city bus must be put to the test
Marion Lunz-Schmieder (CSU)
sees “a revenue problem” in the city budget, which is also shown by the “necessary trade tax increase”.
In order to structurally improve income, the city needs an “even more active business promotion policy”.
At the same time, expenses would have to be reduced.
In this regard, “first and foremost, our city bus” needs to be put to the test.
According to Lunz-Schmieder, Weilheim can no longer afford its “constantly increasing deficits” and a new concept is needed.
The expenses for the municipal utilities also have to be checked: “How much city maintenance, how much green space maintenance do we have to afford, how much can and do we want to afford?”
Greens would like to spend more on building renovations, traffic relief or culture
Manuel Neuer (Greens)
emphasized that his group would, for example, like to spend more on traffic relief, energy-efficient building renovations, urban housing or culture - actually.
The city cannot invest enough in all of these areas, which is why the budget should actually be rejected.
Nevertheless, they agree - because a lot goes into areas that are important to the Greens, such as childcare and subsidies to clubs.
And because the work was carried out in a very fact-oriented manner across all factions.
In order to determine savings potential in large projects, for example, NEUER suggests the formation of a city budget commission.
The financial situation is catastrophic, you actually have to reject the budget - that was, in his own words , Bernhard Kerscher's (SPD)
first impulse
: But that's not possible if you want to preserve local self-government.
The city is increasing fees and taxes “significantly, but not excessively.”
Expenditures would be “largely reduced evenly,” while at the same time essential voluntary services would be retained, such as education, culture, integration and climate protection.
ÖDP calls for “examination of alternatives in flood protection through humus creation”
For
Romana Asam (FW),
given the millions of dollars spent on ongoing projects, no more can be added: “Saving at the highest level is the order of the day.” The “not so quickly needed switch to e-buses” for city buses was “one of the biggest wrong decisions in the city council”. – with expensive consequences.
In the 2024 budget, the FW is questioning the amount of 350,000 euros for the “Waldorf school bus stop” and the planned conversion of Johann-Baur-Straße for bicycle traffic.
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The 2024 budget and financial planning for Gerd Ratter (ÖDP)
contain “very big challenges for approval”
.
According to the ÖDP, the “Angerbach flood protection” needs to be put to the test.
Because it would tie up 45 million euros from the city in the coming years, which was missing for other important projects such as “strengthening the city center”.
In addition, the construction of retention basins does not combat the causes.
They therefore reject this part of the asset budget and call for the “examination of alternatives in flood protection through humus creation”.
AfD representative: Rejection “for fundamental reasons”
Rüdiger Imgart (AfD)
used the biblical image of the seven fat and seven lean years
: the former were over and the city had not been able to “bring itself to save” enough.
Imgart refused to approve the budget “for fundamental reasons” because he rejected tax increases.
Ullrich Klinkicht (WM Miteinander)
called it “too easy and too cheap to always refer to mandatory tasks”.
Because the city council has “a lot of things in its own hands” when it comes to spending.
In his opinion, the city bus needs to be put to the test, and the renovation of the city hall, according to Klinkicht, “must be cheaper”.