As of: February 12, 2024, 9:11 a.m
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There are some cuts in the Starnberg budget this year.
© SVEN SIMON/IMAGO
The city administration has presented a consolidation concept with a volume of 10 million euros, with which an approvable budget is to be achieved in 2024 - the city council had already agreed on this in a meeting on January 24th.
As part of the first public budget discussions last Thursday, the concert began: The goal is to save no less than 4.53 million euros, that's how big the gap in the administrative budget is: "No field will remain uncultivated," announced Mayor Patrick Janik.
Starnberg - “We have drawn up a budget draft that would simply not be approved,” Janik self-critically introduced the meeting, otherwise the city would soon “no longer be able to act” without drastic savings measures.
From his point of view, it would not be useful in the long term to hope for financial donations from the Free State, the mayor had to admit - Janik left it open whether this knowledge also applies to the current background discussions on the realization of the sea connection: he certainly wants to do so with regard to the agreement with Deutsche Bahn an extension of the termination option.
How serious the city's financial situation is can be seen, among other things, from the fact that the city councilors want to set a good example when it comes to cuts.
According to an application from the Starnberg Citizens' List, supported across party groups by other groups, they even want to waive attendance fees in 2024. In total, this could save up to 18,000 euros.
But according to the consolidation concept, the city still has to make completely different, painful cuts: According to treasurer Thomas Deller, although trade tax revenues have made “a perfect landing” compared to the budget estimate (21.2 million euros), there is still a “need for action on a large scale.” Deller, “we won’t get anywhere with smaller measures.”
No increase in childcare since 2013 and this “just costs”
As far as the city's ongoing spending is concerned, there is "a rapidly increasing curve," said Patrick Janik, describing the situation before the decisions got down to the details and the nitty-gritty: According to the benchmark of the consolidation concept, the spending in almost all of them Reducing areas to around 60 percent of the previous level (the stated objective of “short-term feasibility, quick and long-term effect on the administrative budget”, from which the city's current expenses are made) was initially unanimously agreed “in the first movement of the string concert” (22 :0) decided to increase the library's annual usage fees from 15 euros for adults to 36 euros (so-called "reduced" to 18 euros) from 2025 - calculated effect: 23,800 euros.
The first longer discussion in the plenum was triggered by the area of “childcare facilities” (kindergarten, crèche, after-school care).
The town hall's consolidation proposal envisaged a standardization of fees, which, depending on the variant, could result in a total increase of up to 737,491.25 euros in 2024 and 2025.
While some city councilors would like to continue to adhere to a social staggering of fees, others fear the effort required for this: “Means tests are complex and a matter for the district office,” said administrative manager Ludwig Beck, and the city should not be asked to do “another one.”
Marc Fiedler (FDP) reassured: “We're talking about 40 euros more per month.” They want good childcare, and that just costs, said Fiedler.
The fact that the inevitable fee increases now had a “shock effect” is probably also due to the fact that there have been no increases since 2013, Mayor Janik noted at this point: “Evil tongues could claim that this has put us in exactly the position in which we are where we are now!” Anke Henniger (non-attached member) added: “We have just slept for eleven years!” Proposals for a milder fee adjustment to relieve the burden on some Starnberg families initially remained piecemeal in the debate, as there was no clear counter-financing.
Nevertheless, council colleagues such as former mayor Eva Pfister (Alliance Mitte Starnberg), Franz Sengl (Greens) and Michael Mignoli (BLS) did not want to completely ignore the increases, but a request from John to put the issue back in the parliamentary groups, found a 12:10 majority - the “daycare” area was postponed to the second public budget meeting of the city council on February 19th.
Seaside resort: fee structure based on the “PiORAMA” in Penzberg
The next point of discussion was the “seaside resort”: Anke Henniger described the consolidation effect of 722,236 euros that the administration was aiming for over the next two years as “without feelings,” or “copy & paste,” since Starnberg adheres to the fee structure of the “ PiORAMA” in Penzberg.
The first mayor immediately countered: “Why shouldn’t Starnberg swimmers be expected to do what Penzberg swimmers can be expected to do?” Janik warned against too much “squeamishness”: “We don’t have many positions in the budget that reach the six-figure range.” Franz Sengl became even clearer and at the same time opened an old straw: “For me, the seaside resort is pure luxury, it costs us 2 million euros a year.” Angelika Kammerl (CSU) assisted, there is an alternative not far from Starnberg Recreational area in “Paradise”, with lake access.
Former town hall boss Eva Pfister, who had pushed the seaside resort through all economic concerns at the time, of course defended her “baby” this time too: “In 2022, the seaside resort had the second highest cost coverage ratio after the cemeteries at 53.8 percent!” It was a public institution In addition, the target group is primarily children, so such a drastic increase in entry fees is inappropriate, says Eva Pfister.
With 13 votes against 9, the administration's consolidation proposal for the fee increases at the "seaside resort" was finally accepted, the separate one for the "sauna" (effect: 186,565.77 euros) with 19:3.
The adjustments and dates from which the fee increases will apply will soon be announced on the city's homepage.
Further cuts such as the elimination of certain parking fee refunds for seaside resort users (effect: 40,000 euros) were decided by a vote of 22:0;
However, the support of so-called “blue light institutions” and “volunteer card holders”, who receive a 50 and 25 percent discount on entry fees, remained unchanged.
“Zero euro ticket” also applies
Further resolutions from the first public meeting on the 2024 budget ff.: Limitation of previous cultural subsidies to a level of 60 percent or 100,000 euros (22:0);
Limitation of the “welfare care” budget to 30,000 euros (21:1);
Budget limitation for the fire brigade personnel cost subsidy to 19,000 euros (22:0), further detailed discussions on this were passed back to the main and finance committee;
Limitation of the budget for youth committees to 12,600 euros (17:5);
the budget for trainer grants to 7,800 euros (18:4) - detailed discussions were referred to the main and finance committee;
The intended cancellation of the city's annual “Seniors' Day” (effect: 5,600 euros) was postponed (21:1) because the seniors' advisory board still wanted to be given the opportunity to comment.
In the area of “voluntary benefits”, as expected, the zero-euro ticket was hit (effect: 8,000 euros), although the vote to delete it was extremely close at 12:10.
When Michael Mignoli (BLS) described the measure as an “indication of poverty” because far more money was being spent elsewhere, the mayor immediately reprimanded him: “One should not compare one-off with annual benefits,” said Janik.
The zero-euro ticket has “absolutely nothing to do with regular school transport” - the administration reported that only 22 Starnberg students use the ticket per year.
From 2025, the subsidy for the international youth camp will also be canceled (16:6) - Effect: 5,000 euros: The budget measure will not take place this year because guests from the twin city of Dinard are still expected this year to stay in the youth hostel Possenhofen will stay overnight.
This time the budget for student exchanges also escaped unscathed (22:0) because the middle school was planning a trip to Mazzabotto, Italy.
In the future, there will be annual individual audits for such grants.
The budget for town twinning was reduced from the previous 43,000 euros (Dinard 38,000 euros, the 60-year submarine sponsorship with Eckernförde 5,000 euros) to 32,250 euros (28,500 euros Dinard, 3,750 euros Eckernförde) - 22:0.
On the subject of “submarine sponsorship,” Franz Sengl spoke out in favor of “one hundred percent personal contribution” when it comes to Starnberg’s visits to the Baltic Sea.
Anke Henniger, a city councilor since this legislative period, asked how Starnberg came to have a “submarine sponsorship” in the first place?
At that time, it was about the “acceptance of the Bundeswehr and the Navy among the population,” explained her council colleague Christiane Falk (SPD), who has submarine experience.
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“To put it bluntly – no tablecloths!”
When it was decided by a vote of 21:1 to also reduce the annual subsidies for municipal events (effect: 30,700 euros), Eva Pfister (BMS) spoke of a “sell-out” - so the Christmas market, which will be shortened in the future (costs still in 2023). 105,000 euros) capped at 60,000 euros, the “Music on the City Beach” at 6,000 euros, the “Night of the Long Table” at 24,000 euros, Mayor Janik’s comment: “Put bluntly – no tablecloths!” The discussions will continue on February 19th, the painful deletions probably too.
Janik sobers: “It is open to the city councilors to drive the city against the wall without these measures, I will only take the liberty of pointing out that they are doing it.”