As of: February 21, 2024, 6:41 a.m
By: Peter Schiebel
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Childcare in Starnberg will be significantly more expensive from autumn onwards, and property and dog taxes will rise.
© Uwe Anspach
The Starnberg city council has decided to raise daycare fees as part of the consolidation program, but has somewhat curbed the increase in seaside resort prices.
Starnberg
- Ten days after the first round, Starnberg's city council decided on further consolidation measures on Monday evening with which it wants to stabilize the city's budget this year and in subsequent years and prevent an impending inability to act.
At the beginning of the meeting, which was supposed to last five and a quarter hours, treasurer Thomas Deller said that “the goal we had set ourselves was still quite a long way away”.
As reported, the city council decided on a consolidation volume of ten million euros at the beginning of the year.
With the decisions of February 8th, almost 8.5 million euros are still outstanding, said Deller.
The deficit in the current budget for the current year is still around 3.5 million euros.
The Starnberger Merkur provides an overview of Monday's decisions.
Daycare centers
Postponed ten days ago, the new fees for the city's daycare centers have now been set.
They apply from the beginning of the 2024/25 care year.
A broad majority of 22:4 voted in favor of the proposal that ten city councilors from BMS, WPS, BLS and FDP submitted almost a week ago.
The amounts mentioned therein were slightly below the city administration's proposal, which had aimed for 45 percent cost coverage for the next kindergarten year (see table).
“This gives parents a little breathing room, especially with two children,” said Eva Pfister (BMS), justifying the cross-party proposal.
The former mayor said self-critically: “You can accuse us of not having increased anything for years, but that doesn’t justify us now making up for everything at once.”
Mayor Patrick Janik expressed his thanks for the suggestion.
“We’re not that far apart,” he said, refraining from haggling.
However, he stated that he wanted to look at the fees annually in the future, while Pfister had already announced: "We cannot keep up in the following years." As reported, the city administration had originally brought further increases into play for the years 2025/26 and 2026/27, to increase the cost coverage ratio initially to 50 and then to 55 percent.
“It suits us to decide on this every year,” said Janik.
While on Monday it was no longer about the numbers, a discussion arose again about the introduction of a social scale.
Especially Dr.
Franz Sengl (Greens) insisted on this vehemently.
He could not accept that “the lower middle class” should pay the same as wealthy parents.
The administration in particular argued against it.
The administrative effort is too great and cannot be managed without additional staff, said Janik and Deller.
Thomas Beigel (CSU) meanwhile warned of injustice: “For example, anyone who earns 60,000 euros pays the lower amount, and those who earn 60,001 euros pay the higher amount.
“Is that fair?” he said.
With the new kindergarten fees, the city wants to generate almost 350,000 euros more per year than before.
As a secondary aspect, the deficit compensation that the city pays to independent providers is likely to be reduced - but only if they do not offer their places cheaper than the city.
Only the four church kindergartens and the Denk-Mit-Kita in Wangen are currently doing this, and they are now also expected to increase their contributions.
With a few exceptions, all other independent providers are already above the new values.
However, the introduction of a sibling discount was undisputed.
In the future, if two or more children in a family visit a municipal facility (nursery, kindergarten or after-school care), each will receive a 25 percent discount.
This decision was unanimous.
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The new fees for the municipal crèche were approved by a vote of 20:6: In the future, they will range from 300 euros per month (for three to four hours of daily booking) to 400 euros (nine hours and more).
The new fees for the municipal after-school care center passed with a vote of 25:1: from 120 euros (three to four hours) to 150 euros (six to seven hours).
Seaside resort
The entry fees for the seaside resort were discussed again.
After the city council decided on massive increases, some of which were more than double, on February 8th, a new proposal from the ten city councilors was now also available.
This also provided for a significant increase in swimming pool prices, but below the current resolution (see second table).
After a lengthy discussion, there was a 20:8 majority in favor of this proposal.
“I think citizens are completely dissatisfied with the situation that has been decided,” said Michael Mignoli (BLS).
Almost as if to prove it, Eliane Droemer, the owner of the SUP Club Starnberg, spoke up in the citizens' question time right at the beginning of the city council meeting.
The rental company of SUP boards and provider of courses and tours is based in the seaside resort and, according to Droemer, has six employees.
She fears a decline in visitor numbers due to the price increase and pointed out that the offer is mainly used by families.
“Have you taken employees’ existential fears into account?” she wanted to know from the mayor.
The administration has that, answered Janik and said: “If we are no longer able to act, then the seaside resort will be closed.” The seaside resort makes a loss of around two million euros per year.
During the discussion, CSU city councilor Ludwig Jägerhuber also asked what the head of the seaside resort, Christian Herrmann, said about the new prices.
“He wasn’t enthusiastic,” replied Janik.
However, the city council rejected Jägerhuber's request to hear Herrmann before setting the prices again with a vote of 16:12.
The “radical” proposal from Green Party leader Sengl to completely close the indoor swimming pool in the summer months of June, July and August was not discussed.
However, the administration should work out the possibilities and effects.
The city wants to generate 512,000 euros more per year from the new admission prices.
The decision from ten days ago should have brought in 722,000 euros.
Winter service
The 40 or so so-called restricted public paths in Starnberg will no longer be cleared by the city from next winter.
To put it simply, these are footpaths that run along a street.
In future they will be closed in the winter months from November to March.
The city wants to save 61,100 euros this year and next year.
The decision was passed with a vote of 27:2.
Winter service will be restricted in some areas of Starnberg in the future.
© Matthias Bein
However, there was no majority in favor of the proposal to stop winter road maintenance on Category III streets, for example residential streets like Bozener Straße.
Rudolf Zirngibl (CSU) felt sorry for the employees at the construction yard who would have to answer the angry calls from residents and road users in the event.
Janik also spoke of “a lot of trouble for comparatively little profit” given the consolidation volume of 15,000 euros per year.
The proposal failed by a vote of 11-17.
Holiday program
Participation in the city's holiday program - which was previously free - will in future cost five euros per participant and event.
The decision was passed without discussion with a vote of 21:8.
This should bring the city 1,700 euros.
school lunch
There was also no discussion on the next point.
From the 2024/25 school year onwards, the city will no longer cover the costs of caterer services at primary schools, middle schools and after-school care centres.
The cost of food increases from 4.76 to 5.69 euros at primary school and from 4.83 to 5.89 euros at middle school.
In two years this should bring the city 35,000 euros.
The decision was passed with a vote of 18:10.
City council
The city council is also making cuts to itself.
Although the meeting fee of 50 euros per city council and meeting remains untouched, the monthly flat rate will be halved from 100 to 50 euros.
This means potential savings this year and next year of 18,450 euros.
“No one is going to lose anything,” said BLS parliamentary group leader Mignoli.
Florian Duday (Greens) spoke of a “very good sign”.
Josef Pfister (BMS) also saw this, but nevertheless pointed out that volunteer work also needed to be recognized.
The majority was clear with 24:5 votes.
In the course of this, Mayor Janik announced that he would also reduce his flat rate for meetings accordingly.
Trade tax
The trade tax rate will be increased from 330 to 380 percent this year (see reporting on page 1).
Property tax
Not only companies, but also property owners and tenants will have to pay more in the future.
The assessment rate for property tax B – last increased on January 1, 2023 – increases from 430 to 490 percent.
The administration has calculated a consolidation volume of 709,000 euros this year.
“This hits the little people again, the tenants,” said Franz Heidinger (BLS).
According to treasurer Thomas Deller, the increase means additional annual costs of 15.68 euros (128.04 to 112.36 euros) for an apartment with around 50 square meters of living space, and 41.01 euros (334 euros) for an apartment with around 100 square meters of living space .92 to 293.91 euros), for a semi-detached house with around 500 square meters of floor space of 66.35 euros (541.89 to 475.54 euros) and for a single-family house with around 1000 square meters of floor space of 143.25 euros (1169.88 to 1026.63 euros).
The majority was clear with 23:5 votes.
Dog tax
The dog tax will rise from 80 to 100 euros per animal on January 1, 2025.
Estimated additional income per year: 26,300 euros.
Only Eva Pfister voted against it.
Further action
In each case, the city council unanimously commissioned the administration to examine fee-financed facilities with regard to offerings, costs and revenues - and to review the standard of fulfillment of mandatory tasks.
The results must be presented again to the city council.
This concerns the library, the cemeteries, the daycare centers, the museum, the music school, the Schlossberghalle, the seaside resort and the city archives as well as the obligation to transport schoolchildren, the fire departments and the financial support of the independent providers of daycare centers.
Further applications from the city council, for example regarding outsourcing of depot services and personnel costs, are already being processed, said Patrick Janik and Ludwig Beck.
The city council has not yet discussed the actual budget for the current year; the main and finance committee will take over this in March.
However, the deficit should be balanced out with the measures decided.