As of: February 23, 2024, 9:00 a.m
By: Magnus Reitinger
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New Year's Eve fireworks look good over Weilheim, but the downsides also cause discontent.
© Archive Gronau
The city of Weilheim should “make alternative offers” on New Year’s Eve to reduce the negative effects of fireworks – such as a festival in the old town.
Council member Ullrich Klinkicht requested this.
But his colleagues were anything but amused by the move.
Weilheim
– “An event with light and sound effects and possibly also live music” in the old town, that is Ullrich Klinkicht (WM Miteinander)’s suggestion for future New Year’s Eve nights in Weilheim.
“Local artists, musicians, choirs and theater groups as well as schools” should be included and “an alternative offer without pyrotechnics” should be created, writes the city council member in his application.
In this way, negative effects of New Year's Eve fireworks could be reduced, explains the applicant with reference to official findings: According to the Federal Environment Agency, the firecrackers lead to "burns, eye injuries, hearing damage, explosion damage and other property damage to vehicles and buildings", meaning "introduction of plastic into the environment, enormous amounts of waste, frightened pets as well as ecological damage and disturbance to wild animals”.
The majority of Weilheim residents “actively participated in setting off New Year’s Eve fireworks”
However, Klinkicht is not calling for a ban on firecrackers in Weilheim.
Nevertheless, Brunhilde Hink, head of the public order office, gave the members of the main committee detailed explanations of the legal situation before they made a decision on the application.
Conclusion: There is currently “no legal basis for municipalities to expand the prohibition zones or to issue a general ban on burning off pyrotechnics throughout the city”.
Incidentally, “the public order office only received two objections from citizens about New Year’s Eve 2023”, once because of noise and once because of garbage.
In contrast, “the rest of Weilheim's population actively participated in setting off fireworks on New Year's Eve or indicated no interest in the city's regulation,” writes Hink in the meeting documents.
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City administration could not “set up something additional like that”
Karin Groß went into more detail about the actual application in the main committee on Wednesday.
The proposed event “certainly has its charm” and could “become a point of attraction,” said the head of the main office.
But the sticking point is who should organize the whole thing.
Given the workload, there is no way the city administration would be able to “get something extra like that off the ground”;
There is also no money planned for this in the budget.
Groß therefore asked that the application be rejected.
And Mayor Markus Loth (BfW) added with reference to “the many events throughout the year”: “Is it really the responsibility of the public sector to also hold a New Year’s Eve event?”
City council colleagues criticize Klinkicht's application
The city administration doesn't have to be the organizer, but it does have to invite people to a meeting, Klinkicht promoted his idea: "Anyone who wants to can show that they can do it themselves from the middle of society." You can also "start small." such an event.
But Klinkicht's proposal was “too thin” for his city council colleagues on the main committee, as was criticized across the parliamentary groups.
“It's all too much subjunctive, too much 'you could and should',” said Horst Martin (SPD).
Similarly Karl-Heinz Grehl (Greens): “Great idea – but then I just have to bring something with me, including the people who want to do the whole thing.”
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A “good, well-financed concept” would certainly meet with approval, said Marion Lunz-Schmieder (CSU): “But given the current budget situation and the abundance of mandatory tasks that the city has to perform, that cannot be our task.” For an Open -Air Festival, December 31st is “the wrong date, the wrong time of year,” said Roland Bosch (ÖDP) and found the application to be “too vague and too vague”.
Horst Martin even spoke of a “typical Klinkicht application for the gallery”.
Tillman Wahlefeld (BfW) addressed the scolded person directly: “Great idea, Ulli, go for it, get involved, do it... But the city as an event manager – no!”
The main committee - of which Klinkicht himself is not a member - unanimously rejected the application.
Also read: New survey shows: Weilheim needs to do more for older people