As of: March 23, 2024, 5:35 a.m
By: Dieter Dorby
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Reconciliatory conclusion: With a small round of champagne, Erhard Pohl (left with family representative Malin Friese) and his city council colleagues celebrated 20 years of struggle to modernize the warm outdoor pool.
© ddy
After 20 years of pushing, it is now done: the warm outdoor pool can be renovated.
The city council has now approved the 2024 budget and thus given the green light for the bathroom renovation - accompanied by critical words.
Because the city is close to being over-indebted.
Miesbach - After the last decision on the warm outdoor pool, with which the renovation is now starting, pool representative Erhard Pohl (CSU) took the floor on Thursday and asked that the meeting be briefly interrupted: "We have prepared something." While third mayor Franz Mayer (CSU) handed out glasses, Pohl explained: “We should now toast together with champagne so that we have the courage to renovate the bathroom.”
It was a conciliatory gesture - in a sense, the end of 20 years full of discussions, warnings, planning, hesitation, postponement (we reported).
In addition to 5.475 million euros in construction costs, for which 2.7 million in funding is expected, the price for this is another big step towards over-indebtedness.
That is the message that is also in the 2024 budget.
The minimum transfer from the administrative budget to the asset budget, which should be 1.6 million euros, is clearly missed at 436,710 euros.
Conclusion: The city will not have a positive performance in 2024 either, so it will not generate enough to meet all of its obligations.
Also read the comment on the report:
Spending money is not everything
Nevertheless, the city's legal supervision has promised approval for the 2024 budget: including bathroom renovations, a withdrawal from reserves of 1.9 million euros and a loan of 1.95 million euros.
The debt level climbs from 33.6 million euros at the beginning of 2024 to 33.8 million.
The district office supports the city's path, provided that the city develops positively and the strained financial situation is relieved.
This includes property sales in the north industrial area totaling eleven million euros and an annual repayment of two million.
Strong increase in costs
As treasurer Josef Schäffler had already stated in the preliminary finance committee, the situation is made more difficult by the increased personnel costs due to collective agreements, increased interest rates and high electricity costs.
It is also important that the city – with the exception of the pool – is no longer allowed to provide voluntary services.
“Even in the next election period.” The city now has to get off its debts again.
Mayor Gerhard Braunmiller (CSU) also referred to the generally high burden on municipalities.
There is not enough money for the many tasks.
That is why he has already appealed to the state to improve the financial resources at the local level, for example through greater participation in income tax.
“Miesbach has money,” added Braunmiller, “but it’s not enough.
We are financial performers, pay almost ten million euros to the district and are an economic performance center.”
“Miesbach is over-indebted”
Michael Lechner (Free List) could not agree with this: “We have never received such clear indications from the supervisory authority that Miesbach is over-indebted.
Permanent financial performance is no longer guaranteed.” The prospect of approval despite the bathroom renovation is “in stark contrast.”
In addition, the obligation to generate sales proceeds weakens the city's negotiating position in property sales.
The interest burden has doubled and extending loans over 30 years is “immoral”.
Lechner's conclusion: "The mayor had four years to think again, but the problem that the city is spending too much remains unresolved." The budget consists of "hope and wishful thinking."
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The budget and bathroom renovation were approved against the votes of Lechner and Hedwig Schmid (SPD), who were protesting against the sale of social housing.
Lechner's parliamentary group colleague Markus Seemüller nevertheless spoke of a "new era of over-indebtedness" and criticized the fact that - because of the dispute over the water protection zone - no deal was reached with the Munich municipal utilities for the bathroom renovation.
“We will do it too”
Paul Fertl (SPD) spoke of the “moment of truth” and saw the lack of sustained performance as the “biggest disadvantage.
The debt is too much for such a small town.” The handling of money is too loose.
What Second Mayor Astrid Güldner (Greens) also confirmed: “We have too often waved investments through quickly.
Now we are forced to exercise budgetary discipline.” Bathroom representative Pohl emphasized: “We have also created values.
Debt is not nice, but we will tighten our belts and get through this too.”
ddy