Barenburg – “We always deal with the Barenburg budget first, because it is the most difficult,” explained treasurer Michael Kopecki, who presented the figures in their most important key figures at the last city council meeting. According to Kopecki, there is a glimmer of hope: trade tax revenues developed very positively in the fourth quarter of 2022 (2.1 million euros more than forecast) and the related taxes will not be sustained until 2024. However It is important that when looking at the surplus reserve, there is always an annual amount of trade tax revenue in the reserve so that the poorer years can be compensated for.
Mayor Lars Röper and the eleven-member council, which met without councilor Irene Eickmeier at its last meeting, were relieved that the community could “take a deep breath”. Having funds in reserve is important: “That’s what saved our heads,” commented Röper. The Council has unanimously approved a package of figures which, despite the considerable good news, is also burdened by a loan of 400,000 euros. In a separate item on the agenda, the loan was approved unanimously by the Council. The debt is needed to finance the cost of rebuilding the crossing road. Furthermore, the final expansion of the access road “Mohnblumenweg” (250,000 euros) is planned.
Michael Kopecki explained that the loan authorization was part of the 2021 budget (“to remain operational”), was carried over to 2022, and the board needed to borrow the loan to maintain liquidity. He warned not to let the permit expire. Kopecki referred to the trend in household data and according to the above purely mathematical specifications, Barenburg’s liquidity at the end of 2024 tended to be “close to zero”.
According to the mayor of the mixed municipality, Heinrich Kammacher, the overall economic situation in the common municipality is “extraordinarily good” and there is more tax revenue “than ever before”. However, there are differences in member communities. Politics and administration want to create the same living conditions in all member communities, which is why the joint community is already taking over some of the community’s tasks. Another gem: the joint community tax will be reduced by one percentage point to 50%. For the municipality of Barenburg this means an additional 10,000 euros net at the checkout. According to Kopecki, it should be checked at the end of 2023 whether another loan is needed, after which the eligibility for admission will expire. Calculated per inhabitant, the national average debt is 227 euros – in Barenburg it is now 325 euros per person. That is why a course of absolute austerity is needed in Barenburg in the future, only the most necessary investments are possible and the fastest possible repayment of the debt is expected. Incidentally, it goes to the municipality of Kirchdorf, not a bank. The construct of the Samtgemeinde makes it possible to act within this association and to grant mutual loans. For the 400,000 euros, an annual repayment of 100,000 euros is foreseen, the loan would then be paid off in 2026. Part of the agreement: if the municipality of Kirchdorf needed the money upfront, it could request it back, while the municipality of Barenburg would have to look for a new lender. The same applies: If there is interest on the credit balances again and the municipality of Kirchdorf misses the interest payment in the amount of 400,000 euros, the municipality of Barenburg would have to pay it.
Investments in fiscal year 2023
Planned: construction of the outdoor swimming pool (2,000 euros), barrier-free extension of the “Auf der Schweineinsel” bus stop (5,000 euros), last extension of the “Auf der Koppel” access road (100,000 euros). 8,000 euros are foreseen for setting up the automatic pay station in the outdoor pool for the use of the EC card, 12,000 euros for rebuilding the slide and another 5,000 euros for lightning protection, 15,000 euros for painting the beams of the deposit and 25,000 euro for a new fence at the pond.
