Annual accounts and (construction) loans approved, church council confirmed

At the Kirchhöri of the parish of St.Mauritius Appenzell on Friday evening, the members of the church council headed by President Erich Fässler were unanimously confirmed, the filing of the accounts with an income surplus of 4743 francs was approved, including the auditor’s report, without a dissenting vote. For the first time, the accounts of the cemetery administration were only submitted for information and no vote was taken on them, since they were a matter for the districts. The budget for the current year was also approved without dissenting votes.

The renovation of the «Moritz» was completed. The renovation of St. Stephen’s Chapel under the choir cost around 68,500 francs more than planned at just under 251,000 francs, but the construction bill for the upper church relieved the budget by almost 320,000 francs at 2.92 million francs. The bottom line was an increase of around CHF 250,640 compared to the cost estimate.

According to Erich Fässler, the extensive clarifications as to whether the old rectory Schlatt should be sold or renovated resulted in a clear vote in favor of the renovation in order to preserve the historic house. The aim is to rent out the usable space of 183 square meters with six rooms that will then be available. A request to speak from the community suggested that the business be postponed until next year, but this proposal was rejected. The loan of CHF 950,000 for the old vicarage in Schlatt was finally accepted with a few dissenting votes, as was the annual contribution of CHF 75,000 over the next five years to the renovation of the monastery “Maria der Engel”.

Parish President Erich Fässler described the finances of the parish as healthy, but tax revenue would tend to fall in the future, while costs, including for pastoral care, would tend to climb back to the level they were before the corona crisis. Unfortunately, more church resignations are to be expected, in 2021 the congregation had to complain about 50 net resignations. The congregation unanimously followed the church council’s proposal to retain the tax rate at 10 percent.

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