No, life is not cheap for the city of Neubulach either. Many construction measures were and are pending. However, the financial performance of the past two years does not look as bleak as initially thought.
Neubulach – It doesn’t look so bad when it comes to the finances of the city of Neubulach. At least that’s what the recent presentation of the annual balance sheet by city treasurer Manfred Maurer proves.
The lord of numbers in the mining town has drawn up a first cautious balance – and it seems more positive than one might think. Especially in the Corona year 2020, the city actually expected a noticeable drop of 429,794 euros. In the end, the overall budget came out with a result of plus 1.05 million. One was faced with a severe collapse in trade tax revenues. “But the state and the federal government have compensated to some extent,” Maurer referred to aid payments during the coronavirus crisis.
Negative result actually expected
In the year 2022, the treasurer looks forward to, the income from the trade tax will rise again. Maurer calculates a good 3.194 million euros. But you shouldn’t get used to it, because “it is mainly related to an additional payment.” But let’s go back to the budget: last year the difference between the estimated negative result and the actually positive result was even more evident. Maurer had planned with well under 532,332 euros, in the end they ended up with a plus of 1.37 million euros.
Sometimes this is due to receiving larger appropriations, as revealed by the treasurer’s extensive presentation. Appropriations of 6.1 million were foreseen and in the end the city received 6.7 million euros – for example, the key appropriations have increased significantly and the municipal share of personal income tax is also recovered compared to 2020, when many industries were still trying to cope with the Corona crisis Relying on short-time work during the crisis. Due to the lower earnings of citizens, fewer shares eventually reach the municipalities.
reserves are shrinking
However, for all the justified joy, it also belongs to the truth. that the city’s financial reserves are shrinking. At the end of 2020 you still had just over five million euros of own funds, but by the end of 2021 it had fallen to 3.58 million.
So it’s no wonder that the debt level will already rise this year. Maurer expects liabilities of 2.44 million euros by the end of the year. However, explained the best calculator in the city, the budget plan is always the maximum value, especially with regard to planned investments: “It is rarely possible to realize it 100 percent,” says Maurer, who of course often flows or does not flow with grants or grants.
But the almost three million euros in trade tax planned this year will in reality always be necessary in the following years in order to be able to cope with the massive investments foreseen, according to city councilor Alois Jerges.
After all, the city still has several financial investments, the iron reserve, so to speak. 15.4 million euros – logically exchange-dependent – in the form of EnBW shares in the mining town. In addition, there are almost 300,000 euros sleeping in shares at the Teinacher mineral spring. But the Municipality does not want to access these reserves, planning to finance them through normal budget planning. It will be exciting because, according to Maurer, liquidity will eventually run out, especially in view of various construction projects. At the beginning of 2023, fresh money from outside may be needed again. How much will it be? The City Council will take it into account in the next budget deliberations.
