Peter Fischer also referred to the debt reduction in the core budget. And at the end of his budget overview, he dared an optimistic outlook: “From 2023 we are assuming that we will be able to show the minimum allocation again.” This also appears necessary because in 2022 the general reserve will be used up. The prerequisite for better times, however, is that the consequences of the pandemic will hardly be felt in two years.
For Mayor Eva Döhla (SPD) it was the first household under her direction. The city has difficult conditions, she admitted. However, this is nothing new for Hof, the new city council has already proven to be crisis-proof. She named three points as the most important to get out of the (Corona) crisis: “Never give up, stay active, draw strength from it.”
Your term of office had already begun with a budget freeze, then slumps in tax revenues soon became apparent. “A budget that could be approved seemed impossible.” But the federal government has given up its previous strategy of not helping municipalities directly. Döhla described the trade tax replacement as a successful model. “This urgently needs a second edition.”
The city can and wants to invest, emphasized the OB. It is important to complete and tackle large projects, to be prepared for future tasks. You have to proceed strategically. As one example of several, she cited the search for a new location for the bus station. In their opinion, a balance is needed in the household – a new elementary school as well as voluntary services. She also stands by the millions spent on the theater and the show. “Who needs a general debate when there is a general attack every month?” She said to Albert Rambacher, the head of the FAB and Freie parliamentary group.
Eva Döhla prophesied: “We will continue to live and work with uncertainties.” The ban on net new debt also restricts municipal action. “Does it have to be true in these times?” She asked. Because if the city would incur new debts, it would be “productive debts” in their eyes. Necessary and important projects such as the extension to the Münster secondary school and the renovation of the company building at the Grüne Au stadium would thus be put on hold.
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