The Rudersberg community is starting the new year with a “very comfortable situation”. Mayor Raimon Ahrens emphasized this in his budget speech to the local council. The administration can fall back on a reserve of around 15 million. “This allows us to plan for 2024 without increasing the assessment rates for property and trade taxes.”
This money will also be urgently needed in the coming years “in order to overcome the immense challenges that await us”. And it will probably not be enough, which is why the community will have to resort to loans. “The basic problem is that tasks, demands and the reality of income no longer really match,” says Ahrens. This particularly affects Rudersberg as a municipality with its twelve districts and its broad, but aging infrastructure as well as below-average trade tax revenue.
Should the municipality sell municipal buildings?
The municipality is also the owner of numerous properties where there is a high need for investment. This applies to the local offices in Asperglen, Schlechtbach or Steinenberg, but also the old school buildings in Klaffenbach and Mannenberg, Rathausstrasse 5 in Rudersberg or the building with the village community room in Lindental. Investments are also necessary in kindergartens, schools, outdoor swimming pools, the nine cemeteries and municipal halls. “We know that we will not be able to implement all of these measures in the coming year – neither financially nor in terms of personnel.” That is why the community has to think about this in principle.
From the mayor’s point of view, there are three possible options: a significant reduction in the municipal building stock, a significant increase in personnel in the area of construction administration or the establishment of a municipal building management company or a corresponding company. This would allow more flexibility to be gained, the core budget to be relieved and the properties to be renovated and upgraded in a targeted manner. This is not an easy decision, “but we will have to make it one day because we cannot maintain the substance of our buildings with a simple ‘business as usual’,” said Ahrens.
Reorganization of the town center?
In this context, it is pleasing that the municipality has succeeded in transferring the Old Forester’s House and the Marktplatz 18 building into municipal ownership. “Together with the old town hall on the market square in Rudersberg, the municipality owns three large and connected properties, which one day may allow a fundamental reorganization of the town center in the market square area.”
At the moment, Ahrens continued, the municipality is clearly feeling the consequences of inflation. This particularly applies to energy costs. Since long-term supply contracts expire at the end of 2023, the costs of electricity and gas alone will rise by almost 30 percent this year, which corresponds to an amount of around 300,000 euros.
The community is therefore investing in new heating and better insulation. But the fundamental question is: “How much can and do I want to invest in an old building and who will implement the large number of measures?”
There is a lot to do in Rudersberg in the coming years
There is a lot to do in Rudersberg anyway. Money is needed for schools, kindergartens, leisure and sports facilities, the Mühlenwiesen area in Michelau, the siren network, flood protection and, last but not least, the new construction of the fire station. This could not be financed without new loans. “Only if we manage to find the right balance between savings and investments will we continue to be an attractive place to live for the people of Rudersberg in the future.”
In the medium term, the municipality will also invest in four vehicles for the Wieslauftalbahn. Numerous road renovations will also result in high costs – and last but not least, there will be investments in the town center of Schlechtbach and the through-road in Oberndorf. “A part of these investments is covered by development contributions – but a large part can be financed regularly through the budget.”
“The expectations are great, the financial possibilities are finally”
Treasurer Thomas Krapf said with regard to the many upcoming measures: “Every year it is more difficult for me to put a good face on our household, and this year it was particularly difficult for me.” Because “the expectations are high, but the financial possibilities are finally”.
In addition to rising costs (including for energy and personnel), a problem is the revenue side. From the treasury’s perspective, 2024 is an interim year. Thanks to surprisingly high trade tax revenue two years ago, Rudersberg will receive lower key allocations through the municipal financial equalization in 2024 and at the same time will have to pay higher levies to the higher political levels. This development on the revenue side will only reverse again in 2026. This year, many amounts will be negative. He therefore asked the local councilors not to be alarmed when looking at the extensive figures.
For now, these deficits can be offset thanks to the well-filled reserves. However, by next year at the latest, loans will be “unavoidable,” said Krapf. Because: What the community has planned until 2027 “would be enough for ten to twelve years,” said the treasurer. By far the largest item in the medium-term financial planning is the new fire station, at a good twelve million euros.
There are no loans planned for this year in the core budget. By 2027 – if everything is implemented this way – there would be a loan requirement of 15.7 million euros. “The reserve would then be used up.”
After all: at the end of this year, the debt in the core budget would still be “almost zero”. But: In the company’s own operations, which include wastewater disposal and water supply, this could rise to almost 29 million by the end of the year – if everything is implemented as planned. This is “a huge amount of new debt,” said Krapf. Overall, these are “anything but satisfactory figures,” said the treasurer.
What will happen next with the budget discussions?
On Tuesday, January 16th, the political groups will present their assessment of the budget. Then there will be budget speeches in the local council. The main public consultation will then take place on Saturday, January 20th in the community hall. The budget will ultimately be passed at the local council meeting on Tuesday, January 30th.
2024-01-15 20:02:55
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