Counties finance themselves mainly through the district levy, which the municipalities have to pay to the respective district. The amount of the district levy is decided every year by the district council, as is the case in the district of Würzburg. This year, the district administration proposed an increase in the district levy from 39 percent by 4 percent to 43 percent to balance the budget. 1 percentage point of the district levy corresponds to around 2.05 million euros. District treasurer Sabine Hümmer presented the municipal representatives with the draft budget for 2023 with a volume of more than 230 million euros.
District administrator Thomas Eberth, who was mayor of Kürnach for twelve years until 2020, informed the 52 mayors of the district municipalities at the mayor’s workshop in the district office about the need for this increase. The district needs the money that the municipalities have to pay to the district – which in turn has to pay around 43 percent to the district of Lower Franconia – for the rising current social and youth welfare expenses, for example.
District Administrator Eberth emphasized: “For the first time in many years, we have been in the situation that the district of Würzburg does not have enough money to finance its sovereign tasks in the areas of social affairs, public transport and the Main Clinic Ochsenfurt due to the cost increases.” This is not about Investments estimated at around 40 million euros for school buildings, district roads, etc., because these are to be financed through subsidies and, in some cases, loans. It is primarily about social services such as youth welfare, such as home accommodation for children and young people (21 million euros), basic security (9.5 million euros) or citizen benefit (36 million euros) – these are services that are only partly provided by the federal government be reimbursed. The district will have to contribute an estimated 25 million euros in 2023. “For this we need the increased district levy,” says Eberth. “After all, this money benefits the people who live in the communities and are dependent on state benefits.” Expenditure on public transport and the Main Clinic also increase to 5.08 million and 2.7 million euros.
“The district levy is money that directly benefits the citizens, but which the district first has to get from the municipalities,” said the district administrator. The district office itself has also prescribed an austerity course and made general budget cuts of 10 to 15 percent in the individual business areas.
The mayors discussed the individual cost items, such as the increase of 32 full-time positions for 2023. Here, the district administration explained that the majority of the new positions in the job center and the housing benefit office are necessary in order to be able to pay social benefits. “The staff and funds for state spending in the area of citizen and housing benefit are not sufficient, so the district has to hire staff and equip the jobs here itself,” explained District Administrator Eberth. The looming wage increases in the public sector will also have a significant impact on personnel costs.
The district administration is hoping for compensation, for example for the job center, from the federal government. “The federal government can not only decide or do nothing and leave us out in the rain with social benefits or refugee accommodation,” said the district administrator.
The district chairwoman of the Bavarian Municipal Council, Mayor Andrea Rothenbucher from Hettstadt, as representative of the mayors, emphasized that it is never nice when municipalities have to pay money to the district and this to the district, but we as a municipal family are in the same boat and have to see that everyone fulfills their tasks in the best possible way.
The draft budget is now being discussed by the parliamentary groups and is to be passed at the district council meeting on March 10th. The largest expenses are in the area of youth and social affairs with 62.39 million euros, the district levy with 40.09 million euros and investments in education, building and road construction with 40.04 million euros.
