Municipalities - Mayor and municipal council resign
In Bosenbach (Kusel district), Mayor Martin Volles and all members of the local council have resigned as one. The move was a reaction to the implementation of the state financial equalization law in Rhineland-Palatinate, Volles (non-party) told the German Press Agency on Friday.
"After that, a balanced budget must be presented. Because we are a rural area and have hardly any sources of income, we would have to drastically increase the rate of property tax, for example. However, we cannot and do not want to impose this on our citizens."
The move is reminiscent of the Palatinate town of Freisbach. Here, the local council and mayor announced their resignation on August 8. They had criticized the fact that the municipality with around 1,200 inhabitants would not receive budget approval due to the new state financial equalization law and a new direction from the municipal supervisory authority. According to the council members, they did not resign because they no longer wanted to, but because they could no longer shape the municipality due to the lack of a budget.
The SPD-led state Ministry of the Interior then announced that the municipal financial equalization had increased by more than 350 million euros this year alone. The state will take over a total volume of three billion euros in municipal liquidity loans - more than half of the total liquidity loans of the municipalities.
Only a few days ago, following the resignation of Freisbach 's political leadership in protest against the financial policy, the new mayor Jochen Ricklefs (non-party) and 14 elected council members took office in the Palatinate town.
Volles said that they had been aware of the events in Freisbach, but that they had not really set an example. "We recently sat together for three hours and thought about where the money should come from. We didn't find a way out." The move is a sign "that we can't reconcile this with ourselves". The village with around 690 inhabitants is in a spiral. "Several roads need to be repaired, the swimming pool and community center cost money. It all leaves no room to breathe."
As a temporary solution, he is prepared to continue for a few more weeks. "But no longer," emphasized Volles. "The office is no longer an option for me, the framework conditions would have to change first."
The state financial equalization law passed by the state parliament at the end of November last year had become necessary because the Rhineland-Palatinate Constitutional Court declared the previous system of municipal financial equalization unconstitutional in December 2020 and demanded a "needs-based financial equalization". With the equalization, the state ensures that the municipalities have the funds to enable them to carry out their mandatory tasks and a minimum of voluntary self-administration tasks. Local authorities take on state tasks that have been transferred to them. For example, they look after school buildings, shoulder social and youth welfare tasks or provide accommodation for refugees.
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- In the neighboring commune of Freisbach, also located in the Kusel district of Rhineland-Palatinate, the mayor and all council members also resigned due to the implications of the state financial equalization law.
- The German Press Agency reported that Martin Full from Bosenbach, a non-party mayor, expressed concerns about the impact of the financial equalization law on his rural commune, potentially leading to a significant increase in property tax rates.
- The municipalities of Bosenbach and Freisbach are not alone in their struggles, as the SPD-led state Ministry of the Interior announced an increase in municipal financial equalization by over 350 million euros this year alone.
- The mayor of Kusel, Rhineland-Palatinate, Rainald Bosenbach, is following the developments closely, as his commune also depends on adequate finances to carry out mandatory tasks and voluntary self-administration tasks, as required by the Rhineland-Palatinate state.
Source: www.stern.de
