Throw three counties rescue ring furs freibad?
Mayor peter kornell described the 21.6 million euro budget package, which the city council passed on monday with only one vote against (fred mahler), as a "sound working basis". With a view to expensive investments in the future and further thrifty revenues, kornell presented an idea that could relieve the city’s finances – a special-purpose association of the counties of kitzingen, wurzburg and schweinfurt to run the open-air swimming pool.
There are good reasons for the advance: the clear facility will burden the budget for the coming years with over six million euros, the general renovation of the indoor pool with up to six million euros is pending, and when the volkach-gaibach bypass comes along with a good three million euros, things will get tight.
City alone overwhelmed
According to kornell, the city will reach its "financial limits" when only the dilapidated pool heads at the open-air pool are renovated for one million euros. The rest of the renovation, up to two million euros, volkach could not afford. The city is already having a hard enough time balancing a deficit of up to 300,000 euros every year. The special-purpose association, in which kornell wants to bring the district of kitzingen and the neighboring districts on board, could save the day. In the case of a special-purpose association that operates the pool as a "local recreation facility" for the wider area, the financing could be placed on "broader shoulders". With such a project of an "inter-municipal cooperation" the chance of such demand means is rough, "which a single municipality does not get at all."
After this presentation, the parliamentary groups discussed the budget. Csu faction leader heiko bauerlein emphasized the budget "tour de force" and stressed that the 6.4 million euro investment budget contained "no prestigious objects, but only urgently needed projects. The loan of 1.3 million euros is also due to the investments in tram construction and buildings.
Bauerlein referred to the ongoing operation of the city, and in particular the two baths, as the "most pressing cost problem": "the facilities should be maintained if at all possible," said the group leader. Nothing should be overturned here, but the situation should be discussed "carefully", as was the case with the renovation of the main road.
G-group chairman herbert rommelt emphasized the benefits of the planned investments: "the entire burghers will profit from all the expenditures."But it must be the task of the city councils to explain decisions made to the citizens and thus to bring them "certainty."The budget decision was a compromise, but "it will bring the city of volkach forward".
Spd caucus leader dieter sollner spoke out in favor of a more open-minded approach to future decisions, based on financial strength. He appealed to the city council to pay even more attention to the interests of the local communities in future decisions. Everything possible must be done to prevent vacancies – for example, by advising sellers and buyers.
Jochen flammersberger, chairman of the burgerlisten parliamentary group, took a critical look at the renovation of the indoor swimming pool. The new filter system is a must, but the general renovation entails "incalculable risks."Therefore the BL proposes a combination of both pools at the location of the open air pool. A possible operator has already shown interest. Flammersberger expects a local tax to relieve the burden on the budget, but a majority of the council has so far rejected this idea.
A "warning of the really big lumps" bypass, bader and klaranlage came from ingrid dusolt. She once again demanded that the residents of volkacher hauptstrabe pay for the renovations in installments. Their idea of reducing the planned 1.3-million-euro loan for 2015 in this way came to nothing, as before. The majority of the city council has long since decided otherwise.