Don't put additional burdens on municipalities
"The Main-Kinzig district must fulfil its responsibility for the sustainable and future-oriented development of our district," says Reiner Bousonville, chairman of the Greens parliamentary group and member of the main and financial committee. “This is why, with several requests for the 2022 budget, we are calling for a greater focus on modern mobility in addition to financial responsibility towards municipalities.”
For several years now, the Green parliamentary group has been working for cyclists in the Main-Kinzig district: “For example, by calling for a cycle path concept and requests to increase the budget for the development of cycle paths.” The Group will also make a request on the 2022 budget, which will be discussed at the next roundtable meeting: “At present, only EUR 300,000 per year is earmarked for road construction, cycle path expansion and the construction of covered bicycle parking spaces. This is far too little." It is therefore not surprising that not a single one of the 90 measures of the cycle path concept has been implemented: "Instead, a new approach was commissioned, but no increase in the budget to realise the results", said Bousonville. The network of cycle paths in the district is blatantly weakening: ‘There is often a lack of cycling routes between municipalities, and the district must be involved in this.’ That is why the Greens are calling for an increase in funding to 1.5 million euros.
The change in mobility is also forcing politicians to change their previous mobility ideas, the Group leader explains: “The way people move from A to B is currently changing. This change in mobility poses new challenges for cities and municipalities as well as for the rural districts. In order not to oversleep this change, we call for the recruitment of one or more mobility officers.’ Because: “One of the main tasks of municipal services of general interest is the consideration and implementation of sustainable mobility. For this reason, in addition to two cycling concepts, the Main-Kinzig-Kreis has also launched the concept of mobility, the implementation of which will now become an important task in the coming years", says Bousonville. Now it is necessary to realize the ideas of the concept: “The creation of this new body is intended to address the implementation of the “Mobility Mission Statement”, while strengthening low-emission transport and implementing cycle lane concepts.”
Another issue that will concern municipalities in the coming years is flood protection: ‘Climate communities can already benefit from the support of the Land of Hesse for necessary measures, including the preparation of a heavy rain analysis showing which areas would be particularly affected in the event of heavy rainfall.’ The topic of ‘flood protection’ has not only been present since the devastating flood disaster in July and the floods in the district in January of this year: “We therefore call for the installation of a funding pot. This is intended to provide financial support for additional flood protection measures in climate communities.”
However, sustainable development also includes not placing additional burdens on municipalities: "This is exactly what the circle is planning for next year," said Bousonville. "The district wants to increase the district levy by two percent, which many municipalities, which are financially weakened due to the coronavirus pandemic, probably cannot cope with." The district justifies this with a weak financial budget for the coming year: "In recent years, the circle has had higher and higher annual accounts than originally forecast. Since 2017, there have been between €20 million and €35 million more in the box each year at the end of the year.” That is why the Green Group cannot understand an increase of two points: "It is clear that a moderate increase after the last reduction of two and a half points is inevitable. We therefore call for an increase of only one point.”
It is also incomprehensible that the district council sees no financial room for manoeuvre in the current budget: “At the same time, the district is planning 26 new posts for 2022, including 19 additional civil servant posts. These additional costs will now be charged to the municipalities’, Bousonville concludes.
Enquiries to:
Jakob Mähler
Group Managing Director
Alliance 90 / The Greens Main-Kinzig
06181/61596
0176/46763336
fraktion@gruene-mkk.de
English (UK)
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