Kretschmer: Solution in sight for burdened districts

A solution is to be found by the summer break for the budgets of districts and local authorities in Saxony, which are strained by ever-increasing demands. The Free State and municipal umbrella organizations have agreed that a compromise will be found that is supported by all, as Minister President Michael Kretschmer (CDU) said on Tuesday after an external cabinet meeting in Zittau. Municipalities and districts needed a reliable basis for drawing up their budgets. The extent to which the Free State must provide greater support to the municipal level is therefore being discussed.

According to Kretschmer, the Free State has provided 180 million euros in two rescue packages to date. "We cannot allow Saxon cities and municipalities to become insolvent," he said. It is about their burdens due to benefits under federal laws such as citizen's allowance or advance maintenance payments. "We must use the 2024 election year to put the federal government in its place." If the Free State has to save them alone, it will "no longer be able to act financially in other areas", he warned.

"Future development stands and falls with municipal finances," said Görlitz District Administrator Stephan Meyer (CDU). Due to the "huge expansion of benefit laws at federal level", it is no longer possible to consolidate municipal budgets. Many things, including the cultural sector, require municipal financial support, such as education or the restructuring of the hospital landscape. Meyer also criticized the "excessive bureaucracy" and called for a review of the regulations with regard to the necessary effort.