finance

Oberursel’s No-Win Financial Situation

November 4, 2013 By Graham Tappenden Leave a Comment

It can’t be easy being in charge of Oberursel’s finances. After two rounds of spending cuts and tax increases, the town’s budget could budget could be in the black to the tune of around €4.5 million after a sudden windfall of corporate income tax (Gewerbesteuer) and further cuts in the culture department.

That is, it would be if the next higher level of government – the Kreis – had not increased the amount that the town has to pay for their services, including the school, by almost €11 million for the coming year, leaving with the town with a deficit in 2014 of just over €6 million.

So once again the town called a meeting of its residents to discuss the next round of savings, holding it this year in the Burgwiesenhalle in Bommersheim. The hall may not have been full – around 160 people turned up – but there were a significant number of children and teenagers present to protest against the planned cuts in funding for the “Jugendtreffs” in Weißkirchen and Stierstadt. [Read more…]

Filed Under: News, Photos Tagged With: Bommersheim, Budget, Bürgerversammlung, Burgwiesenhalle, Ferdinand-Balzer-Haus, finance, Haushalt, Jugendtreff, protest, Stadthalle, Taunushalle, Thorsten Schorr

OBG says sauna would pose a risk for the town’s finances

April 2, 2013 By Graham Tappenden Leave a Comment

Local political group the OBG do not belive that adding a sauna to the new indoor swimming pool would make financial sense, as they claim it would cost more to build and run than it would make in revenue. In fact, the leader of their parliamentary group Georg Braun says that this has been clear to them since the summer of 2011.

According to an expert opinion, the income from a sauna would cover the running costs, but not when the cost of building it is added to the equation. Georg Braun was quoted as asking “What use would the higher revenue be, if the investment costs are not covered?”

The OBG went into the pedestrian area of the town on Saturday morning, and reported that in many of their conversations with passers-by the people of the town are confused by what they call the “half truths” of the sauna supporters. They also warn that if the sauna were to make a loss, then the taxpayer would have to pick up the bill. [Read more…]

Filed Under: News Tagged With: Andreas Bernhardt, Budget, finance, Georg Braun, Hallenbad, OBG, sauna, Schwimmbad, swimming pool

Can Oberursel afford to build a new swimming pool?

September 4, 2012 By Graham Tappenden Leave a Comment

The indoor swimming pool in Oberursel has now been closed for four years and is now probably one of the most discussed topics amongst the people and in particular the politicians in the town.

Last week it was on the agenda of the planning and environmental committee at the town hall, this week there is a Bürgerversammlung to update everyone on the current state of the planning and to allow people to put forward their views. Next week the town council is due to vote on the project. And various Bebauungspläne have been amended to allow for land to be sold off and built on to finance it all.

But it is the financial situation that remains the biggest question of all: can the town afford it? [Read more…]