Municipalities demand better funding and structural reform

Saxony's cities and municipalities are pushing for cost-covering financing and structural reform. "We need a new spirit of optimism," said the President of the Saxon Association of Towns and Municipalities (SSG), Bert Wendsche, following its members' meeting in Leipzig. To achieve this, processes need to be streamlined, bureaucracy reduced and local self-government revived. A living homeland is created where responsibility is taken.

Municipalities demand trust

The Association of Towns and Municipalities wants to see the mandatory tasks of municipalities reduced to the absolute minimum and requirements and standards minimized as part of a comprehensive structural reform. Leipzig's Lord Mayor Burkhard Jung (SPD) also backed this demand. There was a great deal of agreement among the municipalities regarding the demands on the Free State.

"We need a boost in confidence again," said Jung. "Many people have the feeling that the municipalities are being ignored." The financial leeway is tight, but "for the democracies and for the people we represent", we are forced to find solutions together.

Wendsche sees structural financing deficit

Last year, there was a financing deficit of 691 million euros - the highest since 1990, said Wendsche. This was not a dip, but a deep, structural deficit, which also reflected the mood in the cities and municipalities.

According to the demands of the Association of Towns and Municipalities, the municipalities should be able to finance their material and personnel expenses from current income again. The Free State is to provide additional funds for this from the 2027/2028 double budget. It is of "paramount importance" for the municipalities to participate in the federal government's special fund in accordance with the municipal share of public infrastructure of 80 percent. The money must be invested simply and quickly in municipal infrastructure in urban centers and rural areas.