Saxony Wants to Give Municipalities More Flexibility

Just one residents’ meeting per year and more flexible election dates: Saxony wants to give municipalities more autonomy. The cabinet is now forwarding a draft of the Local Autonomy Act to the state legislature for a decision. The law is a first step toward reducing bureaucracy at the local level and strengthening local self-government, officials said.

A door to greater local autonomy

“With this first step toward a Local Autonomy Act, we are opening the door to greater local autonomy and the opportunity to test new approaches to established local regulations, just as county administrators, mayors, and, above all, local council members have long been calling for,” said Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU). Overall, the local level is being given significantly more leeway in decision-making.

“The law enables simpler action at the local level and can thereby also reduce the often-felt perception of ‘those up there,’” Schuster is convinced. The door is open, and the ministry intends to continue in this vein, the minister said, referring to cooperation with the municipalities.

36 sections of existing ordinances will be amended

The draft bill from the Ministry of the Interior consists of two parts. The first part deals with amendments to 36 sections of the Municipal Code, the County Code, and the Local Election Act. This is intended to address the proposals and requests of the municipalities, officials said. This includes, for example, reducing the number of annual town meetings and allowing for more flexible election dates so that mayoral and county administrator elections can be held concurrently. 

Municipalities may deviate from state standards

The so-called Municipal Pilot Program Act forms the second part of the legislative package. This gives cities, municipalities, and counties the opportunity, for a limited time and upon request, to deviate from state law standards and test new, simpler solutions. The umbrella organizations representing local governments may submit such a request for deviation on behalf of several municipalities.

The highest state authority must decide on the request within a maximum of three months and, in doing so, examine whether federal or European law precludes it, the Ministry of the Interior announced. The Local Government Pilot Program Act follows the principle that “what proves effective at the local level can subsequently become the norm.”