In total, the district council has thus adopted 471 recommendations for action, which the administration had drawn up in advance and the budget commission had discussed in a total of nine meetings since September 2024. In total, 43 million euros and a one-off reallocation of funds reserved for the clinics will be consolidated. "Due to the structural underfunding of municipal budgets, there is no alternative to budget consolidation," explains District Administrator Dietmar Allgaier.
The district administration and district council were supported in the consolidation process by Professor Dr. Jürgen Kientz. The Professor of Administrative Management at Kehl University of Applied Sciences was responsible for the external project management of the budget consolidation. Kientz on the consolidation process: "From the very beginning, the process was designed as a joint approach. There were individual meetings of the budget commission and, of course, many employees from the departments also contributed suggestions and ideas." All areas were examined - always with the aim of identifying potential savings or efficiency gains without fundamentally jeopardizing the quality of the work, Kientz continues. At the same time, a process management project was introduced in the district administration - an essential tool for overcoming the challenges of the coming years.
Internally, Head of Finance Bettina Beck coordinated the savings proposals. "The managers of the district administration were closely involved in the consolidation process," says Beck. "They categorized all of the tasks in their areas as being subject to instructions, mandatory or voluntary and put a 'price tag' on them."
District administrator renews criticism of the state and federal government
"We are currently experiencing an ever-widening gap at municipal level between the efficiency of public administration and the demands of the population. We can no longer meet these demands if the revenue side is not improved at the same time and it is not possible to generate the necessary skilled workers on the labor market," said District Administrator Allgaier at the meeting. Major structural deficits are also evident in the areas of public transport, public order, health and social affairs. "The state is holding back and, for example, is only reimbursing advance payments for the Federal Participation Act, which further increases the municipal deficit. This area alone currently results in an annual amount in the tens of millions, which is a burden on the district budget," says Allgaier.
The head of the district administration was also critical of the financial promises made by the federal government: "The 13.5 billion euros promised by the federal government for the municipalities merely compensates for the future burdens resulting from the tax promises in connection with the growth package. This will not solve the underlying structural problem. In this respect, we at municipal level are required to strictly adhere to the course we have taken."
In conclusion, Allgaier appealed to the towns and municipalities in the district to do their homework and consolidate their budgets. "The district will keep a watchful eye on this in its role as local authority supervisor."
Innovation budget set up for specific projects
Despite the tense financial situation, the district can fall back on a reserve of around 150 million euros at the end of 2024 - a buffer that, according to Allgaier, "will not last another three years at the current rate of reduction."
An annual innovation budget of three million euros will be set up. This will be used to implement projects that make the administration more modern and digital and thus optimize processes. The budget is already included in the total amounts for the 2026 budget, so there will be no additional burden.
A district levy of 34.5% would be required for a balanced budget in 2026. At the beginning of July 2025, the majority of the budget commission agreed on the political target of 33% for 2026. The district council will make the final decision.
To the presentation of the special session of the district council
