New district council almost two years younger than members of the constituent meeting in 2019
The chairman of the district council and head of the district administration began by congratulating the district councillors on being elected to the district council by the citizens as their municipal representatives. District Administrator Allgaier began by quoting some figures: Of the 105 district council members, 59 were re-elected and 46 were newly elected. "That's a good mix of experience and new ideas," said the district administrator. At just under 23%, the proportion of women still has room for improvement, but is a good 1% above the national average for elected district councils. With regard to the average age, Allgaier noted "a small anti-ageing", as at an average age of 54.9 years, the new district council is almost two years younger than the members of the constituent meeting five years ago. Nevertheless, the average age shows "that you usually become a district councillor when you have established yourself professionally and with your family and/or have gained experience in a local political body". District Administrator Allgaier also pointed out that the population of the district has increased by around 111,000 inhabitants since the district reform in 1973 and that the district councillors "bear responsibility for a really large number of citizens".
Important tasks for the district council over the next five years
District Administrator Allgaier then explained the functions and tasks of the district administrator and the district and gave an outlook on some of the district council's important tasks over the next five years. These included the light rail project, which the district will continue to pursue with vigor. A new managing director is currently being sought for the special-purpose association. The district administration's motto for the year, "Climate protection is our mission", shows that quick and sensible action is required if the district administration wants to become climate-neutral by 2035 and the entire district by 2040. In this context, the district administration is currently in the process of drawing up a climate mobility plan and updating its district-wide climate protection concept.
With the construction of the disaster control center, the district administrator continued, an important project for civil protection is being implemented. In crisis situations, relief measures could be prepared, managed and implemented from the center. The major task of accommodating refugees will continue to occupy the district council and administration. At the moment, the monthly number of refugees assigned to the district for accommodation is stagnating at a high level. In the past, the district has had to experience how quickly this can change again. "The district is faced with the difficult task of providing sufficient accommodation on the one hand, but not spending money on empty accommodation on the other. At the same time, supporting and helping refugees to integrate is a key task. In total, the district and independent providers are looking after over 10,000 people," said District Administrator Allgaier. With the new management duo Axel Hechenberger (Commercial Director) and Dr. Marc Nickel (Medical Director), the RKH clinics are on the right track in terms of personnel. The challenges facing both of them and the district are nevertheless enormous, as the RKH Kliniken Ludwigsburg-Bietigheim are currently running deficits in the double-digit millions per year due to insufficient financial support from the federal and state governments. District Administrator Allgaier described the compensation of the million-euro deficits by the district as a Herculean task.
From partnerships to steep slopes to future strategy
He then went on to talk about the future strategy that the district is currently developing with many stakeholders from business, local authorities and institutions in order to better prepare companies for the future. "Our goal is to maintain and further expand the district's economic strength despite structural change. And, of course, we want to attract innovative companies here and offer them the best conditions for growth," explained Allgaier, announcing that the district administration would keep the district councillors actively informed about this process and, at the end of the process, would work with them to develop an agenda for the coming years. The situation in the terraced vineyards, the district administrator continued, was "tense to catastrophic". The situation has worsened due to the significantly higher cultivation costs of the steep slopes. The district council had therefore already adopted a whole raft of measures to preserve this cultural landscape that characterizes the district. The task now is to implement these measures together with the municipalities. However, as there is still a lot to do, the district councillors will always find this very relevant topic on the agenda of their meetings, said the district administrator, who was pleased to be able to report something positive on the subject: With the steep slope app "Echt.Schön.Schräg", the district won the Baden-Württemberg Wine Tourism Award this week. Finally, Allgaier spoke about the partner districts: "We want to continue to cultivate these valuable friendships through meetings and joint projects. Our friends in the north of Israel in particular are currently experiencing a difficult time, in which we are in constant contact with them and support them as best we can," said the District Administrator.
District Administrator Allgaier is looking forward to working with the members of the district council
District Administrator Allgaier emphasized that he is looking forward to working with the members of the district council over the next five years: "I hope for an open and respectful political discussion in this body and look forward to a good and trusting working relationship."
