Talks to be continued
In the district of Ludwigsburg, 35 municipalities are affected to varying degrees. Possible solutions are now to be further examined together with the municipal umbrella organizations. "Every correction has an impact on all districts and municipalities in Baden-Württemberg. This makes the search for a solution complex, but must not lead to those affected being left holding the bag," emphasizes Allgaier. Talks with the Ministry of Finance are also to be continued.
District Administrator Allgaier: "We are working hard to find a solution"
The district is making it clear that it is pushing for a correction: "It is unacceptable that the financial consequences remain and ultimately have to be borne by the citizens. We will continue to work hard to find a solution."
In addition to State Secretary Gisela Splett, representatives of the municipalities affected, including the Mayor of Ditzingen, Michael Makurath, and Mayor Rebecca Saile from Möglingen, who is also Chairwoman of the Mayors in the Ludwigsburg district, also took part in the talks at the Ministry of Finance. The President of the Baden-Württemberg State Statistical Office, Dr. Anke Rigbers, was also present.
Cause of the deviations
The district of Ludwigsburg lost an unusually high number of inhabitants in the 2022 census. This is due to around 800 unresolved verification cases in the responsible census office. This was under the technical supervision of the State Statistical Office and was an isolated area within the district administration, meaning that the district administration was unable to influence the content of the processing.
Although the State Statistical Office was aware that numerous cases had not been completed, the census office was closed and the documents destroyed. As the census is not a complete survey, these unresolved cases were statistically amplified and led to considerable discrepancies in the population figures. "At this point at the latest, the State Statistical Office should have reacted and ensured complete clarification," said District Administrator Allgaier.
Significant financial consequences
The consequences are serious: from 2026, the district of Ludwigsburg is expecting an annual shortfall of around 12 million euros in municipal financial equalization. For the affected municipalities in the district, the losses will add up to a three-digit million euro amount over a period of ten years.
