Alarm mood in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Municipalities are fighting with a billion-off deficit!

Alarm mood in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: Municipalities are fighting with a billion-off deficit!

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania overshade Klamme Kassen the municipal financial landscape. As reports [NDR] (https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vormern/klamme-kassen-kassen-beimunen-buermeister-alarm ,kommunen-126.html), the municipalities have a violent millions of million that is becoming increasingly central. Low tax revenue, the results of the last census and rising costs have led to an alarming trend: after eight years with surpluses, local households got into the minus for the first time in 2023, whereby the deficit 2024 rose to astonishing 280 million euros.

Thomas Beyer, chairman of the city and community day, raises the alarm and urgently calls for a conversation with the state government. The current financial situation is described as precarious. It seems as if the money is scarce, which means that numerous construction projects have to be put on hold and the municipalities start to shorten the voluntary services.

rising costs and falling assignments

The reasons for this concern for concerns are diverse. Increasing personnel expenses and higher social benefits also put a strain on the health insurers while the income is falling. The recently carried out census also promoted significantly lower inhabitants, which subsequently leads to lower middle allocations. This expected that the key allocations from the country will decrease by a third - from 1,019 euros per inhabitant in 2024 to just 756 euros in 2025.

In order to bring a little light into the dark, the average assignment per citizen in Germany can be considered at 520 euros. In the Lüchow-Dannenberg district, the municipalities even receive the highest assignment of 916 euros per capita. These funds are crucial for the general financing of the expenditure of the administrative budget, while the municipal income mainly comes from local fees and taxes.

rights and complaints from the municipalities

Some municipalities have already taken legal steps against the reduced grants due to the census. This is a multi -stage process in which the municipalities have to adapt their finances. The running costs for free daycare centers, which have not cost parents since 2020, amount to around one billion euros for the country and the municipalities annually.

Grevesmühlen Mayor Lars Praahn also calls for a reduction in bureaucracy and is in favor of introducing a fee of 50 euros per daycare or after-school care center. These measures could help to get the rising costs under control, but the debate about the financial framework conditions is far from over.

The “investment booster”, which was promised, also causes discussions because it is feared that this could result in new tax holes. The municipalities are therefore faced with a difficult task: the balancing act between the necessary investments and compliance with a tense household.

The dramatic financial situation in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania again shows how important a balanced housekeeping is for the municipalities. Here it becomes clear that “there is something” for the future of the region, and the state government is now demanding creativity to tear around the rudder.