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Budget crisis: Dog owners in Westheim have to pay drastically more!
Germersheim is planning investment measures despite debts. Lockdown for dog owners and new daycare projects are pending.
Budget crisis: Dog owners in Westheim have to pay drastically more!
In a dramatic turnaround for Westheim's municipal finances, the new daycare law creates additional debt and bad news for dog owners. The municipality must raise over 2.8 million euros in the next two years to meet legal requirements, including the construction of a required cafeteria for daycare and primary school children, which costs 2.379 million euros. The local mayor Susanne Grabau (FWG) expressed concern about the financial challenges that will be exacerbated by these measures, in particular by the failure of plans for a left-turn lane and a new roundabout in the “Obere Heide II” development area. These uncertain prospects lead many people straight into the new year with a per capita debt of already 2,636 euros.
Rising costs for dog owners and cash loans
The impact of the budget is particularly hard on dog owners. The administration is proposing a drastic increase in the dog tax, which has not been adjusted since 2012. From 2025, a dog will be charged 70 euros instead of 42 euros, and dangerous dogs even 480 euros. This measure is seen as a necessary step to stabilize municipal finances and increase annual income from 9,000 to 15,000 euros. Despite these measures, the forecast for the municipality continues to see budget deficits of 705,000 euros in 2025 and debts expected to grow to 4.678 million euros by the end of 2026.
The financial bottlenecks and upcoming obligations could force the municipality to take out loans of up to 2.3 million euros. The expenses significantly exceed the income and put pressure on the budget. In order to maintain financial balance and meet legal requirements, tougher austerity measures will be unavoidable in the next few years. Reports of debt doubling and the situation of dog owners must be seen as serious warning signs for the community, which needs support more than ever to avoid sliding further into financial crisis, as in Rhine Palatinate represents.