Corresponding to the constitution of the counties: Money shortage threatens municipalities!

Corresponding to the constitution of the counties: Money shortage threatens municipalities!

In a significant step, the districts of Salzlandkreis and Mansfeld-Südharz submitted a municipal constitutional complaint to the Federal Constitutional Court on December 12, 2024. This complaint aims to achieve a clear interpretation of Article 28 of the Basic Law, which concerns the financial resources of the counties. The district councilors Markus Bauer and André Schröder emphasize that the current case law in Saxony-Anhalt is forcing the counties to remain behind their actual financial needs when setting the lifting rates in favor of the cities and municipalities. This leads to significant losses of income that are not compensated for by the higher FAG assignments, such as burgenlandkreis.de reported.

The district administrators make it clear that these financial bottlenecks result in an over -indebtedness of the counties if the municipal mini equipment is not bindingly determined. District Administrator André Schröder calls for a "debt brake from below" to secure the municipal self -government of the counties. According to Prof. Dr. Ariane Berger, managing presidential member of the Saxony-Anhalt District Council, stands such a decision before the court in the context of the structural underfunding of many counties. The question of financial responsibilities is not only of local, but also of national and nationwide interest, as Götz Ulrich, President of the Saxony-Anhalt district day, emphasizes.

The essential role of the counties

counties play a key role in public services in Germany. With responsibility for 57 million inhabitants and important infrastructures, such as 273 hospitals and over 90,000 kilometers of district roads, they make a decisive contribution to the quality of life in the regions. They are the main bearers of social services, such as support for SGB II recipients, and act as a linchpin in pandeeme control with their health offices. These diverse tasks of the counties, including education and traffic, are clearly regulated in the law and require a solid financial basis to perform the legally prescribed tasks, such as the Landkreisstag explained.

However, the current challenges in the financial resources of the counties are a threat to the fulfillment of these tasks. The submission of the constitutional complaint supports the efforts to ensure sustainable and just financing that enables counties to continue to fulfill their duties for the benefit of the citizens