Dispute for 940,000 euros: Kassel sues Hessen for refugee costs

Dispute for 940,000 euros: Kassel sues Hessen for refugee costs

Kassel - The city of Kassel is in a heated conflict with the state of Hesse, which concerns the financial costs for refugee accommodation. The former “Motel 24” on Heinrich-Hertz-Straße is in sight of the dispute, where unaccompanied minor refugees were housed from 2015 to 2019. Kassel now wants to submit a lawsuit because the Kassel regional council did not recognize the reimbursement of almost 940,000 euros for the period from July 2017 to March 2019. This could mean a dramatic turn in the financial negotiations between city and country.

The city of Kassel argues that the costs should be fully reimbursed according to the Social Code. After a sudden increase in the number of refugees in 2015, the motel was rented as a temporary accommodation with 115 seats, but the move in refugees decreased quickly. The city has already made adjustments to the rental contracts, but the costs remained high, while the occupancy declined sharply. A circumstance that the RP considered economically unauthorized and therefore reduced the reimbursements considerably. This led to a bitter financial blow to the city, which now insists on judicial clarification.

political decision is imminent

On Monday, November 11th, the Kassel city council will decide on the legal dispute. The magistrate has already given his approval for the lawsuit, and today there is advising on this in the legal committee. The city sees a potential violation of the autonomy of the agreements for local youth welfare institutions in the request of the RP after a occupancy rate of 95 percent during a humanitarian crisis situation. The legal foundations and the amount of the reimbursement claims could now focus on a court proceedings, which could have a lasting impact on the political and financial landscapes of the region.