Schwerin in the crisis: budget rejected - what does that mean for the city?

Schwerin in the crisis: budget rejected - what does that mean for the city?

In the meeting of the city council of Schwerin on December 9, 2024, there was a serious result of the vote: The budget for 2025/2026 was rejected with 16 votes for and 16 against votes. This means that Schwerin is standing without a valid budget at the beginning of 2026. The budget had already provided proposals for increasing taxes and fees as well as cuts in various areas in advance, which met with massive criticism. The promised free school transport up to 5th grade is now in question, as is the financing of various projects such as the city history museum and the World Heritage Center. The coordination is particularly important, since a rejection of the household also means standstill for the city, as Schwerin.news reported.

budget deficit and reforms in Schmallenberg

In contrast, the budget draft of the city of Schmallenberg has a deficit of 3.45 million euros for 2025. Despite this undercover, investments of 23.3 million euros are planned. A central point is the upcoming reform of the property tax, in which the tax rate for property tax A and B and trade tax are to be redefined. From 2025, these will be set as follows: 130 % for property tax A, 530 % for property tax B and 420 % for trade tax. The waste, water and wastewater fees, on the other hand, remain unchanged, which means that no additional financial burdens will arise for the citizens here. This information comes from the official communications of the city of Schmallenberg, which explained the planned measures in detail and underlined the need to adjust the budget, as Schmallenberg.de reported.

The current developments in both cities illustrate the serious challenges that municipal administrations face, especially in times of rising costs and scarce funds. While Schwerin urgently needs a new budget to remain able to keep an action, Schmallenberg is looking for ways to enable long -term investments despite a deficit.