Controversial sale: Discussions in the Hollabrunner municipal council

Controversial sale: Discussions in the Hollabrunner municipal council

In the Hollabrunner municipal council, the sale of a property to the "Society for Politics and Economy in the Weinviertel" caused considerable discussions. The chairman of this society, Richard Hogl, is also the ÖVP district chief. The matter was complicated, since Mayor Alfred Babinsky, who is also the company's treasurer, could not take part in the meeting to avoid possible conflicts of interest.

The plot of land has an area of 519 square meters and is located near the ÖVP office in the exhibition street. The sales price of 60 euros per square meter was described by the opposition as inappropriately low. Greens City Councilor Sabine Fasching expressed her outrage and spoke of "friendship economy", since in her opinion the price was far too cheap. Wolfgang Scharinger from the citizen list pointed out that ÖVP lying downstate councilor Günter Schnötzinger did not reveal in the committee which plans the ÖVP had with the property, and accused them of "speculation".

The property and the planned uses

At the session, ÖVP-Vice-Vice Kornelius Schneider and Schnötzinger tried to clarify the situation. They explained that the area was actually a traffic area in the building land company area that was actually not useful for use. In addition, Sivag Pumpen GmbH has the right of passage on this area, which further limits the use.

Schnötzinger rejected the opposition's allegations and claimed that the critical voices received were not technically well -founded. "I categorize the speeches politically," said Schnötzinger, and asked to "leave the church in the village". The nearby neighbor, the Riz, is not an issue. When asked about specific plans, Schnötzinger replied that there is currently “no project”. If there was a plan, this could only be realized by formal building applications.

Voting and reactions

The majority of the municipal council members finally spoke out for the sale. Despite 16 rejections from the oppositional side, 17 ÖVP members voted for the deal. Green club chairman Georg Ecker also found that comparable land in the Region reach a price of up to 130 euros per square meter. He saw no need for sale at this time.

Michael Sommer from the FPÖ noted that it was atypical without selling a property without a clear plan, which does not make the process appear particularly transparent. Despite the heated debate, Babinsky said that this sale was not a dramatic matter. He emphasized that the area was sometimes used as a parking lot and the ÖVP is planning to store materials there. This could also benefit the local economy. Ultimately, Babinsky believes that the sale of the area for the municipality has no value and underlined his willingness to sell to other parties that want to invest.