Gmunden municipality: Fewer committees for efficient budget management

Gmunden municipality: Fewer committees for efficient budget management

The city of Gmunden faces a significant change in its political structure. At a time when the budget is tense, those responsible have decided to drastically reduce the number of community committees. Of the originally 16 committees, only 10 should remain, which represents a relief for the budget and the political decisions should make more efficient.

This decision follows the test report of the municipal supervision, which the ÖVP, currently the strongest political force in Gmunden, has recommended the initiative to reduce the committees. As early as March 2023, the Greens together with SPÖ and Neos made an application for reduction, which, however, did not find a majority at the time. A look at other comparable cities such as Bad Ischl and Vöcklabruck showed that good community work is also possible with fewer committees.

efficiency increase and savings

The restructuring of the committees aims to save around 15,000 euros in session fees annually, which is of great importance in the current financial situation. The mayor, Stefan Krapf from the ÖVP, emphasizes the need for economy and efficiency in the processes of the community. Due to the reduction, dual tracks are to be avoided and the processes in the administration are to be unified.

Each of the parties involved will keep their relevant departments, but the ÖVP raises three of its committees, while the Greens, SPÖ, FPÖ and NEOS do not committee. The innovation is expected to be decided in a special meeting of the local council in early 2025. The chair of the examination board is transferred from the Neos to the SPÖ, which means an interesting redistribution within the political landscape.

Mayor Ulrike Feichtinger from the Greens explains the intention behind this measure: the simplification of communication between the committees in order to make more efficient political decisions. Their hope is that the city of Gmunden will now be able to actively address concrete and future -oriented projects such as innovative solutions for childcare, school renovations as well as topics related to climate protection and sustainable mobility.

The current proposal for the new committee regulation stipulates that the ÖVP brings the majority with five committees, followed by the Greens with two and SPÖ, FPÖ and NEOS, each taking a committee. This marks an important step towards tighter, more effective administration in Gmunden, which is urgently needed in view of the financial challenges.

The regulation of the new committees from January 2025 will look as follows: The ÖVP will be responsible for business and finance, real estate law, social affairs, culture and sport. The Greens will concentrate on the climate and the environment and urban development, while the SPÖ heads a committee for generations and integration. The FPÖ will take care of construction and road planning and the NEOS, which is the only party to keep one committee, are responsible for tourism and disaster protection in the future.

Adjustments like this are often associated with challenges in politics, but those responsible seem to agree that these changes are necessary to meet the special requirements of Gmundens. It remains to be seen whether these measures ultimately lead to the hoped -for efficiency increase and budget relief, but the direction is clear: fewer committees, more freedom of maneuver and central control of the municipal tasks.

For more information on this topic, See the current reports on www.salzi.at .