Three months late

Sieggraben finally adopts budget for 2024

After a long tug-of-war, the budget was fixed in the municipality of Sieggraben.

(Bild: P. Huber)

The budget for 2024 has finally been adopted in Sieggraben (Mattersburg district). Nevertheless, the climate between the SPÖ and ÖVP remains tense in the municipal council

The budget should actually have been adopted in December: But there was no sanction from the ÖVP majority in the municipal council for the estimates of Mayor Andreas Gradwohl (SPÖ). Three months later, the time had come: but some of the planned projects had to make way for the red pencil.

SPÖ mayor Andreas Gradwohl

(Bild: zVg)

SPÖ mayor annoyed by red pencil
 "On the one hand, I am relieved that we finally have a budget, but on the other hand, the cancellation of the projects is completely pointless and comes at the expense of the safety of Sieggraben residents," says SPÖ mayor Gradwohl and reacts with a shake of the head to the ÖVP's approach. This would affect, for example, the construction of apartments above the municipal office, the construction of the goods road or the sewer renovation. Gradwohl also refers to the municipality's top credit rating, which was confirmed in a ranking of Austrian municipalities the previous year.

People's Party points to minus
ÖVP deputy mayor Anton Taschner naturally sees things differently. The municipality would have had a deficit of around 200,000 in the previous year, and the original draft budget for 2024 would have envisaged a deficit of a similar magnitude. "You can't use up all the reserves in two to three years," explains Taschner.