In the Control Committee

Gswb boss explains use of millions

(Bild: Tröster Andreas)

Peter Rassaerts spoke a lot about housing finance flows in the Control Committee. All questions have not been clarified, so there will be a new edition in May.

Peter Rassaerts answered questions from city politicians for more than two hours on Monday. The head of Gswb was invited to the Audit Committee on the occasion of the critical report by the Audit Office on his company. Many points, such as the controversial ticketing system that led to Rassaerts' imminent replacement as Gswb boss, were not even addressed.

That is why Rassaerts was immediately invited to the next Control Committee - then with a new line-up after the election - on May 27. The ticketing system will probably also be discussed there. Among other things, this time it was about the personnel situation at the non-profit housing developer, which is owned equally by the City and Province of Salzburg.

Questions about the high level of staff turnover
According to the audit office, there was an unusually high level of staff turnover in the six years of the audit period. With 95 employees in the company, there were 54 departures. Rassaerts said: "Every departure hurts." However, the situation at Gswb is better than the Austrian construction industry average, he said. The issue of money at Gswb was also discussed at length.

For the SPÖ, a follow-up audit is on the cards
Future housing councillor Kay-Michael Dankl (KPÖ Plus) wanted to know why profits have risen over the years from around three million euros to 12.2 million euros in 2021. "What do you do with all that money?" asked Dankl. The profits are due to the long existence of Gswb, explained Rassaerts. They come from the rents of residential buildings that are already fully financed. There is a precise purpose for the money. Gswb uses it to buy plots of land on which to build new residential buildings. According to the housing manager, this is particularly difficult in the city due to the market situation.

Tarik Mete (SPÖ) was not completely satisfied with the answers. "The discussion was good. But I didn't see any real insight," he said. The SPÖ wants to make it dependent on the next appointment whether there should be a follow-up audit. This would probably no longer affect Rassaerts. As reported, he will be replaced in the fall by a dual leadership yet to be appointed.