Municipal council is in favor

Referendum to decide on new school building

On the shores of Lake Wolfgangsee, the construction of a new school center has been causing a stir for weeks.(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

In St. Wolfgang, a citizens' initiative is taking to the barricades against the local council's decision to close the school in the town center and build a new one on the outskirts. They believe that the local population should be consulted on the matter, and the majority of the 25-member municipal council voted in favor of a new building. 

The municipal council of St. Wolfgang decided by an overwhelming majority to build a new school in Rußbach. 21 of the 25 local politicians voted in favor, with one abstention and three against. However, the issue is more controversial outside the local parliament. A citizens' initiative supported by the Greens has been fighting the decision for weeks and is campaigning to keep the school in the town center. As reported, this is to be abandoned.

The activists want to turn the tide with a referendum. To hold this, they need to collect 352 signatures. "We see this as the only way to urge the mayor to take a democratic and transparent approach," says the initiative.

Criticism of the mayor
They justify their criticism of VP Mayor Franz Eisl as follows: "He repeatedly delays or refuses to hand over documents. Furthermore, he refuses to publish the feasibility study he commissioned, which is a violation of constitutional law. At the same time, he publishes false and distorted facts and figures in official gazettes and local media."

SP backs VP local leader
The mayor's office states that the feasibility study was indeed published and appears in the municipal council minutes. SP deputy leader Josef Hinterberger does not want to know anything about secrecy: "All parliamentary groups, including the Greens, were always involved. I can't understand why they are torpedoing the mayor. The new location is the best solution."