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The SPÖ mayor of Bruck, Andrea Winkelmeier, has imposed a budget freeze.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Wulf Scherbichler,Stadt Bruck/E. Paller)

Bruck an der Mur is facing major financial problems, the mayor has imposed a so-called budget freeze: spending is being curbed and the excitement is great. Now comes an audit by the municipal supervisory authority.

The SPÖ mayor of Bruck, Andrea Winkelmeier, pulled the emergency brake two weeks ago - and ended up in the headlines: She imposed a budget freeze. Numerous expenditures were put to the test and partially frozen. In other words, every euro has to be turned over twice. 

The political uproar was huge, as was criticism from the opposition. "It's about raising awareness. I was brave and pulled the ripcord," Winkelmeier told "Krone". "Nevertheless, the city is not broke, it can carry out its core tasks," she emphasized.

Audit as early as mid-July
In the provincial parliament session on Tuesday, the opposition parties requested a financial audit of Bruck by the provincial court of auditors. However, the ÖVP and SPÖ government did not agree. Their reasoning: This would only be possible if the level of debt and liability developed conspicuously compared to other municipalities. This was not the case for Bruck.

However, Governor Christopher Drexler and his deputy Anton Lang have instructed the municipal supervisory authority (Department 7 of the state) to include Bruck's finances in the audit plan this year. The audit is due to take place as early as mid-July. According to Mürztal ÖVP member of parliament Cornelia Izzo, a particular focus will be on "budget monitoring and liquidity management".

The Neos demand that the audit report be made public. In contrast to the provincial court of auditors, this is not planned for the municipal supervisory authority.

ÖVP does not vote consistently
The FPÖ smugly points out another detail: In the Bruck municipal council, the ÖVP had agreed to a similar request for an audit by the provincial audit office, while the exact opposite was the case in the provincial parliament.