With immediate effect

Turmoil over the Fernpass package: first resignations now

The long-distance pass plans continue to heat things up.

(Bild: Rauth Hubert/Krone KREATIV)

The "Fernpass package" with its planned tunnel and toll has its first political victim: the members of the opposition "ZUG" list on the Biberwier municipal council - five out of eleven seats - have resigned from all their positions. The reason for this is the result of the supervisory complaint.

The planned "long-distance pass package" was intended to better connect the Außerfern with the rest of Tyrol. So far, the opposite has been achieved: a split between the population and political bodies. This was also the case in Biberwier, where the village parliament discussed the sale of the properties required for the long-distance pass tunnel on July 3. With 6:5 votes, the list of Mayor Harald Schönherr - also ÖVP managing director of the district of Reutte - used its wafer-thin majority to pass a resolution in favor of the sale.

Supervisory complaint lodged
The opposition list "ZUG" then complained about the lack of access to essential written documents and a blatant discrepancy between the content of the meeting and the minutes and submitted a supervisory complaint to the district administration of Reutte at the beginning of September.

Even if Mayor Schönherr had not allowed the documents to be inspected, it would still have been possible for a municipal council resolution to be properly passed despite the shortcomings.

Auszug Antwortschreiben der BH Reutte

The authority's statement was recently received. It states in part: "Even if Mayor Schönherr had not allowed the documents to be inspected, it would still be possible for a municipal council resolution to be properly passed despite the deficiency."

In the context of the discrepancy between the minutes and the actual content of the meeting, the BH argues that the minutes were signed by the secretary and two other members of the municipal council and also writes: "In principle, it can therefore be assumed that what was discussed and recorded corresponds to the facts, as otherwise objections would be raised by the co-signing members of the municipal council."

It should be noted that the minutes were signed by the mayor, the secretary and two members of their own list.

Oppositionsführer Philipp Taxer

"Contradiction to our understanding of democracy"
"It should be noted that the minutes were signed by the mayor, the recording clerk and two members of our own list," says a dismayed opposition leader Philipp Taxer. The behavior of the mayor and the letter from the BH Reutte are in direct contradiction to the understanding of democracy of all five list colleagues and their oath. Taxer continued: "Under these circumstances, we no longer see ourselves in a position to fulfill our responsibility on the municipal council."

Unrestricted access to all relevant information is essential for their work. Philipp Taxer, Harald Schennach, Doris Pechtl, Josef Luttinger and Sylvia Anja von Olnhausen are therefore resigning from all functions and substitute functions on the municipal board, municipal council and committees with immediate effect.