Criticism of the budget

“Hohenems is broke”

A lot has happened in Hohenems in recent years - but at what cost?

(Bild: Stadt Hohenems)

Philipp Schuler, parliamentary group leader of the Hohenems People's Party, harshly criticized the financial management of the FPÖ municipal government under Mayor Dieter Egger.

That's how different views on the same topic can be. While the Ems FPÖ praises itself for a "consolidation budget" which, in view of the generally bleak economic situation, puts "necessary investments above desirable ones" and also emphasizes that external debt will be slightly lower in 2025 despite all the challenges, the city's blacks have a completely different view of things: "After ten years of FPÖ city government, Hohenems is broke," grumbles VP parliamentary group leader Philipp Schuler. He sees the town as being in a financial imbalance, which is not least due to the fact that those responsible have lacked any foresight. In particular, they had failed to build up reserves for worse times during economic boom phases with low interest rates.

After ten years of FPÖ city government, Hohenems is broke. It is high time to step on the debt brake and, in particular, to rethink the expenditure side in the long term.

Philipp Schuler, Fraktionsobmann der Hohenemser Volkspartei

Bild: VP HPhenems

With the result that the town now has to sell properties worth over 20 million euros in order to be able to finance basic municipal tasks such as renovations and road maintenance. "After these sales, there will be nothing left except the new town hall and some childcare facilities in need of renovation." For Schuler, the fact that the city government is talking about a decline in external debt is just a cheap sleight of hand designed to distract from the true extent of the misery: Because if the internal loans are added, then the debt level will grow from 31 million euros in 2016 to over 45 million euros by the end of 2025. "How these debts are to be repaid remains unanswered."

Town ÖVP refused to approve the budget
For this reason, the Hohenems People's Party refused to approve the submitted budget and medium-term financial plan at the town council meeting. The party is calling for nothing other than a radical change in budget policy: "It is high time to put the brakes on debt and, in particular, to rethink the expenditure side in the long term," said Schuler, addressing this appeal not least to the FPÖ's coalition partner, the Greens: "How can you categorically rule out land sales and still agree to these financial plans?"