Internal party dispute

No budget: head of town chauffeurs senior citizens himself

From today, SP Mayor Paul Mahr himself will be at the wheel of the city's own e-bus.

(Bild: Stadtgemeinde Marchtrenk)

Upper Austria: Voluntary services that are essential for older Marchtrenk residents in particular have been cut. Important building projects have been put on ice and the clubs have been left empty-handed. Particularly explosive: the SPÖ of all parties, which actually holds the reins with its absolute majority, is stumbling over internal power struggles. 

Since January 1st, Marchtrenk has had to rely on an emergency budget. This means: no new projects, no contracts awarded, no subsidies - at least until the next municipal council meeting in February. Urgently needed projects such as the extension to the fire station or the renovation of the secondary schools are therefore on hold.

Free transport services canceled
Particularly bitter: voluntary services provided by the city, which have been a matter of course for years, have also been canceled. This refers to services such as the free transport service for senior citizens in Marchtrenk to the weekly market or to day care in a retirement home. These were canceled overnight because there are simply no funds to pay the employees' salaries. SP mayor Paul Mahr let it be known: "Due to the paid working hours for these services, it has not been legally possible to continue them since January."

Own party colleagues voted against it
What is behind this debacle? As reported, the original budget proposal envisaged expenditure of 48.5 million euros, which was offset by income of only 47.6 million euros - a deficit of around 850,000 euros. Mahr wanted to cover this deficit from reserves, but this earned him harsh criticism. The opposition from the FPÖ and ÖVP accused the SPÖ of "lack of planning" and a lack of reforms in advance. However, the real explosive force lay within its own ranks: Several SPÖ councillors refused to approve the budget - an affront that destroyed the party's absolute majority. In the end, 21 out of 37 councillors voted against the proposal.

A continuation is currently not possible - until we have a solution, I will drive the senior citizens to the pharmacy and the weekly market myself on Saturdays with the e-bus.

Paul Mahr, SP-Bürgermeister von Marchtrenk

Special meeting in February
Behind the scenes, a power struggle is raging that is deeply dividing the SPÖ. Critics accuse Mahr of leaving too little room for his own initiatives. He, on the other hand, has called on the political advisors to examine possible savings in their areas without taboos.

A revised budget proposal is to be adopted in an extraordinary special meeting in February - if the SPÖ has reached an agreement by then.