ÖVP under fire

Crooked real estate deal or smear campaign

Dornbirn's mayor Andrea Kaufmann is facing serious accusations.

(Bild: Mathis Fotografie)

A report in the "Vorarlberger Nachrichten" is causing quite a stir in Dornbirn. It concerns two properties secured by the city: The deal is said to have mainly benefited owners close to the ÖVP.

The case is not new. Back in 2020, the city secured two plots of land, each measuring 3,500 square meters, near the University of Applied Sciences. However, it was not a classic purchase, but rather an agreement was reached with the owner families on building rights contracts. According to these, a total of 15 million euros was to flow to the lessors between September 1, 2023 and 2063. The sum was justified at the time with the immense urban development relevance of the site, and the controversial deal was ultimately approved with the votes of the ÖVP and SPÖ. So far, so well known. Now, however, an investigation by "VN" has brought to light a supplementary agreement to the building rights contracts. This had become necessary because mistakes had been made when drawing up the contract, which were ultimately also objected to by the land registry court.

More "supplement" than "addendum"
However, according to the accusation made in the "VN", not only were legal improvements made, but the content was also changed. The addendum reads like a supplement: "More of everything and all in the interests of the private landowners," the report says verbatim. Among other things, the building rights contracts now run until 2133, which entails considerable financial risks for the city. In addition, the term had to be brought forward to 1 January 2021. As a result, over 300,000 euros have been paid to the property owners every year for the past four years - even though there is still no sign of the land being used. The fact that the owner families are said to be close to the ÖVP fits well into the picture. As does the accusation that the supplementary agreement was apparently a deal in the dark: according to "VN", the eight-page document had only been known to a handful of people, including Mayor Andrea Kaufmann and City Councillor Julian Fässler (both ÖVP), who had also signed the contract.

Those responsible reject accusations
The opposition, above all the Greens and the Freedom Party, are furious: "This is the worst deal Dornbirn has ever done," FPÖ city councillor Christoph Waibel told the newspaper VN. And what do those responsible in the city, first and foremost Mayor Andrea Kaufmann, have to say about the accusations? They are absolutely "unfounded" and are due to the "worst election campaign methods" of the FPÖ and the Greens. For example, it was false that the side agreement had been made in secret: "All agreements were examined by the Green-led audit committee and brought to the attention of the entire city council." In addition, the renegotiations were to the benefit of the city: "Thanks to good and constructive discussions with the landowners, the city subsequently received an improved unilateral extension option that can be exercised by the city council. And due to high inflation, two discount agreements were reached, which resulted in major savings for the city." Furthermore, it is incorrect that the payments have been flowing since 2021: "The payments have been flowing since 2023 - as decided by the city council." And the accusation that the owners are close to the Dornbirn ÖVP is "impertinent and has no basis whatsoever".