Paid for with taxpayers’ money – jackets for city councilors cause outrage

There is currently a lot of excitement about a decision in the St. Anton am Arlberg city council! The members of the municipal council, 15 people from a total of five factions, receive uniform jackets embroidered with the St. Anton am Arlberg logo for public appearances – at the expense of the municipality and therefore the taxpayer. Assembly has already taken place in a fashion store in Landeck.

“This problem is unnecessary”
“I have renounced the ‘Living in St. Anton’ list – a mandate -. On the one hand, I find the external impact of uniform clothing worn by political officials from a wide variety of groups completely inappropriate – we do not represent the ski club, the Red Cross or the mountain rescue service. Under no circumstances should the voters on our list get the impression that voting is now taking place entirely in accordance with the majority party. On the other hand, I find these costs unnecessary at the expense of the citizens of the community,” emphasizes Bettina Tschol. Wearing a uniform jacket “is probably intended to ensure that we work together in the future without major discussions,” the councilor suspects.

“These are unreasonable expenses”
Markus Sint, club chairman of the Fritzlijst, is also shocked: “I regularly hear from mayors that the municipal coffers are empty and that there is no money for urgent needs. Swimming pools throughout Tyrol are closing because there is no money to run them. Fees and rates are rising and citizens are having to dig deeper into their wallets. In St. Anton, the municipality also requires that all citizens pay a water surcharge of 100 m3 per year. It does not matter how much water citizens use, no matter how economical they are with water consumption.” Given these facts, “it is downright brazen to purchase embroidered jackets for municipalities at taxpayer expense.” “These are expenses that are not necessary and are not reasonable,” says the politician. That is the “wrong signal” amid rising prices. “It is not economical, practical and certainly not economical,” Sint emphasizes.

“There is nothing but a Christmas dinner and a calendar”
Mayor Helmut Mall cannot understand the criticism of the project: “The municipal council and various committees of the municipality of St. Anton am Arlberg work on a voluntary basis. Apart from a joint dinner for Christmas and a calendar, the city council members receive nothing. By the way, this is the first time that such an action has taken place. The costs per jacket are in the normal price range for a commercially available product. This is not a customized product, nor an ‘expensive product’.” And the desire to present a uniform appearance at various events “has existed for some time.”

Free decision for every municipality
Each individual member is free to decide whether to request or wear a jacket. According to Mall, three community leaders already own a jacket purchased this year for the celebration of the Vail/USA Ski Area partnership.

“There is a fee schedule that has been properly drawn up and checked”
“The vilification of such an action with inflation requires no further explanation,” says the mayor, “and as far as water is concerned, there is a compensation schedule that is properly established and monitored. The regulation is implemented by the municipality’s own company, EWA GmbH. This issue has been discussed several times, but no withdrawal or change was achieved, which is also acceptable in terms of democratic politics. However, if someone applies to the municipality for this title/water allowance for social reasons, it will be processed.”