From outdoor swimming pools to fire brigades: the Austrian state is currently close to the counter. Not only the federal government, but also the communities must save. The “Kroon” has the reasons for the misery.
In St. Andrä in the Lavanttal the opening times in the open air are shortened, so that robots are cleaned instead of cleaning the staff cleaning the primary school in Ardager. The communities of Austria must also renovate their budget.
A billion injection was promised to the mayors in the previous year, which will now be subdivided into different tranches by 2028 (see the image below). Every second community is a parish. This means that it can no longer cover its current expenses due to its current income.
“Childcare, nursing and hospital costs are the cost factors. The communities of Austria finance 50 percent of hospital and maintenance spending,” explains the need to the community. President Johannes Presl. In Lower Austria, for example, health costs have doubled to 1.4 billion euros.
Plus for civil servants press the Börserl
The salary plus of 9.6 percent for public service has also torn a gap in the community budgets. And rural communities that afford an outdoor swimming pool are confronted with high costs. “Energy and hygiene for an outdoor swimming pool are expensive. You can no longer finance this with the day tickets,” said Presl.
This lack of money forces mayors to radical measures. Christoph Wolf, mayor of Hornstein in Burgenland, informed the municipality at the end of 2024 via Facebook that the financing of the association would be halved to 25,000 euros in 2025, reduced the budget of the Brandbrigade with 20,000 euros, the Pick -Up campaigns for large waste and grass section were suspended. And the costs are increased to a degree of 150,000 euros.
“I do not understand why the real estate tax is always referred to as a wealth tax. It must be urgently evaluated. With this tax we pay snow removal or renovation of asphalt. This tax has not been increased for 40 years,” says Presl.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
