The city of Garching has a lot planned for this year. In order to be able to cope with mandatory tasks such as renovations, support for the fire brigade and clubs and the optional equipment of the city parks, the municipality in the north of the Munich district is investing large sums of money: Garching is planning more than 127 million euros this year in income and move expenses. This is a significant increase compared to the two previous years, when the total sum of current expenses and investments was still around 110 million euros. From the point of view of the new treasurer Sascha Rothhaus, it is gratifying that the city can expect more income – in 2022 alone 48 million euros flowed from trade tax; on the other hand, there is also a significant increase in expenditure.
One of the major items in the investments is the new fire station in Garching, which costs 4.8 million euros. In addition, there are many tasks for the municipality in the schools: more than 8.1 million euros are due for the extension of the middle school or school west including equipment, and renovation work is also planned at the elementary school east; The new construction of the North Elementary School and the Hochbrück Elementary School are also on the list of tasks.
The city also has refurbishment obligations in the Römerhof with 880,000 euros and in the stadium on the lake, for which 830,000 euros are estimated. The city also has to work on its streets, the treasurer expects more than three million euros to be spent on the renovation of Dieselstraße and Mühlfeldweg. The town hall is investing another 1.5 million euros to convert the lighting to energy-saving LEDs. In addition, there is the future issue of residential construction: in the two large new residential areas in the communication zone and on the Schleissheim Canal, the excavators are still not rolling because the property owners and the protection of the skylark are slowing down the work. But on the cost side, the projects are already having a significant impact.
The reserves melt, the treasurer calls for new income
Because construction work has been postponed, the city will have to withdraw less from its reserves in 2023 than planned, but still almost 19.5 million euros of the existing 38 million euros. Since Garching also intends to continue drawing from the reserves in the years to come, these will melt alarmingly. Chamberlain Rothhaus therefore warned that the municipality had to develop new sources of income if it did not want to come under pressure. If that doesn’t succeed, Garching may have to put “the numerous, constantly growing voluntary services of the city” or already planned construction projects to the test again.
Mayor Dietmar Gruchmann (SPD) gave his city council hope that Garching could report further income in the autumn – then the sale of the subway should be fixed; Legal supervision has already approved the deal, said Gruchmann. But even in the event of an additional rain of money, another factor could slow down the creative will of the people of Garching: the increasingly scarce staffing situation in the town hall. Gruchmann announced that the construction department in particular would be tight this year due to retirements, pregnancies and vacancies. So it could possibly be necessary not only for financial but also for organizational reasons that the city council once again chooses priorities among the projects.