Fusion of the municipalities: Mayor Fehr demands great unity in the Neuwied district!
Fusion of the municipalities: Mayor Fehr demands great unity in the Neuwied district!
in Rhineland-Palatinate, the municipal structures are currently being put to the test. Karsten Fehr, mayor of the Unkel association and chairman of the Neuwied district group of the municipal and urban association, clearly comments on larger administrative units. According to rhein-zeitung.de , the current municipal structures are overhauled in his eyes. He welcomes the examination of the President of the State Audit Office, Marcel Hürter, with the existing structures and supports his suggestion to "moderate steps" in the direction of larger units.
The topic of the regional and local reforms is of great explosiveness in Rhineland-Palatinate. With over 2,300 locations and villages, the state has the most municipal units in Germany. The discussions about possible mergers of small communities are often shaped by the tense financial situation of many municipalities. Hürter recently initiated the debate about the need for mergers, which, however, encounters mixed reactions.
Despite mergers in the past, the country remains record holder in small -scale, with around 1,600 municipalities that have fewer than 1,000 inhabitants. Historical resistance to forced fusions, such as the merger of Rockenhausen and Kirchheimbolanden to the Donnersbergkreis in 1969, has aroused feelings of uncertainty in the population. Many citizens feared their independence, which led to failed protests, but they did not remain without consequences. After 56 years, the situation in the Donnersberg district has stabilized, which is also due to effective cooperation with neighboring municipalities in areas such as local public transport and waste management.The challenges of local reform
The recent statements of Fehr about the need for a reform are not isolated. The State Audit Office criticizes the high number of municipalities as confusing and expensive. This leads to the demand for a continuation of the local reform, which has so far been stopped under the pressure of strong protests.
The last major reform took place around 50 years ago and led to fundamental changes in the country's municipal structures, which are still largely unchanged today. However, there is agreement on the need to further develop and optimize the structures. The reasons for this are varied: the focus is on demographic change, the changed meaning and the scope of public tasks as well as technological developments. In this regard, swr.de that is essential to approach these challenges.
Mayor Nicolas Meyer from Frankenthal points out that a merger does not always have an improvement in the financial situation. Interior Minister Michael Ebling (SPD) rejects compulsory fusions and instead pleads for increased cooperation between the municipalities. The state government's approach, which has passed a law on local and administrative reform, determines a framework for voluntary mergers, but remains skepticism among the population.currently remains unclear where the debates about the local structure in Rhineland-Palatinate will lead. Opinions are divided and resistance to compulsory fusions remains strong, despite the need for more efficient and effective administrative structures.
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