Census dispute: Magdeburg ignores calls for help from the municipalities!

Census dispute: Magdeburg ignores calls for help from the municipalities!

A dispute is raging in Saxony-Anhalt over the financial resources of municipalities, which depend heavily on the number of residents. The background is the current calculation of the municipal financial equalization, which according to the stern.de based on the controversial census figures. The Ministry of Finance in Magdeburg rejects corresponding changes to financing and is sticking to the census data, even though many municipalities fear massive losses.

Representatives from several cities and municipalities recently gathered in Halberstadt for discussions about the effects of the census numbers on municipal finances. The mayor of Halberstadt, Daniel Szarata, warned of revenue losses of over two million euros that could arise from what he sees as inaccurate census figures. These numbers are considered critical because almost two thirds of the municipalities in Saxony-Anhalt are experiencing extreme population losses as a result of the census.

Demand for new calculation bases

The participants in the discussion, which included over 40 mayors and representatives of independent cities and unitary municipalities, adopted the “Halberstadt Declaration on the Future of Municipal Financial Resources”. In this declaration they demand that the current population numbers from the population registers should be used when calculating the financial equalization. According to the city of Halberstadt, the census numbers are sometimes significantly lower than the actual population numbers. This discrepancy means that cities and municipalities are missing out on significant state funds, as is the case MDR reported.

The Ministry of Finance, however, insists that the census figures from 2022 should continue to serve as the basis for calculating the municipal financial equalization. This was recently confirmed in a statement. There are no considerations about changing the existing distribution mechanism, and no such demand is known in this matter from the municipal umbrella associations, which otherwise often demand a different data basis.

The only exception in Germany remains Rhineland-Palatinate, where the allocations are calculated based on the municipal population register. For Saxony-Anhalt, however, the question arises as to whether the current calculation of financial allocations can do justice to the real circumstances of the municipalities, or whether the ongoing disputes over the census figures make an urgent reassessment of the methodology necessary.