Darmstadt drastically cuts investments: city in financial distress!

Darmstadt drastically cuts investments: city in financial distress!

Due to the requirements of the municipal supervisory authority, the city of Darmstadt is forced to drastically reduce its planned investments. The budget, which was approved on April 3, 2025, initially had a deficit of 36 million euros. In order to be able to counteract this deficit, the supervisory authority is calling for investments to be reduced to 75 million euros for 2025 and 2026. Given the current financial situation of the city, which no longer has any equity, loans must be taken out for all investments, which makes the situation even more difficult.

As a result of these adjustments, the investment volume was reduced from the original 196 million euros to 96 million euros for 2025. For 2026, an investment volume of 111 million euros remains, compared to the original planning of 185 million euros. Despite these cuts, Darmstadt will receive an additional 10.5 million euros from a new federal investment program, which represents a small ray of hope.

Criticism of the cuts

The political reactions to the cuts vary. For example, the Uffbasse parliamentary group criticizes the cancellation of 49 million euros for a new fire station and 13.5 million euros for the conversion to a climate-friendly city. The FDP also calls for a clear prioritization of investments, while the Left sees the improved budget as damaging to the urban infrastructure.

City Treasurer André Schellenberg also warned that a “wave” of investments could hit the city in the coming years. Despite all the challenges, the plan for a World Heritage information center on the Mathildenhöhe with a budget of 8 million euros remains.

Social participation through the Teilhabecard

In addition to the financial challenges, Darmstadt also offers new programs to promote social participation. An example of this is the Teilhabecard, which emerged from a collaboration between the Darmstadt Alliance for Social Justice and the Darmstadt City of Science. The Parthabecard aims to promote equal participation and enable participation in social life.

Various groups are entitled to the Teilhabecard, including recipients of social benefits under the Social Security Code, senior citizens and children and young people from large families. The card is valid for at least one calendar year and can be extended provided the corresponding services are also granted in the following year.

The Teilhabecard is issued at various locations in the city, including the Darmstadt job center and the Office for Social Affairs and Prevention. The card can be used easily as a “present card” with cooperation partners who offer discounted offers for low-income Darmstadt residents. Further details about the Teilhabecard can be found here.

Overall, Darmstadt faces the challenge of both managing its financial resources sensibly and ensuring social participation in order to sustainably secure the quality of life of its citizens.