While many cities are in the red, Wels is planning high surpluses in the next two years. According to Mayor Andreas Rabl, the positive turnaround was achieved with the structural reform initiated eight years ago, where every expenditure and income was examined down to the smallest detail.
Mayor Andreas Rabl (FP) only gave Wels Finance Director Christoph Barth seven minutes of speaking time when presenting the budgets for the next two years. The top official would have loved to go overboard. The city is in good financial shape. “We are probably one of the few cities that achieve a surplus,” the “master of numbers” always remained matter-of-fact. An increase of €10.23 million is expected next year, followed by €7.75 million in 2025. Rabl sounded much more euphoric: “Between 2015 and 2025 we will reduce debt by €65 million. Taking the reserves into account, we will be debt-free in two years at the latest.”Structural reform is having an impactRabl sees the main reason for the positive development in the structural reform initiated in 2015. “She made the city healthy. We have examined every single expenditure and income and are now completely financially stable.” Rabl does not accept the objection that the city has rehabilitated itself through the sale of the savings bank. “The sale brought us 35 million, but we are reducing debts of 65 million euros and also building up large reserves. We are investing around 52 million euros in the next two years without having to take out new loans.”Broad spectrum of investmentsThe city boss announces investments in road infrastructure, child care, parks and the environment: “The financial situation for the cities and communities is many times more challenging due to current inflation and economic conditions. We therefore consciously invest in quality of life. Our budget allows us to implement many projects and social services that would not be possible in other cities.”
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