Bruck an der Mur is facing major financial problems, the mayor has imposed a so-called budget freeze: spending is being curbed, and there is great excitement. Now the municipal authorities are conducting an audit.
Two weeks ago, Bruck’s SPÖ mayor Andrea Winkelmeier pulled the emergency brake – and landed in the headlines: she ordered a budget freeze. Numerous expenditures are being examined and partially frozen. In other words: every euro has to be turned over twice. The political excitement was great, as was the criticism from the opposition. “It’s about raising awareness. I was brave and pulled the ripcord,” Winkelmeier told the “Krone”. “Nevertheless, the city is not bankrupt, it can carry out its core tasks,” she stressed. Audit already in mid-July At the state parliament session on Tuesday, the opposition parties requested an audit of Bruck’s financial performance by the state audit office. But the government made up of the ÖVP and SPÖ did not agree. The reason: This is only possible if the level of debt and liability compared to other municipalities develops noticeably. This is not the case in Bruck. However, Governor Christopher Drexler and his deputy Anton Lang have instructed the municipal supervisory authority (Department 7 of the state) to include Bruck’s financial management in the audit plan this year. The audit is to take place in mid-July. According to Mürztal ÖVP state parliamentarian Cornelia Izzo, a particular focus should be on “budget monitoring and liquidity management”. The Neos are demanding that the audit report be made public. In principle, this is not provided for in the municipal supervisory authority – in contrast to the state audit office. ÖVP does not vote unanimously The FPÖ smugly points out another detail: In the Bruck municipal council, the ÖVP agreed to a similar request for an audit by the state audit office, while in the state parliament the exact opposite was the case.
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