Update aus dem Samtgemeinderat vom 23. März 2023 (English)

The Salzhausen joint municipality administration is to draw up bylaws for a youth parliament, which were developed in cooperation with young people at a workshop. This was just one of the resolutions passed at the most recent meeting of the joint municipality council.

Today I would like to share some great news with you: The Salzhausen Youth Parliament can finally start! I am very proud to have been instrumental in the founding of the Youth Parliament and to have supported us in its implementation.

The Youth Parliament is an important institution to represent the interests of young people in our joint municipality and to give them a voice. It offers young people the opportunity to actively participate in shaping the future and to contribute their ideas and concerns.

Thanks to the initiative of the SPD parliamentary group in the joint municipality council (we introduced the motion to create a youth parliament) and other committed people, we are now finally one step closer to the youth parliament.

At the last meeting of the joint municipality council, the administration was instructed to draw up a constitution for the youth parliament. I am convinced that it will be a valuable addition to our joint municipality policy and I look forward to accompanying and supporting the work of the youth parliament.

It is great to see that I can support the establishment of the Youth Parliament with my expertise and commitment. I am very grateful that we can count on so many committed people in our joint municipality.

So now we can get started and I am excited about the work of the youth parliament and look forward to working together with the young people in our joint municipality towards a positive future.

However, the youth parliament was not the only item on the agenda of the latest joint municipal council meeting. At the last meeting, important decisions were made concerning both the volunteer fire brigade and infrastructure.

An important decision taken at the meeting was the adoption of a resolution on the Alpha-E issue. The members of the Salzhausen joint municipality council call on Deutsche Bahn and the Federal Ministry of Transport to regard the "Alpha-E" route negotiated in 2015 as binding and to implement it without delay, and to stop planning on a route remote from the existing one. This decision is an important step towards sustainable infrastructure and shows the commitment of the joint municipality to environmental protection. The result was unanimous with two abstentions.

Another significant topic was the appointment of leaders to the volunteer fire brigade. As in previous meetings, several fire chiefs and fire chiefs were again appointed as honorary officers. This decision is of great importance to the volunteer fire brigade as it ensures that highly qualified and experienced firefighters are at the helm of the organisation.

It was decided to prepare a supplementary budget for 2023 due to some unforeseen expenses. In particular, the increased maintenance costs of the Garstedt primary school, the increased energy costs, the awarding of a contract for the preparation of an integrated climate protection concept, the increased personnel costs, a borrowing to finance refugee accommodation as well as acquisition costs for photovoltaic systems for two day-care centres for children are to be mentioned. These expenditures have led to an increase in the debts of the joint municipality and the economic enterprises. By 31 December 2023, the debts of the joint municipality are expected to rise to €18.5 million, while the debts of the Wirtschaftsbetriebe will be €2.8 million. A major factor in the creation of this debt was the partial new construction of the Salzhausen primary school.

Overall, the decisions taken by the joint municipality council at this meeting were of great importance for the future of the Salzhausen joint municipality. The appointments of volunteer fire brigade leaders ensure that the organisation is led by qualified and experienced firefighters, while the resolution on Alpha-E sends an important signal for environmental protection and sustainability. The supplementary budget shows that even in difficult times, the joint municipality is determined to fulfil its tasks and invest in the future.

(Author: Frithjof Brandt)