City leadership rejects false statements
Mayor and treasurer criticise statements made at yesterday's city council meeting
City Treasurer Ralph Burghart and Lord Mayor Sven Schulze sharply criticise statements made by City Councillor Manuela Tschök-Engelhardt at yesterday's City Council meeting.
In her parliamentary group statement, the leader of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen accused the treasurer of having deliberately included cuts and cancellations in the areas of youth and children's work, culture and sport in the draft budget adopted in March. She also accused him of deliberately ignoring resolutions passed by the city council.
Lord Mayor Sven Schulze: "All of us together, the city leadership, administration and city councillors, are facing a very serious budget situation with many risks and are aware of the challenges for the coming years. In such a situation, it is important to act together and not to work against each other with accusations or false statements. I appeal to everyone to fulfil their shared responsibility for our city. Such statements have the opposite effect."
Treasurer Ralph Burghart: "These statements by Mrs Tschök-Engelhardt are false and do not correspond to the facts. To make such statements in the city council against one's better judgement is morally questionable and slanderous. Neither are positions in the administration not being filled, nor have I deliberately built cuts into the draft budget in order to harm children and young people. Every week we fill new positions and for months we have been working with the city councillors to try and absorb the additional costs that we face as a result of pay rises or price increases in such a way that we do not have to make cuts for children and young people.
The fact is, and Mrs Tschök-Engelhardt knows this too, that we are in a difficult budgetary situation caused by many external factors. As treasurer, it is my responsibility to ensure that our structural deficit does not get any bigger. To this end, we have received requirements from the regional authorities, which the city councillors are aware of. This is anything but easy in these times and can only be achieved together. Like me, the city councillors also have a responsibility for our city and I ask that this is also honoured."