Open letter to Chancellor Merz and Finance Minister Klingbeil warns of erosion of self-governance
Groß-Gerau. In an urgent appeal to Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil, the District Administrator of Groß-Gerau, Thomas Will (SPD) , has drawn attention to what he sees as the dramatic financial situation of local authorities . In a letter published by the district on Tuesday, Will calls for a fundamental shift in municipal funding .
The district administrator's letter follows up on a joint letter from several mayors dated October 28 and, according to Will, is "fully supported." At the same time, the district administrator emphasizes that the structural financial problems of the districts "run even deeper."
"Municipal finances at a tipping point"
In his letter, Will describes the increasing financial difficulties of the districts due to rising social welfare payments . These payments, he says, are the main driver of the strain on their budgets. "Between 2023 and 2024, social spending in the Groß-Gerau district increased by more than 28 million euros, while key grants decreased by 2.6 million euros," the district administrator stated.
The consequence: higher levies for towns and municipalities in the district, and thus rising property taxes for residents. According to Will, municipalities like Rüsselsheim, Mörfelden-Walldorf, and Gernsheim , as their social welfare expenditures have in some cases doubled in recent years.
Burden of social and care costs
particularly urgent need for reform in the areas of school support services and long-term care costs . For example, the number of school support services under Section 35a of the German Social Code, Book VIII (SGB VIII) in the district has increased from 287 cases (2020) to 419 cases (2024), with costs rising from €3.8 million to €9.1 million. The districts are also increasingly overburdened financially in the area of long-term care: "In care level 4, the total monthly costs are around €5,700, but the benefit from the long-term care insurance fund is only €1,855. The difference is borne by those affected, their families, and ultimately the districts," Will writes.
Seven concrete reform proposals
To relieve the burden on municipalities, the district administrator proposes seven measures, including:
- the introduction of comprehensive long-term care insurance ,
- a legally enshrined connection also for federal laws ,
- a reorganization of tax distribution with a higher municipal share of sales tax,
- a binding resource impact assessment for new laws
and a structural reform of social transfer financing .
Appeal to the federal and state governments
Will warns in no uncertain terms of an "erosion of local self-government" if the federal and state governments continue to financially overburden municipalities. "If municipalities can no longer manage their responsibilities, this is not an administrative problem, but a political scandal," the letter states.
Will appeals to the federal government to strengthen municipalities "not with new tasks, but with fair financing":
"This is about nothing less than the foundation of democracy in the Federal Republic of Germany."
The letter reflects the position of District Administrator Thomas Will (SPD) .
(Gross-Gerau-Red/PSGG)
