At all meetings in 2024, the main administrative officials dealt with current issues relating to the accommodation and care of refugees and people seeking protection. The administrations once again had to expend a great deal of effort to provide decent accommodation for the refugees arriving here from the crisis regions.
Cities and municipalities are also feeling the effects of the global crises and the stagnating economic situation in their budgets. Construction projects are becoming more expensive than planned, subsidies and grants from the federal government and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia are no longer flowing as they did in previous years. Further increases in social expenses and transfer expenses such as the district levy cannot be compensated for despite the increase in tax revenue. Additional tasks transferred by the federal government and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, such as open all-day schooling for primary school children (OGS) or the care of refugees, are socially necessary but underfunded. This further worsens the financial situation. The state urgently needs to increase the allocations in the municipal financial equalization scheme. The principle of connectivity ("He who orders, pays!") must also be adhered to.
"The municipalities still feel left alone by the federal and state governments. Despite all their efforts, the municipalities in the Kleve district are no longer able to set up a balanced budget. Many local authorities are already facing the threat of budget uncertainty in 2026. The financial resources of the towns and municipalities are simply inadequate," announced the Chairman of the Conference of Chief Municipal Officials of the Kleve district, Mayor Rainer Weber.
Other important topics at the conference in 2024 were inpatient and outpatient medical care for people in the district of Kleve as well as the upcoming care needs planning and the consequences for the towns and municipalities.
In addition, the mayors and the district administrator dealt with climate protection topics such as the Kleve district hydrogen region and sustainability strategies. Due to the recurring heavy rainfall and flooding events, the main administrative officials took part in further training on disaster prevention and emergency management. A workshop on inter-municipal cooperation was also held. As a first step, the municipalities of the Kleve district want to support the Kleve district in speed monitoring in order to improve road safety.
Some of these tasks and challenges will be on the agenda again in 2025, and new problems will be added. "But it doesn't help to bury our heads in the sand. We in the towns and municipalities of the Kleve district will not give up hope. Think and act positively, face the future with courage and understand and overcome crises as a challenge," says Weber confidently.