Mayor Frank Klingebiel sees the fact that the budget has been approved without restriction as an important signal: "The Ministry of the Interior recognizes that the city is in an exceptional situation due to the integration crisis and has nevertheless done its own homework. The municipal supervisory authority certifies that the city has complied with the requirements of the target agreement."

This means that all investment measures planned in the 2017 budget and the business plans of the municipal enterprises can now be implemented. In concrete terms, this means, among other things, the continuation of school renovations, the urgently needed new buildings and extensions to daycare centers as well as other politically approved measures such as the construction of a service station at the train station in Salzgitter-Lebenstedt, the improvement of path lighting at Salzgittersee and the expansion of the lakeside promenade.

"We will invest with a sense of proportion and not save this city to the bone," says Klingebiel, "I will never tire of emphasizing that we do not have a spending problem, but a revenue problem. We do not afford any luxury projects, but primarily take on statutory compulsory tasks and voluntary tasks of municipal services of general interest, the latter of which - and this is particularly important to me - I consider to be a moral duty."

The council and administration proceeded responsibly when drawing up the budget. Nevertheless, the Ministry of the Interior recommends that all possibilities for further savings and improvements in income be put to the test in order to comply with the budget balancing requirement and to further reduce deficits to an unavoidable level. "We have put a lot of things to the test and if my demand for full reimbursement of costs for tasks that we take on as a municipality for the federal and state governments were to be met, we would be in a much better position," explains Klingebiel.

In addition to the immigration ban for Salzgitter, Klingebiel already called for emergency aid 10 months ago. The state has now provided around an additional 11 million for 2017/2018 for refugee-related expenses. This sum is nowhere near enough to cover all refugee-related costs. Taking this emergency aid into account, there is still a shortfall of 9 million with an upward trend. Klingebiel: "I expect the new state government and the new state parliament to address this unacceptable situation without delay."

The budget statutes will be published shortly. Afterwards, the budget plan and bylaws will be on public display at the City of Salzgitter's Budget and Finance Department. The documents will also be available to all interested parties on the city's website at salzgitter.de.