On January 28, the Salzgitter City Council passed a resolution to propose an amendment to the Lower Saxony Municipal Fees Act (NKAG) to the state of Lower Saxony. The aim is to create the legal prerequisites to be able to amend the city of Salzgitter's wastewater disposal tax statutes to the effect that property connection costs may only be charged in future if there is a special interest or the measures were caused by the owner themselves.

The discussion about the previous practice of cost reimbursement was originally initiated in the Southeast Local Council of the city of Salzgitter. It concerns costs incurred in the course of the city's wastewater disposal concept for the connection of property connections from the wastewater sewer to the central collector. According to the current legal situation, these costs are currently borne by the property owners. This is to be changed in future.

However, it will only be possible to amend the municipal wastewater levy statutes once the conditions for this have been created in the Lower Saxony Municipal Levy Act.

Lord Mayor Frank Klingebiel then asked Lower Saxony's Minister of the Interior, Daniela Behrens, for support and suggested the amendment to the Local Rates Act. At the end of last month, Minister Behrens assured Mayor Klingebiel in writing that the City of Salzgitter's request, which is also expressly supported by the Lower Saxony Association of Cities and Towns, would be included in the current legal review of possible amendments to the NKAG. At the same time, she asked for patience until the review has been completed.

Klingebiel was delighted: "I very much welcome the fact that the Ministry is seriously examining our concerns. It is important to only charge property connection costs if there is a special interest or if the connection itself was caused. This would give local authorities more room for maneuver and enable a fairer distribution of costs."