The Christmas traditions in different cultures are also colorful. Whether it's caroling and baking cookies as in Germany or a "belated" Christmas on January 6 with twelve different dishes as in Russia. Regardless of where Christmas is celebrated, what the author Gudrun Kropp once said applies: "Christmas knows no borders. It unites cultures, genders, children and adults, rich and poor." This quote is especially true in our colorful city of Salzgitter, where we are a lively and cosmopolitan urban society that stands close together all year round. There are countless active and committed people here who know no bounds in their willingness to help, even on the other 364 days of the year. I became particularly aware of this again recently on November 24 at the "Festival of Democracy". Thank you to all the demonstrators who took to the streets for a democratic, free, colorful and open Salzgitter without borders in mind.
Dear citizens,
For many of you, 2018 has flown by. I felt the same way! This is due to the wide range of topics, appointments, events, discussions and meetings that I would now like to report on as we look back on 2018.
An ongoing topic and also my most important concern as Mayor of this city is the implementation of the mission statement as a child- and family-friendly learning city. With free daycare since 2008, we in Salzgitter have taken on a pioneering role in terms of family friendliness. That was the right decision at the time. Our successful model of free daycare has now been implemented throughout the state since August 1 of this year. Another key project in terms of family friendliness, which has kept many of my employees very busy this year, was the expansion of childcare facilities. Together with the council, we were able to successfully launch many new construction and expansion projects - for example, the construction of a new daycare center on the grounds of the Grundschule am See elementary school as well as the expansion of the daycare center in Ringelheim and the St. Hedwig daycare center in Lebenstedt. My aim is to enable all children - whether locals or refugees - to attend nursery school as quickly as possible. This task will continue to occupy us in the coming years!
The issue of integration is closely linked to this. The "immigration ban" for refugees, which I so emphatically called for at the end of 2016 and which the state government subsequently issued in October 2017, has had a clear impact this year. It has given us the much-needed breathing space and opened up the opportunity to look after the people who have sought refuge in Salzgitter. Everyone here knows that integration is not a short-term task, but an ongoing one. It's not just about accommodation and food, but also about social care, education, German courses and the social integration of the refugees living here - and especially about taking up jobs that are subject to social insurance contributions. Salzgitter has received 3.85 million euros in funding from the state's integration fund this year, for which I am particularly grateful to Minister President Stephan Weil, but this money does not even begin to cover the costs that we have to bear as a result of the refugees living here. Just as with other tasks that we as a city perform for the federal government and the state of Lower Saxony, I expect all costs to be covered, especially when it comes to integration. Even if this were guaranteed, it depends on the work here on the ground. It is the task of all of us to provide a new home for refugees who have been granted a right of residence and want to integrate into our society. We should not forget that quite a few of our grandmothers and grandfathers were refugees or displaced persons themselves.
One issue that has moved many citizens and me personally this year was the end of the joint commercial and industrial area with the city of Braunschweig. Even though I consider the extremely close democratic decision of the Salzgitter City Council - with a tie vote and one abstention - against further examination of the feasibility of the project to be premature and questionable in terms of urban development policy, I have to accept the result. Looking to the future, I believe it sends out the wrong signal, as the demand for commercial and industrial space is increasing and we have no similarly suitable sites available anywhere in the city. It will therefore be much more difficult to ensure Salzgitter's positive economic development in the long term.
The situation for our farmers was also difficult in this summer of the century. While many of us were able to enjoy the long sunny days, they and their crops suffered immensely.
On the other hand, it was pleasing this year that we were able to support 61 charitable projects in the areas of sport, social affairs, customs and culture with around 1.23 million euros in funding from the Konradfonds. There is now finally also planning security for subsequent years, as the 21 million euros paid by the energy supply companies to the Konradfonds can now be used in a legally secure manner to support future projects - without any obligation to repay. Independently of the Konradfonds, the Council and I continue to call for a reassessment of the Konrad mine in accordance with the latest scientific and technical knowledge - also with regard to the "retrievability" of the nuclear waste to be stored.
You can already see from the topics outlined here that the past year has once again required a high "number of blows". Added to this was the city's financial imbalance, which was caused by a dramatic drop in trade tax income and made it necessary to adopt a supplementary budget this year.
Things will continue to be similarly turbulent in the coming year and the limited financial leeway will not change in the foreseeable future. For this reason, one of the main focuses of my work as Lord Mayor in 2019 will be to advocate for reliable and adequate reimbursement of the costs for tasks assumed by the state. Overall, it is now important to invest in the future of our city with a sense of proportion and not allow things to come to a standstill despite the tight budget situation. That is why I will be focusing on the expansion of daycare centers, the renovation of schools, broadband expansion, improving mobility, but also on specific local projects such as "Wohnen am Berg" and the construction of the new St. Elisabeth Hospital in Salzgitter-Bad in the coming year, because it is important to me to make our city fit for the future!
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my supporters, companions and volunteers. You have played a major role in what we have achieved for our city this year!
Dear citizens,
I wish you a peaceful and blessed Christmas with your family and friends. Enjoy the holidays and the days between the years to pause for a moment. Remember Gudrun Kropp's quote and make people happy at Christmas "without borders".
I also wish you a healthy and successful 2019!
Yours
Frank Klingebiel