The ongoing standstill in the federal budget is also increasingly affecting cities and municipalities. City Councillor Friedemann Kalmbach, who represents the FÜR Karlsruhe electoral group on Karlsruhe City Council, has therefore submitted a question to Karlsruhe City Council to shed light on the possible consequences for current and planned projects in Karlsruhe. The aim of the question is to clarify the city’s dependence on federal funding and the resulting consequences.
“The budget crisis at federal level threatens to have a direct impact on our city,” emphasizes city councillor Kalmbach. “Many important projects, be it in climate protection, digitalization, transport infrastructure or in the social sector, depend on federal funding. We now need to find out where Karlsruhe is particularly affected and how we can meet these challenges.”
The background to the request is the current situation in the Bundestag, where no federal budget has been passed due to the lack of a government majority. Without a supplementary budget, investments and funding programs at federal level cannot be disbursed, which could significantly affect the planning of cities such as Karlsruhe.
In his question, City Councillor Kalmbach asks the city administration which ongoing projects are at risk due to the lack of a federal budget. In particular, he would like to know how much Karlsruhe relies on federal funding in the areas of climate protection, digitalization and transport infrastructure and which projects could come to a standstill due to delays. The focus is also on the impact on investments in educational institutions and social infrastructure.
Another focus is on social programs such as youth and integration work, which benefit in particular from federal funding. Kalmbach asks what measures the city can take to bridge financial bottlenecks should the funds fail to materialize in the long term. “The people of Karlsruhe must not be the ones to suffer from this crisis,” Kalmbach continued. “We need solutions in order to remain capable of acting even without timely federal funding.”
“This situation is a challenge for the entire municipal level,” concludes Kalmbach. “It is now crucial that we take measures at an early stage to mitigate possible delays or financial bottlenecks. This is the only way we can ensure that Karlsruhe remains well positioned.”
