In a powerful budget speech, City Councillor Petra Lorenz emphasized the crucial importance of clear priorities for Karlsruhe’s economic future. Under the motto “Saving earlier means saving longer”, she warned of the continuing burden of high debt and rising interest rates, which make careful budget management essential. Lorenz warns that Karlsruhe cannot live beyond its means.
The city councillor from the FW|FÜR Karlsruhe city council groups emphasized the need to strengthen the city’s economic power in order to reduce debt and create space for important investments. The aim is to create an attractive and dynamic business location. The promotion of future technologies and the creation of development areas for companies in the region are also of great importance. To this end, the city council group is submitting a motion to promote the development of an industrial area with a hydrogen connection.
Petra Lorenz also made it clear that the promotion of education and upbringing must play a key role. She emphasized the need to create good starting conditions for children and young people. Lorenz called for the funding of daycare centers to be reformed in order to promote quality rather than quantity. This is because the city does not currently meet the legal entitlement to a daycare place – there is a shortage of up to 1000 childcare places in Karlsruhe.
Finally, Councillor Lorenz addressed the challenges facing the Karlsruhe administration. She called for accelerated digitalization and more efficient processes in order to meet the increasing requirements. At the same time, the reduction in personnel must be compensated for by more personal responsibility and clear guidelines:
“In future, employees will need more personal responsibility so that they can make their own decisions
. This requires clear guidelines for decision-making processes.”
With clear words and a clear course, Petra Lorenz sent a clear signal for responsible budget management and future-oriented development of the City of Karlsruhe.
The full budget speech can be viewed on the website of the City of Karlsruhe and the city council group Freie Wähler | FÜR Karlsruhe.
