After the budget freeze

State Court of Audit to audit Bruck’s finances

In mid-June, Bruck an der Mur imposed a budget freeze on itself - liquidity is under threat and expenditure that has not been firmly committed has been stopped. This led to discussions in the municipal council on Thursday evening. The FPÖ, ÖVP, Greens, Neos and KPÖ want to call in the provincial audit office.

The announcement came on the evening of June 18: Bruck an der Mur must introduce a budget freeze so that the city does not slide into insolvency. All payments that are not contractually fixed will be stopped. The tight financial situation had already been a recurring topic in Bruck's politics in the years and months prior to this - for example, the SPÖ threw its city councillor for finance out of the parliamentary group.

What happens now after this measure? SPÖ mayor Andrea Winkelmeier defended her move to the municipal council and pointed out that it was unavoidable. 

SPÖ rejected examination
Neos municipal councillor Sebastian Wintschnig, meanwhile, called for an audit of the city's finances by the provincial audit office. The motion was supported by all opposition parties (ÖVP, FPÖ, Greens, KPÖ), but rejected by the SPÖ. 

State parliament intervenes
Now the case is moving up a level: to the Styrian state parliament. On Friday, the FPÖ, Greens, Neos and KPÖ jointly announced that they will table a motion in the upcoming state parliament session on July 2. "A financial audit by the State Court of Audit should clarify the exact circumstances that led to the current situation," the statement said.

"Full transparency must finally be established as to how this 'red hullabaloo' in the area of municipal finances could have come about in the first place. Obviously, the Bruck SPÖ has ignored any commercial duty of care for the city's budget in recent years due to its embarrassing internal squabbles and power games," says Green Party spokesperson Lambert Schönleitner.