Budget adopted

Lustenau ignites the investment turbo in 2025

The embroidery village of Lustenau will invest over 31 million euros in the coming year. One of the biggest projects is the completion of the new soccer stadium.(Bild: Marktgemeinde Lustenau)

Despite stagnating revenues, the market town of Lustenau will invest over 31 million euros in various major projects in the coming year. This will drive up the debt level considerably.

With the votes of the ÖVP, Greens and HaK, the market town of Lustenau has approved a 129 million euro budget for the coming year, with the FPÖ, NEOS and SPÖ voting against. What is remarkable is the fact that a whopping 31 million euros are earmarked for investments. The biggest chunk in 2025 is again the Rotkreuz campus, where an elementary school will be built in the second construction phase, at ten million euros. The budget will also be burdened to the tune of millions of euros by the construction of the new Reichshof Stadium, which should be completed in the summer.

A further 1.4 million euros will flow into the development of the new Heitere business park in the south of Lustenau, which is also expected to generate considerable income in the future. And the municipality will need this: This is because the "historic investment peak" will increase the mountain of debt to 119 million euros, and Lustenau will also have to service loans and interest amounting to 18 million euros in the coming year alone.

 "The gap between stagnating income and constantly increasing expenditure is widening," says Mayor Kurt Fischer. "While payments to the social and hospital fund have risen by 26 percent since 2022, revenue shares have stagnated. The interest to be paid has even increased tenfold."

The gap between stagnating income and constantly rising expenditure is widening.

Kurt Fischer (ÖVP)

In this context, Fischer once again reiterates his call for structural reform, which must take into account the fact that the municipalities have to shoulder more and more tasks.