Ried municipal council: Third Vice remains - budget only in September!

Ried municipal council: Third Vice remains - budget only in September!

Graz, Österreich - What moves politics in Ried? Recently there were fewer content debates than fundamental questions that shaped the municipal council meeting on June 26th. The session was the shortest in a long time, since the city was hardly allowed to make decisions due to hardness compensation requirements. An application for the abolition of the third vice mayor was presented by the opposition SPÖ, Greens and Neos, but rejected by the votes of the ÖVP, FPÖ and MFG. The application was assessed in response to a controversial Facebook post by the third Vice Mayor Thomas Dim, in which he indicated that the perpetrator of the recent killing spree in Graz could be a refugee. This posting was later edited and deleted, but the waves are not yet smoothed in Ried.

in Graz, where the killing spree made sad headlines, a minute's commemoration was inserted on the same day. The terrible events of June 11th, in which 10 people died, stay on everyone's lips. The perpetrator, a former student, had committed suicide in front of the shots in the school toilet. This is considered the most fatal mass shooting in the recent history of the country. Mayor Elke Kahr calls for comprehensive weapons laws, while the debate about possible restrictions on firearms to intensity, such as Euronews

finance of the city and innovations

Back in Ried, the finance officer Elisabeth Poringer (ÖVP) reported on the current financial development. The quorum budget is expected to only be available in the second half of August, with a decision that takes place in September. However, a positive ray of hope is the news that the Energie Ried was able to generate sales of 43.6 million euros last year and that a profit distribution of EUR 2.4 million will take place. For 2025, the company is planning investments of 20 million euros, especially in renewable energies.

The political developments in Ried also show some personnel changes: Martin Wintersberger was unanimously elected as the new trade fair president, which Alfred Frauscher follows. In addition, the contract with city office director Peter Eckkrammer was extended by another five years. Such decisions are often in the shadow of great social issues that are triggered by the events in Graz and the revival of the discussion about weapons laws.

The city and its citizens are facing a time of change and thinking. The events show how important it is to deal with the topics of security and social cohesion.