The municipality of Coevorden will allocate an additional 300,000 euros next year for new policy and increase the costs for residents by 4.5 percent. These are the most important points from the budget for 2024, which the mayor and aldermen presented this morning.
The sewerage tax, waste tax and property tax will jointly increase by 4.6 percent. “The waste and sewerage taxes cover costs, so we have to pass on that increase,” explains councilor Steven Stegen (BBC2014) of finance.
According to Stegen, these are turbulent times. “The cabinet has fallen, there is high inflation, municipal finances in general are under pressure. There is pressure on the labor market.” The council therefore wants to be cautious. As it now seems, Coevorden will have almost 4.3 million euros left in the budget next year.
“We don’t want to completely close down our budget either,” says Stegen. “We only want to go to the municipal council to submit a budget once plans become seriously concrete. We believe that you will then have a better discussion with each other.”
25,000 euros for primary schools and 30,000 euros for secondary education and practical education will also be made available for the so-called prevention menu, with which activities and information are organized in the areas of drugs, health, safety, environment, sexuality and hygiene. 60,000 euros will also be spent on a report on the Vital Holiday Parks project, which aims to improve holiday parks.
In addition, the pilot with neighborhood sports coaches, which started in 2021, appears to be successful. The council therefore wants to allocate 52,000 euros for an additional neighborhood sports coach. In addition, there will be a customer satisfaction survey into the municipality’s services. That will cost 19,000 euros.
This year is the Van Gogh year. To realize a lasting offer for the future, 50,000 euros will be reserved for projects from next year. There are various ideas, but they are not yet very concrete, according to councilor Erik Holties (BBC2014).
Major projects that are still coming to Coevorden and for which money has already been reserved are the MFA in Schoonoord and the Nieuwe Veste in Coevorden. The housing projects that have been set up are in full swing. There are discussions underway to move the riding school in Sleen. “We are having constructive discussions about this,” says Stegen. “The riding school has become encapsulated in the village. We ultimately want to build homes there.”
There will also be a new proposal for tackling roads next year. “We have not been able to release enough money in recent years to keep the roads at a good standard,” says Holties. The roads in the municipality are also deteriorating due to heavier and more traffic. The climate also plays a role. “I would be satisfied if we can get to a better level.”
In addition, the municipality is also looking into whether a new school building can be built in Sleen in the long term. There are now two schools there. “Our policy is that we build one school building for new construction. The schools have to set this up internally, but we certainly encourage cooperation,” says councilor Jeroen Huizing (CDA).
The municipality of Coevorden is also struggling with attracting and retaining good staff, says Mayor Renze Bergsma (CDA). “The pressure on the organization is great. We have an ambitious council with plans, but that in combination with the number of tasks on our plate from the government is tough. There is some concern.”
According to Bergsma, the municipality receives positive feedback during exit interviews. “People indicate that they like working with us, but sometimes they need to take a step in their career.”
There is no concrete solution yet, but according to Bergsma this does not always have to do with money. A good working atmosphere, being an attractive employer and working smarter are the points mentioned by the mayor.
In line with the other Drenthe municipalities, Coevorden also expects a ‘financial ravine year’ in 2026. “Then we will clearly receive less money from the government,” said Stegen.
“In that year, Coevorden will also write red figures. We anticipate a deficit of 1.2 million euros. That is not something to immediately panic about. We will continue on the path we have taken. In addition, we have been working with the VDG (Association of Drenthe Municipalities, ed.) is lobbying the cabinet to draw attention to the financial problems.”
The municipal council will meet on November 2 and 7 to discuss the housekeeping book for next year.