Proudly, party leader Ronald Koehorst of the Local Democrats IJsselstein (LDIJ) is in the chair of the city council. In addition to him, the party leaders of CDA and VVD, the coalition members for the next four years. Opposite him councilors from other parties, and civil servants. They will all listen to his explanation of the coalition agreement on Thursday afternoon.
The LDIJ was the only party to state pontifically on the election posters that the Utrecht municipality of IJsselstein had to remain independent. She became by far the greatest of the council. And now Koehorst has won that most important point – for the time being.
In February portrayed NRC the politics of IJsselstein. The city has been independent for 700 years. But due to the many tasks that the national government is transferring to municipalities, councilors openly doubted the independent future of the municipality with more than 30,000 inhabitants. A search by neighboring Lopik for a merger partner made this question urgent. This year IJsselstein would decide about her future.
At the beginning of 2022, citizens told what kind of municipality IJsselstein should be: one between the greenery of the province and the urban area of Utrecht, with good facilities. After that, citizens and politicians had to decide how they could be. By remaining an independent municipality, the council presented on Thursday decided. But immediately there are doubts about the sustainability of the decision.
On Thursday, Staccato, Koehorst lists all the ‘issues’ that the council must deal with. “Housing is a big one. Just like safety. And mobility. The social domain.”
According to the negotiators, the fact that it took three months before an agreement was reached also had to do with another subject that Koehorst barely mentions: independence.
By far the largest
The election results in March set a very clear direction in that discussion. With nine of the 23 seats, the LDIJ became by far the largest party in the city. The VVD lost two seats to five. The CDA, whose party leader Edwin Tas expressed the fear last year that independence would become an election theme, was left with three seats.
we won […] because we want to stay independent, so that had to come in
Conraad Meijer LDIJ Negotiator
With these seat ratios, the LDIJ also became by far the most powerful party in the city, CDA and VVD noted during the negotiations.
“We won the elections because we want to remain independent, so that had to come in,” said LDIJ negotiator Conraad Meijer before the official presentation. According to him, the VVD would only agree if taxes did not rise, and the LDIJ did not want that either. The LDIJ was very much in favor of independence, says VVD negotiator Tom Zoethout, but indeed: the dog tax will be abolished and the property tax will not be increased. A calculation of those choices further delayed the talks, a negotiator said. “That was disappointing. It costs a lot of money, we had to get rid of it. The barrels flew around your ears.”
Remain independent and not raise taxes, despite the agreement’s finding that the many tasks that the central government transfers are rarely accompanied by sufficient money. How is that possible?
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By making “choices”, says VVD leader and alderman Eveline Schell. Exactly which choices “must become apparent”. The plans have to be worked out. Merging would also not mean that the facilities that citizens appreciate ‘are kept at the same level’, says Koehorst. It helped that Lopik also opted for a party that does not want to merge.
Measurable benefits
According to the program, IJsselstein can still be a bit more independent than it already is. The municipality only wants to cooperate with other municipalities if there are ‘measurable benefits’ for IJsselstein. In these partnerships, tasks are performed that municipalities are usually unable to handle themselves. But the city council has little insight into what is happening there, councilors said in February.
If those advantages are not there, says Koehorst this Thursday, IJsselstein can just leave the collaboration. This does not necessarily mean that IJsselstein will then implement the minimum policy itself. For example, the municipality wants out of the partnership that trims the shrubs and mows the beds, but outsourcing to a private party is one of the options.
“We cannot handle the major tasks that are facing us at all on our own,” responds PvdA party leader Marlieke van Schalkwijk. “It is also quite a signal to surrounding municipalities to write this down.”
Mayor Patrick van Domburg (VVD) watches from a distance as the new aldermen toast. „We have to deal with it deal”, he says about the agreement. “The choice for independence has been made. At least for a few more years.” In NRC he previously said that opting for independence can lead to a moment in “ten, fifteen years” “when the minister or the province will say: it has been great, we determine that you should merge”.
PvdA member Van Schalkwijk points to the intended conversation that the board and residents should have about the future of the municipality: “But by already ruling out a merger, that door will be slammed shut. Will you make this agreement for your own supporters, or for the entire city?” That discussion, she says, is certainly not over.
As far as VVD negotiator Zoethout is concerned, a discussion can start ‘quickly’. “We are going to look into it all again in the coming years. Our commitment is that at the next elections all parties will make a clear commitment to our future as an independent municipality.” The choice now for independence is, he says, “mainly motivated by emotion.”