Noordenveld wants to build 1000 more homes in its own municipality until 2040. According to the Municipal Executive, an eight-person team of experts is needed to realize this great ambition.
That is why the council asks the Noordenveld council for 680,000 euros annually. With this money, experts in the field of housing should be tempted to get started in the top of Drenthe. “The current occupation is too thin to meet our ambition,” said responsible alderman Jos Darwinkel (Municipality Interests). At last night’s council meeting, he explained the plans again.
According to the alderman, there is indeed knowledge and expertise in the field of housing at the town hall in Roden, but the team needs to be strengthened. “We have a strong ambition and then people have to be added.”
Opposition leader Tineke Nieboer (Lijst Groen Noordenveld) thinks her own. “Building has to be done according to need, but I wonder whether you should immediately appoint a team of 8 people. 680,000 euros for the next 4 years: count your loss.”
Nieboer thinks that there are still some things that can be arranged within the current workforce. “People are retiring or going to another employer, see if you can fill that space from the inside. Do not immediately reserve such a large amount. That is public money that you can also spend differently.”
According to Lijst Groen Noordenveld, it is incongruous that Noordenveld is allocating almost 7 million euros for these experts, but in the meantime increases the property tax (OZB). Alderman Darwinkel thinks otherwise. “We are dealing with an increase of 4 percent, while inflation is much higher. We think that we cannot escape an increase in property tax at this time.” In that light, he finds a 4 percent increase not too bad.
The question is whether the municipality of Noordenveld can even get eight experts who can get the housing construction going. “We are dealing with a very tight labor market,” says Alderman Darwinkel. “That is why we have to look carefully at where we can hire people. It is quite possible to find people who already work for another municipality and who may also want to spend some hours building housing for us.”
Nieboer of Lijst Groen Noordenveld thinks it is unrealistic to expect the municipality to get a good ‘housing team’ together. “That is why we believe that the municipality should use part of this money differently. Use it, for example, to help the bakery on the corner pay its energy costs.”
The budget will continue next Monday.