Schwenke had already spoken to Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil in February. Although Heil had not promised any immediate help at the time, he had at least conceded that the federal and state governments would have to find ways to provide more support for cities like Offenbach in the future. In the meantime, City Treasurer Peter Freier and Lord Mayor Schwenke had also continued their work in the Action Alliance for the Dignity of our Cities. Schwenke also traveled to Berlin in June for talks in the Bundestag. Freier will also take part in talks again in November.
In addition to the ever-increasing costs of childcare, Offenbach continues to be squeezed above all by the high cost of rent for the unemployed, the cost of accommodation (KdU): "The federal laws must be such that cities that have lost many companies and jobs also have a fair chance. However, the laws are currently such that these cities are caught in a double trap: less tax revenue and more social expenditure at the same time," says Offenbach's Mayor Schwenke angrily.
In the meantime, Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz has announced that the federal government intends to tackle the problem of old debts if the federal states join in. "For the first time ever, a federal government is prepared to acknowledge that the old debts are largely the result of social spending caused by federal legislation," said Schwenke, welcoming the step in the right direction, which must now be followed by action. The Alliance for the Dignity of Our Cities and the Association of German Cities, of which Schwenke is a member of the Finance Committee, have also recognized this step. Like Offenbach, however, the Alliance points out that there is no point in eliminating old debts if the cause - excessive social spending - is not also tackled.
Mayor Schwenke therefore made two main points clear in his talks with Vice Chancellor Scholz. Firstly: The demand that the federal government must pay a significantly higher share of the costs of accommodation remains. Every year, Offenbach has to pay more than 29 million euros out of its own pocket for these rental costs alone. Secondly, Schwenke expressly welcomed the federal government's willingness to move on the issue of old debts, which was essentially pushed through by Olaf Scholz. At the same time, he made it clear that a method must be found in which Hesse is also taken into account. "The money pushed through by the SPD, CDU and CSU coalition in Berlin to relieve local authorities from 2018 onwards had been put into the Hessenkasse program. This was fundamentally sensible, but must not now lead to the assumption that Hesse's municipalities are debt-free and therefore no longer need support from the federal government." Schwenke emphasized that the overall solution cannot be a one-off debt relief, but that the municipalities must be in a position to have money for investments in the long term despite high social benefits.
Specifically, Schwenke suggested that the federal government must at least recognize the debts in Hesse to the extent that the local authorities will no longer have to pay a contribution to the Hesse state budget in future. "If this does not happen at the very least, we will fall behind when the next federal relief is granted simply because Hesse used the money for old debts in 2018. That would be absurd," said Schwenke.
Federal Minister Olaf Scholz made it clear: "For me, it is crucial that all citizens can benefit equally from the essential infrastructure and services of general interest. We will only remain a strong, solidary and successful country in the future if we eliminate the unequal starting point due to the often considerable debt burdens of individual cities and municipalities. To achieve this, however, we must get everyone on board, the rich and over-indebted municipalities as well as those municipalities that are already facing up to the problem of old debts."