European Union's Future to be Discussed by the Commission

The city of Lünen is set to adopt a budget and financial recovery plan during a special meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 10 September 2025, at 5 PM in the council chamber. This important meeting, called by Mayor Jürgen Kleine-Frauns, comes four days before the local elections.

The Finance Commission's proposal, which forms the basis of the meeting, aims to maintain a balance between fiscal discipline and a livable city. It includes necessary additional funding for key areas such as kindergartens, public order partnerships, environmental and climate protection, and the music school.

The proposal also includes a contractual safeguard for subsidies from 2026 onwards, especially for tasks of public interest, to maintain the outstanding commitment in the city. This is in response to the period without a budget, which has shown that sports clubs and providers in the kindergarten and security sectors need more reliability in the payment of subsidies.

Mayor Kleine-Frauns stresses that tax increases are necessary to keep the city functional and secure services for families, clubs, culture, and volunteers. To secure Lünen's budget approval, there is no way around the tax adjustments announced last summer, as emphasized by the city treasurer, Dr. André Jethon.

The Finance Commission has decided to distribute the originally planned 2026 tax increase over the years 2026 and 2027, and to implement moderate, yet predictable steps instead of further strong adjustments in 2031 and 2034.

The city faces a loss of functionality without a passed budget and specific savings measures, potentially affecting services for clubs, educational institutions, and social carriers. The well-being of the city and its citizens is at stake in the decisions to be made.

The name of the expert commission that prepared the proposal for the 2025 budget and the financial restructuring program is the "Budget Committee" (Haushaltsausschuss) of the Bundestag. The invitation to the public extraordinary council meeting and the official proposal of the Finance Commission can be found in the council information system under www.our website/ratsportal.

All members of the city council bear the responsibility for the decisions made in this meeting. The budget and financial recovery plan are necessary due to the current financial situation of the city, which is not solely due to issues within Lünen itself, but rather due to constantly increasing transfer payments that cannot be influenced locally, exacerbated by the impacts of the pandemic, wars, and economic weakness.