What's causing the tax funding predicament in Haugenhafen and who can potentially intervene?

In the picturesque town of Heiligenhafen, a financial controversy has been unfolding. On August 30, 2025, the mayor expressed his hope to receive documents related to inflated renovation costs for a building, a matter that has been under scrutiny for some time.

The documents in question could provide clarity on the reported overestimation of renovation costs, potentially leading to the recovery of between 300,000 and 500,000 euros for the city or its GmbH. However, as of September 2, 2025, these documents have yet to be received by the mayor.

The mayor's request for the documents was made verbally on August 19, 2025, citing Section 286 Abs. 4 HGB. The city council, as the shareholder, has a legally anchored right to information and inspection according to Section 51a GmbHG, and it must approve the request by resolution.

Interestingly, the current remuneration of the mayor of Heiligenhafen is approximately 95,600 euros per year, significantly less than the total remuneration of the CEO of HVB, who received 196,776.92 euros for the year 2023. This disparity has raised concerns about excessive remuneration, especially considering that the managing director of a 100% municipal GmbH supported with public funds may not be better remunerated than the mayor in total.

The refusal of the CEO to provide the documents requested by the city as a shareholder could potentially lead to immediate termination. The city, as the sole shareholder, could also assert recoupment claims against the managing director based on unjust enrichment and liability for damages.

Despite these issues, the mayor's re-election appears to be more important to him than addressing the irregularities in the interest of the citizens of Heiligenhafen. This assertion is supported by the mayor's alleged stalling tactics, as he knows what he needs to deliver but is doing nothing about it.

At Finanzmarktwelt, we are committed to following this issue closely and won't give up until it's fully resolved. The current status in Heiligenhafen is that efforts are ongoing to clarify the impacts of the potentially overestimated renovation costs of the HVB building and the delays in accessing the necessary documents, but no final resolution has been reported yet.

We will continue to bring you updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.

What's causing the tax funding predicament in Haugenhafen and who can potentially intervene?