City of Warnemünde demands costs for street lights after 19 years!

City of Warnemünde demands costs for street lights after 19 years!

The city of Warnemünde is causing excitement among property owners. After 19 years, the city administration is back with invoices for the replacement of street lights from 2006. These unexpected costs are a burden for many residents, as almost 31,150.64 euros have to be paid pro rata in this way, while the city itself covers almost half of the total costs. The amounts that the property owners should pay range between 34 euros and up to 2,245 euros. Loud NDR The city relies on a regulation that allows costs to be split in order to process these long-overdue payments.

Some residents, particularly on Mühlenstrasse, have already lodged objections to the bills. However, the chances of success are rather slim, as the statute of limitations for such municipal contributions is usually four years. However, this can be extended if the structural measures have only been partially implemented. The city administration makes it clear that the reaction to the construction measures after the fall of the wall, which in many cases led to a high number of contribution procedures, explains the long time from the measure to settlement.

Municipality under pressure

But the situation in Warnemünde only reflects part of the bigger picture. Municipal road expansion contributions often meet with resistance in various German cities and communities. Residents in particular often feel overwhelmed by the abrupt demands for contributions, which have now been completely abolished in many regions such as Bavaria, Hamburg and Berlin. In these federal states, the roads have generally been extensively renovated either by the state or through additional allocations. The anwalt.de notes that the financial burdens on the respective residents can vary greatly depending on the federal state, which is primarily due to the different regulations of the Municipal Taxes Act (KAG).

In 2018, around 400 Hessian municipalities decided to revise their statutes for road expansion contributions. Although many cities report significant renovation needs, numerous residents are involved in legal disputes because they question the economic benefits of renovation. The measure is always important for collecting contributions because only if it goes beyond ongoing maintenance can the property owners be asked to pay.

Who pays and why?

In cases where roads are being expanded or renewed, the principle often applies: property owners located on these roads have to pay for them. This means that residents in Warnemünde may not be the only ones who have to deal with the legal basis for charging contributions.

In the taxpayer.de It becomes clear that the regulations for road expansion contributions vary greatly across the country. Some federal states, such as Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony, give municipalities the freedom to decide whether to levy contributions or not; This led to many municipalities in these regions no longer charging any contributions at all.

Despite all the legal framework and decisions, the question remains for property owners in Warnemünde as to how they should deal with these unexpected costs. There is great dissatisfaction with the long time between construction work and billing and the associated financial consequences. What is certain is that with this measure the city of Warnemünde not only has to carry out a financial but also a social balancing act. The development of this settlement in the coming weeks is eagerly awaited.