Dispute over the top center: Schmalkalden defends itself against KAG allegations!

Dispute over the top center: Schmalkalden defends itself against KAG allegations!

In the South Thuringia region, the wave of excitement makes waves. A dispute over the future upper center has brought the cities of Schmalkalden and Meiningen to a bitter power. Not only local vanities are in the foreground, but also the question of how to look together in the future. According to Insuedthueringen.de Mayor Thomas Kaminski forecasts the municipal Working group (KAG) decidedly back. This had practiced criticism of the collaboration and claimed that Meiningen and Schmalkalden would not be sufficiently included in the concept of an upper center.

Kaminski counters the statements of Suhl's mayor André Knapp, who accuses the two cities of disinterest. After spending closeer on June 30th, he described his information as inaccurate. His impression: The appointment requests from Schmalkalden were rejected and a constructive conversation failed due to a lack of interest. "The public appearance of the transfer of the KAG into a special -purpose association is not helpful," says Kaminski, who emphasizes that this should not be about personal animosities, but about the well -being of the region.

disappointment about the decision

The KAG is disappointed with the decision of the state government to form a top center of six cities. This is in contrast to previous agreements and concepts that already provide close cooperation between the cities of Oberhof, Schleusingen, Suhl and Zella-Mehlis. André Knapp, the chairman of KAG, describes the situation as intolerable and emphasizes the need that contracts and agreements are also respected. Oberzentrum-suedthuedingen.de Cooperation with Meiningen and Schmalkalden stipulates. The KAG's objection to a larger upper center is based on historical experiences that indicate difficulties.

The KAG was founded in 2018 to promote the development of these four cities. Last year, KAG received support of 90,000 euros from the state government and 714,000 euros in federal funding. Nevertheless, the question remains how these funds can be used efficiently if the structure of the upper center is not clearly defined. "We ask the state government to rethink this decision and concentrate on the essentials: strengthening the region," emphasizes Knapp.

success and challenges

Despite the political uncertainties that surround KAG, the group is confident. The chair changed on July 1 of André Knapp to Alexander Brodführer (Schleusingen), who will now run the helm. stadt-oberhof.de emphasizes that the cooperation between cities has been intensified in the past few months, despite the challenges that are due to the extensions of the upper center reveal.

The KAG has achieved remarkable success in business development in the past twelve months, including the implementation of network events and company visits. The visibility of the community was also improved by various communication measures. Among other things, a city biathlon in August and the introduction of a digital 4-city voucher are planned.

whether KAG succeeds in mastering the existing challenges and creating a future -proof basis for all cities remains to be seen. However, it is clear: a close cohesion and clear agreements are crucial for the success of the region.