Jena's double budget for 2021 and 2022 approved

After the Jena City Council adopted a budget for 2021 and 2022 at its meeting in March, the city administration has now received a notice of approval from the State Administration Office. This means that necessary investments in construction and infrastructure, as well as in climate protection and social services, can be realized as planned.

According to Mayor Christian Gerlitz, this will now be examined and the conditions and ancillary provisions contained in the decision will be processed by the responsible departments, as in previous budget years.

"After almost a year of discussions about budget protection measures with significant restrictions on municipal services, we finally have a certain degree of planning security in the face of the ongoing tense financial situation," said Gerlitz.

"We are grateful both to the Thuringian state parliament for making it easier to prepare the budget in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and to the state administration office for its constructive support over the past few months," adds Christian Gerlitz.

For Head of Finance Benjamin Koppe, the focus remains on long-term financial performance:

"As important as the approval of the budget is for us as a city in this special situation, we must not lose sight of further consolidation efforts at the same time. This is the only way we can maintain the long-term financial capacity to act for our city," says Benjamin Koppe.

Jena's budget has an annual volume of around 360 million euros. A loss of 11.25 million euros is expected for 2021 and 26.05 million euros for 2022. The deficit can be covered from the budget reserves generated in previous years and is due in particular to the loss of revenue as a result of the coronavirus crisis, but also to structural problems caused by an imbalance in income and expenditure.