Meeting of the main committee: Bad Honnef is planning major restructuring!

Meeting of the main committee: Bad Honnef is planning major restructuring!

The city of Bad Honnef is facing important decisions that affect both economic and ecological aspects. On Thursday, May 22, 2025, at 6:00 p.m., the 31st meeting of the Main and Finance Committee will take place in the Grafenwerth meeting room (001) at Rathausplatz 1. There are several crucial points on the agenda that will influence the city's future direction, including changing the 2025 staffing plan and participating in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia's debt relief program, also known as old debt assistance.

One of the most important decisions will concern the naming of a street in the city after the twin town of Ludvika. This shows the city's desire to maintain and emphasize international relations. In addition, a preliminary annual result for 2024 and the status of budget management for 2025 are presented, which illustrates the city's financial framework.

Climate protection measures and renovation of the town hall

In the context of the last meetings of the main and finance committee, important decisions have already been made, particularly with regard to climate protection and the energy-efficient renovation of the town hall. The Main and Finance Committee completed its 22nd meeting earlier this week and approved the integrated climate protection concept, which shows measures to reduce greenhouse gases. The 250-page concept defines 41 measures in areas such as mobility, buildings and urban development. The measures implemented also include the replacement of light sources, which has already saved 92,400 kWh and 18 tons of CO2, as well as the expansion of photovoltaic systems on municipal buildings.

The energy-efficient renovation of the town hall was decided to make the building fit for the future. Experts recommend renovation, which includes, among other things, insulation measures and replacing the heating system with a heat pump. The city plans to invest around 4.7 million euros in this renovation, with around 1.1 million euros coming from funding. This shows the effort to focus on both climate protection and cost savings.

Second home tax as a source of income

Another step that affects the city's finances is the planned introduction of a second home tax, which is to be levied from January 1, 2024. City treasurer Martin Gautsch estimates that Bad Honnef will generate around 30,000 euros in income from this. The tax rate is 15 percent of the net rent and provides for staggered reductions as well as deductions for parking spaces or garages. The adoption of the associated statutes in the council is planned for December.

The citizen information system has stored all the necessary meeting documents to give interested citizens an insight into the topics and suggestions. The coming decisions could significantly influence not only the economic stability, but also the ecological responsibility of the city of Bad Honnef.

For more information on these topics and the upcoming session, you can read the articles from ausbadhonnef.de and meinbadhonnef.de read.