Moritzburg property tax rebel fights for a well-maintained train station!

Moritzburg property tax rebel fights for a well-maintained train station!

Torsten Küllig, who is known as the Moritzburg property tax rebel, recently wrote an open letter to Dresden's environmental mayor Eva Jähnigen. In this letter he addresses the overgrown condition of the Niedersedlitz train station, which in his opinion is a real nuisance. Küllig is convinced that the unkempt appearance of the station in high season not only shocks residents, but also has a deterrent effect on tourists. He was in Saxon Switzerland with his family over Pentecost and noticed the problems at the local train station. The Moritzburger's daughter particularly pointed out the lack of care, which motivated Küllig to take action. He makes it clear that the state capital of Dresden is responsible for this area and that insolvency cannot be used as an excuse when it comes to maintaining public facilities.

Küllig also has a concrete suggestion for solving the problem. “15 minutes of work with a brush cutter would be enough to remove the uncontrolled growth,” said the activist Moritzburger. As part of his letter, he calls on the mayor to address the situation immediately as it is her responsibility. He also suggests that the municipal enforcement service focus its attention not only on illegal parking, but also on the maintenance of public spaces and the condition of urban areas.

Focus on maintaining urban areas

Environmental policy focuses on the clean maintenance of green spaces and urban facilities. The change in priorities in budget management fits in with this. Eva Jähnigen, the 59-year-old environmental mayor from the Green Party, is currently confronted with a critical situation. Her city council colleague Zastrow accuses her of not informing the city council that one of the budgets that was intended for fountains had to be used elsewhere. City Hall responded to this and referred to a statement from January explaining the impact of budget cuts. However, the budget for maintaining traffic safety services and maintaining green spaces is very limited.

Voluntary services such as the operation of wells always get the short end of the stick, while ensuring road safety takes priority. Jähnigen now faces the challenge of finding the balance between budget savings and preserving the city's greenery. This is important not only for citizens, but also for tourists, as Küllig emphasizes.

Urban greenery as a topic of the future

The current discussion is supplemented by the Federal Environment Agency's projects to promote urban greenery. A planned online tool is intended to map the effects of urban green spaces and raise awareness of their value. The aim is to generate arguments for the preservation and expansion of urban greenery and to promote acceptance through citizen participation. As part of the “Valuing Urban Greenery” project, municipalities are supported to take the issues of climate adaptation and biodiversity into account.

These measures are also important for the city of Dresden, as they can contribute to the attractiveness of the city and thus open up a completely new perspective on the conscious care of green spaces. In his letter, Küllig offered to take on part of the maintenance himself if the necessary tools were made available to him from the parks department. This is where Mayor Jähnigen's responsibility now lies: She has the opportunity to show that the city administration and citizens can work hand in hand to preserve and promote Dresden's image as a welcoming city.