Ausserrhoden votes on reducing the number of municipalities
Published: Sunday, Nov 12th 2023, 14:20
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The Ausserrhoden electorate will vote on the future municipal structures on November 26. This could reduce the number of municipalities from the current 20 to between three and five. The government described the proposal as "one of the most influential votes" since the abolition of the Landsgemeinde.
Two scenarios for the future development of the municipalities in the canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden are under discussion. The Ausserrhoden government is in favor of the so-called counter-proposal. If this variant is approved, the current 20 municipalities will probably be merged into three to five by 2028.
The three former districts of Appenzeller Hinterland, Mittelland and Vorderland could provide a point of reference for the mergers. The option of up to five municipalities should keep open the possibility that Herisau as the most populous and Teufen AR as the financially strongest municipality could continue to exist, according to the voting documents.
The contingency bill drafted by the Cantonal Council and supported by the FDP and SVP, for example, does not go as far, as it does not contain a specific mandate to reduce the number of municipalities. It merely wants to make such mergers possible.
In contrast to the counter-proposal, in which the canton would implement the structural reforms, the initiative for mergers would have to come from the municipalities themselves. The canton would only provide administrative and financial support to municipalities in the event of mergers.
Need for action is widely recognized
Both proposals aim to remove the current listing of all 20 municipalities in the cantonal constitution. Because the municipalities are listed individually, mergers today would each require an amendment to the cantonal constitution and thus a mandatory cantonal referendum.
It is largely undisputed that there is a need for action with regard to municipal structures. Among other things, the referendum edict points out that the tasks and procedures for the municipalities are becoming more complex, that there is a lack of trained specialist staff and that administrative positions are difficult to fill. Municipal administrations should be able to offer better services through mergers.
Voters in Ausserrhoden can vote yes or no to both the counter-proposal and the contingent proposal. They can also indicate which option they prefer if both are accepted. Both options are based on the popular initiative "Strong Ausserrhoden municipalities", which has since been withdrawn.
©Keystone/SDA
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