Image: VOLKER Weihbold
The founding of City Management Linz GmbH (CML) was not a success story right from the start. Now the joint company of the city of Linz and the tourism association is on the verge of collapse.
The city senate met today on the subject of dissolution, the decision is still pending at the tourism association. From a political point of view, there was at least a majority for the dissolution today. As reported, Mayor Klaus Luger (SP) had already spoken out in favor of it. After the city senate, the municipal council still has to agree.
“It’s a shame, the CML simply didn’t work in this form and composition,” said Deputy Mayor Martin Hajart (VP) on today’s decision. The GmbH gave almost no impetus to further develop the city. Hajart now sees Luger, which is responsible for the economic agenda.
“Need a city marketing”
“We want to know as soon as possible how things are going to continue. Linz needs broad-based city marketing in order to continue to be
to stay competitive. One should not accept the development of the southern highway. In addition to the necessary traffic and urban planning objectives, economic policy accents are also needed. We expect that a viable concept will be available by autumn,” says Hajart.
Luger had previously announced that he wanted to integrate the tasks of the CML, with the exception of vacancy management, into the economic department of the magistrate.
Bernhard Seeber, business spokesman for the Linz Greens, also says that the CML has not brought about the desired improvements. “Many different views, wishes and opinions of the various actors have certainly contributed to the fact that the CML ultimately remained unsuccessful. Therefore, the planned dissolution is understandable and we support it. At the same time, this decision must not lead to the complete cancellation of all city marketing, whose main task must be to position Linz as an attractive commercial location and to make the city center worth living in for the residents there.”
“Just wasn’t successful”
“We gave the project a chance, but always followed it critically,” says City Councilor Michael Raml (FP). Time and again it has been shown that “too little is progressing”. “I welcome the fact that the city is now drawing a line. This form was simply not successful at the end of the day.”
As a city, you now have to think about new ways of further developing the country road, especially with a view to the vacancies – possibly with the help of external real estate experts. It is clear that the city has little or no control over private real estate. “A lot has happened in the business world with online trading, and property owners also have to think about whether they can realistically achieve the rents they want,” says Raml.
His party colleague, FP parliamentary group chairman Wolfgang Grabmayr, formulated it in a similar way, he also advocates that the city should consider other formats, how the city center can be revived and vacancies can be counteracted. The city would do well to do without such toothless instruments as the CML in the future: “The Linz taxpayers, who ultimately have to pay for it financially, will certainly thank them.”
Elke Pflug, the managing director of CML, has not yet been available for OÖN to comment.
Source: Nachrichten
