The last budget of the most difficult and challenging municipal term in the decades after the change of regime will be presented by Mayor László Papp to the Debrecen assembly next week. As he said at the press conference, the 2019-2024 cycle was a cycle of crises, but Debrecen has weathered the adversity well. ‘2023 was a year of challenges but also of opportunities. It is often said to be a sin to waste a crisis . Well, we didn’t do that,’ he said.

Debrecen has grown steadily stronger over the past year and years. During this period, it has been extremely important to provide strength, stability and the will to develop, but at the same time, through a policy of care, attention and support to the citizens of our city.

For Debrecen, 2024 will be a year of scale change, construction and growth. Mayor László Papp described this year’s city budget in four words: development, stability, environmental protection and care.

These four words send a clear message that the aim of the 2024 budget was to meet the development needs of the citizens of Debrecen as broadly as possible, and to develop all parts of the city, including the outlying suburbs, the suburbs, the housing estates and the city centre.

The call words of the budget also set out the main strategic orientations along which the proposal has been drawn up:

– economic development,

– transport and water infrastructure development,

– environment and sustainability,

– caring policy, support for families.

The 2024 budget is fully in line with the Debrecen2030 urban development strategy adopted by the City Assembly and the government in 2020. Today, there is no alternative to this strategy, this guarantees the development and prosperity of Debrecen. This is the programme that the left-wing parties and organisations in Debrecen have overwhelmingly refused to support.

As in previous years, the budget is development-oriented. This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that the investment capital will increase significantly.

Key figures of the 2024 budget:

Balance sheet total: HUF 230.9 billion

Local tax revenue: HUF 37.9 billion

Total operating budget expenditure: HUF 90.7 billion

Urban operating expenditure: HUF 6.4 billion

Green space expenditure: HUF 5.1 billion

District improvements: HUF 7.9 billion

Other urban investments: HUF 91.3 billion

Total investments amount: HUF 99.2 billion

The City does not anticipate taking a loan in 2024. The general reserve is HUF 100 million, and the city will place HUF 391 million in provisions.

Thanks to the successful economic development of recent years, the local business tax is higher than ever before at HUF 34.5 billion.

Wage growth in kindergartens is 17-32%, while cultural and social institutions, the Mayor’s Office, the Debrecen Institution Management Centre and the Debrecen Public Space Inspectorate have 17% wage growth.

Economic development

The city is spending HUF 80.66 billion on economic development. The development of the city’s industrial areas – the North-Western Economic Zone,  the Southern Economic Zone, the Határ Road Industrial Park and the Western Industrial Park, run by small and medium-sized enterprises – will continue. The development of the SME Park in the Southern Economic Zone will continue.  In connection with the industrial zone, the water infrastructure, the electricity network development and the transport infrastructure development will take place.

TRANSPORT DEVELOPMENT

The road safety and traffic improvement programme, junction improvements, large-scale asphalt paving, pavement and stair resurfacing, road and bicycle path construction will continue. Road construction in 2024 will cover 23 streets, with a budget of HUF 2.545 billion. Large-scale asphalting will be carried out on 24 road sections at a cost of HUF 1.67 billion. In residential areas, 8 road sections will be renewed at a cost of HUF 226 million.

As the economy develops, the budget proposal also aims to better integrate environmental concerns in line with the 2019 targets. ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION AND SUSTAINABILITY

In 2019, we launched a new environmental policy to create a community of action so that the city’s residents can move together for sustainability and green issues. To this end, we created the Green Working Group, which has been continuously expanded and in the past year has been complemented by professors and the knowledge base of the University of Debrecen, and we started the Future of Debrecen movement, which has launched and implemented 30 actions across the city in recent years. The city’s environmental programme has been prepared, which includes 50 actions. These are mutually reinforcing and contribute to the green and sustainable development of Debrecen.

Environmental programme measures:

Plant 10.000 trees in Debrecen! programme

Smart, controllable LED street lighting programme

LED lighting of traffic lights

Greening, green corridors around industrial zones

Rainwater retention programme

Establishment and operation of an Environmental Monitoring System

Development of solar parks – green transport

CULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS

Within the framework of cultural development, the first phase of the renovation of Bartók Hall, the development of Modem, the energetic development of the building of the Kölcsey Centre, the development of the B24 Gallery, the first phase of the renovation of the villas of Medgyessy promenade will be launched or completed.

DEBRECEN HELPS, CARING CITY

The city spends HUF 415 million on social assistance. The 2024 budget will give priority to supporting families and communities to achieve the objectives of the care policy. This is our duty in the light of the crises of recent years.

The built heritage renovation programme will be launched and the panel programme will continue.

Thanks to the Debrecen Institute of Primary Care and Health Promotion, the health screening programme will continue, as will the Move Debrecen programme, which has so far attracted more than 54,000 people.

Thanks to institutional improvements, the renewal of the Margit Square swimming pool, the Thomas Mann Street doctor’s office and the Nagymacs doctor’s office, the construction of the canteen of the Gönczy Pál Street school, the start of the planning of the renovation of the Angyalföld Square doctor’s office and the planning of the renovation of the primary school in Csapókert, the construction of the Postakert nursery and the gymnasium of the Epreskert primary school will be completed, the renovation of the Pallagi Road House for the Elderly will continue, the procurement of equipment for kindergartens and nurseries will continue, and the accessibility of the doctor’s offices will be improved.

The institutions can expect to have the following budgets:

Social and child welfare institutions: HUF 7.2 billion

Kindergartens (excluding catering): HUF 7.58 billion

Cultural institutions: HUF 6.28 billion

Non-profit organisations: HUF 5.91 billion

Sports expenditures: HUF 1.72 billion

Welfare and green space improvements:

From 1 April, children aged 6-14 attending educational institutions in Debrecen can use public transport in Debrecen free of charge. The playground development programme, the improvement of kindergartens and schoolyards, rainwater collectors, flower and green bag distribution, waste fee subsidies for pensioners, and bathing subsidies for pensioners will continue. A running track will be built in Józsa, planning will start for the development of the recreation park in Tócóvölgy, and the improvement of the surroundings of the Vezér Street pond.

Mayor László Papp stressed that the city can provide security for its citizens, and not only security, but also a career, as the jobs created here, the development of urban infrastructure and the provision of urban services clearly contribute to the continued success of Debrecen.

Following the mayor’s presentation, the deputy mayors will present the draft budget in more detail for their respective areas in the coming days. The City Assembly will discuss the budget proposal at its meeting on the 22nd of  February.

Source: debrecen.hu