First of all, we would like to express our sincere thanks to the Finance Commission for its detailed report and analysis, with which we agree on many points.
On 11 December 2025, the Mayor presented the 2026 budget. This presentation consisted solely of a brief list of the individual projects that have been completed to date, those that are currently being implemented and those that may be coming up next year or in the years to come. Not a word about the main priorities, not a word about a new Maison relais, new sports facilities or the expansion or renovation of the ‘um Weier’ school, nor social housing – but instead, master plan after master plan, study costs after study costs totalling almost €2 million.
For two hours, the two opposition parties tried to obtain explanations by asking specific questions about the individual budget items. Unfortunately, most of the questions were ignored by the mayor and we received few or no answers. Transparency towards the opposition and thus also towards the citizens is practically non-existent and, in our opinion, not even wanted.
In our opinion, a new Maison relais would have been much more urgent than a restaurant and a car park. If concrete planning for modern childcare facilities does not begin immediately, construction will not be completed until well after 2029. According to the population development projections presented as part of ‘Sandweiler Fit for the Future’, waiting lists are therefore already inevitable.
In the first 2.5 years, this majority’s priorities were a restaurant and a car park – two projects that had already been decided in advance of public participation and were not up for discussion. For this reason, the well-organised workshops had nothing to do with serious public participation; they were primarily a show in which the council wanted to present itself in a favourable light.
We note that personnel costs have risen sharply over the last 2.5 years and that two additional positions are provided for in the budget.
Furthermore, we find the following missing from the budget:
- Revenue in the ordinary budget from the rental of three properties and a commercial unit on Rue Principale, which the municipality purchased during 2025
- A budget item for the temporary car park at the former Delicious restaurant during the construction phase of the new multi-storey car park
- A budget item in the extraordinary budget for major renovation work on the building that houses the CIGR
This budget clearly does not define any priorities, but continues to focus solely on study after study, master plan after master plan. It is illusory to believe that a new Maison relais, a sports hall, a school extension, a shared space or the construction of social housing can be realised by the end of the legislative period.
The Finance Commission proposes a five-year financial plan to better analyse the municipality’s financial situation and set priorities for individual projects. We at the CSV share this view. For the new mayor, however, an analysis of the respective annual budget is sufficient. Foresight does not work that way. The financial plan is an important tool and should be discussed transparently in both the municipal council and the Finance Commission.
Such a plan makes it possible to analyse the financial situation more clearly and set priorities more effectively: which projects do we need for Sandweiler in the future and which projects are merely ‘nice to have’, to use the commission’s words. The budget contains many master plans for various projects that will cost enormous sums of money, some of which are necessary. Nevertheless, there are no priorities in the budget, nor has the mayor named any priorities on behalf of the aldermen’s council – on the contrary, they preferred to say nothing at all.
Due to all of the above criticisms, the CSV did not approve the 2026 budget.