The members of the council decided to end the recent meeting of the Dernbach municipal council prematurely. The reason for this was a power outage caused by the storm on August 19. Until then, several items on the agenda had been discussed and decided upon.
Sebastian Hausen is moving forward
At the beginning, Sebastian Hausen was appointed as a successor to the municipal council.
Subsequently, the re-election of various committee mandates was on the agenda. This involved the main and financial committee, the committee for the business park and the construction committee, including the respective delegates.
Donated crockery and new regulation for the barbecue hut
Another point concerned the rules of use of the barbecue hut. In connection with this, there was also talk of donated dishes.
For the use of kitchen and dishes, 30 euros will be charged in the future. From our point of view, however, this seems like a hidden fee increase – in the previous discussion, the CDU group highlighted the affordability of the barbecue cabin in terms of social aspects of use.
Prohibition of fireworks
The new regulations also provide for a ban on fireworks. Manuel asked the question to what extent a general ban, for example on New Year's Eve or in sufficiently humid weather, is actually proportionate.
In principle, the local community, as the operator and owner of the barbecue hut, is entitled to draw up corresponding rules of use. A key argument in favour of the ban is in particular the prevention of fire hazards.
The new regulation comes to 1 September in force.
Renovation of the Burgweg
On the agenda was also the refurbishment of the Burgweg at the confluence with Elgendorfer Straße.
In the course of the planned work, the existing paving stones will be taken up and stored for later use. The call for tenders for the action is ongoing.
The mayor explained that a version with tar or asphalt copes better with the expected loads. The existing load-bearing layer is therefore not damaged and is in a very stable state.
From our point of view, however, there are doubts as to how stable the road will be, especially in the steeper area of the intersection, under a greater load from heavy-duty traffic. The question of long-term resilience should therefore be taken into account in the execution.
As initially planned budget appropriations were no longer available, appropriations for the measure had to be re-booked. There were four abstentions in this decision.
Drainage at Dr. Domarus Street
Some members of the Council discussed more intensively the long-standing problem of drainage at the Dr. Domarus street.
The costs of the measure, which has now been planned, have almost tripled (from around EUR 9,000 Now about 25,000 euros).
The originally commissioned company is no longer willing to comply with the existing contract on the previous terms.
Questions about cost increase
From our point of view, this development is not comprehensible. In our opinion, the significant price increase cannot be explained by general inflation alone within two years.
As an additional cost factor, it was mentioned, among other things, that metal plates should be designed for the work in order to allow the access or navigability of the property. In our view, however, this does not automatically explain an increase in costs from around 9,000 to 25,000 euros.
Manuel therefore also asked whether, in view of the refusal of the originally mandated company to comply with the contract, possible claims for damages due to breach of contract could exist. However, this question was not further explored in the further discussion.
The effectiveness of drainage remains unclear
Even more fundamentally, the question arises for us whether the planned drainage is actually suitable for solving the existing problem permanently.
Already during the previous consultations it was not clear which cause is responsible for the occurring moisture. In particular, a distinction should be made between: Groundwater, reservoir water, leachate and a mere moistening of the soil.
In reliance on the assessment of the Verbandsgemeindewerke, the measure was adopted unanimously in 2025: https://gemeinsam-fuer-dernbach.de/ratssitzungsbericht-vom-18-juni-2025. However, in view of the considerable increase in costs in unclear circumstances, it remains questionable from our point of view whether such an expensive measure would not place an excessive burden on the Dernbach budget.
In addition, there is the fundamental question of whether and to what extent the local community here at all Obligated to act or to dispose of is. However, the vast majority agreed with the measure.
Other points and early termination of the meeting
The agenda included other items. However, due to the power outage due to the severe weather, the meeting could not be continued properly.
The remaining items on the agenda must therefore be reopened at a forthcoming meeting.
Although the early termination was unusual, it also shows how important it is to take a close look at larger measures: Both the Burgweg and the drainage are about significant public funds and solutions that should work as long as possible.
English (UK)