Many of Zurich's municipalities have a Problem: they are too small to cope with their increasingly diverse tasks alone. Therefore, they co-operate, for example, in the water supply, the fire Department, or the school. Nevertheless, the authorities came again and again to the attack, such as in the recruitment of staff, says Marco Hirzel, SVP-President of the municipality of Pfäffikon. "Many building departments award contracts externally, because you will not find any professionals more."

Marco Hirzel and the Bülacher EVP, city President Mark Eberli want to push, therefore, to Think and Act beyond the municipality's borders. They will lead a working group of the municipality President Federation (GPV), which is proposing a far-reaching reorganization of the Zurich-based limits, which would mean the end of districts. Questions and answers about the proposal:

Why should disappear the districts?

The Zurich districts are over 200 years old. Since then, little has happened: in 1986 the municipality of Zollikon Zurich moved miles to the district, 1989, the district of Dietikon was created.

The districts no longer correspond to today often the social and economic reality, says Mark Eberli. The district of Bülach is a good example of this: The Northern part belong to the more rural Zürcher unterland, in the southern part of the densely populated Glattal. "In many places of the functional space has overtaken the political a long time ago."

How the districts are to be replaced?

The GPV aims to create eight new regions. Identical to the city of Zurich and the district to stay only Horgen, on the left shore of lake Zurich, the new hot Region room mountain.

As today's districts to ask the first instance court and one at a district that has such departments the supervision of the local police and fire. The function of the constituencies to accept the new regions would be elected in many places in completely new compositions.

In contrast to the districts, but can also be tasks from municipalities to regions – such as the planning of nursing care beds, the organization of the Kesb, the location promotion or tourism.

How the new borders were drawn?

As the basis of the new regions of the eleven regions, which were created in 1957 for the regional spatial planning, the so-called planning regions were used. Three of them want to summarize, the GPV: the furttal are now counted and the Zürcher unterland, Winterthur, and the wine country, as well as the Limmat valley and the Knonaueramt. The municipality of Turbenthal should also include instead of Winterthur's wine country to the Bernese Oberland, the city of Uster, instead of to the Oberland to the Glattal.

What are functional areas?

Within the 31 functional rooms, to complement the regions that were various cooperation possible, such as in the case of the fire brigade, the Spitex or computer science. In the case of the already existing together, the Problem is that you are depending on the theme of different is circuits often. This is inefficient, says Mark Eberli.

The rooms were but no new state level, the cooperation is based on contract and flexible work. What tasks would be specifically solved together, need to decide, each community for itself, said Eberli. "You can't order – we want to encourage the municipalities, however, a process is toast."

the criteria According to which the functional spaces were created?

sticking point for the cooperation is often the school, says Marco Hirzel. The proposed functional spaces have at least 10'000 inhabitants, which corresponds roughly to the catchment area of an upper level school. Other criteria topographical conditions such as water, valleys or hills were. Also already existing cooperation or merger projects has taken into account the working group.

Why is not the same mergers?

Many of the cantons of municipality mergers have stepped up – to the radical of the Canton of Glarus, has reduced the number of municipalities from 25 to 3 most. Mergers are no panacea, says Jörg Kündig, GPV-President and the FDP-President of the municipality of Gossau. Many residents of Zurich, identified themselves strongly with their community.

Individual mergers were, however, quite desirable, says Mark Eberli. If there are too many skills in special purpose associations or by means of connection agreements issued, whether a merger makes sense.

Why the new proposal now?

The working group under the direction of the GPV of your paper in the framework of the project "municipalities of 2030" will be created. The leader of the cantonal Department of justice and of the interior. Three further working groups deal with the attractiveness of the militia activity, the cooperation between municipalities and the Canton, as well as the Digital Transformation.

what's next?

The GPV has given its proposal today to the municipalities for the attention in the consultation, which lasts until June. "We are looking forward to the feedback," says Kundig. You've already received a lot of positive feedback. The functional rooms are likely to meet some resistance and be aware of thought as a proposal. "Well it's possible that the card looks like in the fall in a whole different way," said Eberli. Then the GPV of the steering Committee of the project "municipalities in 2030, intends to make" a final proposal.

it becomes more Complicated in the case of the new regions, because of the abolition of the districts requires an amendment to the Constitution. To the implementation of Kündig therefore reckons with a period of at least ten years. Nearly 20 years ago by the former Dietiker SP-cantonal councillor Markus Notter, 1998, launched the Reform failed due to the resistance of the Bourgeois. Notter wanted to replace the counties by five regions.

Created: 03.03.2020, 12:01 PM