Citizens' assembly - dialog in the Vertl

The second citizens' meeting of the year took place in the Grüne Au restaurant.

Auf dem Bild sind ein Dutzend Personen zu sehen, die an Tischen sitzen. Ein Mann steht vorne und redet, hinter ihm eine Power-Point-Präsentation. — Foto: Stadt Hof

Last Monday, the second citizens' meeting of the year took place in the Grüne Au restaurant. The event offered citizens the opportunity to discuss their concerns and questions directly with the city administration and to find out about current projects and plans in their district.

Mayor Eva Döhla: "Citizens' meetings are an essential part of democratic co-determination in our city. They enable a direct dialog between the administration and citizens and give us the opportunity to respond to suggestions and ideas. I am particularly pleased that we were able to meet in the Grüne Au restaurant - a place that is once again full of life and offers a modern and inviting atmosphere."

The "Vertl", officially known as the factory suburb, is an important residential and commercial location with 3,356 inhabitants. With facilities such as the Christian Wolfrum School, a local shopping center and numerous craft businesses and service providers, the district offers a good infrastructure. Several major projects are currently being planned:

Christian-Wolfrum-Schule: new construction of an elementary school with a single gymnasium (construction start spring 2026, completion fall 2029).
Grüne Au sports facility: renovation and replacement of the operations building (construction start 2025, completion 2027).
Development of Willy-Brandt-Allee: creation of a new building area with 15 building plots (budget funds provided, implementation planned from 2025).

The citizens' assembly can make recommendations as a targeted decision-making process, which the city council must decide on within three months. On Monday, the assembly made use of this right several times and the Hof city council will therefore soon be dealing with several topics, including the installation of a crosswalk in rainbow colors as an expression of queer life, a residents' parking regulation in the area of the universities or the city library joining the online platform "Filmfriend" - a video-on-demand film portal especially for public libraries.

In the further course of the meeting, various concerns of the citizens were discussed. One key topic was road safety, particularly in connection with e-scooters and cyclists. The situation on some access roads to Ernst-Reuter-Straße was considered particularly problematic. The division managers present answered some of the questions on the spot, while others took them on board and promised further examination and, if necessary, discussion in the city council committees.

According to Article 18 of the Bavarian municipal code, municipalities should hold a citizens' assembly at least once a year. Mayor Eva Döhla has decided that two meetings will be held each year in different parts of the city. In addition to current projects, the mayor's report focuses on topics from the respective district. At the meeting in the "Vertl", for example, the mayor reported on the planned construction of the new Christian Wolfrum School and the renovation of the Grüne Au. However, the questions and motions then dealt with very different topics and locations in the city.

Mayor Eva Döhla: "The concerns of the people in the districts are as diverse as our city itself. Our aim with the citizens' meetings is not only to inform, but above all to listen. The suggestions we receive here are important impulses for us, which flow into our planning and decisions."