Bernburg. Looking back and into the future! Five years after the district council adopted the Salzlandkreis 2030 future strategy, the Salzlandkreis district is drawing a positive interim conclusion. "Together with the district council, we set our own goals as a region and drew up a clear roadmap. Since then, this framework has helped us to regularly review our progress and set priorities," explains District Administrator Markus Bauer. He emphasises that the future strategy offers reliable guidance to all individuals, companies and institutions involved in the Salzlandkreis district and beyond. It is important to note that "even though the future strategy refers to the year 2030, the development of the region and thus the work of the district administration will not actually be complete." Rather, it is necessary to continually review and redefine the major goals and individual measures.
On the initiative of the district administrator, the district administration described the development of the Salzland district to date in a multi-stage process from 2019 and identified specific areas of action that are of great importance for the further development of the Salzland district as an attractive residential, business and science location. These include topics such as science and business, public services, modern district administration and communication. Markus Bauer: "It has become clear: These goals, defined jointly and bindingly with the district council, are realistic in order to make the Salzland district a hinge in the rural area between Halle and Magdeburg in the perception of many who seek their private and economic happiness outside of large cities. They will find the right conditions here." The district council passed the resolution to adopt the 2020 strategy for the future.
An initial success of the targeted development can be seen in the current results of the Prognos Future Atlas, which assesses regions throughout Germany in terms of demographics, labour market, competition, prosperity, strength and dynamism. The Salzland district rose from 390th place in 2016 to 375th, which is impressive progress given that all regions are more or less in competition with each other. District Administrator Markus Bauer: "We have created a spirit of optimism and picked up speed in terms of development. Now it is up to all those responsible in the Salzland district to keep up the pace together and continue to drive development in the individual areas." The results of the Prognos study are all the more remarkable from the point of view of the Salzland district because of the special situations that have arisen in recent years, such as the coronavirus pandemic, the energy crisis, years of drought as a result of climate change and the consequences of increasing international conflicts. "All of this presented us with additional tasks as a public administration. These have shown us how important crisis-proof and therefore reliable and sustainable structures are," Markus Bauer looks back. It's not just about roads, buildings or technology, but also about functioning networks. "As an administration, we also have to constantly reinvent ourselves in order to remain a reliable partner in the face of constant change."
The goal remains to climb even higher in the Prognos ranking in the coming years. To achieve this, further billable results as well as further initiatives and measures are necessary. The district administrator is therefore in favour of continuing to look to the future instead of dwelling on the past. "We cannot change the developments, especially at the beginning of the 1990s with the large wave of emigration. However, we can do our utmost every day to create attractive conditions for the Salzland district. This makes sustainable growth possible." He points out that the basis for an attractive region is people who are committed to it. This, in turn, requires reliable framework conditions, appreciation of the commitment of people in voluntary work in particular and administrations that are able to act.
What has happened in the Salzlandkreis district over the past ten years is certainly impressive: The district administrator points to the comprehensive broadband expansion for fast internet in every town, as well as the millions invested in digital school infrastructure through the "IT macht Schule" (IT goes to school) project, which has since been copied many times, and the development of the Pömmelte ring sanctuary and tourist information centre as Germany's Stonehenge. Even before the adoption of the future strategy, these were impulses for the entire region as an attractive place to live, work and study, which are gradually paying off. The commitment to preserving established structures such as general education schools will also continue to pay off in the future. "Companies see that here they can find the modern infrastructure and reliable partners they need for their economic success. The same applies to families, who find attractive jobs and reliable childcare and school facilities close to home. And to us as the administration, which is available to provide advice and assistance within the respective legal framework."
In the meantime, further infrastructure projects that were deliberately focussed on as part of the future strategy have been completed, once again together with the towns and municipalities. These include the expansion of the R1 European cycle path to 16 kilometres, the Saalesteganlagen between Calbe and Könnern and the Bodetreppen. Markus Bauer: "As a communal family, we have created good conditions to advance the region in terms of tourism and therefore the economy." There are also initiatives such as the Pretziener Wehr as a new World Heritage Site, the Salzländer Kulturstempel and cultural offerings from the Mitteldeutsche Kammerphilharmonie and the Bernburger Theater- und Veranstaltungs-GmbH. Each individual theme offers incentives - for companies to create appropriate offers, for locals and tourists to discover the region again and again. The district, economic development and tourism department plays a central role in all projects and has proven that the district administration can successfully manage large projects.
Meanwhile, Markus Bauer has also orientated the structure and working methods of the district administration towards the future. At the centre of all considerations is how the tasks assigned by the state can be carried out effectively and efficiently in the future with the resources available - taking into account the legal framework conditions. This involves the continuous establishment of new, technology-based tools such as electronic files or specialist programmes that enable citizens to apply for various services online. "We want to develop into a model region in the country when it comes to digital services based on our future strategy and following the example of Estonia," explains the District Administrator. Linked to this are also questions about the extent to which artificial intelligence can help to reduce effort and costs. The Digitalisation and Innovation Unit, which provides the necessary IT infrastructure together with the Information and Communication Technology Department, is responsible for this. The funding centre is also essential, as support from the EU, federal and state governments is necessary despite the successful budget consolidation. The Finance department's innovative controlling system, based on the opening balance sheet and the annual financial statements, also provides an even better overview of how effectively and efficiently tasks are being carried out.