City Administration Pursues Internal Savings: What's the Next Move for Mr. Hörning? + Video (Paraphrased)
In a move aimed at streamlining its operations and ensuring long-term sustainability, the city administration of Leipzig has embarked on a comprehensive restructuring project. The initiative, which has been approved by the city council, includes a reduction in staff and a shift towards a future-proof organizational model.
The city has commissioned an external consulting firm for approximately 300 consultant days per year, with a budget of 1.5 million euros spread over three years. This move is part of a larger strategy to critically examine and question the city's operations after years of growth.
One of the key components of the restructuring plan is a staff reduction. The city council has decided against increasing the number of positions, instead opting to cover new tasks from the existing staff through a process called "redirection". This process is expected to result in the reallocation of around 300 positions in the years 2025 and 2026.
In addition to this, the city administration has frozen 100 positions per year, with a view to not filling them for one year. This measure is expected to save approximately 7 million euros per year. The city council has also instructed the administration to develop savings of 100 million euros in the operating budget over three years through a voluntary budget consolidation concept.
The city administration has also established an internal project organization to handle the staff reduction and consolidation. This project organization, led by the Mayor and other top management, aims to create a quality- and task-oriented process, rather than indiscriminately cutting positions across the administration.
The city council has already been informed about the internal project structure for addressing the staff reduction and consolidation. The results of the organizational investigations often determine an increased staffing need in the relevant organisational unit, which should be addressed through staff redeployment from other areas of the administration.
It is important to note that the city has committed to not making any dismissals for operational reasons. The 500-position reduction from the city council does not mean a reduction of 500 positions across the board, but rather provides some directions, such as departments, duplicate structures, and mass processes where special attention should be paid.
The city of Leipzig has already mastered many bigger changes and brought the city into a boom, which is often envied by other parts of Germany and Europe. The city administration has also launched an ideas competition in the administration, resulting in over 500 ideas for digitization, processes, and structures.
The city council has also decided that the staffing plan as of January 1, 2027, will be 500 positions lower than as of December 31, 2024. The city administration has also deleted 200 unoccupied and unfunded positions from the staffing plan in the double budget.
The city of Leipzig is committed to maintaining transparency throughout this process. For up-to-date information on Leipzig’s municipal staffing plans, please consult official city announcements, press releases, or local media.
- The city administration of Leipzig, as part of its comprehensive restructuring project, has commissioned an external consulting firm to critically examine and question the city's policy-and-legislation, politics, and general-news operations.
- The city council has instructed the Leipzig administration to develop savings of 100 million euros in the operating budget over three years through a voluntary budget consolidation concept, which involves the reallocation and elimination of positions in various organizational units, as well as the introduction of digitization, process, and structure improvements.
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