City receives formal notice for the 2022 Census; investigates legal options to address it
City of Halle (Saale) Faces Revenue Loss Due to Census Discrepancy
The city of Halle (Saale) in Saxony-Anhalt has received a population census update from the State Statistical Office, revealing a significant difference, approximately 16,000 residents, between the official census count and the number registered in the municipal registration office. As of May 15, 2022, the city's total resident population stands at 226,586, according to the census.
This disparity threatens the city with an annual revenue loss of around 11 million euros from the state of Saxony-Anhalt. The Financial Equalization Act (FAG LSA) regulates these allocations, which are based on census data and subsequent projections by the State Statistical Office, rather than the actual numbers in the municipal registration offices.
Mayor Dr. Alexander Vogt expressed concern over the situation, stating, "We will coordinate with other affected municipalities in Saxony-Anhalt to explore all possible legal avenues for changing the law regarding FAG regulations. Our demand to state politics is clear: Financial allocations to municipalities should be distributed based on actual resident numbers according to the registration office, not on the basis of statistical census projections."
The city aims for a regulation similar to that in Rhineland-Palatinate, where resident numbers according to registration law determine municipal financial support. Halle (Saale) has been advocating for this position since last year, with the "Halle (Saale) counts itself!" action in 2024 proving the plausibility of its registration office numbers and setting a precedent.
With the "Halberstadt Declaration," 28 municipalities, including Halle (Saale), have recently revived the census issue in public discourse, demanding that actual resident numbers from the registration offices be used to calculate funding allocations in municipal financial equalization in the future.
The State Statistical Office's final decision regarding population numbers generally aligns with their preliminary data released in June 2024. The city criticized the census results as unrealistic and submitted a statement to the office in November, presenting strong counterarguments. Plausibility checks and the "Halle (Saale) counts itself!" campaign solidified the city's assumption that the census numbers are not plausible, while those from the registration office are current, realistic, and precise.
The potential impact of census results versus registration office data on financial allocations can lead to discrepancies, as financial allocations are often based on census data. Cities with growing populations may receive insufficient funds, while those with declining populations might receive more than needed based on outdated census data. Real-time data and dynamic funding models that adjust based on population changes can help mitigate such discrepancies.
- The mayor of Halle (Saale) has called on state politics to change the policy-and-legislation governing the Financial Equalization Act (FAG LSA), advocating for financial allocations to be based on actual resident numbers according to the registration office rather than statistical census projections.
- In an effort to address the general-news issue of revenue losses due to census discrepancies, Halle (Saale) and 28 other affected municipalities have revived the census debate in public discourse, demanding that future funding allocations in municipal financial equalization be calculated based on actual resident numbers from the registration offices.
