“Zabrze is in decline.” The city government announced the amount of its debt

Zabrze’s financial situation is much worse than initially thought. Mayor Agnieszka Rupniewska, who was elected in April, revealed that the debt is about 800 million zlotys. “Zabrze is in the red. We use the overdraft mechanism,” Rupniewska said, adding that the city lacks funds even for daily expenses, according to Gazeta Wyborcza.

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As part of its quest for savings, the city government has already made its first staff cuts. According to Gazeta Wyborcza, Dozens of people lost their jobs, including almost the entire team responsible for promotions and social communications. The Office of External Cooperation and other departments, including the City Engineer’s Office, were also liquidated.

Mayor Rupniewska is critical of the city’s current financial policy. As she points out, “This city spends money to save money”, She is particularly critical of promotional expenses, claiming that city events cost from tens to hundreds of thousands of zlotys. “Spending a few or a few thousand zlotys is not a waste,” she points out.

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Facing a difficult financial situation Regional Audit Association expects “concrete solutions” from Zabrze authorities At the same time, the city plans to issue bonds for 35 million zlotys, which will further increase its debt, and part of the funds obtained from this will be used to repay the deficit and repay previous debts.

The new president does not hide the severity of the situation. As she explains, “I discovered on my first day in office that this was catastrophic. On the day I was sworn in, I learned that the city would lose financial liquidity in three weeks.”