Councilor Susanne Schilderman (Finance): “This is the last spring budget of this college. When we took office in 2022, the world looked very different. The global tensions are palpable in our city, and people are worried about the future. Additionally, like many other municipalities, we are in financially tough times. Therefore, we have made careful choices, with an eye on the city and the future of Utrecht. We will not increase the burden on residents and entrepreneurs. We continue to invest in housing construction and solutions for the overloaded electricity grid. We will also continue to support Utrecht residents who need it, for example, through youth care. Despite the fact that we are still insufficiently compensated for this by the government.”

Investing in the city

Utrecht continues to invest in a livable and vibrant city, with equal opportunities, affordable housing, and sustainability as important spearheads. For example, concrete steps have been taken towards a fully circular city by 2050. This means that Utrecht will become waste-free, and materials and resources will be reused. The college will also continue the successful debt approach, which helps residents with financial problems more quickly and effectively. 

In the past three years, the college has invested more than 90 million euros annually in the city. These investments have gone, among other things, to housing construction, greening streets, and increasing subsidies for sports and culture. Money has also been reserved for the coming years for:

• The construction of homes in green, livable neighborhoods such as Cartesius, Merwede, and Smakkelaarspark.
• A swimming pool in the Máximapark
• A rugby field in Rijnvliet
• Accommodation for refugees and status holders
• Compensation for shortages in youth care

The college also reserves a total of 12.3 million euros for the years 2025 and 2026 for solutions for the overloaded power grid. This amount is intended, among other things, for the expansion of the energy infrastructure, the placement of electricity cabinets, and measures that better match the supply and demand of solar and wind energy. The municipality will also further prepare for a possible prolonged power outage, for example, with an emergency power supply for essential electrical installations of City Companies. 

The ‘ravine year’ is coming

Although the government has taken steps to partially accommodate municipalities, the shortage remains large. From 2026, there is a national shortage of more than 2 billion euros for municipalities. For Utrecht, this means that there is a shortage of 27.9 million euros on a total budget of 2 billion. This is partly due to the lagging contribution from the government allowance through the municipal fund, price increases, and the lack of sufficient compensation for the implementation of integration.

Prepared for difficult times

To be prepared for declining government revenues, Utrecht has already taken measures such as cuts and reforms within its own organization. In the elaboration of these reforms, the emphasis was on efficiency with minimal impact on implementation. In total, about 140 jobs (FTE) will be phased out in the coming years, mostly through natural attrition. In addition to the already planned reforms of 25 million euros, these spring budget includes additional structural cuts of 8.8 million euros. This was necessary to balance the budget. One of the measures within this cut is the closure of the customer contact center (KCC) on Wednesday and Friday afternoons. 

Councilor Susanne Schilderman: “We have prepared ourselves in recent years for the scenario in which the ravine year becomes a reality. As a result, we can now keep the burden on residents the same and limit the impact on the city. But it remains a tense time. The municipality can no longer do everything itself and will increasingly rely on the strength of the Utrecht community. If we all work together, we can keep our city livable and social for everyone, now and in the future.” 

Follow-up

The spring budget 2025 will be discussed in the council committees in the coming weeks and will be dealt with in the municipal council on July 10. The full budget and a public-friendly version can be found at: www.utrecht.nl/voorjaarsnota