Balancing between investing and cutting back

By making smart investments and distributing the pain fairly, the college wants to minimize the impact of the expected cuts starting in 2026. Because municipalities will receive less money from the state in the future, Heerlen will not escape a major austerity operation. Heerlen is still hoping for a concession from the State. The lobby for this is still ongoing. But if that does not happen, there will be a hole in the municipal budget of almost 25 million starting in 2026. With such a deficit, it is impossible to spare all residents, parties and organizations. The pain will unfortunately be felt throughout the city.

In addition, the college still sees opportunities to further strengthen Heerlen. After all, Heerlen is no longer shrinking. Indeed, Heerlen has the ambition to grow to 100,000 inhabitants. This requires more quality housing, but also an attractive city with a strong economic profile. Since the looming budget deficit is structural, cutting investments in the short term only contributes to the financial task to a limited extent. For the coming years, the college is therefore seeking a balance between investing on the one hand and cutting back on the other. 

Way to economize

To minimize the impact on residents, the college is primarily looking at working more efficiently, organizing differently, delaying projects and reconsidering tasks. By doing fewer, different or no more tasks, the college also wants to cut back on the municipal organization. The college expects the same from organizations with which municipality has a contract or subsidy relationship. The college wants to avoid increasing the burden and hitting the incomes of vulnerable people as much as possible. 

Moreover, the college wants to keep the basics in order; the city must be clean, whole and safe. In addition, Heerlen wants to remain a social city and unabated commitment to the Heerlen-North National Program. In recent years, with an eye to the future, substantial investments have been made throughout the city. In this, the college wants to continue, both in the center and in the neighborhoods. This includes the relocation of higher education to the center, the Roman Museum, rigorous greening and the restructuring of Hoensbroek Center. Heerlen also wants to continue to seize opportunities and contribute to the national transition tasks in the areas of energy, climate and housing. 

Budget Process

On June 26, the City Council adopted the guiding principles for the 2025-2028 budget. These assumptions are then developed by the college into austerity proposals to achieve a balanced multi-year budget. The budget will be discussed and adopted by the City Council on November 6 and 7.