Biel

Council of States in brief | 9 September 2024

No counter-proposal, no alternative. Parliament is proposing to the people that the Environmental Responsibility Initiative be rejected. Further decisions by the Council of States will be made shortly.

With two abstentions, Parliament recommends that the people reject the Environmental Responsibility Initiative.Photo: Keystone

The Federal Councils reject the environmental responsibility initiative of the Alliance for Environmental Responsibility. Following the National Council, the Council of States has also decided to recommend that the people and the cantons vote no to the referendum.

In the decisive vote on Monday, the small chamber voted 34 to 9 with one abstention in favor of joining the National Council. In June, the National Council had decided by 129 votes to 60 with two abstentions to recommend that the people vote no.

Motions from two minorities in the preparatory Council of States committee failed. One minority proposed that the people should be advised, together with the National Council, to vote yes to the initiative. A second minority wanted to present the people with a direct counter-proposal.

With its initiative, the Alliance for Environmental Responsibility aims to create a Swiss economy that only consumes enough resources to preserve the natural foundations of life. The Federal Constitution should be amended accordingly.

Parliament curtails association complaint rights in housing projects

In future, associations will no longer be allowed to file complaints against smaller housing projects in the development area. The Council of States has clearly said yes to a controversial curtailment of the association’s right to complain. However, details are still disputed.

In the eyes of the majority of the Environmental and Spatial Planning Commission, this represents a moderate restriction of the right to appeal. It has thus been decided that association complaints under the Nature and Heritage Protection Act are in principle no longer possible for residential construction projects if the floor area is less than 400 square meters and the project is located in a building zone.

Parliament wants legal basis for pest control

Invasive pests such as the Asian hornet and the spotted wing drosophila should be better controlled in Switzerland. Parliament is calling on the Federal Council to amend the Chemicals Risk Reduction Ordinance (ChemRRV) and, if necessary, other ordinances.

On Monday, the Council of States passed a motion adapted by the National Council without opposition. The original text by Council of States member Peter Hegglin (Die Mitte/ZG) went further. He had called for “effective treatment methods to be approved immediately throughout Switzerland.”

Krattigen | 6 September 2024

Daniel Kummer will take over the presidency of the municipality from the retiring Stephan Luginbühl in November. The vacant seats on the municipal council will also be filled quietly.

Krattigen gets a new mayor.Photo: Bruno Stüdle

“Silent” elections will be held for the presidency of the municipality and the municipal council as well as for the vacant seats on the Krattiger municipal council, the municipality writes in a statement.

Daniel Kummer has been proposed from the council as Stephan Luginbühl’s successor as president of the community and the community council. The following have been proposed for the other vacant seats: Angela Baumann, Alfred Brügger and Dominik Luginbühl. At the community meeting on November 29, the nominees will be confirmed by the voters in a “silent” vote.

No nomination was submitted by the voters within the deadline for the succession to the Audit Committee. The municipal council will therefore propose a candidate for election directly to the assembly.

GEP tracking

At the municipal assembly in June 2020, voters approved a loan of CHF 290,000 for the updating of the general drainage plan (GEP). The contract was awarded to the engineers Holinger AG/Ribuna AG, writes the municipality. The comprehensive documents were prepared in recent months and checked internally by the municipality.

The revised documents are incorporated into the investment planning and have an impact on the financial planning. Fee adjustments are currently being discussed. The updated documents were submitted to the canton for preliminary review in August and should be approved next year.

The credit statement will be presented to the municipal assembly after cantonal approval. There are currently no signs of any cost overruns.

Lido waterfront improvement

In January 2018, the shore block set was damaged by Storm Burglind near the Lido and had to be repaired by the municipality using immediate measures. After deducting a contribution from the Alpinfra Foundation, the net cost of the repairs was around CHF 53,000.

In the summer of 2023, the municipal council initiated the “Lido riverbank improvement” project based on a preliminary project and, taking into account contributions from the cantonal renaturation fund, approved a commitment credit totaling around CHF 78,000 within its competence.

The aim of the project is to improve the recreational area and make access to the lake more attractive and safer, as well as to reduce ecological deficits. The existing shallow water zone is to be improved using modern hydraulic engineering measures. Furthermore, the habitat on the land side is to be optimized with trees and shrubs suitable for the location, and on the water side with attractive structural elements such as rootstocks, rootstock reefs, rough trees, block stone groynes and small bays.

As part of the planned upgrades, the existing municipal infrastructure at the seaside resort is to be renovated where necessary. In this regard, coordination is required with the Lido da Elio restaurant and the Federal Roads Office Astra. The project is being supervised by the engineering firm Kissling + Zbinden AG, Spiez. Before the end of the year, the municipal council should have the necessary information to be able to make decisions about the next steps and subsequent implementation. The dossier will be submitted to the municipal assembly for discussion and decision in due course.

Personelles

Sandra Haueter, Oberwil iS, supports the administrative team in the area of ​​building administration. Her workload has been increased from an initial 20 to 40 percent. The position is limited until the end of 2025.

Zweisimmen | 4 September 2024

The municipal council of Zweisimmen decides to provide financial support for Sparenmoos and the mountain communities affected by storms, as well as a loan to secure the primary care emergency service.

After the project received positive feedback last winter, Zweisimmen wants to continue to secure the GP emergency service.Photo: zweisimmen.ch

The municipal council has approved a commitment credit of CHF 13,769 to continue the project to secure the primary care emergency service in the region, as the municipality of Zweisimmen writes in a statement.

After the project was completed in the 2023/2024 winter season with positive feedback, the intention is to continue the project in summer/autumn 2024. Since the approved credit for the winter season was not used up, the surplus will be used to continue the project in summer/autumn. The organization will no longer be carried out by GSS AG, but Medaxo AG will take over the organizational planning in addition to the implementation.

Sparenmoos – NRP project tourism development

In order to strengthen and develop the tourist and economic offering in Sparenmoos, a project was developed together with Bruno Kohler (owner of the Sparenmoos accommodation), the Sparenmoos Aktiv association and the municipality, which is planned as part of the “New Regional Policy”, according to the statement. The municipal council is convinced of the development potential and the tourist opportunities around Sparenmoos and approved a contribution of 10,000 francs towards the project costs.

The plan is to increase the number of overnight accommodations, expand the snack bar to sell regional products, and create synergies and adjustments to the activities and infrastructure.

Support Help Storm Mountain Communities

Due to the devastating damage caused by heavy rainfall and mudslides in June this year, the Swiss Sponsorship for Mountain Communities set up a storm fund. In solidarity with the affected communities, the municipal council decided to provide support of one franc per resident and approved the additional credit of 3,500 francs.

Personnel – Municipal administration

Tim Klossner, a former apprentice in the municipal administration, will continue to be employed at a 40 percent workload until the end of July 2026. Together with the appointment, the municipal council has approved a supplementary credit of CHF 10,000 for 2024.

After Tim Klossner successfully completed his apprenticeship at the municipal administration in the summer, he was offered a temporary contract. Tim Klossner will mainly provide personnel support for the construction and occasionally the financial administration.

Swimming pool – renovation filter

The municipal council has approved a commitment credit of CHF 66,000 to renovate the filter system in the Zweisimmen swimming pool.

The water filter at the swimming pool has reached the end of its service life and urgently needs to be renovated. The filter renovation was already apparent some time ago and was already included in the expected amount in the last investment program 2023 to 2028.

Assurance of municipal citizenship

Upon Katharina Havemann’s request, the municipal council granted her citizenship of the municipality of Zweisimmen.

Betelriedgasse; renovation of road surface

The municipal council has approved a commitment credit of CHF 170,000 for the renovation of the road surface between Betelriedgasse 5 and 10.

During the ongoing construction work around Hüsy-Stutz and Betelriedgasse, it was discovered that the road did not have a foundation layer that met the technical requirements. The old pavement layers also do not meet the technical standards. To ensure that the road section can be renovated in the long term, the road structure is being constructed using the latest technology.

Sewer rehabilitation hinder Rychestei to Mosenried, contract awarding of construction work

The local council has awarded the construction work for the sewer renovation from Hindere Rychenstein to Mosenried to Banholzer Bau AG. The offer from Banholzer best meets the requirements in terms of cost-effectiveness and technical requirements.

Salt spreader workshop

The salt spreader on the orange Hansa vehicle in the depot is getting old and needs to be replaced before next winter. The local council has approved an additional loan of 19,000 francs for the purchase.

The new salt spreader is 0.24 cubic metres larger, allowing for greater flexibility and combining routes.

Christmas/winter lighting

The Christmas/winter lighting will be installed by the depot staff and the caretaker team until further notice. The relevant safety training in rope-up techniques was completed last year. The local council approved an additional credit of 2,500 francs to supplement the rope equipment.

The lighting of the Simmenweg and the Christmas/winter lighting will delight locals and guests with small adjustments from the 1st Advent / 1st December.

Open Air Cinema Zweisimmen

The municipal council is extending the annual financial support of CHF 3,000 for the Zweisimmen Open Air Cinema for a further three years until 2027.