The city of Cologne introduces an upper limit of 10 euros per person per year – the offices must not take more out of their household budget if they do company festivals or excursions. On WDR-The city announced that this regulation applies now. Yesterday she was sent to all departments by email.
Background of the discussion about the expenditure for company parties and excursions is an internal report from the city’s auditing committee, which of the WDR is present. For the two -part report, expenses from the period 2022 to 2025 were examined randomly. 20 of 70 bookings therefore have “abnormalities”.
Trip ins Phantasialand als Teambuilding
Among other things, the report deals with an excursion from the city of Cologne’s traffic department into Phantasialand, re -labeled as team building. 16 employees visited the amusement park and a dinner buffet there. Cost: a total of 960 euros. The examiners also took a closer look at a celebration of the city planning office.
A gin stand was rented here for 1,190 euros. Two examples of further – conclusion of the report: There are “urgent need for action” regarding the use of urban means for Christmas parties and similar events.
T-shirts and socks for 13,000 euros
The focus is particularly on the stages of the city of Cologne. Various celebrations are listed on 19 pages, around 2022. Here there was a spring festival, a summer festival, a final barbecue and a game time at the end of August – four celebrations in a good three months. Farewell gifts of a outgoing director were also paid for from the budget: T-shirts and socks for almost 13,000 euros.
This causes displeasure in city politics. On Tuesday evening (July 1st), the report was intensively discussed in the non-public part of the auditing committee. The committee chair, Jörg Detjen from the “Die Linke”, told the WDR: “We will not let go of the matter and continue to be active that this will be informed!“
In more than ten years as a committee chairman, he had an experience: “That culture thinks they are artists and do not have to deal with financial questions – that doesn’t work at all. ”
Cologne stages should take a stand
In the September meeting of the auditing committee, the test report should therefore go to the stages again. To do this, the managing director of the Cologne stages, Patrick Wasserbauer, will also be invited so that he expresses himself to the events.
