Pfons, Matrei, Mühlbachl: Wipptaler voted in favor of community merger

By Denise Daum

Matrei – The three mayors Paul Hauser (Matrei am Brenner), Alfons Rastner (Mühlbachl) and Alexander Woertz (Pfons) shone with each other. To the joy of the population’s approval of the parish merger, relief came. “The two-year tension is falling today,” the three said in unison Sunday afternoon when the results of the referendum were announced.

The three Wipptal communities have always been closely linked and are considered an excellent example of community cooperation in Tyrol. They have been preparing the merger for two years. It was always emphasized that this decision was not made above the heads of the citizens.

Yesterday’s referendum showed that the population was behind this project. Approval is pronounced differently. The result in Matrei is particularly clear: 95.79 percent voted in favor of the merger, the turnout was 53.77 percent. In Mühlbachl, 77.17 percent said yes, with a relatively low turnout of 47.73 percent. At Pfons, 60.92 percent voted for the merger and 62 percent of those eligible to vote cast their vote.

Die drei Bürgermeister verkündeten das Ergebnis gemeinsam.

© Daum

For the mayor of Mühlbachl, Alfons Rastner, the result is confirmation that “we are on the right track.” He assumes that the three Wipptaler communities are now being watched by many and that they are role models. “I am of the opinion that mergers in various Tyrolean communities make sense. We’ll show you how to do it, ”says Rastner.

Matreis Mayor Paul Hauser expected a clear yes from his community in advance. “The Matreiers see it pragmatically. They say we should all be together anyway. “

Voter turnout was highest at Pfons, while approval was lowest at just under 61 percent. “The big challenge now is to get everyone involved and bring them along, including critics,” says Pfoner Mayor Alexander Woertz. He was also initially critical of the merger. “I have dealt intensively with the subject and now I can say with complete conviction that a merger is a sensible step,” Woertz said.

A step that the state of Tyrol supports naturally, also financially. The state of Tyrol promised the three municipalities 1.2 million euros for the merger. “Although perhaps we should renegotiate again, given the broad approval of the population,” says Woertz.

Regional Councilor Johannes Tratter (ÖVP), responsible for municipalities, smiles at this statement. He continues to be a diplomat and in any case he promises to accompany the project very well. “Ideally in addition to economically. Municipalities can count on at least 1.2 million euros, ”says Tratter. In the case of more, it can be assumed that this merger is a “reference project” for other Tyrolean communities.

But first it is the turn of the city councils: they have to formally resolve the merger. That should happen in the fall. The merger will take place at the end of the year 2021/22. The three parishes dissolve. For the transition period until the municipal council election in February 2022, an administrator will be appointed for the new municipality, likely to be called Matrei am Brenner.

LH Günther Platter emphasizes once again “that we are against forced mergers, but we rely on cooperation and voluntariness. For a project of this type to be successful, it must have the support of the people ”. The result of the referendum is the success of the three mayors and their open information policy, Platter said.

The result was jointly announced by the three mayors in the Pfons parish hall. Consequently, a majority in the three municipalities was in favor of the merger of municipalities, even if the result was different. In Matrei am Brenner, for example, 95.79% voted for the merger, while in Pfons only 60.92%.