Municipality (Liechtenstein)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The municipal administration of Vaduz got a representative domicile with the town hall, which was built in 1932/33 .

The political community or shortly community is the lower level in two-level state administration building in Liechtenstein . They are regional authorities under public law and play an important role in democracy , decentralization and the separation of powers in the country.

history

In front of the chapel on the Rofenberg , the Schellenberg court, consisting of the governor and twelve jurors , met. The courthouse next to the chapel, which also served as an inn, customs post and prison, was demolished in 1883 after a fire.

Before 1808, as in the rest of Central Europe, there were two types of municipality in Liechtenstein.

  • The village community was primarily responsible for the land use organization of the peasant land use organization. Village cooperatives have been found in Central Europe since the High Middle Ages , regulating the cultivation of the fields, the use of the common lands and forests and the work in the community.
  • The judicial communities were predominantly responsible for political rights. The court was not only concerned with the judiciary , but performed most of the functions that are now considered state-owned. The court days took place several times a year in the open air. A judicial parish was made up of several village parishes. The two jurisdictions Vaduz and Schellenberg had the same territory as the court communities of the same name.

The fall of the Roman-German Empire in 1806 led to a reduction in municipal autonomy. Liechtenstein abolished the judicial communities and the judicial and legislative functions were transferred to the Princely Oberamt . The community leaders of the eleven communities, called “judges”, were appointed by the Oberamt and had to carry out its orders.

With the constitution of 1862 , municipal autonomy was upgraded. The community assembly became the highest organ and elected mayor , sack master and the other community councilors. The municipal law of 1864 abolished the disadvantage of the rear residents by creating a linked municipal and state civil rights and introduced the distinction between their own sphere of activity and those assigned by the state .

The constitution of 1921 contained a guarantee of the existence of the individual communities. In 1926, following the Swiss model, the separation into the political community and the civil parish failed . It only came about in 1996 when the citizens' cooperatives were separated from the political communities.

Competencies and organization

Schweiz Österreich Schaan Ruggell Schellenberg Gamprin Gamprin Eschen (Liechtenstein) Eschen (Liechtenstein) Planken Planken Vaduz Vaduz Vaduz Vaduz Vaduz Schaan Schaan Schaan Schaan Triesenberg Triesenberg Balzers Balzers Balzers Triesen Mauren (Liechtenstein) Vaduz Vaduz Planken
Many municipalities in Liechtenstein have several exclaves.

tasks

The tasks of the political communities can be divided into two categories of competencies: The transferred sphere of activity comprises all state affairs which are assigned to the communities by law. The own sphere of activity includes everything that the community can regulate and administer to a considerable extent. These include in particular:

Bendern wastewater treatment plant of the Liechtenstein wastewater association

In addition, the municipalities can perform self-administration tasks within the legal framework.

The municipalities have the right to introduce constitutional initiatives, to hold referenda, to convene the state parliament or to obtain a referendum on the dissolution of the state parliament.

For tasks that cannot be carried out by a single municipality, such as water supply or waste disposal, special purpose associations were created which, like the municipalities, are organized as public bodies.

autonomy

In 1991 the municipality of Planken moved into the three-sister house, which previously served as an inn, village shop and school.
The Mauren municipal administration has had its seat since 1971 in the former teacher's house from 1913, which was expanded in 2009.

Compared to the other countries in Central Europe , the autonomy of the Liechtenstein municipalities together with the political municipalities in Switzerland is at the top. In 2003 the municipalities also received a controversial right to leave the state association.

organs

Community meeting

The highest organ is the community assembly. Because of the population growth and the introduction of women's suffrage in 1984, it no longer actually meets. Instead, secret ballots are held. The community leader , the members of the community council and the business audit committee are elected at the ballot box and voted on one-off expenses of over 35% of the community income, regular expenses of over 20% of the income, initiatives and referendums .

One sixth of those entitled to vote can call for a referendum by means of a referendum on resolutions of the municipal council that exceed the municipal council's financial competence as stipulated in the municipal regulations. Regardless of this ceiling, the referendum can estimate , community tax surcharge , accounting , building code and zoning plan are taken. A sixth of those entitled to vote can also use the right of initiative to request that matters that are subject to a referendum be dealt with.

Municipal council

local community Inhabitants
(December 31, 2017)
Members of the
municipal council
Designation
chairman
Financial
literacy
source
Balzers 4590 11 Community leader 100,000 CHF
Ash trees 4385 11 Community leader 300,000 CHF
Gamprin 1658 9 Community leader 200,000 CHF
Moors 4344 11 Community leader 300,000 CHF
Planks 456 7th Community leader 200,000 CHF
Ruggell 2268 9 Community leader 150,000 CHF
Schaan 6039 13 Community leader 300,000 CHF
Schellenberg 1084 9 Community leader 150,000 CHF
Triesen 5156 11 Community leader 200,000 CHF
Triesenberg 2608 11 Community leader 300,000 CHF
Vaduz 5526 11 mayor 100,000 CHF

The municipal council elected according to the proportional system is the executive . It is the executive and executive body of the municipality with all the powers that are not transferred to another body. Although the municipal regulations could place the estimate , invoice , building regulations and zoning plan in the competence of the municipal assembly, none of the eleven municipalities in Liechtenstein make use of them.

To a limited extent, the municipalities can determine the size of their municipal council. It exists in communities with:

  • up to 1500 inhabitants from seven or nine members
  • up to 3000 inhabitants from nine or eleven members
  • over 3000 residents from eleven or thirteen members, each including community leaders

Business Audit Committee

The three-member business audit commission controls the administration and accounting of the municipality. She checks the accounts and applies for approval of the municipal accounts and discharge of the organs.

Territorial changes

There have never been parishes in Liechtenstein, but the parish boundaries have changed. In 1952, the municipal boundary between Vaduz and Schaan in the section of the Rheintaleene and the lower foot of the Three Sisters was redefined. The Ebholz exclave, which previously belonged to Schaan, and the Einfang property near Vaduzerforst came to Vaduz.

Other parishes

Citizens' Cooperative

The citizens' cooperatives that occur in around half of Liechtenstein's municipalities are owners of collectively used forests and pastures as well as of parceled areas that are left for private use.

Catholic parishes

The Roman Catholic Church in Liechtenstein is a state church . The political congregations are not responsible for the administration of the church assets of the parishes , but a church council . It consists of a member of the municipal council, a member elected by the people in a citizens' meeting, and the local pastor .

Protestant church

The Evangelical Church in Liechtenstein has the status of an association and is thus organized under private law.

See also

swell

Individual evidence

  1. Art. 1 Para. 1 GemG
  2. Art. 3 GemG
  3. Excerpt from the information sign at the Rofenberg chapel. Photography on Wikimedia
  4. Art. 13 GemG
  5. Art. 12 para. 2 GemG
  6. Art. 14 GemG
  7. Art. 12 para. 2 GemG
  8. Art. 35ff. GemG
  9. Art. 25 para. 4 GemG
  10. Art. 25 para. 2 lit. m GemG
  11. Art. 41ff. GemG
  12. 14 Population and Housing. In: Brochure Liechtenstein in Figures 2019, Office for Statistics
  13. Municipal code of the municipality of Balzers with addendum dated June 15, 2014
  14. Municipal code of the municipality of Eschen-Nendeln from April 26, 1998
  15. Municipal code of the municipality of Gamprin from April 26, 1998 with an addendum of February 5, 2017
  16. ^ Municipal code of the municipality of Mauren of October 26, 1997
  17. Municipal code of the municipality of Planken from October 26, 1997
  18. ^ Municipal code of the municipality of Ruggell of October 26, 1997
  19. Municipal code of the municipality of Schaan from October 26, 1997
  20. Municipal code of the municipality of Schellenberg from September 17, 1997
  21. Municipal code of the municipality of Triesen, as of July 1, 2015
  22. Municipal code of the municipality of Triesen from October 26, 1997
  23. Municipal code of the municipality of Vaduz of October 26, 1997 with revision of June 1, 2015
  24. Art. 72ff. GemG
  25. Art. 40 para. 1 GemG
  26. Art. 38 GemG
  27. Art. 57 GemG
  28. Law on the regulation of the municipal boundary Vaduz-Schaan of April 3, 1952. On LILEX
  29. Law on the administration of church property in the parishes of July 14, 1870. On LILEX