Mayor Rudolf Jacob had invited the members of the municipal council to a meeting at City Hall on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
First, the municipal council unanimously approved an adjustment to the subscription fee for the *Winnweiler Rundschau*. Due to the fact that Deutsche Post AG has raised its distribution costs accordingly, the publisher, Linus Wittich, has requested a corresponding adjustment to the annual costs. These costs will now increase by 9% effective October 1, 2026, bringing the net cost per copy of the official gazette for production and distribution to €1.43 per quarter. A price escalation clause was also approved, stipulating that corresponding increases in distribution costs by Deutsche Post AG may be passed on to the municipal association on an annual basis. There is an annual termination option, providing the flexibility to switch to a purely digital official gazette at any time.
This was followed by the selection of a plan for the renovation of the Alsenz weir in Winnweiler, in the Alsenbrück-Langmeil district. The mayor noted that preliminary discussions on this matter had taken place in the Building Committee, together with the Alsenbrück-Langmeil Local Advisory Council. In accordance with the recommendation for a resolution from the committee and the local advisory board, and following a brief discussion of the matter, it was unanimously decided to proceed with a plan that involves dismantling the existing weir and replacing it with an approximately 120-meter-long bed slide featuring heavy boulders, with an average gradient of approximately 1.6%. The future crest elevation will be based on the existing weir crest. An adequate water supply to the millrace is to be ensured. Furthermore, a flood channel will be constructed from the millrace to the Alsenz riverbed in the area where the Wäschbach stream flows into the millrace. The purpose of this is to ensure that the millrace is relieved during flood events. The administration was authorized to award the planning contracts for this project and to submit the corresponding grant applications. It is anticipated that the project can be financed primarily through funds from the water management authority and a KfW grant.
This was followed, without debate, by a unanimous resolution regarding the specifics of the Winnweiler Association of Municipalities’ road improvement program for local roads. This concerns the road improvement project on “Am Perlenberg” in the municipality of Gonbach, for which corresponding fees will be collected for the years 2024–2028.
Following this, the VGR unanimously adopted, without debate, the bylaws governing the “Supportive Elementary School” program under the school authority’s jurisdiction. This was the first time such bylaws had been adopted. The mayor explained that the School Authority Committee had already reviewed these bylaws and unanimously recommended their adoption. The background to this is that the “Care-Providing Elementary School” program has evolved over the years. Currently, approximately 250 students are cared for at the three elementary schools as part of this program. In order to establish uniform and binding regulations in this area, the administration considers it sensible and necessary to adopt a corresponding ordinance comparable to the daycare regulations for the administrative association’s daycare centers.
Also based on a recommendation from the School Board, the Municipal Association Council then made a policy decision regarding the long-term provision of meals at the daycare centers and elementary schools operated by the Winnweiler Municipal Association. The mayor explained that it was necessary to make a policy decision regarding whether to proceed with plans for the construction and operation of a central kitchen to serve all facilities in the Winnweiler Municipal Association, or whether to continue with the procedure that has been in place for years, cooking a portion of the approximately 350–400 lunches needed in the kitchen of the Winnweiler elementary school itself and purchasing additional meals from various caterers. Given that the construction and equipping of such a central kitchen would require an investment of approximately 3 million euros—which would place a long-term financial burden on the municipal association in the form of interest and principal payments— and also because it is uncertain whether the necessary staff to operate such a facility could be recruited in the long term, the administration proposed sticking with the current procedure and not pursuing plans to build a central kitchen any further. However, according to the administration’s proposal, a catering concept should be developed to serve as the basis for meal planning at the Winnweiler Elementary School and to function as the scope of services for future bids for catering services. This catering concept is to be developed in consultation with the DLR advisory office, the daycare and school administrations, as well as parent representatives and the cooks at Winnweiler Elementary School. The municipal council unanimously approved this course of action without debate.
The mayor provided information on the administration’s considerations regarding heat protection in the daycare centers and elementary schools operated by the Winnweiler Administrative Association and explained that it had become clear that appropriate measures needed to be examined and implemented in this regard. Given that the buildings have very different conditions, it is necessary to examine each building individually and in detail. He explained that the administration favors proceeding with a building inspection funded by the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BaFa). At the conclusion of such a building inspection, which takes all relevant parameters into account, a technically sound recommendation is provided regarding which measures are both sensible and cost-effective. In addition, a prioritized list of actions to be taken is drawn up. The VGR also unanimously approved this approach.
This was followed by the awarding of the contract for the construction of a playground at the Imsbach Mountain Farm Experience. The VGR unanimously decided to award the contract to Bender GmbH, following a competitive bidding process, at a gross bid price of €159,443.70. Just under €95,000 of this amount can be financed through Leader grants. This leaves the municipal association with a co-payment of €64,568.70.
Finally, the VGR unanimously approved the conclusion of a development agreement between the municipality of Winnweiler, the Winnweiler Association of Municipalities, the Winnweiler Municipal Utilities, and Immo 150 GmbH & CoKG for the development of the “Gemeindeallmende” industrial park in the Winnweiler local municipality. This agreement governs the development and cost allocation for this industrial park. For the municipality of Winnweiler, the municipal utilities, and the Winnweiler Association of Municipalities, these are merely pass-through funds that are to be borne in full by the investor.
This was followed by a closed session, during which the municipal council approved a reclassification and a promotion.