Kerkrade continues to invest despite huge price increases

That Kerkrade is doing all it can to further develop the town is evident from a whole laundry list of things that citizens are going to notice directly. Not only is secondary education returning to the town after more than a decade with the arrival of the Martin Buber in 2024, a completely new integrated children's center (IKC) is being built in Eygelshoven. Mayor Petra Dassen: "Our children deserve the very best. The Martin Buber brings an interactive way of learning to Kerkrade and the IKC Droomhof will be an absolute picture." The municipality is also taking the next steps in the housing offensive. Alderman Tim Weijers: "In Rolduckerveld, on Kaalheide, at d'r Pool, Centro Meta and Vlinderheide, we are adding new housing to our town. These are going to ensure a flow. So it's a solution for many more people." Kerkrade is also putting millions more into public spaces in the coming years. Alderman Alexander Geers: "Examples include improving the quality of Kerkrade's roads, increasing safety for cyclists, improving public transport connections and maintaining public green spaces. Bottlenecks in the infrastructure will be addressed where possible. We also reserve extra money for facilities for dogs and keeping public spaces clean." By the way, starting January 1, dog owners will no longer pay dog tax for the first dog.

Kerkrade is emphatic about the issues that directly affect the well-being of its citizens. According to Alderman John Roland, job seekers are also increasingly being matched with employers. "In January, we will start working in the Flexiforum with three lines where people can gain work experience. People who are further away from the labor market will get the chance to participate in the work process again. We then work with employers to see what is needed and match supply and demand. This can be done, for example, by providing training. Companies appreciate this active attitude of the municipality, because they are eager for good workers." According to Alderman Alexander Geers, this also helps to further drive the local economy: "employers know that we think with them. If something needs to change to bring a company to Kerkrade, we will do everything we can". Involving citizens in all kinds of projects is also improving, continues Alderman Roland: "In the coming year, we will continue to build on the foundation we have laid. Wherever possible, we involve our citizens intensively in a project. This can be done in many ways, but above all it is very interesting and creates better understanding towards each other."

Reducing flooding is also a major concern. Kerkrade is allocating as much as €1 million extra to ensure that this is reduced to a minimum. Alderman René van Drunen: "Climate change is very noticeable in Kerkrade. It is to be expected that we will experience more frequent periods of heavy rainfall in the future and it is important that we take measures for this now." Along with greening the town and combating heat stress, combating water is part of the package of measures to deal with the changing climate.

Finally, efforts are also being made to increase security. This year, the City Council approved the Integral Security Plan and in 2024 the plan will be implemented. "Drug nuisance, youth nuisance and crime, residential nuisance...we tackle everything in conjunction with each other. This allows us to tackle problems much more effectively. We are going to make Kerkrade safer step by step and will not stop there. To this end, we are also explicitly seeking cooperation with our neighbors," said Mayor Petra Dassen, who is responsible for safety. Kerkrade is thus succeeding in an extremely difficult task: making the city better for everyone.