Reasons for centralization
In recent decades, the Oberberg District has been assigned a variety of new tasks. With these tasks, the need for personnel and space has grown. The district administration has increasingly expanded beyond its core location on Moltkestraße, primarily through rentals. It is now distributed across over 20 buildings in the city area of Gummersbach alone!
This page was translated from German using artificial intelligence. The translation may contain errors or inaccuracies. In case of doubt, the German original version prevails.
The fragmented building structure costs time, money, and complicates modern work processes. Routes are long, spaces are partially not barrier-free, and energy inefficient.
Additionally: The structural-technical condition of most district-owned buildings shows significant need for renovation. Parts of the district office may no longer be used currently due to fire protection regulations.
A centralized district administration saves time, energy, and costs – and improves citizen services.
A centralized administration offers clear advantages:
- Citizen-friendliness:
Almost all services in one place – no long routes, a unified point of contact. - Climate protection:
The new building is planned to be energy-efficient and sustainable. Fewer trips between offices result in fewer emissions. - Efficiency:
Faster coordination and digital work processes. - Work quality:
Modern, barrier-free workplaces promote motivation and health. - Sustainability:
Energy-saving construction reduces operating costs in the long term. - Cost reduction:
Rental costs are saved. By abandoning old buildings, operating costs are reduced in the long term.
Need for action confirmed
As early as 2011, the Municipal Audit Office of North Rhine-Westphalia (GPA) recommended a change in the existing building structures.
"We recommend that the Oberberg District optimize its administrative building stock by abandoning numerous small buildings and partly replacing them with, for example, the expansion of the district office or the acquisition/rental of another administrative building. This must necessarily be calculated beforehand through a cost-effectiveness calculation. An important prerequisite is also the marketing of the small units.“
During the supra-local audit in 2016, the GPA addressed the issue again:
"Overall, the district has about 42 buildings or rental spaces in the administrative area.
20 percent of the total area is rented. 42 percent of the area is accounted for by the district office on Moltkestraße 42. In close proximity to the district office, there are additional administrative spaces. The large number of individual spaces complicates the optimization of administrative spaces. A consolidation or centralization of the spaces could be more economical overall."
(Note: 42 buildings corresponds to the total number of buildings used in the district area)
"The Oberberg District should conduct a cost-effectiveness study that answers the question of whether consolidating the spaces would enable overall savings for the district.“
