At 5 p.m., the State Administrator in Agder presents the report that tells what a municipal divorce in Kristiansand will cost and what the consequences will be. – A possible division could involve significant costs, both financial and human, states State Administrator Gina Lund to news. The state administrator’s conclusions • Based on the framework conditions, the two relevant dates for implementing a possible division are either 1 January 2026, or 1 January 2028. The state administrator’s assessment is that the division should possibly take effect on 1 January 2026. • A first, very rough and uncertain estimate based on the application for cost recovery from Ålesund municipality, is that the directly quantified costs for dividing Kristiansand into two or three new municipalities may be in the region of NOK 250 – 400 million. • A decision on division will result in the municipality’s organization becoming introverted during the division period, and to a lesser extent able to be an active promoter as a regional development actor. This could have long-term consequences for the entire region. The time window for important decisions in the green shift is now. • A new Søgne and a new Songdalen municipality will have the financial prerequisites to be separate municipalities. The new municipalities’ most important challenges will be related to delivering services and having expertise over a wide range of growing needs, and to coping with unforeseen events, more than the municipal economy itself. • The new municipalities that are created after six years of merging will face a different reality with different conditions than they had at the time of the merger. The challenge we face as a society challenges the municipal sector and creates an urgent need to change the way we develop society and produce services. • It will not be possible to re-establish a separate emergency room for Søgne and Songdalen according to the old model. Home care and nursing homes will face major capacity challenges in the future, and the way in which these services are delivered will have to change significantly. Access to qualified personnel will be a main challenge. • A division of the municipality will result in a clear increase in water and sewage charges in Søgne Songdalen. The state administrator has made a rough estimate of the costs of sharing. It is based on the application from Ålesund municipality, which is in a similar process. – It shows costs related to sharing of between 250 and 400 million, says Gina Lund. – Would you like to comment on that number? – That is a large number. It is a knowledge base that we have put forward today that assesses the consequences, but we do not take a decision on whether it is worth it. That is a question for our elected officials. State administrator in Agder Gina Lund. Photo: Svein Sundsdal / news The report states that a division will be demanding. – The work to carry out a division of Kristiansand municipality and create two or three new municipalities will be a very large, complex and expensive project, the report states. It also states that there is a risk that the municipality’s critical service deliveries will be affected during a possible division. “The closeness and familiarity that people internally had with each other and with the residents of the old municipalities, and the importance of which many emphasize, will take time to re-establish.” Can stand on its own two feet The state administrator also points out that a division of municipalities is generally not easier than a merger, quite the opposite. “Today’s challenge picture with the war in Ukraine and the related migration-energy crisis, climate and nature crisis as well as economically more uncertain times calls for robustness and does not make municipal division any easier.” But the state administrator also clearly states in the knowledge base that both Søgne and Songdalen municipalities can be run as separate municipalities. – We present fairly good numerical assessments of both what it costs to share, but also what is the basis for further financial operations. The state administrator has taken the current municipal income system as a starting point and calculated the cost picture. – Before the merger, both Søgne and Songdalen were not particularly small municipalities in Agder, and municipalities that were well run, says Lund. Many have turned up to catch the presentation of the report. Photo: Svein Sundsdal / news Mayor against referendum Mayor of Kristiansand Jan Oddvar Skisland (Ap) today met Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap), ahead of the report which deals with the consequences of dividing Kristiansand. – We have had quite a few disagreements about this, so it was good to clarify those positions before we get the report today. It is fair to respect that we have different opinions on this. Skisland does not want a referendum on a possible split of Kristiansand municipality. – We think it destroys the good development that Kristiansand municipality is in. Kristiansand Labor Party is against splitting up the municipality. Group leader Kenneth Mørk in the Kristiansand Labor Party felt that the Prime Minister understands the position. – We did not experience pressure to hold a referendum on dissolution, says Mørk to news. Group leader in Kristiansand Labor Party Kenneth Mørk and mayor Jan Oddvar Skisland. Photo: Svein Sundsdal / news The government went against the local politicians It was on 1 January 2020 that the former municipalities of Songdalen, Søgne and Kristiansand were merged into one new municipality. The municipal marriage was carried out by force as the municipal council in old Søgne voted against amalgamation in 2016. Since then, people in Søgne, and partly in Songdalen, have fought hard to have the new municipality dissolved. In February last year, the action group in Søgne 2000 sent signatures to the government demanding a referendum to get their municipality back. The popular commitment was listened to by the government. In June, Local Government and District Minister Sigbjørn Gjelsvik (Sp) confirmed that a referendum would be held in 2023. At the same time, the State Administrator in Agder was commissioned by the ministry to investigate the consequences of a division of Kristiansand municipality. – We have worked a lot to create a good knowledge base where everyone who wanted it has been heard, said State Administrator in Agder, Gina Lund ahead of the presentation. The goal is for there to be a knowledge-based discussion. – That we discuss realities and that we want each other well, says Lund. The report must state both the cost and consequences of splitting Kristiansand municipality. State administrator in Agder, Gina Lund. Photo: Svein Sundsdal / news Steep fronts The government’s yes to a new referendum caused Ap mayor Jan Oddvar Skisland to stand up. He called the decision a breach of trust and a breach of the political platform of the government. Whether Søgne municipality is to be resurrected will now probably be up to the residents. After the report has been presented, there can be either a referendum, citizens’ consultation or opinion poll. Especially in old Søgne municipality, it rumbles during the day. – Now we have heard that the merger should never happen. The government has given us the go-ahead and we will be allowed to hold a referendum, says Sigurd Berg Aasen in the group “We who want Søgne municipality back”. Sigurd Berg Aasen is one of those who have fought hard for Søgne municipality to be resurrected. Photo: Geir Ingar Egeland / news He fights for a divorce, no matter what the cost. Others are working hard for the large municipality to pass. – It is upsetting. The fronts have been quite steep, says Erik Spieler in the public action “Yes to Søgne in Kristiansand”. – I think we should rather stand together, to build up the new Kristiansand municipality in the best possible way, says Spieler. Enormous interest The interest in the report has been enormous, says State Administrator Gina Lund. – The entire office feels that this is something that many people are interested in. We have been concerned that everyone should be heard. The work has taken half a year and has resulted in a report of 280 pages. – This is an attempt to create a proper knowledge base and a factual basis for what will be the consequences of any sharing. Søgne was incorporated into Kristiansand municipality on 1 January 2020. Photo: Tom-Richard Hanssen Olsen / news
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Great excitement before report on municipal dissolution – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
