What the mayor of Herzogenrath has available for discretionary funds and representation – compared with other cities
The 2026 budget of the city of Herzogenrath explicitly lists the funds for discretionary funds, representation and honorary gifts of the mayor. Here are the figures in detail – and how Herzogenrath compares with other cities.
| Item | Account | Result 2024 | Budget 2025 | Budget 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representation costs | 543180 | 15.582 € | 17.500 € | 16.600 € |
| Discretionary funds | 549100 | 4.488 € | 4.500 € | 4.300 € |
| Honorary gifts (wedding/age anniversaries) | 543181 | 610 € | 2.500 € | 2.400 € |
| Total | – | 20.680 € | 24.500 € | 23.300 € |
Source: 2026 budget of the city of Herzogenrath, sub-result plan product 0111110 (pp. 514–515). The discretionary funds are additionally listed as a separate budget (BGS 0111110.549100).
How much discretionary funds do mayors have in other cities? The answer is surprising: the range spans from €500 to over €7,000.
| City | Population | Discretionary funds | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonn (mayor) | ~335.000 | 500 € | 2025/26 | Haushaltsplan Bonn (549110) |
| Kandern (BW) | ~8.000 | 2.100 € | 2021 | Badische Zeitung |
| Herzogenrath | ~47.000 | 4.300 € | 2026 | Haushaltsplan 2026 (549100) |
| Baesweiler | ~28.000 | 4.880 € | 2026 | Haushaltsplan 2026 (549100) |
| Ahlen | ~53.000 | 7.500 € | 2025 | Haushaltsplan 2025 |
Representation costs are the larger item – and here it shows: Herzogenrath is at the lower end.
| City | Population | Representation costs | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Herzogenrath | ~47.000 | 16.600 € | 2026 | Haushaltsplan 2026 (543180) |
| Baesweiler | ~28.000 | 20.000 € | 2026 | Haushaltsplan 2026 (543112) |
| Ahlen | ~53.000 | 52.000 € | 2025 | Haushaltsplan 2025 (Repr. + Gästebewirtung) |
| Alsdorf | ~49.000 | not listed separately | 2026 | Haushaltsplan 2026/27 (Sammelposition) |
The comparison shows: discretionary funds are not a speciality – every mayor in NRW has them. Herzogenrath is therefore no exception here. What is interesting, however, is the enormous range in amount: from only €500 (Bonn, despite 335,000 inhabitants) to over €7,000 (Ahlen).
With €4,300 in discretionary funds, Herzogenrath is in the middle – practically on par with the neighbouring city of Baesweiler (€4,880), well above Bonn (€500) and below Ahlen (€7,500). The discretionary funds are therefore neither conspicuously high nor low.
What distinguishes Herzogenrath is rather its transparency: the city lists the discretionary funds as a separate budget and additionally breaks down the representation costs (€16,600) and honorary gifts (€2,400) individually – including the previous year's figures. Many cities hide these items in collective accounts.
Anyone discussing the mayor's budget should therefore separate two things: the discretionary funds (€4,300, legally provided, within the usual range) and the representation costs (€16,600, the larger item). Together these are around €23,300 per year.
With representation costs it gets interesting: Herzogenrath's €16,600 are comparatively low. The neighbouring city of Baesweiler budgets €20,000, Ahlen even €52,000 for representation and hospitality. That is three times Herzogenrath's amount – with only about 6,000 more inhabitants.
Unlike discretionary funds (which are legally provided and similar everywhere), representation is the item where there are actually big differences. Herzogenrath is not conspicuous here – on the contrary, the city is comparatively frugal when it comes to representation.