Series on the 2023/2024 budget

Administration goes digital(er)

The aim is to introduce electronic files in the administrative offices. The digital mailroom, digital teaching in schools and cyber security within the administration are further topics on the agenda. Of course, this requires not only people to implement this, but also money. Several million euros have therefore been set aside for this in the 2023/24 double budget.

In an interview, Mayor Ralph Burghart explains how the money will be used to further advance digitalisation in the city of Chemnitz.

How important is digitalisation in the city of Chemnitz?

Ralph Burghart: Digitalisation in the city administration has a very significant value. It is part of the city administration's strategy and also part of the economic strategy. For us, it is an aspiration that has to be measured. I simply believe that society, the developments around us and our citizens expect more and more. For example, that it is also possible to communicate with us digitally, that processes run completely digitally. In this respect, this is an expectation from outside.

Converting processes and "going digital" costs money. How much was allocated by the City of Chemnitz in the 2023/24 double budget?

We have budgeted around 2.5 million euros for this in the new double budget. That's also what was decided. It even represents a doubling of the funds and makes it clear how important the issue is.

What other challenges does the city of Chemnitz face?

One important aspect is the need for skilled labour. In the future, we will no longer be able to find workers for all the jobs we have in the city administration. This means that we also have to use the topic of digitalisation to automate and simplify issues and then save on manpower in the long term because we will no longer be able to find them.

In which areas of the city of Chemnitz has digitalisation already found its way in?

Digitisation is taking place in our HR department, for example. All of our personnel files are digital: the electronic personnel file. We have also digitised various offices, for example the treasury and tax office has been equipped with electronic files. The aim is to digitalise all communication between debtors and the City of Chemnitz. We have also digitised various application options. For example, you can register your dog digitally.

How will citizens benefit if the City of Chemnitz becomes more digital?

Our changeover is based on the Online Access Act (OZG), which basically pursues the idea that all citizens should be able to communicate digitally with public authorities throughout Germany. This means that you can submit a digital application, which is then also processed digitally internally with the electronic file, and ideally the decision will also be created and sent digitally in future. We work together with the Free State of Saxony and use the "Amt 24" portal. Citizens can set up a user account there. This account is then used to exchange documents and applications.

Let's move on from administration to schools. What is the status of digitalisation in Chemnitz schools?

For me, education, schools and digitalisation absolutely belong together in order to have a successful education system. In other words, how do we manage to put our children on the right path for the future? A digital education system is part of this. And digitalisation in the education system means firstly - and we are responsible for this as school authorities - that we connect schools to the broadband network and, of course, create technical opportunities such as WLAN in schools.We need to create technical possibilities such as WLAN in all rooms, devices, tablets, laptops for teachers and pupils and, of course, digital blackboards. And then it's about ensuring that the teachers who work with the children in the schools utilise these technical requirements in order to ultimately enhance digital education. Because digitalisation is everywhere. That's why it's important to familiarise children with it at school.

Keyword "Digital Pact for Schools": What exactly is that?

The Digital Pact is basically a federal funding programme in conjunction with the federal states - i.e. the Free State of Saxony for us. An amount of five billion euros was called up at federal level and distributed to the federal states - according to the so-called Königstein key [editor's note: the Königstein key regulates the distribution of the federal states' shares in joint funding programmes]. We received 13 million euros from the Free State of Saxony, for which we were able to submit funding applications. Each school was able to draw up a so-called media education concept for itself. This means that the school determined for itself how we want to organise our lessons, do we want to use tablets, do we want to use laptops and to what extent. These were the basis for the funding application to procure the technology.

What has already been realised thanks to the digital pact?

We have a total of 85 schools in the city. That's around 1,700 classes in these schools with around 34,000 pupils. This includes state schools, independent schools and vocational schools. We have already distributed 15,000 devices via the digital pact - that means laptops and tablets, not including the digital whiteboards.

The most important facts at a glance

• 2.5 million euros were set aside in Chemnitz's 2023/24 double budget for the digitalisation of the city of Chemnitz.
• The administration has included a proposal to invest in digitalisation in the budget.
• Among other things, the money will be used to digitalise the administration.
• So far, digital files have been introduced in the treasury and tax office and the property office.
• Various applications can already be submitted digitally on the Free State of Saxony's "Amt 24" portal. These include, for example, registering a dog or applying for advance maintenance payments.