Zoetermeer closes 2024 cautiously positive
The Annual Accounts of the Municipality of Zoetermeer for 2024 show a positive balance of about €6.8 million.* Yet Alderman Jan Iedema is cautious about being too cheerful about it. "Thanks to a healthy financial position, we are fortunately able to absorb setbacks while continuing to invest in the city." The college points out at the same time that more than €20 million in withdrawals and additions have been made to the reserves. "The real picture is that without deployment of these reserves, the result would have been € 13.8 mln negative."
For the most part, the 20 million concerns expenditures from reserves earmarked for this purpose, such as for Zoetermeer 2040, but an amount of €5 million was also withdrawn from freely deployable reserves to restore balance to the 2024 budget. This prevented the municipality from coming under preventive supervision.
Zoetermeer can look back with satisfaction at the growth in residents, homes, businesses and jobs. "We show resilience, where it concerns our immediate housing and living environment, facilities, safety and carrying capacity. We invest in livelihood security and resilience of vulnerable groups. People make Zoetermeer vital, people are the power behind the annual reports. Not only because it is our duty to share them, but especially because it gives a good insight into what we have worked hard for with the city council, the municipal organization and society," the college writes in its introduction. "With the 'financial ravine' in sight, difficult choices must be made for 2026," the college warns. "If the central government persists in its position of not adding sufficient resources to the Municipal Fund, this will lead to difficult choices during 2025. Despite this, we will continue to continuously strive to make Zoetermeer even more beautiful and attractive."
It is expected that audit of the 2024 Annual Accounts will be completed before the results debate on June 16. By then, the account statements of institutions for youth care and Wmo will also have been processed and the auditor's report can be adopted at the same time as the annual accounts. The College proposes to the City Council that the positive result be added to the Freemployable Reserve and still be appropriated at the Perspective Note.
* Preliminary surplus Annual Account Zoetermeer 2024, €6,767,104.