"Taxes are a factor" 2 villages want to leave the town - dispute divides entire region
The districts of Nänikon and Werrikon wanted to have their secession from Uster ZH examined. The desire to separate remains unheard by the electorate. Reactions after the historic vote.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- The voters in Uster have decided: The town does not have to examine the separation of the districts of Nänikon and Werrikon.
- Heinz Girschwiler from the initiative committee is disappointed, but saw the result coming. Barbara Thalmann, Mayor of Uster, is relieved with the result.
- A local survey shows: The majority of the population in Nänikon is disappointed, but accepts the democratic decision.
When a boundary shift is discussed in Switzerland, it is usually based on a merger of two or more municipalities. Not so in the Zurich Oberland villages of Nänikon and Werrikon: both villages are outlying wards of the town of Uster - and both would prefer to belong to the municipality of Greifensee.
The "Bringing together what belongs together" initiative was highly controversial: the aim of the "Pro 8606" committee was to instruct the Uster City Council to draw up an agreement with the Greifensee municipal council regarding the transfer of Nänikon and Werrikon to the political municipality in neighboring Greifensee. The population would have voted on this again in four years at the latest. This will not happen for the time being: the electorate clearly rejected the proposal on Sunday.
"We want to work even more closely with Greifensee"
"We expected this result," says Heinz Girschweiler from the initiative committee to blue News. The initiative was triggered by the situation with the joint upper school with Greifensee. According to current law, this is illegal, as the municipal law stipulates that school communities and political communities must be geographically congruent.
According to Girschweiler, however, the reasons go deeper: "The people of Nänik are more village than town dwellers in terms of mentality." The committee now wants to take stock at a final meeting. But one thing is clear: "We want to work even more closely with Greifensee, but not destroy the relationship with Uster."
Two municipalities, one train station
A local survey reveals the usual picture after votes: Disillusionment spreads among those who were outvoted, joy among the winners. The votes of passers-by range from "I didn't pay enough attention to the needs of the people of Nänik" to "This deserved a chance" and "This is stupid".
Around 3,000 residents live in the two outer wards, which corresponds to around one twelfth of the population of Uster. Nänikon, Werrikon and Greifensee already share a secondary school, railroad station, zip code and football club, but they will continue to be administered differently in future.
Mayor is relieved
For Barbara Thalmann, Mayor of Uster, the result is a relief, "especially because it was clear with a two-thirds 'no' vote." Although she understands the "heartfelt wish", the disadvantages - such as less tax revenue - would outweigh this.
In addition to the financial aspect, identity also plays a role: "I've heard from people who live in Nänikon and see themselves as Ustermer," says Thalmann. The movement is not just going in one direction.
In Greifensee, at least, the project would have opened doors, where the municipal council has formulated the merger with Nänikon as a legislative goal. However, the political reality will not change in the near future.
