Einwohnerfragestunde Durchführung

The purpose of residents' question time is to allow residents to ask questions of the chairperson of a committee of the City Council at the beginning of its meetings on matters relating to the committee and to expect answers.

Every ordinary meeting of a committee begins with agenda item 1 "Residents' Question Time". This lasts a maximum of 60 minutes. If there are no more questions submitted in writing and no more questions are addressed verbally to the committee chairperson, the chairperson will call the other items on the agenda. Oral questions can only be asked until the next item on the agenda is called.

• Residents' questions can be submitted in writing by e-mail, via the online form and verbally at the meeting.

Only residents of the City of Bremerhaven can ask questions, i.e. natural persons who live in Bremerhaven, but not legal entities or associations (e.g. political parties, district conferences). Any resident may submit a written question with up to 2 supplementary questions by 12:00 noon on the last working day before the meeting.

Any resident may submit a written question with up to 2 additional questions by 12:00 noon on the last working day before the meeting.

Questions should be as precise as possible. It is contrary to the character of a residents' question time if questions concern matters that are to be dealt with in a closed session or affect the interests of third parties worthy of protection and/or concern ongoing administrative proceedings in which a questioner has the right to information, for example under administrative procedural provisions such as Section 25 BremVwVfG (rights to advice and information in individual cases) or Section 29 BremVwVfG (inspection of files for parties involved).

Written questions will only be answered if the questioner provides their first name and surname, telephone number and address and declares that they consent to the publication of their first name and surname and the question in the City of Bremerhaven's council information system and states the committee to which the question is addressed. Questions can also be submitted by e-mail or via the online form if they contain the above information.

The Office of the City Council acts as the central point of receipt for residents' questions and forwards all questions received from residents immediately and without comment to the secretary of the committee in question.

If the formal requirements for residents' questions submitted in writing are not met, they will be returned to the person asking the question by the relevant committee chairperson and only admitted once the formal requirements have been met. The applicable deadlines remain unaffected by this.

Explanatory texts are unsuitable for a residents' question time and are therefore not permitted.

Residents' questions and supplementary questions that cannot be answered during question time are answered in writing by the committee chairperson. The written answer will be sent to the questioner and the committee members by the next meeting of the committee.