Altach faces up to 2.5 million euros in levy

The municipality of Altach could face a levy of up to 2.5 million euros over material used in a gravel-filling operation, ORF Vorarlberg reports. The potential liability is directed at the municipality, according to information obtained by ORF. Mayor Markus Giesinger of the Austrian People’s Party has so far declined to comment on the substance of the matter.

The issue concerns work carried out by the company Kopf Kies on behalf of the municipality. Gravel and other material were put back into the ground. The legal classification of that material is now decisive. If it is considered waste, a contaminated-sites levy could be due for the filling operation.

According to ORF, the authority has subsequently classified the material as waste. Under the law, the Austrian Customs Office is responsible for collecting the levy, even though the case does not involve cross-border activity. As the contracting authority, the municipality would have to pay.

Dispute over public discussion

The issue is also becoming a political matter in the municipality. The municipal council is expected to discuss it soon. All political groups except the Austrian People’s Party wanted the matter to be dealt with publicly, but that is not now expected to happen.

Instead, a meeting is planned behind closed doors. According to information obtained by ORF, Mayor Giesinger is expected to invoke the Vorarlberg Municipal Act. He has declined to comment on the potential multimillion-euro demand until the responsible municipal bodies have been informed.

Municipality won earlier dispute

Altach has previously faced a dispute over the same type of levy. That case involved washing sludge produced during gravel processing and placed back into an extraction site. The question was again whether the material legally qualified as waste.

The municipality initially paid the levy that had been demanded. In January 2025, Mayor Giesinger told the municipal council that the Vorarlberg Administrative Court had ultimately upheld the municipality’s legal position: the washing sludge was not waste. The 62,167 euros paid were subsequently refunded.

Whether the current demand is justified may only be decided in another legal proceeding. If the payment becomes due, it would place a significant burden on the municipality. Altach has budgeted just under 24 million euros for 2026, meaning the potential liability would equal about 10 percent of its total budget.