Tienen (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Tienen’s 2026–2031 plan includes rebuilding the €10–11 million city warehouse, a new city hall, police investments, a 1% income tax rise, and a €190 city tax for families; Mayor Jonathan Holslag leads.
As VRT News reported, the city of Tienen has finalised its policy plan for 2026 to 2031. The plan includes major investments to improve the city. Officials said the projects will focus on streets, public spaces, green areas, and cultural activities. Over the next 5 years, Tienen will spend significant funds to enhance community facilities.
“We’re going to tackle roads, sidewalks, squares, and parks,”
says Mayor Jonathan Holslag (Durf).
“It won’t be excessive spending; we’ll listen to what our residents consider important.”
How will Tienen’s 120 million multi-year plan and tax hike affect residents?
According to officials, the city will increase taxes on residents and businesses to pay for the projects. The supplementary personal income tax will rise by 1%. Families will pay a new city tax of €190 per year, and single residents will pay €95.
A social rate will also be applied to support people with lower incomes. Local businesses will contribute as well. The mayor said these measures are necessary to maintain clean streets, improve services, and fund city projects. The city has announced it will eliminate key levies, including the household waste tax and the promotional tax for businesses.
The mayor said,
“They will have to pay a surface tax, as in other cities. The amount depends on the size of the business.”
Officials mentioned that a major part of the budget will be used to rebuild the city’s warehouse that burned down.
“We need to build a new warehouse for the technical department with new equipment like sweepers. That will cost us 10 to 11 million euros,”
says Holslag.
City officials said the new warehouse will be modern, secure, and better equipped to support municipal services.
“The funding will increase by €2 million annually. This is partly due to the construction of the new police station, but we also want more police on the streets. We’re going to establish a phenomenon team.’ These are officers on bicycles who can quickly intervene in cases of disturbance and who can monitor school areas.”
In addition, the city will eventually build a new city hall to modernise administration and improve services for residents.
“Our staff is currently working in less-than-ideal conditions. But we also want a new city hall for the people of Tienen,”
concludes the mayor.
The policy plan will be presented to the city council on December 11, 2025. Residents are invited to attend 2 public information sessions to learn more about the plans. The meetings will be held on Sunday, December 14, 2025, and Monday, December 15, 2025. Officials said the sessions will provide detailed information about the projects and give residents the chance to ask questions.
Earlier, in 2017, Leuven was the first Belgian city to implement a “Long-term investment plan” (LTIP) aimed at improving municipal services and the delivery of these services. Mechelen’s plan for clean streets, green spaces, and civic infrastructure began in 2019, also through a 5-year plan for the rehabilitation of roadways, parks, play areas, and city buildings. Funding for these programs was provided through tax revenues and required public input and a vote by the full municipal council for approval.
