# Kirchbach-Zerlach

Kirchbach-Zerlach is since 2015 a municipality with 3,271 residents (as of 1 January 2016) in the Südoststeiermark District of Styria, Austria. In 2015 the municipality was called Kirchbach in der Steiermark.
The municipality of Kirchbach-Zerlach was formed as part of the Styria municipal structural reform, at the end of 2014, from the former towns of Kirchbach in Steiermark and Zerlach.
After a municipal council agreement, from 1 January 2016, the municipality bears the name "Kirchbach-Zerlach".

## Geography
### Municipalities arrangement

The municipality territory includes the following 12 sections (populations as of 1 January 2015) and three cadastral communities (area 2015):

#### Ortschaften

* Breitenbuch (410)
* Dörfla (458)
* Glatzau (229)
* Kirchbach in Steiermark (853)
* Kittenbach (84)
* Kleinfrannach (180)
* Maierhofen (119)
* Maxendorf (190)
* Tagensdorf (19)
* Weißenbach (160)
* Zerlach (375)
* Ziprein (158)

#### Katastralgemeinden

* Kirchbach in Steiermark (903.30 ha)
* Zerlach (2,381.82 ha)
* Ziprein (630.10 ha)

### Demographics

The area population has generally increased after 1869, as shown in the bar graph below.

## Politics
### Mayor

The town mayor is Franz Löffler (ÖVP).
Further of the council, the 1st vice-mayor Anton Prödl (ÖVP), the 2nd vice-mayor Karl Süßmaier (Liste "Gemeinsam mehr bewegen"), the town treasurer Thomas Zach (ÖVP), and the board member Josef Luttenberger (ÖVP).

### Municipal council

The town council in 2015 had 21 members (prior 30 = 15 in Kirchbach + 15 in Zerlach) and convened with the following parties:
* 15 ÖVP
* 03 Liste "Gemeinsam mehr bewegen"
* 02 SPÖ
* 01 FPÖ
The last town election had the following results:
| Party | 2015 | 2015 | 2015 | 2010 | 2010 | 2010 | 2010 | 2010 | 2010 | 2005 | 2005 | 2005 | 2005 | 2005 | 2005 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 | 2000 |
| Party | merged municipality | merged municipality | merged municipality | Kirchbach | Kirchbach | Kirchbach | Zerlach | Zerlach | Zerlach | Kirchbach | Kirchbach | Kirchbach | Zerlach | Zerlach | Zerlach | Kirchbach | Kirchbach | Kirchbach | Zerlach | Zerlach | Zerlach |
| Party | Stimmen | % | Mandate | St. | % | M. | St. | % | M. | St. | % | M. | St. | % | M. | St. | % | M. | St. | % | M. |
| ÖVP | 1488 | 66 | 15 | 551 | 53 | 8 | 1056 | 89 | 14 | 529 | 50 | 8 | 1024 | 85 | 13 | 594 | 59 | 10 | 947 | 83 | 13 |
| SPÖ | 0196 | 09 | 02 | 197 | 19 | 3 | 0137 | 11 | 01 | 166 | 16 | 2 | 0186 | 15 | 02 | 065 | 06 | 01 | x | x | x |
| FPÖ | 0 166 | 07 | 01 | | | | x | x | x | 035 | 03 | 0 | x | x | x | 048 | 05 | 00 | 071 | 06 | 01 |
| Die Grünen | 0048 | 02 | 00 | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Gemeinsam mehr Bewegen | 0349 | 16 | 03 | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| United Namelist Town Kirchbach | x | x | x | 0298 | 28 | 4 | x | x | x | 337 | 32 | 5 | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Unabhängige Namensliste | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | 120 | 12 | 02 |
| Kirchbacher Heimatliste Walter Patschok | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | 174 | 17 | 02 |
| Heimatliste Zerlach | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | x | 121 | 11 | 01 |
| Votes | 2,260 | 2,260 | 2,260 | 1,061 | 1,061 | 1,061 | 1,472 | 1,472 | 1,472 | 1,077 | 1,077 | 1,077 | 1,438 | 1,438 | 1,438 | 1,007 | 1,007 | 1,007 | 1,307 | 1,307 | 1,307 |
| Electoral participation | 81% | 81% | 81% | 81% | 81% | 81% | 82% | 82% | 82% | 82% | 82% | 82% | 85% | 85% | 85% | 82% | 82% | 82% | 88% | 88% | 88% |
    x = not candidate