Honorary councillor Elke Streckfuß, who was appointed by the council last November, honorary councillors Bernd Grabb and Rolf Stratmann as well as honorary councillor Wilfried Pollmann, who passed away in August, were honored. The evening also focused on former members of the council in the previous electoral term and local politicians who were active on the council or one of the local councils for at least 20 years. Dr. Jan Arning, Managing Director of the Lower Saxony Association of Cities and Towns, was present and paid tribute to 25 years of commitment to local politics.

In his welcoming address, Klingebiel emphasized: "We local politicians do politics out of conviction, out of love for our home town of Salzgitter and for the people who live here. Those of us who have carried out this important task for many years with a particularly high level of commitment on the Salzgitter City Council or in one of the local councils are the focus of attention this evening!" He also thanked all active politicians for their ongoing commitment and said: "You are there for the citizens in your free time. You take part in countless parliamentary group, committee, council or local council meetings and events, try again and again to find a good compromise between your groups and try day after day to make our city even more lovable, citizen-friendly and family-oriented."