DIJON: The hot files of the municipal council of November 22
If the traditional left-right opposition around the finances of the City of Dijon marked the session of this Monday, November 22, other subjects such as sustainable development, agrofuels or even the midpoint revealed some dividing lines within itself. of the majority led by François Rebsamen.
Two major issues marked this municipal council of November 22, 2021: the budget orientation debate and its prerequisite, the sustainable development report.
However, other subjects animated the debates, reviving the traditional left-right opposition or revealing nuances between François Rebsamen’s new allies within the Ecology for you group and the opponents of Europe Ecology The Greens.
Proposal for a giant portrait at the future square Samuel-Paty
The first highlight of this municipal council is the election (2 draws, 13 white and 44 for) of a new deputy in the 22nd protocol rank of the assembly: Denis Hameau (PS). Its delegation now covers the quality of the public service, the relationship with users and innovation. Thus, Denis Hameau will follow in particular in Dijon.
The first subject to be submitted for debate, the name of a Square Samuel-Paty. This will be the land located on Boulevard Thiers, near the Lycée Carnot, which was the subject of controversy during the municipal election campaign.
The school bears the name of a Côte-d’Orian family including in its ranks the member of the Committee of Public Safety Lazare Carnot, the President of the Republic Marie François Sadi Carnot and the Dijon magistrate Paul Cuniset-Carnot.
From which Emmanuel Bichot draws the parallel between the assassination of the teacher Samuel Paty by an Islamist terrorist with the assassination of President Sadi Carnot by an Italian anarchist in 1894: “the Republic was in danger and gave itself the means of self-defense ”.
“We are also delighted that this square, as modest as it is in size, can see the light of day”, then Emmanuel Bichot before mentioning that, on December 18, 2017, only six elected officials were against the first construction project of an HLM building at this location. Environmentalists who joined the opposition to vote against the second version in 2019. “We welcome this development, hoping that it can be taught on other sites,” he slips.
For his part, Georges Mezui (Modem) proposes the creation of an urban fresco with a giant portrait of the professor painted on one of the adjoining walls while Axel Sibert (LR) suggests a fresco on freedom of expression or the values of Republic.
“The PLUi-HD does not in our eyes participate in the objectives of sustainable development”
Presented by Nathalie Koenders (PS), the report on aspects of municipal policy related to sustainable development gives Laurent Bourguignat (LR-Libres) the opportunity to recall his opposition to the local urban plan: “the PLUi- HD does not participate in our eyes to the objectives of sustainable development ”. Once again, the elected representative criticizes an urban densification which would be “not compatible” with the objectives of sustainable development. “It’s quite the opposite,” retorts François Rebsamen in reference to urban sprawl.
This subject also sees the very first intervention of Karine Savina (GE) as president of the new political group Ecology for you: she welcomes the actions of the City in terms of sustainable development, as well as the caution of two movements of the political ecology.
Nevertheless, Karine Savina regrets the absence of reference to the Ecojardin label dear to Patrice Chateau (without label) and notes the “forgetting” of the animal condition dear to Fabien Robert (AEI).
For his part, Marien Lovichi (Modem) defends a credit balance between the felling and the planting of trees and mocks the “totem” of the refusal to fell “sick or dangerous” trees.
Two trees will be replanted at Place Saint-Fiacre
In the process, François Rebsamen responded to letters questioning the felling of trees, in particular the two birches on the Place Saint-Fiacre, near the Place de la Liberation: “when the trees are dangerous, they are a bat. ”Two new trees will be planted there.
Of the 42,000 trees in the town, between 400 and 500 are felled each year. In 2021, 486 were slaughtered and 495 for a budget of 250,000 euros, without counting the thousand units of the Children’s Forest.
A demand for more islands of freshness
Stéphanie Modde (EELV) then intervenes to express “some reservations” by calling for “a more assertive ambition” on the thermal insulation of schools and on the urban displacement plan. The ecologist also calls for “the creation of smaller and more numerous islands of freshness while preserving ecological continuity”.
The mayor responds by evoking the de-waterproofing of schoolyards which will be part of the program of 75 million euros of work in Dijon schools while conceding that “we will not put grass everywhere”.
Housing construction seen as an “automatic cash register”
The presentation of the budget orientation debate by François Deseille (Modem) is sanctioned with a “not bad but can do better” by Olivier Muller (EELV) who welcomes the end of the “budgetary rigor” linked to the Cahors pact and asks “More ambition and financial support at all levels to fight climate change”. The ecologist asks for nothing less than a “climate emergency budget”.
In the other environmental group, Patrice Chateau is delighted with “good news” and a political request favorable to “women’s sport” which can lead to “a gender budget”.
Claiming to speak on behalf of the “first opposition group”, Together for Dijon, strong of seven elected, Henri-Bénigne de Vrégille (Agir) criticizes the “underuse” of the financial resources of the town.
The elected opposition member calls for a reduction in property tax and sees the incentive to build housing as an “automatic fund”. Expression which will provoke murmurs in the ranks of the majority and the reaction of the mayor: “if you want to find punchlines, you will have to work a little”.
Emmanuel Bichot announced on this theme that he has denounced for several years by evoking “an overbalanced budget” in reference to the surplus results of the community while considering that “the accumulated surpluses will make it possible to be much more years of investments” .
The elected opposition member believes that there is “an increasingly large gap between the budgetary situation of the City and that of the Metropolis” and asks for “a consolidated vision” of the finances of the City and the Metropolis as well as ‘a “multiannual presentation”. Like his former group colleague, he too is asking for a lower property tax.
“The difference between the City and the Metropolis is that the Metropolis has lost 15 million euros in the field of transport which penalizes it enormously. [NDLR : durant les confinements en 2020]», Answers François Rebsamen soberly.
The mayor rules out any reduction in the property tax: “you might as well disarm, there is nothing left but that, we do not know what will happen after the presidential election”.
The report sees the abstention of Emmanuel Bichot, Laurence Gerbet, Stéphanie Modde (having the power of Catherine Hervieu) and Olivier Muller while the group Together for Dijon votes against.
Rejection of support for bioethanol
At the very end of the session, two wishes will elicit some reactions. First of all, Cathy Du Tertre (Modem) wishes in favor of a controversial biofuel, bioethanol. That leap Stephanie Modde: “We do not want competition between the use of agricultural land and the use of energy to run cars.”
After a brief delay, the time that François Rebsamen slips “I prefer that we devote our energy to producing hydrogen rather than subsidizing bioethanol” – which looks like a voting instruction for the majority Socialist, radical group , citizen and related – the wish is rejected (14 for, 3 abstentions).
The pro-Macron tensions between the municipal majority and the presidential majority
For his part, Laurent Bourguignat wished to ban the use of documents from the community at the midpoint of “inclusive writing” which “ignores the rules of French spelling and syntax”. For this, the elected opposition is based on a circular from Édouard Philippe dating from 2017 and calling for the proscription of “inclusive writing” of official texts and the circular of Jean-Michel Blanquer doing the same for the school environment .
Karine Savina answers by suggesting to make “the apology of the epicene language” which aims to replace the masculine terms by neutral terms.
A little embarrassed by the debate around this identity marker, François Rebsamen indicates that he would have preferred “a wish which affirms the attachment to equality and which proposes to fight prejudices” but does not want to “prohibit” or render ” obligatory”. “From there, you are free,” he adds.
For its part, the use of the verb “to banish” makes Christophe Berthier (PS) jump, who, on a Lacanian register, evokes a “violence for history, after all, of a point”. Kildine Bataille (Modem) abounds with applause: “the midpoint is just a number of tools for moving forward. (…) It is high time to readjust things, language structures our thinking, not the masculine does not prevail over the feminine ”.
The majority therefore rejects the wish (10 for) while Laurent Bourguignat slips that “there are a certain number of Walkers who were not very clear in their vote at the moment” since the support of the presidential majority – in particular the ex-LREM having joined the Modem – rejected a wish proposing to apply government circulars to the City of Dijon. “We don’t try to influence others,” laughs François Rebsamen in return.
Relocation of the centers of the Port du canal and Les Marguerites
By an oral question, Laurent Bourguignat returns to the charge and questions the mayor on the construction of a new EHPAD presented the homes of the Port du canal and Marguerites because he fears “an increase in the daily price”.
For the majority, Antoine Hoareau (PS) confirms the grouping on the site of the Terrot factory (read our article) and announces “the convergence of pricing to guarantee a daily price among the cheapest in Dijon with improved service” and “a price of less than 65 euros per day”. The new EHPAD will be called Paulette Guinchard-Kunstler, in reference to the Secretary of State behind the creation of the Personalized Autonomy Allowance.
Jean-Christophe Tardivon