Transformation of the Garros, cost of energy, support for Occitan: files from the Auch municipal council

The municipal council of the city of Auch was held on Wednesday evening in the Salle des Illustres. The city’s elected officials observed around twenty files. On the agenda, among others, the signing of the second city contract 2024-2030 and the project to create a bilingual Occitan section in the Gascon capital.

City contract

“It has been 10 years since the first steering committee of the first city contract was set up. This first contract was the framework document by which all the partners jointly committed to the ambitious urban renovation project of the Grand Garros. It involved deconstructing more than 300 homes, renovating more than 700, and building them in a balanced manner across the territory”, launched the mayor of Auch Christian Laprébende in the preamble, considering that today “everyone could measure the effects”. This second city contract will be accessed on 4 axes: employment, the emancipation of residents, support for ecological transitions and public safety.

Municipal councilor Rui Oliveira Santos judged that “the transformations observed at the Garros are encouraging”, and that this signing of the second city contract was an “opportunity”, while questioning the State’s commitment to this new contract 2024-2030. Philippe Baron, elected in particular in charge of associative life, reassured him on this point. “State funding remains the same. Without signing a city contract, we would not have been able to hope for the funding that we obtain on these specific themes such as education, the environment, etc..”

Energy market

Faced with the volatility of the energy market, and in order to limit the bill for the community, elected officials voted yesterday for Auch to join the group of orders for the purchase and valorization of energy made up of 13 departmental energy unions. “Gers was one of the first departments to create this type of group, at the time of the creation of the European energy market. To protect against fluctuations, not to say shocks, in prices,” explained Deputy Mayor Jean Falco.

And to add, to support his point. “Between 2012 and 2021, prices were relatively stable. From 2021, we saw a boom. In 2021, the price was 100 €/MWh. In December 2021 we went to 200 €M/Wh, then at 400 €M/Wh in July 2022, and again at 600 €M/Wh in September 2022, with a peak at 1,000 €M/Wh in August 2022 The promise to lower prices by opening the market has not! not been held”.

Occitan

Four is the number of bilingual Occitan French sections in the Gers. Plaisance-du-Gers opened a section in 2005, L’Isle-Jourdain in 2013, Vic-Fezensac in 2021, and finally Monbrun in 2023. And why not a fifth in Auch? In any case, this is the wish of the municipal team.

The city has already set up, following a proposal from the departmental council, introductory sessions in Occitan for 5 classes for next year. Elected officials would like to go further with the establishment of an Occitan section. Charline Dumont, in charge of education, insisted on “the tremendous opportunity that this represents”. The elected officials approved the idea. It now remains to study with the National Education services how to implement this project.