This is nothing new, the finances of the City of Saint-Brieuc are not at their best. But the situation is on the road to improvement, assured Didier Le Buhan, the finance assistant, this Monday, July 1. “The efforts we have made are being paid for in return,” says the elected official, who nevertheless remains measured. “We are still in a fragile situation but we are in a positive moment.”
Didier Le Buhan estimates that management savings, which amount to €712,000 in 2023, are the “signal of a budgetary trajectory which controls expenditure and increases revenue”.
In 2023, operating revenues were ultimately higher than what had been voted for in the spring of the same year by elected officials from Saint-Brieuc. A positive difference of €1.30 million. Enough to provide additional room for maneuver for the community.
At the same time, the City of Saint-Brieuc has also increased its investments. €17 million in 2023, i.e. €4 million more than in 2022. With, among the major investments, €2.90 million for the Place de la Grille. Or even €1.20 million for the renovation of the Saint-Guillaume chapel. With a cumulative completion, maintenance and investment rate of 51%.
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3 Debt reduction on track?
“We are gradually reducing debt reduction times,” also explains Didier Le Buhan. “In 2023, we are at 9.1 years of debt reduction, compared to 9.4 in 2022.” For the finance assistant, the City is on the right track. “In 2024, 2025, it will start to decline. We will have gone through the period of maximum debt. »
Boris Guillou, for the opposition, is more measured. “The debt continues to increase. We always borrow more than we repay,” recalls the elected representative of the minority.
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4 Energy savings pay off
Since its arrival at the head of the City, the left-wing municipality has launched a policy, known as “intracting”, of investment in energy savings. And this is showing its first results, believes Didier Le Buhan. “In 2023, we made €270,000 in energy savings. For an expected gain of €45,600 per year. Over the duration of the investments, we will save €1.20 million. »
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5 The opposition’s concern
In opposition to the municipal council, the reading of the financial situation is slightly different. Or, rather, it is the future that worries us. “I hope that next year we can have a result as good. But I still have some fears,” says Raphaël Le Méhauté, spokesperson for the minority. “With the political situation, we are not immune to increasing interest rates. » Comments supported by Boris Guillou: “Uncertainty about interest rates is a large part of our fragility”.
