Community elected officials from Gard Rhone took note on Monday, November 25 of the community's budgetary orientation debate.
Annual exercise before the vote on the initial budget of the Gard Rhone agglomeration, scheduled for December 16 during the next community council, the budgetary orientation report was presented Monday, November 25 to community elected officials by the deputy vice-president for finance and in management control, Guy Aubanel.
As a preamble to the 2025 budgetary orientation debate, the vice-president recalled that “the initial budget of a community is the major act by which expenses and revenues for the year are planned, allowing the implementation of public policies decided by the community“. A budget built in a current political context which makes “extremely difficult the final reading of what the 2025 State budget will be and the finance law for 2025, and its consequences for local authorities.” “There are a lot of uncertainties” confirmed the president of the Gard Rhone agglomeration, Jean-Christian Rey. “But we are still on the territorial project, it is continuing.”
“Maintaining high gross savings guarantees the ability to invest”
“The financial situation of the agglomeration remains solid […] The 2025 budget must remain prudent and ambitious” announced Guy Aubanel. The objective is to invest 40 million euros over the period 2025-2028, including 5.5 million euros in 2025 for local projects. The other amount to remember, that of gross savings (self-financing capacity) targeted by the agglomeration, of more than 2.2 million euros. “Maintaining high gross savings guarantees the agglomeration's ability to invest.”
To stay the course, “operating savings must be considered” announced Guy Aubanel, “in particular to absorb the increase in personnel costs – which represent 35% of operating expenses – resulting from measures decided at national level (such as the revaluation of the minimum wage and the index point and the increase of five points for all agents…)”. For 2024, they have in fact increased by almost 2.7 million euros for a total of 22.9 million euros. Moreover, community elected officials had to vote on Monday evening for a budgetary readjustment of 900,000 euros to deal with it.
“Significant increase in the wage bill”
In 2025, the Agglo plans “a significant increase in the wage bill”, – 583 agents in 2024 –, with, for example, the recruitment of staff after the opening of a crèche or the strengthening of teams to respond to the various missions of the agglomeration.
Other expenses which have increased significantly, more than 20% in 2024 compared to 2023, those linked to expenses for energy, supplies, small equipment, etc., i.e. an amount of 6.8 million euros) which represents 28%. operating expenses. “These charges are directly linked to inflation” explains Guy Aubanel. With the expected drop in energy prices, 2025 should also be less harsh on the city's finances.
Subsidies, opening of stores on Sundays, aid for traders
Community elected officials voted to award grants: 2,000 euros to parent associations at the Gard Rhone conservatory; 2,000 euros to the Lions Club association of Bagnols Val de Cèze as part of the Casse-Cailloux 2024 challenge; 1,000 euros to the city of Pont-Saint-Esprit as part of the 2024 call for projects for city policy; 1,500 euros to the Cèzâme mutual aid group as part of the organization of information weeks on mental health.
The community council also looked into the question of opening stores on certain Sundays in 2025, at the request of traders. This concerns Auchan in Saint-Laurent-des-Arbres, retail stores in Pont-Saint-Esprit and Bagnols-sur-Cèze, and car dealerships in Bagnols.
Elected officials voted for aid for the loss of business operations linked to the work on the Bagnols multimodal exchange hub (Pem). This concerns: Verlaine, the Barber club, Comptat Allardet-Abade, Chrome Auto, Jardinerie Coulange, Bellucci, Les Portes d'Orient.
