This December 11, the Agglomeration and the City of Chaumont announced the cancellation of the ceremony of wishes to the “living forces”. Both communities put forward budgetary reasons.
Citizens and communities, same fight. Faced with inflation and uncertainty regarding the overall operating grant (DGF) paid by the State, urban areas and municipalities will have to make a plan. This December 11, the Agglomeration and the City of Chaumont announced the cancellation of the ceremony of greetings to the “living forces”: associations, elected officials, traders and residents.
“For several months, we have been working to reduce our expenses. The first decision was to cancel the vows ceremony,” explains the president of the Agglo, Stéphane Martinelli. Mayor Christine Guillemy adds: “It’s a symbolic measure. We must lead by example. This event would have cost us €20,000. People have explained to me the dilemma of maintaining the Christmas illustrations or the greeting ceremony. I prefer to please the majority. The price was the same too. »
No savings on services rendered
The two elected officials will soon present the budgetary orientations for 2025. Each public administration has chosen to refocus on their skills. Whether it is the City or the Agglomeration, elected officials have given themselves the mission of thinking about small savings to be made. For the mayor of Chaumont, one thing is certain. “We don’t want to increase the tax rate. Yet this is the only leverage we have. Despite the difficult times, we also do not want to make savings on the services provided to the population or on our support for the associative sector. The savings are elsewhere,” says Christine Guillemy.
Human resources are one of the largest expenditure items in a community. “The Regional Court of Auditors told us that we had too many agents. However, standards are imposed on us which de facto result in a large number of staff. To illustrate my points, I could give you the example of crèches. We could also reduce the number of specialized territorial agents for nursery schools (Atsem), but we do not want this. » Stéphane Martinelli recalled that the Agglomeration has already made efforts in the past. “In 2012, the State reduced the DGF by 13 billion euros. Over the 2012-2017 term, this represents a million euros less in allocation. »
Wishes to staff maintained
The staff greeting ceremony is maintained. “It’s one of the only moments of conviviality. At this time, no other events are impacted. We cannot cut corners on ceremonial gifts (promotional items) since they are at the minimum,” explains the president of the Agglomeration. Beyond the convivial aspect of the wishes of elected officials to the population, it is a means of declining the projects which were carried out in 2024 and those which are scheduled for 2025.
Corentin Gouriou
