In recent years, the right of the General Council of Le Locle has been cautious when it comes to voting on the budgets concocted by an executive which leans more to the left. Since the elections last spring, the liberal-radicals have been in the majority within the Municipal Council. Enough to encourage the PLR-Vert'liberaux (PLR-PVL) group to be more inclined to raise their hands when accepting the budget. Even when it has a deficit of 1.4 million francs. On Wednesday evening, a right-wing elected official still abstained during the vote, refusing to be satisfied with a result in the red. In the end, the financial forecasts for 2025 were accepted by 33 votes for, 1 against and 4 abstentions.
For the POP, which is satisfied with a budget that has more advantages than disadvantages, it is a “good compromise which, like any good compromise, never really satisfies everyone”, analyzed Vivian Bologna. Like the Workers' and People's Party, the PS-Verts group appreciated that municipal staff will benefit in 2025 from an automatic step and a salary indexed to the cost of living. For the PLR-PVL group, this is a transition budget. “We will accept, but it is not a blank check,” warned Gaëtan Dubois.
Through the voice of their rapporteur Corine Bolay Mercier, socialists and ecologists were concerned about “cuts made in cultural institutions and museums in particular”. The promotion and advertising position of the Château des Monts, the Museum of Fine Arts (MBAL) and the Col-des-Roches underground mills have been cut by 25%.
Green elected official Cyril Tissot spoke of a “targeted attack against museums”, adding that “any other aim would have found another path”.
Explanations from Anthony von Allemen, municipal council responsible for finances: “It is written in black and white in the report [concernant l’inscription d’une subvention pérenne de 100’000 francs en faveur de l’exomusée] that compensation would be found.”
Beyond the result, there is the way in which these cuts were made. Left and right would have appreciated if the Municipal Council discussed with the management and governing bodies of the museums before making this decision. Corine Bolay Mercier is convinced that savings could have been found elsewhere. The socialist took the opportunity to recall the “dizzying increase” in the entry price of the MBAL which the Municipal Council decided to increase from 10 to 14 francs. “If there are not enough entries, it will not improve with an increase in price.”
Faced with the way in which the executive took these decisions and communicated them, the PS-Verts group tabled a postulate. “It has no reason to exist,” retorted Anthony von Allmen. “Platforms for exchange between the municipal council and culture exist. We understood that we need to use them better,” he added, brandishing the list of executive delegations.
Ultimately, the postulate did not find favor either in the eyes of the PLR or in those of the majority. /cwi
