The departmental councilors of Côte-d’Or meet Tuesday in Dijon during a second debate on the initial budget for 2025. Marie-Claire Bonnet-Vallet, the vice-president of the departmental council of Côte-d’Or, was the guest of France Bleu Bourgogne.
The departmental councilors of Côte-d’Or meet on Tuesday during a second debate on the initial budget for 2025, a budget of 593 million euros, down for the first time since in its history (minus seven million euros, editor’s note). This budget is presented in a political and economic context, constrained and unprecedented but which is in no way a “budget de renunciation” according to the president of the department, François Sauvadet. For local authorities, it remains very complicated to plan ahead, as explained by Marie-Claire Bonnet-Vallet, vice-president of the Côte-d’Or departmental council.
France Bleu Bourgogne – You, elected officials of the department, have been debating a decreasing budget since Monday, this is unprecedented. What are you saying this morning to the Côte-d’Oriens, that they too will have to make efforts, tighten their belts, that they will perhaps have fewer services from the department?
Marie-Claire Bonnet-Vallet – So definitely not! It must be remembered that in a national context of uncertainty, it is more necessary than ever to vote on a budget and to bring back the priorities that must be set to the Côte-d’Or department. They are of two orders. Firstly, there is the maintenance of the territorial presence of the department through our 47 colleges which cover the entire Côte-d’Or, our road centers, material and child protection receptions, support for firefighters in the emergency centers. fire and rescue, for example. And then we must also remember all the support from municipalities and aid for agriculture.
There will be no decline in services but there will be a need for adjustments, with investments. Is it important?
It’s an operating budget that’s down a little. We have targeted savings but we maintain a high level of investment, it is directly aimed at Côte-d’Orienne companies. Two thirds of our investment remains local employment. We can vote for a budget, we can continue to invest because we have reduced our debt by more than 100 million euros, this gives us room to maneuver to make real choices. You should not let people think that it is easy, you have to make an effort.
In your skills, you are in charge, for example, of autonomy, elderly people, dependent people… Is there an assurance in the budget that you are proposing that all people who have need help, through the APA, the personalized autonomy allowance, will they obtain it, or is there an obligation to introduce new criteria?
The autonomy budget for the elderly is the department’s first budget, more than 100 million euros. It is a budget which is slightly increasing this year. With this individualized support, we do not let our guard down. On the other hand, we are looking for individualized support: our agents collect the needs of each family, identify the needs of each Côte-d’Orien, work as closely as possible, this is where there is room for efficiency. . (…) We have a real challenge facing us: the aging of the population. We must support this aging, whether by staying at home, maintaining showers, by an occupational therapist who will come to the elderly person’s home, etc. We continue to invest in our retirement homes, in our nursing homes.
In EHPADs, the department is a major financier of these establishments… President François Sauvadet said Monday “we are going to target the smallest of them”but everyone is experiencing financial difficulties, how to choose?
There is a little “music” at the moment in the regional health agencies which says that the smallest nursing homes would no longer provide the service. In Côte-d’Or, 40% of nursing homes have fewer than 80 places. This would mean that families would be distanced from their elders. However, we know well that to succeed in this aging, this entry into an establishment must take place nearby, because our elderly people need to be visited. (…) The State must really work first to take its share of financing for health, even more so, with a “old age” law which will allow these subjects to be addressed.
Savings of “around 10.5 million euros”
For the left-wing opposition, the Terres d’avenir group, chaired by Christophe Avéna, departmental councilor for canton 5, we must not make a disproportionate effort on the Côte-d’Oriens. When things are bad, we have to help those who are the worst and that is why his group is once again pleading for the end of two-euro menus for everyone and a flat-rate scale based on income.
François Sauvadet, pleads for him “a budget of responsibility”. “No choice” assures the former minister, in a very delicate context “an abysmal deficit in public accounts” he said, and the explosion of social spending. The investment share remains at a high level with 96 million euros to ensure what is essential. Priority is given to the safety of roads and structures, the modernization of colleges, aid to municipalities and support for farmers. Which also means the end of exceptional measures such as grants to cover energy costs and therefore future saving measures. “around 10.5 million euros” with the reorganization of departmental services. But the president of the department wanted to reassure the agents: there was no question of outsourcing the know-how.
