Certainly!
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Marathon session at the Departmental Council for the approval of the 2017 budget where the overwhelming right-wing majority relegates the opposition to a decorative role. So, what can be done to be heard?
Speak on as many arguments as possible knowing that it won’t prevent the deliberation from being passed, but at least, one will have voiced their disagreement.
Councilor Jean-Raymond Vinciguerra jumped at the opportunity, with arguments that were not without interest and sometimes hit a nerve.
Charming, but why criticize first and then vote “for” afterwards?
Beyond these marginal facts, the only moment of tension was the verbal clash between President Ciotti and Communist Councilor Tujague following the former’s statements concerning the reception of unaccompanied minors that the department hosts in dedicated facilities.
The Departmental President, reporting a significant increase to 207 minors, accuses “far-left” organizations of being at the heart of this situation ideologically, calling on law enforcement to put an end to it and justice to sanction the guilty parties.
The Mayor of Contes denounces the violence of Eric Ciotti’s words, who went so far as to define as “delinquents” (“honest and responsible people” according to him) the humanitarian activists/smugglers and appeals for solidarity towards “these minor migrants fleeing war and who are in the deepest moral and physical distress.”
Two conflicting conceptions and no synthesis is possible.
Regarding the main subject of the session, Eric Ciotti remained in the same groove as previous years, namely “a budget of austerity and good management, reconstruction, relaunch, and solidarity.” It’s so well put…
To achieve this, the department will continue its strategy: debt reduction, control of local direct taxes, control of operating expenses.
In plain terms, half of the revenue from the sale of the participation in the Nice Airports company as part of its privatization will go towards reducing the debt (stock at €826.9 M and will thus decrease the annual service (interest: -€1.5 M).
No increase in taxes (the rate of 4.5% being already at the maximum threshold) and control of operating expenses (€938 M) thanks to a reduction in staff (-477 agents by the end of 2016) and an increase in working days (+14 more worked or fewer not worked).
After this agreement that in fact increased the number of staff, Eric Ciotti, benefiting from the good relationship with the “in-house” majority union SIAT, wants to go further: tackling absenteeism, one of the ills of the public service. How? The most deserving employees (and the most present… obviously!) will be able to receive between €700 and €1,400 annually as a bonus.
The investment budget will be €216 M, which only slightly differs from that of the current year.
On the spending side, the largest share naturally goes to social expenses in the various forms provided and which remain practically stable.
The best-known or at least discussed one is called RSA. The benefits paid to recipients in 2017 are planned to be €134 M (compared to an estimated €141 M in 2016), a decrease of €6.5 M.
Eric Ciotti claims credit for this, thanks to his anti-fraud efforts and the effectiveness of insertion and job return measures: -6.5% compared to 2.5% at the national level.
At the time of the vote, the “scarlet red” opposition group Francis Tujague and his silent colleague Valérie Tomasini “unreservedly condemn this policy” and “a cautious and short-term management” that does not align with a strong investment and social expenditure boost. Vote against.
The Pompeian red and green group consisting of Marie-Louise Gordon and Jean-Raymond Vinciguerra would have preferred that “a portion of the revenue increase be allocated to social expenses” and declare their opposition “to continued cost-saving at all costs by the massive destruction of jobs” which, according to them, “will no longer allow for quality public service.”
Eric Ciotti in turn denounces the ideological “posture” of the left-wing opposition and claims his pragmatism in the management of the department.
Since he has the support of an overwhelming majority…
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