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The last meeting of the Territorial Council was held on Saturday August 2, at 8am. It was a very short meeting, since its purpose was to adopt the single financial account (CFU), previously rejected by a majority of elected representatives at the June 27 and June 30 meetings. Since then, the territorial councillors have not met at the Hôtel de la Collectivité. Except, for some of them, for the official Saint-Barthélemy ceremony on August 24. This Thursday, September 18, will therefore mark the return to work for the elected representatives, at a territorial council meeting with ten items on the agenda. Six concern Administrative Affairs, four Land Affairs.
A new territorial councillor
Since the last council meeting, the Saint-Barth d'Abord (SBDA) group has experienced some turbulence. One of its main representatives, Francius Matignon, has stepped down. Brought in as second vice-president, he announced in early August that he was leaving the group headed by Alexandra Questel. However, he did not relinquish his seat as a territorial councillor and member of the executive council. A few weeks later, another member of the SBDA group, Sandra Baptiste, threw in the towel and resigned from her position. This Thursday, councillors will be invited to install her replacement on the assembly. The replacement is Sylvère Gréaux, who was on the list submitted to the prefecture in March 2022 by the Saint-Barth d'Abord group.
Changes to the code governing foreigners' access to employment
As the Collectivité believes that the time required to file and process applications does not always meet the needs of certain employers, the territorial councillors will be asked to make changes to the code governing access to work for foreigners. While the application for a work permit must be submitted two months prior to hiring, it will be proposed to reduce this timeframe to three weeks "in sectors characterized by high unemployment". three weeks "in sectors characterized by strong seasonality or faced with urgent or specific needs".
Public sewerage: higher charges for non-compliant connections
The third item on the agenda concerns an amendment to the regulations governing the collective sanitation service, and a proposed increase in charges for non-compliant connections to the network. "Saur, the delegated operator in charge of wastewater treatment, is encountering difficulties in operating the network and the Gustavia wastewater treatment plant, due to a lack of information and a lack of resources.purification plant in Gustavia, due to non-compliant connections and prohibited discharges into the network", states the territorial council's dossier. Gutters, terrace siphons, cistern overflows, backwash or drain water from private swimming pools - these are all examples of devices that are sometimes connected to the public sewer network when they shouldn't be. This results in the discharge of clear water that interferes with the operation of the network and the treatment plant. Discharges of non-domestic wastewater by businesses not covered by a specific agreement with the local authority have also been observed. It will therefore be proposed to the elected representatives to vote on an increase in charges of up to 400% in the event of a breach of the regulations in force.
Personalized autonomy allowance: beneficiaries to pay their own contribution
The Personalized Autonomy Allowance (APA) is designed to pay for all or part of the expenses incurred by the elderly in the event of loss of autonomy. At national level, the law on adapting society to ageing (ASV) emphasizes the need to support homecare. As the local authority has social and medico-social responsibilities, it will be proposed to the elected representatives to add a clause to the article concerning the APA. This will take the form of "extra-legal" assistance designed to exempt recipients of the allowance from any financial contribution. This assistance will be paid directly to the service provider by the Collectivité.
Changes to the hotel classification procedure
Since its creation in 2013, the procedure for classifying the island's hotels has been reviewed and modified twice in 2020. This Thursday, territorial councillors will be asked to vote on a number of changes linked to the control of CFAE and waste removal tax payments, a clarification of the delisting procedure, and also the simplification of the reference to the Atout France "referential".
Twinning with Saint-Thomas
In his speech on August 24, the President of the Collectivité, Xavier Lédée, announced the signing of a twinning agreement with the island of Saint-Thomas. At this Thursday's meeting, the elected representatives will be asked to approve this proposal and authorize the President to sign the document. The aim of such a commitment will be to enable cultural events to be held, school, sports and language exchanges to be organized, as well as economic exchanges. Not to mention strengthening cooperation between the two islands on regional issues.
EDF: land for temporary generators
To meet the target of 64 megawatts set by the PPE (multiannual energy program), the installation of six new engines at the EDF power plant in Public was the preferred option. However, in order to renew the engines without interrupting the island's power supply, EDF needs land close to the plant on which to install temporary generators. The estimated surface area is around 1,200 square meters. A further 800 square meters will be required for temporary offices and a storage shed. On Thursday, elected representatives will be asked to vote on the use of part of the plot of land occupied by Public's "private individuals" waste collection center (AK 154). This activity would be transferred to plot AK 558 in Saint-Jean. The offices and hangar would be located on plot AH 171 in the Anse des Cayes district.
Fees for private use of beaches
As they do every year, the local councillors will be examining the fees for occupying the public maritime domain. In this case, the beaches. This deliberation is unlikely to give rise to much debate since, on August 19, the Economic Affairs Commission voted in favor of maintaining the 2025 rates in 2026.
Technical services: a lease for storage space
The Collectivité's technical services have expressed the need to centralize all their equipment stored on the island. If approved by the elected representatives, a lease for premises in Lorient, signed in 2020, will be terminated and replaced by a new lease. The new lease will provide storage space for technical services equipment (140 m2 on the first floor and 140 m2 in the basement), as well as a parking area. For an annual rent of 96,000 euros.
Housing for the hospital
The tenth and final item on the Territorial Council's agenda concerns the signature of an amendment to the agreement for the management and provision of housing for the Irénée de Bruyn hospital. This decision was prompted by a request from the hospital's director, Eric Djamakorzian, for additional housing for his staff. If the elected representatives approve the amendment, the hospital will have three apartments (two of which are rent-free) and three rooms for its staff, made available by the Collectivité.
