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Territorial councillors met on Thursday February 27 at the Hôtel de la Collectivité to examine seven items of business, including the budget guidelines debate. The meeting began by welcoming a new councillor, Cécile Rubino Tessier, who joins the council as a member of the Action-Équilibre group following the resignation of Caroline Maurel (Presidential group).
A unanimous vote ratified the composition of the colleges of the Chambre économique multiprofessionnelle and the general list of voters entitled to participate in the Cem elections next April. An umpteenth modification to the employment table was then submitted for consideration. This was an opportunity for Bettina Cointre, second vice-president and elected member of the Action-Équilibre group, to express her regret at the presentation to the territorial council of job creations or modifications without prior consultation. By eleven votes (the five elected members of the presidential group and the six from Saint-Barth d'Abord) against eight abstentions (the elected members of Action-Équilibre"), three positions were created (land department, deputy and assistant manager in the technical services department, upkeep and maintenance manager) and nine others were modified (lawyer, land affairs manager, administrative manager in the technical services department, disability referent, stewards made available to Cem, census takers). The next item on the agenda was the purchase of two houses in Vitet. The price of these buildings was estimated by France-Domaine at two million euros. However, the Collectivité has agreed to purchase them for just over four million. Senator Micheline Jacques, elected representative of Saint-Barth d'Abord, defended an amendment in which she considered 2.8 million to be a “perfectly acceptable” price. She also pointed out that the Collectivité “cannot support real estate speculation”. The amendment was rejected by a majority and the deliberation adopted with eleven votes in favor.
“A real mess"
Chairman Xavier Lédée then opened the budget debate. But there was no question of a debate. Each committee chairman presented his report in a hushed atmosphere. Until Alexandra Questel's intervention. The local councillor from the Saint-Barth d'Abord group launched into a politically-charged text that made no concessions to Xavier Lédée's presidency. In a firm and decisive tone, she declared: “No major project has been carried out by the president. The schools in Saint-Jean, the Stis, the Rockefeller quays, the Gustavia parking lot, the extension of the pedestrian walkway between Gustavia and the commercial port, and the educational farm are all projects launched before 2022. This is not for lack of means, as the community's finances are healthy. Studies of all kinds have been launched. In fact, the action that should follow a study is always delayed - which gives a general impression of immobility.” On the subject of hospital construction, for which she asserts that Saint-Barth d'Abord has “an innovative project”, she notes that “nothing is moving forward”. She believes that “public policy has failed us” when it comes to building a disability center on Saint-Jean, for which “no line is dedicated” in the budget. An “alarming” social service situation, a “real mess” in terms of regional planning, the absence of a “clear vision for the region”, she denounces.
After a few more exchanges, the elected representatives went their separate ways. The budget vote is scheduled for March 27.
