Didn’t you think that the municipality of Frisange had won the lottery when you read the circular from the Ministry of the Interior?
Never in the history of the municipality of Frisange, one of the municipalities with the most debts in the country during the Gyberien era, has our financial situation been as good as it is now. Not that we don’t have any debts. But that debt is known to be secured against interest rates that are declining, so there is no head breaking.
It is obvious that such an income must be used for investments. Investments in the quality of services, in the quality of life of our citizens and also for the coming generations.
You want to invest in the coming years. With this, CSV agrees. You want to hire new people, to optimize both administrative and technical services. We in the CSV naturally agree with this, even though we find it immensely regrettable – and at least at Madamm Hoffmann Carboni we find an open ear for this remark – that you now want to offer less help for young unemployed people. We find it sad that the number of CAE young people has been reduced from 2 to just 1 now.
Actually, the CSV should therefore vote for your budget for 2019. Actually! If it weren’t for the extraordinary part of the budget. The one with the investments… in our opinion on the wrong place!
In this part, there is not enough focus on efficiency and sustainability for our municipality and we lack visions and foresight!
Here are a few examples of why the CSV cannot vote for this budget.
Firstly, after €850,000 in 2018, there are now €4.4 million for the site of Uespelter Schlass. Although there is still no concept of what should be done in the castle. Apparently, there have been discussions about a club hall with the History Friends and Castle Friends. Archives could be stored there. And possibly also a library. The latest rumor speaks of a kind of theater hall.
Not to forget the wedding hall!
There is still no concept, and you want to force the castle to be finished.
While there are many other projects that are much more necessary:
- We need a new town hall,
- a reserve for the expansion of the swimming pool for our school children in Reiser,
- a new crèche,
- an extension of our sewage treatment plant
- and should prioritize traffic calming in our villages
- Where is social housing construction underway?
- Where is something being done for the people who had to leave their homes just like many of our fellow citizens over 70 years ago.
Secondly, you are now setting up – temporarily, for €700,000 – more containers here in the back of the parking lot. The expansion of the Maison Relais had, after the last elections in 2017, apparently absolute priority for you.
If the finished plans for the municipality in Uespelt had been implemented, the construction of a Maison Relais could now be focused on.
Thirdly, we are then in social housing construction. You have messed up the plan of the old majority with the Paschtoueschhaus in Uespelt. And now also the Paschtoueschhaus itself. And what comes in its place? A contract with an architect, for €25,000, after the plan was already in place.
Fourth, there are just €250,000 left in your budget, with which the municipality, when an opportunity arises, wants to buy land or buildings. CSV/LSAP had started with 2 million. These are also investments. You know that. After all, with the purchase of the Spigarelli property, you have proven that you can act quickly. But now there is no rush. Nothing more is heard from Mr. Mousel’s question about the interest of the municipality in the building of the Post in Uespelt. And no more questions have been asked about the Paschtoueschwing and the annex. Where there still seems to be a right of use. What was a “good idea” in opposition times, quickly gets forgotten “in power”. We don’t find that in order.
Fifth, we also find it completely out of order that under the item “Circulation” only €50,000 has been provided. Traffic during peak hours through our villages is a major problem. Of course, we as a municipality cannot solve this alone. However, we as responsible people should think hard about how to get traffic out of our villages.
- Do we have to close streets for through traffic?
- Do we have to take over streets from the state, so that we can organize ourselves better?
- Do we have to rebuild individual streets to make them less interesting for through traffic?
- How do we get the same through traffic away from our field and hiking trails?
The whole issue doesn’t seem to interest you very much.
And the sixth and penultimate point of our reasoning for why the CSV cannot vote for the budget is the issue of sustainability. There are few initiatives from you in the environmental area: neither in terms of work to advance in the certification of the Climate Pact, nor in concrete measures to save energy. And where do bike lanes stay? In the end, there remains only the project with photovoltaics on the workshop roof. CSV is happy about that. However, we should open this project to our fellow citizens. Remember the great success when the photovoltaic system on the roof of the Uespelter Hall was mutualized.
Lastly, as a seventh point, we want to remind you of your promises in your respective election programs. Where is the waste concept that is supposed to burden the citizen less? Where is the abolition of the much-discussed “taxed’équipement collectif”? Budgeted for 2019 is now €180,000, after you only got €108,000 in 2017. And where is the renovation of the Hellenger water tower in the budget? In the DP election program, you had practically devoted an entire page to this promise. There is not even one cent in the 2019 budget for it.
So these are our 7 reasons why the CSV cannot vote for the budget. Although it is otherwise quite alright in the ordinary part.
Yes, it is necessary to hire another technician. It is right to financially support the organization of a holiday colony. We also find it good that the communication between the municipality and its citizens should be improved. Although it costs €70,000. And that a lot of money is put into receptions. But if the goal is to strengthen cohesion in the villages, then the money is well spent.
That only €10,000 for the new “Péiter vun Uespelt Doudesdag Commission” are in the budget, we naturally like less. The fact that investments are constantly being made in materials for our civil servants and workers is, on the other hand, to be welcomed. It is right that the youth also benefits from the many revenues. Although this budget item only goes from €30,000 to €35,000. However, one may wonder that when the state has already been so kind to us, whether one should not reward additional sporting or school achievements financially a little more. And also the school savings and the gift from the municipality for the children should be revised upwards.
It is good that Pro Actif can work for our citizens in 2019 as well. And then we also think of the Frisi-Bus and hope that the new timetable, via Hassel and the city and also to Remich, finds a response from our citizens. (K) We also agree with you if you give us precision about the “Outsourcing” of various works at the container site in Helleng.
The fact that the municipality is responsible for the maintenance of the Uespelter football field in the future and can afford it for €25,000 is praiseworthy. Our other sports clubs don’t clean their sports halls themselves either. Since we are already talking about sports clubs, one should think about giving the Sports Commission the task to reconsider the subsidies. With almost 2 million more in cash, one can loosen the purse strings a bit more.
So we are fully with you with the “ordinary” part of the 2019 budget and support it as well. As said, it is the “extraordinary” part that causes most of our headaches. And therefore, we must unfortunately give this budget a date.
So I should give you two more remarks from my colleagues Schiltz and Arend. The loan of one million that is in the budget, you certainly don’t need to take. Why? Well, because what the opposition has always accused the Aulner team of doing, namely not working enough, cannot just be dismissed as criticism for the Beissel team. 8.2 million should have been invested in 2018. You managed just over half, namely 4.5 million. You need to be less willing to mess up projects from the previous majority and do more yourself.
Thank you for listening to me for so long. Although we do not vote for the budget, we wish you a happy hand in the organization and execution of the many tasks and wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year in the best of health.