The main points were voted on at the Strasbourg city council

With only 45 points on the agenda and very few important debates, the town council on November 4 looked more relaxed than usual. But several topics – budget cuts, support for Lebanon or welcoming people on the streets like Robertsau – have been governing the intensity of the debates. In addition to the analyzed discussions, the opposition used all the available arsenal (resolutions, questions of current affairs, interjections) against the executive in the second part of the session .

Robertsau cottages

The most discussed was the consideration of the “tiny houses” at Robertsau. In a piece of land that is away from the beginning of rue de la Carpe-Haute, the City wants to acquire five to seven tiny houses for homeless families, for a total cost estimated at €480,000.

If the opposition in principle ensures that it is not hostile to put homeless families in the community, several aspects of the project do not pass: its cost, the public toilets that have been installed outside the houses or lack of clarity by local residents. The subject was accepted with 47 votes against, 6 votes against and 8 voting.

Emergency aid in Lebanon

The executive also put on the table the payment of an amount of €15,000 to help Lebanon, through two associations: €7,500 for the External Action Fund of local authorities and €7,500 for United Cities France.

On paper, there is no doubt that there is a need to help Lebanon: the country is at risk of food shortages and epidemics, since an attack was launched by the Israeli army in the south and the forced the displacement of approximately 1.2 million Lebanese. At least 2,467 people were reportedly killed and nearly 11,000 injured according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

But a common amendment from all the opposition groups was submitted to change the wording of the opinion, replacing the first paragraphs of the opinion and deleting the direct reference to “Israeli attacks”, and it was they prefer to evoke a “humanitarian crisis of magnitude”. In fact, the opposition criticizes the discussion for offending the Jewish State and for the lack of nuance, Gabrielle Rosner-Bloch (LR) goes so far as to mention “anti-Israel pamphlet”.

The amendment is swept aside and the consideration is still adopted unanimously.

Unique social rapport

As every year – it is a legal obligation – a special social report was also given during the session. This document provides statistical data about municipal administration employees and provides an image of its social situation. Between 2022 and 2023, the first deputy Syamak Agha Babaei highlights the increase in wages, the reduction in the pay gap between women and men and a reduction in absence due to normal illness.

Céline Geissmann (PS), however, notes significant gender differences by sector: women represent 93% of medical-social workers, they are 79% in the administrative sector , and men represent 74% of workers in the technical sector, and 71% of those in security… She emphasizes that men are 4.29% better paid than women among civil servants, or even 13.61% better among contract workers.

For Nicolas Matt (Together for the Republic), the relationship is social “Almost copy and paste” of the previous one, making sure that the data is in the document “continues to show agents’ displeasure at work”.

Under the roots, the grapes

The council also took up the consideration of cemeteries. Noting the growth of funeral rites that are supposed to be more concerned with nature, the executive proposes to allow “natural” burials, allowing the person to dead to be buried with “eco-certified” coffins or containers and “tree” burials. bury the ashes at the base of the trees, in a device that allows the “preservation of the root system”. A new charter will set the framework for these new practices (see our article in the archive).

The measure will first be implemented at the beginning of 2025 at West Cemetery, on a 20-acre piece of land, and then it will be extended to other cemeteries. The subject was adopted unanimously with 59 votes in favor.

Territorial agreement for the integration of refugees

The City of Strasbourg has signed a Territorial Agreement for the reception and integration of refugees with the State and the Eurometropolis. In practice, the aim of the agreement is to allow newly arrived refugees to have access to better socio-professional support and training. Above all, refugees registered with the system will benefit from temporary accommodation while they continue. To finance the system, the City will receive a grant of €350,000.

Christmas lights

On a much lighter topic, the town council decided without a vote to discuss Christmas decorations. Even though it’s only the beginning of fall, the specter of Christmas – and over-tourism – is already in the air. The council voted to allocate a subsidy of €320,000 to finance the illumination of the city center by the Vitrines de Strasbourg, the traders’ association that has been taking care of this market for decades.

Did you follow the town council? Tell us in the comments what you learned from the discussions.