On Monday evening, following a quick and uneventful municipal council meeting, the elected officials voted to grant an additional financial aid of 100,000 euros to the association in charge of Pause Guitare.
Passionate debaters, those who enjoy insults or points of contention, please move along. On Monday evening, after a brief two-hour city council meeting, both the majority and opposition approved all 36 items on the agenda.
Many grants have been awarded, including an additional amount for the association Arpèges et Trémolos, which organizes the Pause Guitare festival. While the opposition may have concerns about the funds allocated to the Sporting Club Albigeois (SCA) by the City (an additional 200,000 euros voted during the last municipal council meeting in June), the allocation for Pause Guitare is more widely accepted…
For its 27th edition last July, the festival encountered setbacks: the cancellation of the Friday evening due to unfavorable weather and a ticket sales that did not reach full capacity (52,000 paid entries out of 65,000). As a result, the Arpèges et Trémols association is facing a deficit of 300,000 euros this year.
« It’s always the same old song in September… »
The City has therefore decided to grant additional financial assistance of 100,000 euros, in addition to the 338,000 euros it already provides each year. Marie-Pierre Boucabeille, the elected official in charge of culture, emphasizes the importance of such a festival for the city and its numerous benefits. And the mayor, Stéphanie Guiraud-Chaumeil, adds that « with its values and volunteers, we are not dealing with just any festival. »
The opposition praised the work of the association members, particularly its leader and creator Alain Navarro. Nicole Hibert suggested that the subsidies should be provided by the Agglomération instead of the City. « A topic that remains unresolved, » said the delegate in charge of culture.
The communists were ultimately the most critical, especially André Boudes, who came up with the phrase of the evening: « It’s always the same song in September… We need to help Pause Guitare. But I say that we don’t have enough information, let’s take a step back… Why not set up an audit on the organization. People are telling us, there is a lot for Pause Guitare but not enough for social issues. » While they did not vote against, the Collectif pour Albi and the communists abstained.
Soutien à l’ADM81
If there were any doubts, the City will continue to support one of the region’s most important and iconic festivals. Now, it remains for Pause Guitare to obtain approval from the insurance company for the cancellation of the evening event in 2023.
Without any question or opposition motion, the municipal council concluded with a motion presented by the mayor herself to express support for the association of mayors and local officials of Tarn (ADM81), which is in favor of the Sunday closure of food retail stores with a surface area exceeding 500m2. This motion will also be proposed during the agglomeration council this Tuesday evening.
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