Rapports de séance

Publié le 19.12.2024 à 11:18

Rapport de séance du 24 octobre 2024

Meeting of Leudelange Municipal Council held on 24 October 2024

Leudelange gets a pharmacy

Agenda:

1. Approval of the agenda

Approved

2. Announcements from the College of the Mayor and Aldermen

3. Licence for a pharmacy for the Municipality of Leudelange

Declaration by the local authority (Municipal Council)

4. Engineering contract for the design of the Rue Jean Fischbach container park

Approved

5. Redevelopment of the Rue de la Montée

Approval of the estimate

6. Consultations on the Nature Pact

a) Specifications for promoting sustainable food in the Leudelange municipal canteens as part of the Nature Pact

b) Compliance checklist for future municipal building projects

c) Checklist for the conformity of partial development plans and building permits for major projects

d) Concept for reducing light pollution in the interests of wildlife protection

e) Forest resilience

f) Watertight or partially watertight zones in new residential areas (SDP)

g) Support for the elimination of gravel gardens

7. Budget amendments

a) Article 4/121/221100/13001, land

b) Article 4/121/221311/22001, acquisition of new buildings

c) Article 4/411/221313/99024, dirt paths (projects)

d) Article 3/121/615100/99003, catalogues, publications, leaflets

e) Article 3/121/615100/99004, communication costs

f) Article 3/860/612200/99001, dirt paths (minor maintenance)

g) Article 3/412/648258/99001, salaries of forest wardens

h) Article 3/411/612180/99001, operating costs of music courses

i) Article 3/860/615241/99001, receptions, public events

8. Flood protection installations

Approval of agreements

a) Agreement on several parcels, Akerheck, Bowent and Op der Uecht

b) Parcel of land agreement 92/7572

c) Parcel of land agreement 144/6641

9. “White Night” tariff

New determination

10. Entertainment tax

Abolition of site fees for local fairs

11.OSCM

Approval agreement 2024

12. Services for seniors, neighbourhood services

Setting tariffs

13. Municipal Consultative Committees

a) Resignation of two members of the Equal Opportunities Commission

b) Appointment of a member of the Equal Opportunities Commission

c) Resignation of a member of the Cultural Commission

14. Staff matters

Creation of a post in salary grade D-1, for a “Municipal officer”

Discussion (in closed session)

Decision (in public session)

15. Staff matters

Creation of a post for an employee with the intellectual tasks (m/f/d), fixed-term contract, with a master's degree/diploma

Discussion (in closed session)

Decision (in public session)

16. Staff matters (in closed session)

Appointment to a post in category B-1

17. List of applications for a right of pre-emption

a) Discussion (in closed session)

b) Decision (in public session)

Present:

Lou Linster (Mayor), Vanessa Demoling-Baldassarri (Alderman)

Patrick Calmus, Denise Conrardy-Copette, Nathalie Entringer, Marcel Jakobs, Sandrine Pompidou

Marc Thill (Municipal Secretary)

Absent (excused): Jean-Pierre Roemen (Alderman), Councillor Philippe Wilmes

At the start of the meeting, Mayor Lou Linster introduces two new employees:

Mark Thomas has been working for the “Ecological Service” of the Municipality of Leudelange since 19 August.

Since 15 September, Ricardo Aleixo has been working at the municipal “Biergerzenter”, where he carries out all the necessary tasks.

1. Approval of the agenda

The Mayor announces some amendments to the original agenda:

Given that the Ministry of the Interior Financial Control considers that the costs of major works on dirt paths should be recorded in the extraordinary budget rather than the ordinary budget, item 7 of the agenda (budget amendments) has been amended and completed accordingly. The costs of catalogues, publications and leaflets are now also taken into account at this stage. Agenda items 14 and 15 will be discussed in closed session, as required by the legislature; decisions will be announced in public session.

The agenda is approved by all councils.

2. Announcements from the College of the Mayor and Aldermen

Mayor Linster announces that on 4 November, phase II of the new “Faarwekëscht” school will open its doors to primary school pupils and children cared for in the Day Care Centre. During the month, the lower part of the school playground will be ready for use. This year's “Dag vum Bam” will take place on 16 November. Work on the roof of the pétanque court began a week and a half ago and is almost complete. The damaged wooden beams around the court are also being replaced. Work has also started on the new container park opposite “Peintures” in the “Am Bann” business park. Work on the “Pëssendall” site is making good progress: the road surface has been laid and the pavement will also be completed shortly. For weather reasons, the surface of the Rue de la Gare will not be laid until the spring of next year, in collaboration with the road construction authority. Dr Christiane Beck will become a general practitioner in the LaLux buildings. Within this context, Mayor Linster thanks Municipal Councillor Dr Philippe Wilmes for his help in finding a location. In 2025, a dermatologist and a cardiologist will also open their practices in the same building. The ultimate aim is for the new doctors to set up practice in the “Medical Centre” which the Municipal Council wants to create on the Place du Lavoir.

3. Licence for the pharmacy for the Municipality of Leudelange

The Mayor points out that the municipal administration has been actively trying to obtain a pharmacy licence as part of the “Shared Space” project, and sent a letter to Health Minister Martine Deprez in the middle of the year. The letter states that they only want this concession from 2028, when the new building on the Place du Lavoir is completed. Lou Linster points out that under no circumstances should a pharmacy be opened in the business park. On the one hand, there are not yet enough doctors in Leudelange to make such a site attractive for pharmaceutical activity, and on the other hand, such a solution would add nothing to the life of the community. The Minister has confirmed her intention to grant a concession, and I thank her for that, says Lou Linster.

So far, five doctors and four physiotherapists have expressed an interest in setting up a branch at the Medical Centre. The building will provide space for twelve health practices.

Councillor Sandrine Pompidou welcomes the progress made on the Medical Centre and the pharmacy. This is good news, as residents often have questions about such facilities.

All the Councillors agree that an official letter will be written to the Ministry of Health requesting the granting of a pharmacy licence, but only for 2028 or 2029, depending on the progress of work on the new shared space.

4. Engineering contract for the design of the Rue Jean Fischbach container park

Approved

The College of the Mayor and Aldermen submits to the Municipal Council the engineering contract for the planning of the new container park. The fee is approximately € 50,000.

The engineering contract is unanimously approved.

5. Redevelopment of the Rue de la Montée

Approval of the estimate

By way of introduction, the Mayor reminds the audience that the redevelopment of the Rue de la Montée is a major project costing around € 6.15 million. This sum will not only finance the work on Rue de la Montée, but also the work at the intersection of the Rue de la Montée / Rue de Luxembourg / Al Strooss. They also want to narrow the lane on the Rue de la Montée to 5.5 metres. The Rue de la Montée and Al Strooss have been given crossings, which will benefit local residents. Improvements are also planned for the Domaine Op Hals, where some houses are often flooded during heavy rainfall because the channel is too small. In addition, a new channel will be built in the Rue des Prés, and the road surface in the Rue du Cimetière will be renewed and traffic calming measures introduced. According to Lou Linster, the “Rue de la Montée” major project is designed with the citizens of Leudelange in three workshops.

Philip Huberty of Schroeder & Associés then presents the project in detail to the Municipal Councillors. The real trigger for the project was the situation with the channel system in the Rue de la Montée, where heavy rainfall caused water to back up into the channel, and thus back up into the basements of residents. Having worked out two possible solutions, the final approach now calls for the existing channel in the Rue de la Montée to be widened and led via the Rue des Prés to the green spaces as far as the stormwater spillway. In addition, a new rainwater channel will be built and the entire length of the drinking water pipe (580 metres) will also be replaced. The backwater problems at the Domaine Op Hals will also be resolved by adjusting the connection to the Rue de la Montée to reduce the speed at which water flows down the Rue de la Montée. In total, the project will involve laying 610 metres of storm sewer and 680 metres of combined sewer, including street resurfacing and replacing more than 600 square metres of asphalt and 350 square metres of pavement.

As for the road renovation itself, in order to calm traffic, it is planned to narrow the carriageway either by widening pavements or by staggering parking spaces so that it is not possible for two vehicles to use the carriageway in parallel at the same time. At the intersection of the Rue de la Montée and the Rue de Luxembourg, crossings are designed to ensure pedestrian safety. With this type of pavement, a slight incline slows vehicles down. In addition, the pedestrian crossings in the Rue de Luxembourg will be adapted for people with reduced mobility, and the street lighting will now also meet the needs of the visually impaired.

Philip Huberty concludes that the necessary authorisations and subsidies will be obtained in November, and that the calls for tender will be prepared in the spring. The storm sewer will be subsidised up to 33% by the State. Work could start in September 2025 and will take 36 months to complete.

Councillor Marcel Jakobs is delighted that this major project is finally getting under way. Flooding has been a problem for local residents for a very long time.

Councillor Denise Conrardy-Copette asks about possible road closures and diversions during the works. The answer is that temporary restrictions on through traffic are unavoidable, but efforts are being made to regulate traffic with traffic lights. In all cases, residents are guaranteed to be able to return home at any time.

Mayor Lou Linster has indicated that the channel in the lower part of the cemetery will be diverted to run under the car park to ensure that the cemetery can be expanded in the medium term. LED streetlights are also planned for the Domaine Op Hals, the Rue de la Montée and the Rue du Cimetière.

6. Consultations on the Nature Pact

a) Specifications for promoting sustainable food in the Leudelange municipal canteens as part of the Nature Pact

b) Compliance checklist for future municipal building projects

c) Checklist for the conformity of partial development plans and building permits for major projects

d) Concept for reducing light pollution in the interests of wildlife protection

e) Forest resilience

f) Watertight or partially watertight zones in new residential areas (SDP)

g) Support for the removal of gravel gardens

Councillor Nathalie Entringer, chair of the Nature Pact Committee and the Municipality's representative on the SICONA nature protection association, explains the measures planned to the Municipal Council. Leudelange has been a member of the Nature Pact since 2022 and currently has a basic certification of 40 per cent . The aim is to reach 50 per cent by the end of 2024, says the Mayor. To this end, training courses have been organised for municipal staff and all areas accessible to the public in the residential zone have been listed. In order to increase the quotas of the nature park further, they want to commit to devoting more than 50 per cent of the financial resources for food used in the Day Care Centre to organic products each year, in line with the objectives of the “Enjoy Nature” campaign. Checklists should be created for future municipal buildings to ensure that environmentally-friendly aspects are included in building permits and when drawing up partial development plans, such as greening roofs where photovoltaic installations are not planned. They also want to reduce light pollution significantly in the Municipality to protect insects and bats. The unsealed areas of the implantation area must be preserved, which is why it is proposed that the new partial development plan should stipulate that at least 20 per cent of the total area should remain unsealed. The aim is to address the problem of gravel gardens by awarding premiums if residents have their existing gravel garden unsealed or if new buildings do not have gravel garden areas. A long-term management and cultivation plan is proposed for the municipal woodlands, which includes the preservation of old trees to encourage natural regeneration. In collaboration with the forestry administration, the felling age has been set at 220 years for beech and 260 years for oak.

Councillor Patrick Calmus is pleased that these conservation measures, which have been discussed for years, are finally being addressed under the current municipal leadership.

Councillor Sandrine Pompidou warns that safety must not be ignored in the fight against light pollution. Councillor Nathalie Entringer replies that we are aware of this. The current streetlights are therefore designed to avoid light pollution while providing reliable lighting for streets and pavements. Mayor Linster adds that they do not want to create “dark corners” and that there are no plans to switch off street lighting for hours at night, as is the case in some other municipalities.

During a discussion on the amount of grants for not having gravel gardens, it was decided that a grant of € 250 would be awarded for the creation of a gravel-free front garden of at least three square metres. A grant of € 500 will be awarded for the removal of an existing gravel area of at least three square metres. The latter amount is doubled if at least 50 per cent of the total area of the front garden is converted to gravel-free land. The total area includes the entire front garden, including the front door area.

The proposals concerning the Nature Pact are unanimously approved

7. Budget amendments

a) Article 4/121/221100/13001, land

b) Article 4/121/221311/22001, acquisition of new buildings

c) Article 4/411/221313/99024, dirt paths (projects)

d) Article 3/121/615100/99003, catalogues, publications, leaflets

e) Article 3/121/615100/99004, communication costs

f) Article 3/860/612200/99001, dirt paths (minor maintenance)

g) Article 3/412/648258/99001, salaries of forest wardens

h) Article 3/411/612180/99001, operating costs of music courses

i) Article 3/860/615241/99001, receptions, public events

The budget item for catalogues, publications and leaflets had to be increased by € 10,000, although the costs were saved by the Municipality itself printing and distributing the leaflets online. According to Mayor Linster, an increase of € 27,000 in the “Communication” item is explained by the fact that the printing costs of the “Gemengebuet” were initially reduced, but that the translation costs for the German and English versions are included. In accordance with the instructions from the Ministry of the Interior already mentioned, a new item in the extraordinary budget (€ 250,000) has been created for projects relating to country paths, while € 20,000 is reserved for minor maintenance work in the ordinary budget. The increases in “Forest warden salaries” and the “Music school” are due to late invoices from the previous year. According to the changes, an additional € 1,000,000 will be estimated for the purchase of new properties; in return, the “acquisition of new buildings” item will be reduced by the same amount. Due to additional expenditure on community events such as public visits, flea markets and an enlarged fair, the corresponding budget item has been increased by € 52,000.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the Municipality still has € 174,000 in bonuses, says the Mayor, which covers increases in budget items. None of the bonds has yet had to be used this year.

Councillor Denise Conrardy-Copette asks whether these changes would also be reflected in the multi-year budget. The Mayor replies that they will not, but in the corrected budget. They want to avoid including reserves everywhere which would not ultimately be necessary, but want to be more precise in future.

All the proposed budget changes are unanimously approved.

8. Flood protection installations

Approval of agreements

a) Agreement on several parcels, Akerheck, Bowent and Op der Uecht

b) Parcel of land agreement 92/7572

c) Parcel of land agreement 144/6641

The agreements with landowners concerning the implementation of flood protection measures are unanimously approved.

9. “White Night” tariff

New determination

10. Entertainment tax

Abolition of site fees for local fairs

According to Mayor Linster, both the “White Night” fee and the entertainment tax are not defined by law, but are subject to municipal fiscal autonomy. The “White Night” fee is € 15, as is the entertainment tax. The College of the Mayor and Aldermen would like to increase the price of “White Nights” to € 60. The entertainment tax will no longer apply in future, nor will parking fees for stands at the Leudelange Fair. There are no charges for events organised by local clubs.

Councillor Marcel Jakobs asks whether the fairground stallholders at the local fair are paid by the Municipality. The Mayor replies that this is not the case; they only have free electricity and water. The Municipality is delighted with the public service provided by the fairground stallholders, but also by the food trucks and other mobile phone providers.

The Councillors unanimously approve the new “White Night” rate, as well as the abolition of the entertainment tax and the parking rate for the local fair.

11.OSCM

Approval of 2024 agreement

The agreement with the Social Office for 2024 is approved with no dissenting votes.

12. Services for seniors, neighbourhood services

Setting tariffs

From 1 January 2025, the Municipality will also offer a gardening service for the over-60s and the disabled, in addition to snow clearance and minor repairs. To this end, an agreement has been reached with Solina Aarbechtshëllef asbl, which will take over both gardening and minor repairs for the aforementioned group of people from the former service provider ProActif. ProActif will continue its work in the Municipality.

The rate for using the services has been set at € 17 per hour, with a maximum of eight hours per month. For use beyond this maximum number of hours, an hourly rate of approximately € 25 must be paid. The new rates apply from 1 January 2025.

Questioned by Councillor Patrick Calmus, Mayor Linster points out that the services can be used by people with both physical and mental disabilities.

13. Municipal Consultative Committees

a) Resignation of two members of the Equal Opportunities Committee

b) Appointment of a member of the Equal Opportunities Committee

c) Resignation of a member of the Cultural Committee

Alderman Vanessa Demoling-Baldassarri reports that two members of the Equal Opportunities Committee have resigned, while one person has applied to become a member of the Committee following an advertisement. A member of the Cultural Committee has also resigned.

The two resignations and the appointment are accepted with no dissenting votes.

14. Staff matters

Creation of a position in salary grade D-1, “Municipal Officer”

Discussion (in closed session)

The creation of a law enforcement officer position is under discussion.

Decision (in public session)

All the Municipal Councillors agree to the creation of a second law enforcement officer post.

15. Staff matters

Creation of a post for an employee with intellectual tasks (m/f/d), on a permanent contract, with a master's degree/diploma

Discussion (in closed session)

Decision (in public session)

All members of the Council approve the creation of a permanent post with a Master's degree.