Tatiana Geiselmann (on site), edited by Solène Leroux 6:34 a.m., March 26, 2022, modified at 6:35 a.m., March 26, 2022

Following soaring energy prices, the gas and electricity bills of some municipalities in France have already doubled or even tripled.

To compensate, it is therefore necessary to save money: road works postponed, municipal officials not replaced.

Local communities appeal to the government.

The rise in energy prices spares no one: companies, individuals, but also municipalities, everyone is concerned.

And if the government has announced support measures for households and companies, thanks to its resilience plan – in particular an 18 cent rebate on petrol from April 1 and subsidies for companies whose energy expenditure represents more 3% of the budget – nothing is provided for local authorities.

However, for them too, the bill is rising.

>> Find Europe morning weekend - 6-8 in podcast and replay here

Gas bills doubled

In Alsace, in the Bas-Rhin, the municipality of Wissembourg will have to double its heating budget.

"Last year, we had 440,000 euros in energy costs, for electricity and gas; this year, we have gone to 800,000 euros", details mayor Sandra Fischer-Junck.

It must be said that 80% of the city's facilities depend on gas: the six schools, the three gymnasiums, the cultural center and the town hall.

Lower in the department, in Marlenheim, the observation is the same: while energy expenditure amounted to 178,000 euros in 2020, the estimated budget now expects 372,000 euros, or almost double.

The mayor of the town, Daniel Fischer, must therefore compensate for this 200,000 euro hole in the budget.

"We had planned a hiring at the town hall, we will not do it; we have planned to repaint two classrooms, we will only do one", lists the city councilor.

"And we had also planned the repair of the skatepark, it was a request from the youth council, but it will have to be postponed."

Solar panels on school roofs

The mayor expects to make people disappointed, and this is indeed the case.

Barely arrived at the foot of the city skatepark, he is challenged by Solis, 10 years old: "Are you going to change the ramps of the city stadium?"

“Not this summer unfortunately”, replies the elected official, who nevertheless undertakes to start this renovation next year.

To bail out the coffers of his municipality a little, the city councilor is looking for solutions to be less dependent on gas.

In particular, he wants to turn to greener energies.

"Whatever the cost, we will put photovoltaic panels on the courtyard of the primary school", specifies the Alsatian.

The same decision was made in the neighboring village of Stutzheim-Offenheim.

Here, it is the price of electricity that has soared.

24,000 euros to heat the primary school in January 2022, against 8,000 euros in January 2021. A bill multiplied by three, which the city councilor hopes to reduce to zero, once the solar panels are installed.