at the Congress of Mayors, the vagueness around the budget is on everyone’s minds

Four months before the municipal elections, the 107th Congress of Mayors began Tuesday in Paris. The political situation, and particularly that of finances, is at the heart of the conversations.

A “purge” for the finances of municipalities: this is what those responsible for the Association of Mayors of France (AMF), which is currently organizing its annual meeting, fear. The Congress of Mayors, the 107th edition of which is being held at Porte de Versailles in Paris, is, as often, a moment of consultation and demands for local elected officials. At the heart of the conversations, this year, the budgetary debates in Parliament.

The elected officials encountered in the aisles assure us: they all keep a worried eye on the debates in the Assembly. “A lot of sadness, a lot of annoyance and a little worry…“, confides Philippe Laurent, UDI mayor of Sceaux, in Hauts-de-Seine, sums up the state of mind of a good number of these colleagues.

It is impossible to know what the State will pay them next year, especially since the Dilico, the Dispositif economic smoothing, will reduce the resources of certain municipalities for the second year in a row. “This smoothing system must contribute to the holes in the national budget… The government’s finance bill has a much greater impact on these same municipalities. So it was suspended by the debates in the National Assembly. Is this going to come back to the Senate?”worries Fabrice Robelet, mayor of Brec’h, in Morbihan. Who slips: “You see, all these uncertainties are tens, hundreds of thousands of euros which are removed from municipal budgets…“

We have all already made operational savings and postponed investments, assure local elected officials. Example: the school will still not be renovated in Saint-Symphorien, in Deux-Sèvres, laments Fabrice Barreault.

“At some point, we have to stop! We are asked to make a lot of effort, to tax ourselves more and more.”

Fabrice Barreault, mayor of Saint-Symphorien

at franceinfo

“And if we cut funding to municipalities, which are the source of investment for our companies, major construction projects, roads… The companies will all end up closing. It’s rather very worrying for our country“, the elected official gets annoyed.

André Laignel, the first vice-president of the Association of Mayors of France agrees: this is at least the fourth year in a row that state payments have fallen. “It’s getting worse and worse! We are faced with both lies by omission from the State and subtractions which endanger the development of all of our communities. Last year, we were told 2.2 billion less. It actually turned out to be seven, upon arrival. This year, we are told 4.6. It’s going to be at least eight!“.

A message that André Laignel will be able to send directly to the Prime Minister, Sébastien Lecornu comes to speak to elected officials on Thursday.