Montauban. Éric Bénech: “Nothing for the world after”

As the last deliberation of the evening, the mayor presented the orientation of his 2021 budget. “In an unprecedented macroeconomic context, the French government’s finance bill is built around a recovery plan of 100 billion d ‘euros with the ambition to return to the pre-crisis level in two years. At Castelsarrasin, we have chosen to maintain our management. As in previous years, the loss of State revenue will be offset by savings, without loss of quality of service and with a stable level of taxes, ”he announced. “Between 2014 and 2019, the town lost 4 million euros in state grants. 80% of taxpayers no longer pay housing tax, it will be in 2023 for the others. If the state has planned offsets, he built his 2021 budget on the assumption of 8% growth. If it is lower, there will be changes. Fortunately, our debt is below average, which allows us to continue our investments. By 2026, 6 million euros will be invested every year. In 2021, they will be used to continue the construction of the Ducau school group, the creation of the childhood-youth center, the renovation of the organs of Saint “Savior, the accessibility works of municipal buildings. The increase in operating costs remains limited to 1.3%,” he detailed. Figures that his opponents have not read in the same way. André Angles took the floor, returning to his usual battle horses. “The amount of revenue is growing less quickly than the increase in expenditure. The weight of the wage bill, with in particular + € 170,000 in 2021 compared to 2020, weighs on the budget despite the savings that should have been generated by the pooling of services with the community of communes. During your first mandate, you benefited from a financial windfall, we see that you will finance the second by borrowing, while the current economic crisis is causing uncertainties, “he noted.

“You ran a city of 13,000 people like a city of 5,000. You increased taxes by 12% without ever investing, with the sole aim of building a pot. We did a simple upgrade. You had an expense per inhabitant of € 945, it is € 954 today. Our choices have been validated by the Castelsarrasinois and the investments are compatible with the capacities of the municipality, ”replied the mayor. Eric Benech, for his part, tried to put the situation into perspective. “You spend less than the others because you have less revenue. When you speak of a stratum at the level of the department, what are the other comparable towns? There is only Moissac. It is at the regional or even national level that you have to compare. And then you realize that the investments are far below the average. The 1st containment showed that it was necessary to prepare the “world after”. However, you have not presented any action in direction of agriculture, the sustainability of short circuits. Yet many communities are committed to it. The same goes for the attractiveness of Castelsarrasin. Where are the measures to attract executives who leave the cities, such as coworking spaces? also spoke of the stimulus plan. 5 million euros will be devoted to Tarn-et-Garonne, Castelsarrasin has not presented any project, “he criticized.

“Coworking spaces are a competence of the community of municipalities. 4 projects have already been launched in the territory. The projects of the recovery plan will also be distributed over the municipalities of Terres des Confluences. Castelsarrasin is the largest municipality in the region. intermunicipal, we will reap the benefits, “defended Jean-Philippe Bésiers.

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