The Departmental Assembly, in its last session before the summer holidays, approved the accounts for the fiscal year 2013, which show expenses of 1,317,053,468 euros and revenues of 1,318,376,109 euros (a decrease of 78.7 million euros over two years in terms of transfer duties).
This drop in revenue required considerable efforts in controlling operating costs (-19.1 million euros) and above all a reduction in investments, down to 150.3 million euros in 2013 compared to 250.1 in the previous year.
In this respect, the largest expenses (508.5 million euros) go to social action, which is and will remain the priority delegation of departmental policy: aid for the elderly, RSA; child and family assistance; aid for people with disabilities are items that require no explanation.
Finally, the debt is at a level that requires a lot of attention, both due to its volume (879.5 million euros) and the requirement of its financing (80 million euros in loans against 54.1 in repayments).
The financing rates offered by the markets provide relative peace of mind regarding the impact on budget policy, but it is clear that a reversal of the trend would necessitate sounding the alarm.
The second budgetary item is territorial planning and development, which absorbs 231.5 million euros.
A second point was the subject of discussion, concerning the territorial reform announced by the President of the Republic, currently under parliamentary discussion after the government has clarified its content.
In simple terms, the General Councils, already recipients of a new division of the cantons and the obligation of gender parity which will be elected in pairs during the next elections in December 2015, will lose the general competence clause, before considering their disappearance by 2020, with regional councils and metropolis or intercommunalities inheriting competencies in a shared manner.
While discussion is always an exercise of intellectual freedom, the utility of this one is difficult to understand. It is evident that the current elected officials, from all political backgrounds, are not in favor of suppressing a public office where they sit.
In fact, the reform of local authorities is a matter for the State, through its democratic representation in the National Assembly and the Senate of the Republic. In these chambers, the deputies and senators who represent the sovereignty of the people will discuss and deliberate.
Moreover, the President of the General Council, Eric Ciotti, who is so critical in his remarks towards the President of the Republic and the Government, being a deputy will have the opportunity to express himself.
Discussing this out of context means being off-topic. This was the case yesterday, and the elected officials present and speaking agreed with their colleague Jean-Raymond Vinciguerra, who advocated the risk that “the reform of the administrative layer cake could become a cream pie.”
In a certain way, the pastry metaphor has already materialized in reality!
