Cantonal vote of May 18, 2025 an essential issue for the operation of the canton with Moutier

On May 18, the Jura population will have to decide on the temporary neutralization of exceptional financial effects linked to the integration of Moutier for the calculation of the brake on debt. The choice of Jura and Jurassians must make it possible to maintain a certain investment capacity for the next six years. The government therefore recommends that the population accept the object submitted to it.

The integration of the city of Moutier into the canton of the Jura will, provisionally, have two extraordinary financial effects. First of all, it will be a question of investing nearly 10 million francs in the buildings taken up in the canton of Bern as part of the transfer of the city. The sum will be devoted to their sanitation, their upgrading to standards as well as to adaptations to accommodate the services of the cantonal administration which will be deployed in Moutier. Furthermore, due to the absence of a suitable federal legal basis, the Canton of the Jura may not benefit from all of the revenues expected from federal financial equalization (RPT) for six years, while it will assume the charges linked to the provost city from 1^is January 2026. The shortfall (RPT) would be a total of 65 million francs if the procedures currently carried out by the cantonal authorities with the Confederation did not succeed.

Financial rigor maintained
The principle of debt brake will be maintained and will continue to oblige the government and the Parliament to respect the rules for the development and validation of the cantonal budget. The state has to finance at least 80% of its investments with its own income. However, in view of the particular and provisional situation linked to the reception of Moutier, the government and the Parliament offer the population not to take into account the two extraordinary financial elements linked to Moutier in the calculation of the debt brake, the 10 million planned investment and the shortfall of 65 million. The proposal submitted to the vote also provides that these amounts will have to be offset after the exceptional period, from 2032.

The subject of the vote therefore constitutes a major issue for the management and planning of cantonal finances of the coming years. In the event of refusal of the population, the government will have, to respect the rules of debt brake, imagine, in parallel with the reception of the municipality of Moutier, income or additional economy measures. The submitted proposal guarantees a quality reception of the city of Moutier while preserving the financial stability of the canton.

The government and the parliament therefore recommend Jurassian citizens to vote yes on May 18 to the object submitted to them.