This Thursday, December 19, the Rennes Metropolitan Council approved the creation of a financial and fiscal pact. The idea? Distribute the resources allocated to each municipality more equitably. “This document formalizes the financial relations between the metropolis and the 43 municipalities that make it up,” explains Marie Ducamin, vice-president of Rennes Métropole for finance and public procurement. A working group, from all political sides, has been meeting since 2021 to achieve it.”
35.8 million euros in community solidarity allocation
This pact integrates several existing aid mechanisms for municipalities. First, the community solidarity endowment (DSC), “i.e. the money that the metropolis takes from its operating budget and pays back to the municipalities. 10% of operating revenues are allocated to it. » In 2025, this envelope will be 35.8 million euros, or one million euros more than in 2024. “The DSC of the Metropolis is, per inhabitant, by far the highest of French metropolises” , specifies Marie Ducamin.
The Metropolitan Fund for ecological transition and support for municipal investment is also integrated into it. The idea? Help finance municipal facilities, such as gymnasiums, nurseries, schools. An envelope of 7.5 million euros per year is planned until 2026.
“It’s grooming”
Many mayors of the metropolis have been calling for this financial and fiscal pact for a while. The last time last September during the presentation of the report of the Regional Chamber of Accounts to the metropolitan council. The establishment of this financial and fiscal pact should therefore delight them. Well no! The group of independent mayors, which represents eleven municipalities in the agglomeration, decided to abstain during the vote on this deliberation this Thursday. “It is limited to the bare minimum. While the metropolis is strengthening, the gap with the municipalities is widening,” regrets Jean-Pierre Savignac, mayor of Cesson-Sévigné. “It’s grooming,” regrets another mayor. It does not provide elements to reduce inequalities between municipalities.”
According to them, even with this pact, the central city, Rennes, still takes too large a share of the pie. “This pact essentially concerns the DSC. It’s a small part of municipal finances and it doesn’t give us much additional margin. However, the budget of the metropolis is one billion euros.”
“Wealth gaps will always be strong”
What do they want? That this financial and fiscal pact take into account the overall operating grant (DGF), the main operating grant from the State to local authorities. “Not having included it in the pact is regrettable,” said Thierry Le Bihan, mayor of Mordelles. We request that it be added.”
Above all, these elected officials still regret the absence of a territorial project, singled out by the Regional Chamber of Accounts in September. The CRC considers, in its report, that “the absence of a territorial project constitutes a major handicap for its development. “. But on this subject, another mayor recalls that “the president was clear: ‘move around, there’s nothing to see'”.
