The bill doesn’t add up for him either. Like many local elected officials, Nicolas Lacroix, president of Les Républicains of the Haute-Marne departmental council, denounces the budgetary effort requested from communities. “The cuts announced in the finance bill are direct, unfair and brutal.he told Franceinfo this Monday, October 21. This is why the Haut-Marne elected official announced, during a meeting on Friday October 18, the symbolic sale of several buildings owned by the institution he chairs. “Some will think that it’s communication… It is a bit because you have to cause the electroshock», justified Nicolas Lacroix for whom “weakening our departments means weakening our territories».
“I suggest you sell everything that belongs to us and that we do not occupy, first of all the prefecture”were able to hear the departmental advisors meeting in a permanent committee. “I also suggest that you sell the two sub-prefectures. We have been housing sub-prefects rent-free for too long.”had launched Nicolas Lacroix. In front of his colleagues, he warned of the threat that the finance bill poses to the departmental councils. “More than 80 departments will be in difficulty in 2025”he recalled, emphasizing that Haute-Marne was not spared from this belt tightening. “The announcement made as part of the PLF would cost the department 7.5 million euros […] This is obviously untenable”had estimated the chosen one.
Police stations also up for sale
The department therefore embarked on an estimate of what the sale of the real estate it holds would bring in. “We must find 50 million euros in the coming years”assessed Nicolas Lacroix, justifying himself: “When the State no longer respects us, we have to find solutions.” It is therefore done, by also putting on sale “the courthouse, the judicial tribunal, the residence where the secretary general of the prefecture is housed in Chaumont, the gendarmerie of Chaumont, the gendarmerie of Bologna, that of Chalindrey, Saint-Dizier, Joinville, Nogent, Châteauvillain», Listed the manager on Friday October 18.
“I wanted to make a strong announcement. It was really to alert the French and call them a little witness. I wanted to sound the alarm.”he explained this Monday, while the National Assembly begins the examination of the 2025 budget, which provides for a reduction in the deficit of 60 billion euros, of which five billion euros rests on the communities alone, and 2.2 billion to the departments. “Departments […] are suffering historic asphyxiation desired by the State, leading[…]to the impossibility of meeting their obligations and the risk of finding themselves in suspension of payments by the end of December [}l’impossibilitédefairefaceàleursobligationsetlerisquedeseretrouverd’icilafindécembreencessationdepaiement», Nicolas Lacroix reacted.
“We have more than 20 departments in great difficulty. With these announcements, more than 60 departments will not be able, for some, to complete the 2024 budget and who cannot plan for 2025.he warned. A concern which adds to that expressed by many other local elected officials after the presentation of the finance bill. Angry, the mayor of Verdun threatened to leave his position and proposed a widespread resignation from all local assemblies.
