For centuries, residents of Auboranges have had to comply with municipal chores, whether cleaning sewer manholes or maintaining forest trails. But since the town is merging next year, Saturday was the last day of chores.
It is in the morning that each person discovers the chore that has been assigned to them. On this Saturday, November 2, around fifty residents of Auboranges came to fulfill this duty one last time.
Because in this Friborg locality in the Glâne district, these chores are listed in the municipal regulations: they must be performed once a year, on Saturday, in the fall. And the Municipal Council “sets the date and announces it at least ten days in advance by an entire household and by poster on the public pillar”, specifies the document updated in December 2005.
“Since the dawn of time”
“It’s a tradition which has existed since almost the dawn of time! Our Council and the previous Councils wanted to keep it”, explains the trustee, Christophe Jaccoud, at the microphone of RTS. “It is an obligation that every citizen who lives in the commune of Auboranges must provide six hours of time per household for municipal works.” People receiving an AVS or AI pension are exempt from these tasks.
Some 60% of the population responded; absent people will have to pay a replacement contribution of 150 francs to the municipality, or 25 francs per hour of chores not carried out. The amount is collected at the same time as other municipal taxes.
A saving estimated at nearly 20,000 francs
A resident who has been participating in this joint work for thirty-five years: “When we were 16-17 years old, it was a lot of physical work: there were a lot of gargoyles, a lot of gullies, we worked a lot with the cutter” . Others are happy with this meeting: “We who do not come from the region at all, it allowed us to get to know the people of the village and to make ourselves known too”, explains this young woman: “If we chose to come to a small village, it’s also for this community spirit.” The one with whom she works today adds: “I find it cool: we see people that we don’t see all the time in the village.”
Planting the snow stakes is the most demanding chore and it would take the municipal employee a week to complete it. Thanks to the efforts of its citizens, the small town has been able to save nearly 20,000 francs each year.
The tradition of corvées will be abandoned in 2025, because Auboranges merges with Chapelle, Ecublens and Rue on January 1.
TV Reportage: Marion Tinguely, Carlos De La Iglesia
Web article: Stéphanie Jaquet
Swiss
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