Defending rural areas in the face of uncertainty
The Association des Maires Ruraux du Var meets in Cotignac to discuss financial challenges and public services.
In a period marked by "strong uncertainties", elected officials from rural municipalities are mobilizing. The Association des Maires Ruraux du Var (AMR83), chaired by Marjorie Viort, is holding its annual general meeting on Saturday, November 21 in Cotignac.
This meeting will review the difficulties encountered on the ground and define a collective strategy for the coming year.
The president of the AMR83 draws an assessment shared by many mayors: "Rural mayors remain mobilized to meet the needs of their residents and maintain local services. However, they face growing responsibilities and an increasing number of obligations, without having the means to match these demands."
Five priorities for the future of villages
The general meeting is therefore an opportunity to formalize demands around five axes considered priorities. Firstly, local finances, with the aim of preserving the capacity of municipalities to invest and ensure their essential missions.
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Access to healthcare is another concern, to ensure that the place of residence is no longer a barrier to healthcare access. Mobility, essential for access to employment and services, will also be addressed, as will the maintenance of local public services, considered vital for the dynamism of villages.
Finally, rural mayors will ask for regulatory obligations that are better adapted to their realities, and above all accompanied by the human, technical and financial resources necessary for their implementation.
Finances and regulations under debate
Furthermore, part of the discussions will be devoted to analyzing the 2027 finance bill and its impacts on municipal budgets. Concerns regarding a reduction in the Fonds de compensation pour la taxe sur la valeur ajoutée (FCTVA) and the modalities of the progressive contribution of local authorities to the budgetary effort (CPEB) will be closely examined.
Other topics, such as the obligations légales de débroussaillement (OLD), a sensitive issue in Var, will be discussed.
A call for dialogue with the State
Parliamentarians, prefect and sub-prefects, representatives of the Région, the Département and other associations of elected officials have been invited.
For Marjorie Viort, their presence will be "a strong signal of support for rural areas". She insists on the need for "collective work" and "regular dialogue between municipalities, the State, parliamentarians, local authorities and their partners" to build appropriate responses.
The objective is to make the needs of rural territories heard to offer their residents sustainable prospects.
Article from the print edition of La Gazette du Var