He’s angry, Edmond Valette. The mayor of Saules (Saône-et-Loire) and president of SIVOS – the Intercommunal School Union – which runs the comprehensive school in Saint-Boyle, Chenove and Saules, nearly fell out of his chair when he received electricity from EDF in August. invoice: “18,216.80 euros at the beginning of the year, while in 2022 we paid 10,000 euros for the year. As a result, at the end of December we should have 40,000 euros for school. It is impossible to pay and I did not pay. We can’t…” he says, not without emotion in his voice.
Elected in 2001, the former educator campaigned for the PS and CFDT, from which he emerged. Today he is no longer engaged. “I don’t believe in politics anymore. We have no right to force municipalities or schools to pay for electricity profiteering. This is unacceptable,” condemns Edmond Valette. He will not run again in 2026 and therefore will not provide his signature to a candidate in the next presidential election. Without hiding, he said that “last time I signed a contract with Philippe Poutou. I knew Ms. Hidalgo had enough signatures and I still wanted to take part in this moment of democracy.”
“We need a long-term solution”
With the start of the school year, Edmond Valette warned the sub-prefect of Chalon-sur-Saône Olivier Tenturier, the Socialist senator Jerome Duren and the deputy Louis Marguerite (presidential majority). “The deputy challenged the Minister of Economy. I was told that we are going to revise the criteria, in particular for the shock absorber. But this won’t be enough. What I want and need is a long term solution. In small towns we cannot support such increases. We should have about 300 houses in our three municipalities. Therefore, we would have to increase the property tax by 100 euros per person, and even then only if they are all owners,” he complains.
Jean-François Farenz, president of the rural mayors of Saône-et-Loire, is categorical: “Only 10% of elected officials from small towns have raised taxes using the only lever they have: property taxes. Yes, I think we need to protect schools. They are the main lever of public service in the territory where there are city halls. »
The softness of early autumn was appreciated. But this is not enough. “In every class there is a student responsible for ensuring energy conservation,” says Mayor Edmond Valette, who does not want to reduce or eliminate the services provided by SIVOS: education coordinator, philosophy seminar or academic support. not to mention five discussion groups throughout the year with a total cost of between 20,000 and 25,000 euros. “Delete them? This is non-negotiable. » It is planned to cover the roof of the school with photovoltaic panels. “But this will not be enough. »
Jean-Francois Farentz notes: “Since the beginning of the year, about twenty mayors have warned me. We must understand that such an increase with small budgets is impossible to digest. ” Edmond Valette hopes for nothing less than “a strong and responsible government decision for schools in small towns.” »
Regarding EDF, we comment: “If a client is experiencing temporary cash flow difficulties, we are fully prepared to explore payment options to distribute the repayment of this debt. The contract signed as part of the tender is an indexed price contract, which is therefore expected to fall next year due to lower gas and electricity prices. »
Source: Le Parisien
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