Eure-et-Loire: the city of Leo reduces taxes for the 10th year in a row!

Lev, a city of 7,000 inhabitants in the Eure-et-Loire region, voted on February 15, 2024 to reduce its local tax rate for the tenth year in a row. This regular reduction of 0.5% each year applies to property taxes on buildings, undeveloped properties, and housing taxes on second homes. “In financial terms, this means an average saving of about 100 euros per family per year,” says the mayor.

“We started a policy of cutting operating costs as soon as we came to power,” proudly states Rémy Martial, mayor of Leva, to explain this amazing and rare longevity of tax cuts in his municipality.

First among the ingredients that made it possible to achieve this result is the saving of 200,000 euros per year on the school canteen. Previously, city residents cooked their own food. This service is now provided by the central kitchen of the Chartres Métropole. According to the mayor, this choice made it possible to maintain affordable food prices for families in the face of rising production costs. On average 5 euros for lunch compared to 12 euros in the neighboring town of Chartainvilliers.

30 positions of municipal employees were abolished

Another element of the response put forward by elected officials is reducing the size of municipal buildings. For example, the CCAS building disappeared to consolidate the town hall building, but also made way for the old Blue Cedar Daycare building, used as a recreation center and for after-school activities. “By reducing the footprint of municipal buildings and modernizing our infrastructure, we have optimized our resources while improving our energy efficiency,” such as at the primary school and town hall, which underwent significant work under his mandate.

The mayor tells us he made difficult decisions. “Of course, we faced opposition, but we always acted in the common interest, explaining our decisions and showing concrete results of our actions. » Decisions that led to an elected official eliminating 30 municipal agent positions in 10 years, which today have grown from 110 to 80. The opposition within the municipal council has a different view of the situation. According to Marie-Josée Guillet, the mayor’s proposed tax cuts should be treated with caution.

Towards the end of the recession

“Minority elected representatives voted to reduce local tax rates by 0.50% to mitigate the +3.9% rental base reassessment set by the state,” she explains. “In reality, the annual contribution of landowners for the municipal part will increase by 3.5%. » It also highlights the introduction of a new 7.5% surtax for the CHART-METROPOL budget, which was voted in favor in 2022 by the community’s elected officials on Mayor Lev’s slate. This measure, she said, has a significant impact on the purchasing power of households, thereby contradicting the idea of ​​tax cuts. “The bottom line is that the reality is a significant increase in taxes,” she concludes.

Regarding municipal spending, Marie-Josée Guillet also expresses her concerns, stating: “We opposed the budget of the city of Lev because we want to focus most of the operating expenses on serving the residents of Lev who need support, mainly children and the elderly. ; lunch delivery and digital support, theater and music events in schools, expansion of library activities and opening hours. »

However, Levoy’s financial success story must come to an end. “We may have to reconsider our tax policies in the future, but one thing is for sure: we do not want to increase taxes on our citizens. “says Mayor Leva.