France/ Pays de Nexon: the community of communes wipes out 27,000 euros of household waste collection debts

The financial authorities have cleared 27,000 euros of debt for households in difficulty in the Pays de Nexon-Monts de Châlus community of communes. This concerns households that have not paid their household waste collection fees. But this has consequences for the local authority.

27,000 euros. The Pays de Nexon-Monts de Châlus community of communes will have to deduct this sum from its budget this year. After taking stock of unpaid household waste collection charges over the last 10 years, the financial authorities have decided to write off the debts of certain households in difficulty and over-indebted. This decision has consequences for the community, and in particular for the household waste management budget.

It'sa complicated budget to draw up every year," explains Christian Desroche, vice-president in charge of the environment and waste management. We'd like to have these 27,000 euros to balance the books".

Yet the commune's total budget stands at 8 million euros, of which 1.5 million euros are dedicated to waste. "It' s true that 27,000 euros doesn't sound much, but the budget is so tight that we're still short", says Christian Desroche.

180 euros per year

In the communauté de communes, the annual fee is around 180 euros, and this amount has already been increased several times. If we fall short by 27,000 euros, it will be carried over to the following year," deplores Christian Desroche, " and we'll be forced to increase the fee.

This situation can be explained by the growing financial difficulties of households, particularly in the face of rising energy prices. This inflation is also taking its toll on local authorities. " Our operating expenses are rising, while our revenue is stagnating or even falling", explains Jean-Marie Massy, Vice President in charge of Finance. In particular, he fears a drop in funding from the French government. This 27,000 euro drop in revenue does not make things any easier for the community, which has already had to borrow this year.

Source: www.francebleu.fr/