Difficult to navigate. But the community of communes of Plateau Picard must unify its water prices. The community council held in Ravenel on Thursday, December 19 was to validate the system which was to achieve this objective little by little. A majority finally approved the deliberation, not without a lengthy debate lasting more than an hour, with some of the recalcitrant elected officials.
However, the president of the community of communes Olivier De Beule tried to reassure elected officials. “We are proposing a smoothing of prices across the entire territory, over a period of ten years,” explains the man who serves as mayor of Gannes. “We have forecast wise estimates, with consumption falling and population increasing.” And to put forward his argument, which was to thwart the opposition. “We propose to return to this deliberation each year, to adjust if necessary the amount of smoothing, but also the duration.”
Mayors demand postponement of vote
But for a few elected officials from Plateau Picard, the deliberation is a little dry. Many fear an increase in the price of water… “We have to think about all the increases that residents will experience,” comments Francis Soetaert, mayor of Tricot. “We should certainly extend the smoothing period, citizens are not going to be happy with the increase in the price of water,” agrees Xavier Matte, mayor of Sains-Morainvillers.
The mayor of Valescourt Jean-Pierre-Gourdou is more offensive. He launches into a flood of figures after denouncing “a lack of consultation.” The elected official adds: “We have already discussed it within the municipal council and we voted against.” The delegate finally requests a secret ballot. Which was rejected.
Other mayors are also asking for a postponement, if only to take the time to discuss it in their own municipal council. “I don’t see what that will change,” retorts Olivier De Beule. The president recalls that from now on, this is an intermunicipal competence.
Why is it complicated?
The Picard Plateau has only regained water (and sanitation) competence in recent years. Before that, the situation was somewhat complicated. This, with six different water unions and 14 municipalities managing the service.
To make matters worse, each of these structures then used different management systems. Nine of them therefore used a management company, while the others delegated operations to a private company. Fatally, this resulted in so many different prices. Both for the fixed part and for the fee per m3. The first varies “between 24 and 65 euros”, while the second ranges “between 1.48 and 4.17 euros.”
More exceptions to the rule
The community of communes initially chose to keep its divisions. And, at the end of the community council, chose to keep them in its accounts. But Olivier De Beule could apply to his taps this maxim attributed to General de Gaulle: “How do you want to govern a country which has 250 varieties of cheese?
Because, inevitably, smoothing risks leading to a substantial increase in water prices. The Plateau Picard intends to set, by 2034-2035, the fixed part at 90 euros and the variable part at 2.58 euros. While granting exceptions to structures and communities which have carried out structural work. And by promising not to implement a single management method across the entire territory. Which would nevertheless have the merit of making things clearer… like crystal water.
