“It’s a poutinade from the town hall of Saint-Pierre-de-Rivière”: Brassac stands up against the annexation of part of its territory

This Tuesday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m., a public information meeting was held in Brassac, resembling a war council. The reason? The municipality of Saint-Pierre-de-Rivière wishes to modify the municipal boundaries of Brassac. A redistribution which will have the direct consequence of the annexation of part of Brassacois lands. Enough to spark a general outcry.

“I do not want to create controversy. The aim of the public inquiry is to demarcate two municipalities, it is far from being a simple view of the mind. The rugby field, the multi-purpose hall, the changing rooms, the clubhouse, toilets, rental accommodation, etc. are located in the commune of Brassac while they belong to the commune of Saint-Pierre-de-Rivière”, explains Véronique Rumeau, the mayor of Saint-Pierre-de-Rivière. de-Rivière. de-Rivière since 2020.

A bell tower quarrel

A request for regulation considered as an aberration by the people of Brassac. “This is our territory! The natural limits of the commune extend from the crests of the Rocher de Batail to the Arget. It’s been like this for centuries and there is no reason for it to change” , proclaims Morgane, resident of the town and municipal councilor.

This legal imbroglio, which dates back to the 1970s, concerns two plots of land covering almost 1.3 hectares. “These are the heirs of a local farmer who sold his land after his death. Part of it was sold to Saint-Pierre-de-Rivière and the other to a developer,” recalls a resident of Brassac. If at the beginning good understanding and mutual aid reigned, discord gradually crept in. “There are old conflicts that have arisen between the communes since the former municipality. The mayor of Brassac, for political reasons, was excluded from local agreements,” testifies a local resident. As a result, this parochial quarrel today takes on the appearance of a Russian-Ukrainian conflict, minus the drones and tanks.

“It’s a poutinade”

“It’s a nonsense from the town hall of Saint-Pierre-de-Rivière. It wants to annex territories that do not belong to it for crazy reasons,” says Francis, a Brassacois, indignant. An opinion shared by other residents of the town. “Putin is emulating with Ukraine, here it is an elected official who claims to usurp a piece of Brassac for her benefit. It is a recurring attempt at intrusion, the former mayor of Saint-Pierre-de-Rivière s This is also being tried and there, today, we are doing it again by asking for help from the prefect to put this claim back on the agenda,” agrees another resident.

“The only thing I want is to resolve this legal problem to simplify the reading of this space, because it nevertheless poses several difficulties for us on a daily basis such as when implementing decrees,” said the councilor. Indeed, the municipality of Saint-Pierre-de-Rivière ensures the entire management of this area: incivility, public lighting, parking regulations, monitoring of natural risks, etc.

“I don’t steal anything from anyone.”

“This results in risks and charges, and therefore responsibilities for the municipality and the elected officials in place. We pay 2,300 euros in property tax like any individual. But this does not give us all the powers. that mayor, I cannot ensure the entire management of this space. It is not at all a whim and I am not stealing anything from anyone. This problem must be resolved before a serious incident happens. holds. to remind the mayor.

However, according to Laurence Degraves, the mayor of Brassac, the town of Saint-Pierre-de-Rivière has at no time been slowed down in its management actions. “Ms. Rumeau’s request is that, in relation to all the problems she encounters, she asks to push back the limits of these two plots. I find that when you are the private owner of land, it is normal to “We do not manage private spaces and it is in the same boat as the others. We are, of course, opposed to this change,” recalls the councilor.

A dead loss

For Laurence Degraves, these territorial desires may not stop there: “Saint-Pierre is also the owner of the cemetery and the church in the town of Ganac…” As for the consequences of this annexation, they would have no impact in the commune of Brassac according to Véronique Rumeau.

Allegations brushed aside by Laurence Degraves. “It will be a dead loss for us in terms of property tax revenues. Without forgetting that it risks reducing the number of constructions authorized under the new PLUIh,” recalls the councilor of Brassac. In the meantime, the prefect of Ariège has ordered a public inquiry which will last twenty days in order to find a solution to this fratricidal war.