Sstupor and anger in the metropolis of Lyon. On February 20, Jérôme Moroge and Clotilde Pouzergue, the LR mayors of Pierre-Bénite and Oullins, issued a joint press release, announcing the scheduled merger of their two municipalities, from 1is January 2024. No one, it seems, saw the birth of Oullins-Pierre-Bénite coming. A surprise marriage that makes more than one wince.
Starting with the Oullinoise opposition, led by Jean-Charles Kohlhass (EELV), also vice-president of Grand Lyon. The environmentalist learned the news from the local press. A few days later, he still does not understand: “No one had ever heard of it until now, neither during the election campaign nor in any debate at any time. I can’t understand,” he explains to the Point. “Merging municipalities of this size, in this sector, you really need a common territorial project, and here we are really in very different municipalities, in terms of sociology and administrative or financial functioning. Indeed, Oullins is much more indebted, but has a better capacity for self-financing than Pierre-Bénite, still according to the elected opposition member.
And to add: “It gives the impression of a choice on a whim. When there are two of us, we get along well, we get married. It’s a bit short here, because it’s all about the lives of 37,000 inhabitants. »
A consultation to come
A priori refuted by the two city councilors who were not available to answer our questions. In a Facebook Live on February 23, the two promise that a “minimum feasibility study” has been done, and that “work to verify that it was possible and desirable has been carried out. “Before tackling the opposition:” A handful of people, who do not say whether they are for or against, are just asking for a referendum. I would have liked arguments from EELV. The mayor of Pierre-Bénite, however, promises consultations. “The subject is not ‘yes or no’, it’s coming to you and asking you what you expect from this union. That will be the consultation. »
Clotilde Pouzergue continues: “We will come to meet you, we will work with you, we are ready to come to the inhabitant to explain to him, and to hear his legitimate fears. We have ten long months of consultations before the deliberation. The two municipal councils will have to vote for this merger before mid-December. Then will have to give their approval so that Jérôme Moroge becomes the mayor of this new commune, the city councilor of Oullins having chosen to step aside.
“It’s not very healthy”
Thierry Mounib is president of the Bien-vivre association in Pierre-Bénite. This retiree, very active in the local associative fabric, is well known in the sector. And if he claims to maintain good relations with the municipality, he does not hide his concern about the merger project. The words of the two mayors were not enough to reassure him. In his association, “everyone is in shock,” he says. “It was done in secret. It’s not very healthy. We don’t do things on the sly when we have nothing to hide, ”he judges.
“But what went through their minds? Nobody has any interest in it, we can make mutualisations without making a merger”, he reacts, illustrating his point: “Oullins has made a lot of investments, not Pierre-Bénite, so it is favorable for us. But for the Oullinois, it is not flattering. Pierre-Bénite has a reputation as a poor suburb, with delinquency, a fairly high unemployment rate… There are a lot of inconsistencies in their announcement, it goes against everyone’s interests. Above all, we are not in a banana republic, we cannot decide without consulting! »
Jérôme Moroge is categorical: “If we do nothing, in ten years, nothing will happen to Pierre-Bénite. With this merger, we are unlocking other levers. For example, we will be able to freeze the SRU law, linked to the number of social housing units over three years. With a city of 40,000 inhabitants, we will also be eligible for certain funding, particularly for urban renewal. »
A municipal campaign ahead of time
Questions, Jean-Charles Kohlhass has a lot. And, he guarantees, they will “rhythmize the whole year 2023 in terms of debate. It is obvious that we are going to ask the population to discuss the subject according to the information that we will have. Because, as of yet, there has been no study provided to anyone. I don’t think any have been done. We must demand a study on the costs, or on the evolution of taxes. All of this takes time. The debate will be long. »
He recognizes this, so this year will take on the form of an electoral campaign before the municipal elections of 2026. of debate. But if this is postponed, it will also be the central question of the next municipal elections. It is interesting for the political project and for the debate. »
Thierry Mounib sees him even further: “It makes you wonder if all this is not a political maneuver. That would explain their interest. “To sit the right on this new town… Or for the next legislative elections. “Our mayor failed twice, maybe he would be in a better position that way? »
Jérôme Moroge and Clotilde Pouzergue still have a lot of work to do to convince and reassure. In the comments section, under their Facebook Live, reviews have multiplied. And apart from a few messages of support, most Internet users seem worried and reluctant to this idea of merger. A message is repeated in a loop: “Pierbé must remain Pierbé! A petition was even launched, collecting nearly 1,500 signatures in one week, calling for a citizen referendum.