“We are winning back residents, it is a great satisfaction,” says Sylvie Arnal, mayor of Le Vigan.

Sylvie Arnal has been the mayor of Le Vigan since 2020 and is running for re-election. Midi Libre – ALEXIS BETHUNE

The mayor of Le Vigan presented her wishes to the population this Friday evening, January 10. Interview on upcoming projects and ongoing projects.

How do you see the year 2025 in view of the budgetary constraints announced in all communities ?

It is quite worrying, especially not knowing what the State budget will be, we can imagine that the Regions and Departments will also tighten the screw and that for us, small municipalities, there will be crumbs left. We have projects and, surely, we will have to make choices, because I have always said, we will not increase taxes. Our municipal budget is around €4.3 million in operating costs, and €2.3 million in investment. It is essential to continue to act to maintain the attractiveness of our city. We will hold the budget orientation debate in February, to vote on the budget in March. By then, we will know more.

The mayor of Le Vigan offered her wishes to the population gathered in the Cantou hall.

The attractiveness of Le Vigan is your hobby horse…

Indeed! And I feel great satisfaction to see that we are gaining back residents, around sixty more, according to the latest figures from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (Insee), published at the end of 2024, or 3,868 residents. This translates into a waiting list at the Maison Petite enfance or the opening of new classes at the school complex. Since the beginning of the mandate, my team and I have worked hard on the higher education center: the connected campus opened in 2019 has been joined by the nursing school, the training of nursing assistants and, for a few days now, a professional environmental degree. We have 140 students and opportunities to grow since our new site became operational. In fact, a university diploma (DU) in mycology is about to start. We are both the smallest hub in Occitanie and the only ones, I think, to have the universities of Nîmes and Montpellier working together, the CHU (University Hospital Center)… We have contacts with the IUT of Nîmes, with the Staps (Sciences and techniques of physical and sports activities) training, in short, great avenues for further innovation in higher education.

The choir performed two songs before Sylvie Arnal's speech in front of a large audience present for the vows in the Cantou hall.

You also have a “pebble in your shoe”, and your opposition attacks you on the subject, with the file of the new gendarmerie which is slipping…

Indeed, and this is quite unpleasant: the municipality invested €640,000 to buy land for a new barracks, at the request of the gendarmes, the current premises being really unsuitable. But now the DDTM (Departmental Directorate of Territories and the Sea) is blocking us because of a runoff hazard on the lower part of the land. The sub-prefect, whose help is very valuable for our community, supports us. There are solutions to avoid runoff, we even took a decision to indicate that the City was ready to buy a neighboring villa that is for sale, which would allow us to build a little differently, but I cannot accept having put in €640,000 and that everything is blocked.

You have also started work on the Parc des Châtaigniers that is annoying local residents…

We are renaturing the Parc des Châtaigniers, in fact, by removing this middle voice. We saw what happened in Valence, well here, the runoff water floods the street under the quay. Deimpermeabilization is one of the solutions. The cars that used this road will pass in front of the school complex, but we are securing the surroundings. The park is also classified; we are very closely monitored and we absolutely cannot install parking there. All this work was planned a long time ago as part of the rehabilitation of the old center. We will also have, in March, major road renovation work on Avenue des Combes. In the second semester, we will also have work on the greenway within the city walls.

These are your big investments ?

We are also launching a whole reflection to renovate the Jean-Carrière school. It is a Jules-Ferry type school, a stone's throw from the Château d'Assas, so we can't do whatever we want either, but we have to isolate, work for a project that is as ecological as possible and, for this, I want to involve parents, staff, and children. We are giving ourselves a year to move forward and find funding. These will be works that will not start before the end of 2026.

By then, the municipal elections will have taken place, will you run again?

A priori, yes!

A rich cultural offering

Le Vigan has a municipal cinema, Le Palace, managed by a public service delegation. On Sunday, January 19, a room will be named after Emile and Mireille Lacan, who worked to maintain and develop this small structure which, in 2024, still has the nice score of 26,000 admissions. The mayor also highlights the lively community network and events that attract people, such as the music festival, which will soon be celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, the polar festival, or the Là-bas vu d’ici which invites visitors to travel and reflect through conferences, documentary screenings, etc. Coming soon, on March 1st, the Cévennes Trail will attract, as it does every year, nearly 4,000 people, while the last Apple and Onion Fair, in October, brought together 15,000 visitors. For the first time, the City has added a local know-how fair with a dozen exhibiting companies. “I'm tired of hearing messages from declinists, there are plenty of resources here!”, asses Sylvie Arnal.

I subscribe to read the rest