The President of the Department of Hautes-Pyrénées, Michel Pélieu, chaired the session of the Departmental Assembly on Friday, October 9. Three main items were on the agenda: the 2027 global operating grant for public colleges, a second amending decision for the 2026 budget, and the creation of the Departmental Digital Agency of the Hautes-Pyrénées.
Regarding public colleges, an allocation of 1.78 million euros will be distributed in 2027 among the 20 institutions in the department to cover their operating expenses. This amount, equivalent to €240 per student, considers student numbers and property needs, including funding for SEGPA workshops and sports activities. The grant also takes into account the financial reserves of the institutions, reducing the allocation for colleges with more than five months of operating funds.
The second amending decision to the 2026 budget introduces necessary adjustments. It allocates an additional €1.3 million to the disability compensation benefit, whose expenses have increased by 10.5%. A rise in fuel and asphalt costs, linked to the conflict in Iran, leads to a €400,000 increase for road maintenance. Furthermore, €1.3 million in credits released by the rescheduling of building projects are reallocated to weather-related work, bringing its budget to €5.5 million.
Thanks to the renegotiation of the public-private partnership for the very high-speed broadband network, the Department will achieve €2.2 million in savings until 2032. These savings, split between operating and investment costs, are sufficient to cover the increase in disability compensation expenses. This amendment also enables the deployment of new digital services for local authorities.
The Régie Hautes-Pyrénées Haut Débit will be dissolved on March 31, 2027, and replaced by the Departmental Digital Agency of the Hautes-Pyrénées (ADN 65). This new structure, an open mixed syndicate, will offer member municipalities and intermunicipalities services such as guaranteed internet access, IP telephony, data backup, and dedicated assistance. The Department will retain 49% of the votes on the syndicate committee, with member authorities holding 51%.
