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In July 1999, a law (the Chevènement Law) was passed that established inter-municipal cooperation in France. In cultural matters, it made allowance for municipalities to transfer the management of certain facilities (museums, theaters, libraries, or music schools) to an inter-municipal body. This decision necessitates negotiations and discussions between the municipalities and the agglomerations. Based on an empirical study of four cases (Amiens, Le Puy-en-Velay, Montpellier, and Tarbes), this paper describes the negotiation processes in order to understand the supervisory and facilitatory role played by the State. The theoretical work of William Zartman was used to analyze the empirical data. The concept of “negotiation formula” can be applied to the definition of “municipal interests,” which allows the establishment of a boundary between the municipal and inter-municipal spheres of activity.