A revised budget was passed at the extraordinary city council meeting on March 26〜
At the previous regular meeting (March 21), Nishinomiya City saw its first-ever initial budget “rejected” in its 100-year history…
After that, the city office side (they called them the “authorities.” Kind of cool, right?) submitted a new revised budget proposal, and it was approved at the extraordinary meeting on March 26〜. So for now, the new fiscal year starting in April can get moving. A bit of a relief.
That said, part of the budget proposal was cut. This whole “rejection (3/21) → revision (3/26)” process is being described as a historic move, showing that Nishinomiya City Council has seriously begun thinking about the city’s finances〜. After all, it’s a once-in-100-years kind of thing〜
In favor (supported the revised budget)
Komeito
Citizens Club
Zenshin
Keiseikai
Some independents (including Isshiki-san, Sano-san, Murakami-san, Yotsuya-san, etc.)
Against (opposed the revised budget)
Japan Innovation Party
Japanese Communist Party
First, the Big Picture of the Budget
- The total initial budget was roughly 222.6 billion yen.
- In this revision, a total of a little over 110 million yen became subject to cuts.
Compared to “220 billion yen,” “just over 100 million yen” may honestly seem pretty small… But even though people had been saying the city’s finances were in rough shape, the fact that the council pointed out areas that had been left untouched, and the city office side moved to revise them, was a pretty major development.
Some people are saying, “Couldn’t they cut more boldly?” while others see it as, “No, cutting over 100 million yen is a really big step!” Either way, with the seriousness of the city’s finances becoming clear, both the council members and the city office side acknowledged it. They really racked their brains over this〜.
What Was Cut, and How? A Quick Table Summary
| Revised item | Original amount budgeted | After revision | Quick point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subsidy for child support enforcement costs | About 900,000 yen | → 0 yen | Subsidized attorney fees and other costs up to 150,000 yen |
| Tourism Association subsidy (website renewal, etc.) | About 2.9 million yen | → 0 yen | Reduced costs for multilingual website support and events |
| New disaster prevention app | About 48 million yen | → 0 yen | Could be handled through SNS, etc.; questions over cost-effectiveness |
| Private-sector transition of junior high school club activities (Premiya subsidy) | About 60 million yen | → About 4 million yen | Kept only the bare minimum (personnel costs, etc.) and greatly reduced the rest |
| “Miyakko Tsunagari Sasaeru Ordinance” PR, etc. | About 1.59 million yen | → 0 yen | Survey and publicity costs for a third-party children’s organization |
| Development of the Central Library (debt obligation authorization) | About 13 million yen | → Withdrawn (0 yen) | Questions over whether a new library should be built before reorganization |
| Salary compensation for the new integrated hospital (debt obligation authorization) | About 466 million yen | → Withdrawn (0 yen) | Postponed costs to compensate staff whose salaries would drop after transfer |
| Support benefit for preschool children (5,000 yen payment) | About 160 million yen | → About 153 million yen | Reduced administrative costs (equivalent to 6.6 million yen) |
Altogether, roughly 117 million yen will be cut!
From here, we’ll share some of the reasons for the budget cuts, based on council members’ blogs and other references.
Development of the Disaster Prevention App Has Been Stopped
The city had planned to spend about 48 million yen to create its own disaster prevention app. The goal was to reliably deliver information during disasters, but〜
There were questions and comments like these
“If information can already be shared through LINE and SNS, do we really need to add another app?”
“Will the number of registered users really grow? Could it end up being a waste?”
How was it cut?
This time, it was cut in full.
The council sharply questioned its cost-effectiveness, and the authorities agreed to withdraw it.
Expenses for the “Miyakko Tsunagari Sasaeru Ordinance” Were Also Almost Entirely Cut
This was a plan to newly establish a “third-party organization for children’s human rights.” Apparently, the city had envisioned an annual budget of about 30 million yen.
