It looks likesomething pretty unprecedented in Nishinomiya’s municipal history is happening just before the city marks its 100th anniversary.
On March 21, Nishinomiya City’s “new fiscal year budget” for next year (Reiwa 7 fiscal year) was apparently rejected for the first time by the city council.
“Wait, what does rejected mean? Will City Hall stop running from April?” … Some of you might be surprised. So here’s a quick rundown of what happened.
目次
What exactly is the “new fiscal year budget”?
So what is the new fiscal year budget? To put it simply:
- It’s the plan for the costs, or money, needed for the projects City Hall will carry out over the one-year period starting in April.
- Money is allocated here for everything, including garbage collection, road maintenance, running schools and nursery schools, and buying new books for libraries.
- If this budget is not approved by the city council, it becomes difficult for City Hall to start various projects in the new fiscal year.
The moment it was rejected ↓
The chairperson said, “Only a minority are standing. Bill No. 305 (the new fiscal year budget proposal), which has just been voted on, has been rejected.”
Three questions that come up here
Behind this kind of intense confrontation in the council, there are some slightly complicated issues, such as:
- “Something about financial trouble…?”
- “Something about personnel costs for city employees…?”
- “What does a lack of communication even mean?”
So here are three key points, explained briefly.
1. What does it mean that “the financial situation is really bad”?
Nishinomiya City’s effective deficit appears to have continued for six consecutive years.
(The Yubari melon in the photo is just an image.)
- There is a risk that the funds (kind of like the city’s savings) could run out in a few years.
- While spending is increasing due to social security costs and large-scale projects, revenue is not growing that much, leading to concerns like, “Could Nishinomiya end up like Yubari in the future?”
- That’s why calls to “review City Hall spending more thoroughly!” have been getting stronger.
2. Is it true that “personnel costs for city employees are too high”?
The main point this time is that council members on the opposition side are arguing, “If salary levels are already higher than in other cities, isn’t it strange to raise everyone’s pay even more?”
So they’re not simply lumping everyone together and saying, “City employees are getting paid too much!” The “proposal to amend city employee salaries” submitted by Council Member Shibuya and others from the “Zenshin” group seems to be looking for a compromise along the lines of “don’t raise pay for those already earning higher salaries, but do raise it for younger employees.”
3. What does “lack of communication” mean?
There are also strong criticisms that “the council and the mayor/City Hall haven’t been communicating enough.”
- For example, regarding a plan (Pre-Miya) to shift junior high school club activities to community-based programs, the city first announced in the municipal newsletter, “It will start next September!”
- But because the council had not been properly informed, council members couldn’t answer inquiries and were left saying, “We don’t know the details yet…” This apparently increased distrust, with people saying, “Are they disrespecting the council?”
As cases like this piled up, it seems to have led to “We don’t want things to move forward like this!” → “NO to the new fiscal year budget!”
A quick look at everyone’s positions
Here’s a rough summary of the opinions that came up in this council session.
On the new fiscal year budget…
Opposition side (mainly “Ishin,” “Zenshin,” “Keiseikai,” “Communist Party,” etc.)
- “The city’s financial situation is serious, but aren’t the reforms too weak?”
- “Shouldn’t personnel costs be properly reduced before asking residents to shoulder more of the burden…?”
- “I’m not sure large-scale investments (such as extending the Imazu-Nishi Line, building a new library, and setting up a third-party body) should be such high priorities.”
- “The shift of club activities to the community is happening too quickly.”
Support side (“Komeito,” “Shimin Club,” etc.)
- “If the budget doesn’t pass, the impact on residents’ lives will be significant. Wouldn’t it be better to approve it first, then amend individual items?”
- “I’m worried that scrapping everything could cause confusion.”
*Just to be clear, this is written in Nishitsu’s usual style, so the council members did not actually speak this way.
| Council group / council member (main speakers) | Main stance on the budget | Stance on the employee salary amendment proposal |
|---|---|---|
| Nippon Ishin no Kai Nishinomiya City Council Group (Maeda, Watanabe, Tada) | “Opposed” (Personnel cost reform is insufficient despite the financial crisis, etc.) | “In favor” (Salary levels that exceed the national government level should be restrained.) |
| Council group: Zenshin (Takano, Shibuya, Maki) | “Opposed”ABOUTこの記事をかいた人 しゃちょう＠にしつーの女の姿バージョン。中身は男。 この姿で西宮市内のイベントや取材にちょいちょい行ってる。    にしつーメンバー       西宮つーしんの最新情報を受け取る西宮の最新ニュースやイベント情報をプッシュ通知でお届けします。 すべてのエリアとカテゴリーの通知を受け取ります。 📍 配信エリア 西宮北口・夙川・甲子園・鳴尾・今津・甲陽園・苦楽園・門戸厄神・仁川・甲東園・山口町 など 📂 配信カテゴリー イベント・レポート・開店閉店・グルメ・クーポン・速報・求人・迷子・気象災害・行政情報・教育・インタビュー |
