As Nishinomiya City approaches its 100th anniversary, something pretty much unprecedented in its municipal history seems to be happening~.
On March 21st, Nishinomiya City’s next fiscal year (FY2025/Reiwa 7) “new fiscal year budget” was rejected for the first time by the city council~.
“Wait, rejected? Does that mean city hall shuts down starting April?”…A lot of people are probably shocked. So, we’ve put together a quick summary of what happened~.
目次
What exactly is the “new fiscal year budget”?
So what is this new fiscal year budget anyway? Let us explain a bit:
- It’s the financial plan for all the projects city hall will carry out over the one-year period starting in April.
- Garbage collection, road maintenance, running schools and nurseries, purchasing new books for the library — funding for everything gets allocated here.
- If this budget isn’t approved by the city council, it becomes really difficult for city hall to kick off various projects for the new fiscal year~.
The moment it was rejected ↓
The chairperson announced: “The standing count is insufficient. Bill No. 305 (the new fiscal year budget proposal), which was just put to a vote, has been rejected.”~
Three questions that come to mind
Behind this fierce confrontation in the council, there are some rather complicated issues:
- “Something about fiscal difficulties…?”
- “Something about staff salaries…?”
- “What’s this about a lack of communication?”
There are a number of intertwined problems at play. So let’s give you a rough overview of the three key points.
1. What does “fiscal crisis is serious” actually mean?
Nishinomiya City has apparently been running a de facto deficit for six consecutive years.
(The Yubari melon in the photo is just for illustration)
- In a few years, the city’s reserves (basically the city’s savings account) could run dry.
- With social welfare costs and large-scale projects piling up while revenue isn’t growing that much, there’s a sense of crisis: “Could we end up like Yubari?”
- That’s why the call to “review city spending more carefully!” has been growing stronger.
2. Is it true that “staff salaries are too high”?
The opposition council members have been arguing that “Salary levels are already higher than other cities, so isn’t it unreasonable to give everyone a raise on top of that?” — and that’s the focal point of this whole issue.
So it’s not a blanket statement of “City employees are overpaid!” The “Staff Salary Amendment” submitted by Council Member Shibuya and the Zenshin faction is more about finding a middle ground — “Don’t raise pay for higher earners, but do raise it for younger staff.”
3. What’s this about a lack of communication?
There are also strong criticisms that “the council and the mayor/city hall haven’t been communicating enough.”
- For example, with the plan to transition middle school club activities to community-based programs (Pre-Miya), the city went ahead and announced in its municipal newsletter: “Starting next September!”
- But since the council hadn’t been properly informed, when residents asked about it, council members were left saying “We don’t know the details yet…” — which fueled distrust and cries of “Are you disrespecting the council?!”
With incidents like this piling up, the sentiment became “We don’t want them to keep going like this!” → “NO to the new fiscal year budget!”
A quick rundown of everyone’s positions
Here’s a rough overview of the arguments that flew around in this council session~.
Regarding the new fiscal year budget…
Opposition (mainly “Nippon Ishin no Kai,” “Zenshin,” “Keiseikai,” “JCP,” etc.)
- “The city’s finances are in trouble and the reforms aren’t going far enough, are they?”
- “Shouldn’t you cut personnel costs first before asking residents to shoulder more burden…?”
- “Are large-scale investments (like the Imazu-Nishi Line extension, a new library, establishing a third-party body, etc.) really the top priority?”
- “The transition of club activities to community programs is being rushed”
In Favor (“Komeito,” “Shimin Club,” etc.)
- “If the budget doesn’t pass, it’ll have a major negative impact on residents’ daily lives. Let’s approve it first and then make individual adjustments, no?”
- “Throwing the whole thing out would cause chaos, and that’s worrying”
*Just a heads-up — this is written in Nishitsuu’s casual style, so please note that the council members don’t actually talk like this~
| Faction / Council Member (Main Speakers) | Stance on the Budget | Stance on Staff Salary Amendment |
|---|---|---|
| Nippon Ishin no Kai – Nishinomiya City Council Group (Maeda, Watanabe, Tada) | “Opposed” (Despite the fiscal crisis, personnel cost reforms aren’t enough! etc.) | “In Favor” (Pay grades exceeding national levels should be held back) |
| Faction 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 |
