A revised budget was approved at the special city council meeting on March 26〜
At the previous regular meeting (March 21), Nishinomiya City saw the first initial budget “rejection” in its 100-year history…
After that, City Hall (they were calling it “the authorities.” Kind of cool, right?) submitted a new revised budget proposal, and it was approved at the special meeting on March 26〜. So for now, the new fiscal year starting in April can get moving. A little sigh of relief.
That said, part of the budget proposal was cut. This “rejection (3/21) → revision (3/26)” is being called a historic move showing that the Nishinomiya City Council has seriously begun thinking about “public finances.” It is a once-in-100-years kind of thing, after all〜
In favor (supported the revised budget)
Komeito
Shimin Club
Zenshin
Keiseikai
Some independents (Isshiki-san, Sano-san, Murakami-san, Yotsuya-san, etc.)
Opposed (against the revised budget)
Nippon Ishin no Kai
Japanese Communist Party
First, the overall budget picture
- 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 with “220 billion,” “just over 100 million” may honestly seem tiny… But the fact that the council pointed out areas that had been left as-is even though people had been saying the city’s finances were tight, and City Hall 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 more than 100 million yen is a pretty huge step!” Either way, with the seriousness of the city’s financial situation becoming more visible, both the council members and City Hall acknowledged it. They really had to rack their brains〜.
What was cut, and how? A rough summary table
| Revised item | Original budget amount | After revision | Quick point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subsidy for compulsory enforcement costs for child support | About 900,000 yen | → 0 yen | Subsidized attorney fees and other charges up to 150,000 yen |
| Tourism Association subsidy (website renewal, etc.) | About 2.9 million yen | → 0 yen | Reduced costs for a multilingual website and events |
| New disaster prevention app | About 48 million yen | → 0 yen | Could be substituted with SNS, etc. Questions about cost-effectiveness |
| Shift of junior high school club activities to private providers (Premiya subsidy) | About 60 million yen | → About 4 million yen | Greatly reduced, leaving only the minimum necessary (personnel costs, etc.) |
| “Miyakko Tsunagari Sasaeru Ordinance” public relations, etc. | About 1.59 million yen | → 0 yen | Survey and awareness costs for a third-party children’s institution |
| Development of the Central Library (debt-bearing act) | About 13 million yen | → Withdrawn (0 yen) | Questions like: should a new library be built before reorganization? |
| Salary compensation for the integrated new hospital (debt-bearing act) | About 466 million yen | → Withdrawn (0 yen) | Shelved costs to compensate staff whose salaries would decrease after transfer |
| Support payment 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 is set to be cut!
From here, we’ll share some of the reasons behind the budget cuts, referring to council members’ blogs and other sources.
Development of the disaster prevention app was stopped
The city had planned to spend about 48 million yen to create its own disaster prevention app. The aim was to reliably deliver information during disasters, but〜
Questions and comments included things like this
“If information can already be shared through LINE and social media, do we really need 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 entirely.
The council sharply questioned the unclear cost-effectiveness, and the authorities agreed to withdraw it.
Expenses for the “Miyakko Tsunagari Sasaeru Ordinance” were also mostly cut
The plan was to newly establish a “third-party institution for children’s rights.” Apparently, the city had expected an annual budget of about 30 million yen for it.
