Suwon Special City Citizen Participation Budget Committee, 6th Term Takes Its First Step

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] The 'Citizen Participation Budget Committee, 6th Term,' which will lead the citizen participation budgeting system and gather citizen opinions in this year, the inaugural year of 'Suwon Special City,' has taken its first step.

On the 17th, Suwon City held a 'Suwon Special City Citizen Participation Budget Committee, 6th Term Member Appointment Ceremony' in the City Hall main conference room and awarded appointment certificates to 53 citizen participation budget committee members.

The 6th term committee comprises 53 members total: 24 new members, 13 continuing members, and 16 members recommended by districts. The term lasts two years (January 1, 2022 – December 31, 2023).

Committee members participate in Suwon City's budget compilation process and carry out activities including ▲reviewing and selecting citizen-proposed projects ▲gathering citizen opinions ▲promoting and educating on citizen participation budgets ▲providing opinions on Suwon City's budget.

Following the appointment ceremony, committee members held a vote to elect the 6th term chairperson and vice chairperson, as well as officers for four subcommittees: General Administration, Culture and Welfare, Urban Environment, and Construction and Development.

The city conducted public recruitment and recommendation processes for 6th term members in October of last year, selecting 182 candidate members for city and district positions. Subsequently, 53 city members and 112 district members (appointed by each district: Jangan 32, Gwonseon 30, Paldal 24, Yeongtong 26) were selected as committee members.

In the inaugural year of the special city launch, these members plan to operate the 6th term committee by further strengthening transparency and citizen participation in the citizen participation budgeting system.

Key improvement initiatives include ▲reestablishing the roles and functions of city and district committees ▲seeking ways to expand citizen-proposed projects in culture and welfare sectors ▲restructuring the citizen participation budget system in line with expanded operation of 'citizen autonomous committees.'

The 'Citizen Participation Budgeting System' is a representative governance system of Suwon City that legally and institutionally guarantees citizen participation in the budget compilation process. After enacting the 'Suwon City Citizen Participation Budget System Operating Ordinance' in 2009, the city comprehensively revised the ordinance in 2010, organized the 1st Citizen Participation Budget Committee and regional conferences in 2011, and formally implemented the system.