Suwon's Community Autonomous Councils to Play Stronger Role Starting This Year!

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Suwon Special City announced on the 29th that it will operate the participatory budget program centered on community autonomous councils starting this year to strengthen resident participation and realize substantive community autonomy.

To this end, the city improved the system by having each autonomous district council perform the functions previously handled by district regional conferences, and by enabling residents' general assemblies to determine the priority of participatory budget projects in each district.

Accordingly, participatory budget projects for all 44 autonomous districts will be determined at residents' general assemblies, allowing the city to gather more resident input before proceeding with projects.

Residents wishing to propose participatory budget projects can submit proposals to the Suwon City website (search "participatory budget" in the search box), or to the participatory budget officials at city, district, and autonomous district offices by May 31st, as before.

The city, which converted all autonomous districts into community autonomous councils on December 30, 2022, promoted various community autonomy activation projects last year, including the 'Village Living Lab' where residents take the lead in solving community problems.

A total of 268 community autonomous council activation projects were promoted, and in connection with various public recruitment projects, village festivals and community autonomous council capacity-building projects were conducted.

Starting this year, the promotion system for the 'Village Living Lab' will be unified under the Suwon Urban Foundation.

Following the full transition to community autonomous councils, the city has been promoting the Village Living Lab in all 44 autonomous districts since last year, where residents take the lead in solving community problems. Distinctive projects addressing local issues have been promoted, including food upcycling in Gwonseon 1st District, eco-station installation in Ji District, and a mini fire station in Pajang District.

Additionally, the city has carried out diverse projects including community autonomous council workshops for activation, capacity-building lectures on community autonomy held in rotation across four districts, a community autonomous council expo, and community autonomous activity evaluations.

This year, with the vision of 'realizing an improved Suwon Special City through citizen participation and cooperative governance,' the city has set three major goals: establishing the role of community autonomous councils as organizations for village cooperation, settling Suwon-style village autonomy through strengthened resident autonomous activities, and expanding resident participation through community autonomous council operations that anyone can participate in. The city plans to promote community autonomy activation projects accordingly.

Major projects to be promoted include operating the Village Living Lab, activating mobile participation linked with Saebbit Talk Talk, recruiting village support staff and providing capacity-building education, offering customized training in community autonomous council basic, practical, and advanced courses, holding residents' general assemblies and establishing village autonomy plans, and presenting excellent community autonomous cases.

A city official stated, “2024 marks the second year following the full transition of community autonomous councils,” and expressed hope that “building on the capabilities developed last year, community autonomous councils will strengthen their role.”