28 Members Appointed to 7th Suwon Participatory Budget Committee

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] The 7th Suwon Participatory Budget Committee (Chairman Kim Beom-sik) held its first regular meeting on the 5th at the conference room of Suwon City Hall and appointed 28 members.

The members appointed on the day will serve on the Participatory Budget Committee for approximately two years until December 31, 2025. Mayor Lee Jae-joon presented appointment certificates to the members.

At the meeting, the 7th Participatory Budget Committee elected Shin Ho-jung, chair of the Gwonseon-gu Council of the Suwon Residents' Autonomous Council, as vice-chair. It also finalized the '2024 Participatory Budget System Operation Plan.' The deadline for proposals for 2024 participatory budget projects (scheduled for execution in 2025) is May 3.

Suwon City, which has operated the participatory budget system centered on residents' autonomous councils since 2024 to realize substantive residents' autonomy, held a recruitment for 7th participatory budget members in January. Member candidates were selected considering the gender, age, and region of applicants, and candidates who completed the 'Participatory Budget School' course were appointed as members.

To strengthen residents' participation, Suwon City has improved the system starting in 2024 so that the functions of district regional councils are performed by residents' autonomous councils in each dong, and residents' assemblies determine the priority of participatory budget projects in each dong.

Members of the Participatory Budget Committee participate in the budget compilation process by △gathering residents' opinions △deliberating and adjusting priorities of city and district projects, requesting approval and reconsideration of projects submitted by dong residents' autonomous councils △submitting final confirmed participatory budgets △presenting rational implementation directions for participatory budget projects and opinions on city budgets △reflecting departmental budgets according to priority decisions and monitoring execution results △promoting and educating about budgets.

Mayor Lee Jae-joon of Suwon stated, "As the participatory budget system operates centered on residents' autonomous councils, more policy ideas will come pouring in, and projects that residents truly need will be selected," and "This year, when a new history of Suwon's participatory budgets is opening, the committee members' roles are more important than ever."