Hwaseong City Confirms 3.5 Trillion Won Budget for 2025

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park Chan-hyuk] Hwaseong City's 2025 budget was confirmed at 3.5027 trillion won at the 237th second regular session of the Hwaseong City Council on the 16th. This represents an increase of 317.7 billion won compared to the previous year.

The 2025 main budget was compiled with a general account of 3.1187 trillion won and a special account of 384 billion won. The main general account revenue budget includes local taxes of 1.465 trillion won, an increase of approximately 14.99% compared to the previous year, with self-financed resources increasing by approximately 194 billion won, or 13.58% compared to the previous year.

General account expenditure budget increased approximately 9.59% compared to the previous year. Despite difficult fiscal conditions caused by persistent high inflation and high interest rates leading to economic downturn, the budget was expanded with funding for economic recovery and livelihood improvement.

The social welfare sector budget, which accounts for the largest share, totaled 1.2558 trillion won, an increase of over 66.3 billion won compared to the previous year. This includes basic pension funding of 235.7 billion won, childcare support for infants and toddlers of 127.1 billion won, and infant allowance and parental benefits of 94.9 billion won, prioritizing welfare budgets for socially vulnerable groups.

In the economic sector, 45.6 billion won was allocated for local currency issuance support to enable issuance of 509 billion won in local currency—the nation's largest scale—and 12.1 billion won was allocated for small and medium-sized business and small business owner support, creating a livelihood economy recovery budget to "rapidly inject warmth" into the regional economy. In the agriculture, fishery, and marine products sector, 299.2 billion won was allocated, including free school meal support of 41.7 billion won, basic direct payment subsidy of 23.9 billion won, and Gyeonggi Province farmer basic income support of 18.2 billion won.

In particular, new budgets were secured for projects to secure future new growth engines for Hwaseong City, including support for "Hwaseong-type RE100 basic income villages," renewable energy convergence support, and autonomous vehicle living lab infrastructure establishment. New projects for safe and happy daily lives of citizens also received new budget allocations, including worker work uniform laundry service operations, taxi nighttime operation activation support, and "Hwaseong-type integrated in-home elderly care services."

Additionally, citizen safety insurance support for paying injury insurance claims to disaster-affected citizens and public taxi loss compensation support projects for public transportation underserved areas are among the nation's largest coverage scales.

Hwaseong City Mayor Jung Myung-geun stated, "We have compiled an expansionary fiscal budget focused on economic recovery for livelihood and regional economic vitalization amid difficult fiscal conditions," adding, "While financial prospects are not bright, this is an important time preparing for Hwaseong City's future as we mark the inaugural year of special city status, and we will do our best in budget execution."