Osan City Secures 5.6 Billion Won in Special Allocation Tax from Ministry of Interior and Safety Over 3 Years

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park Chan-hyuk] Osan City is making an all-out effort to secure special allocation tax from the Ministry of Interior and Safety for disaster safety and improvement of local issues for 240,000 Osan citizens.

Unlike ordinary local allocation tax, special allocation tax is allocated as financial resources to cover unforeseen financial demands such as specific circumstances for each local government or changes in local fiscal conditions. Local governments submit applications, and the budget is allocated following deliberation by the Ministry of Interior and Safety.

According to the city on the 27th, since Mayor Lee Kwon-jae of the 8th popularly elected administration took office, the city has secured a total of 5.6 billion won in special allocation tax from the Ministry of Interior and Safety and incentives related to prompt administration as of this month.

The special allocation tax items distributed in the second half of this year include △ Daewon Bridge lower road sewage pipe improvement project (800 million won) △ Yangsan-dong underground underpass pump station installation project (300 million won) △ Hanaro Plaza environmental improvement repaving project (300 million won), totaling 3 projects worth 1.4 billion won.

The Daewon Bridge lower road sewage pipe improvement project is being promoted with the aim of preventing continuous flood damage to the road passing under the Gyeongbu Expressway (near Sungho Middle and High Schools), as localized heavy rain has been occurring in succession due to recent climate change.

The Yangsan-dong underground underpass pump station project also aims to install rainwater drainage pumps as a flood prevention measure, as the lower road of the western bypass near Hanshin University continues to experience flood damage during heavy rainfall.

The Hanaro Plaza environmental improvement project located in front of City Hall aims to improve the plaza where subsidence and cement erosion are occurring due to pavement deterioration, and is being promoted to enhance parking convenience and citizen safety by separating nearby parking areas from pedestrian paths.

Previously, Mayor Lee held district-by-district briefing sessions themed 'Century Together Communication Forum' after taking office, listened to requests from 240,000 citizens, and made all-out efforts to secure special allocation tax to solve problems.

Representative examples include directly meeting with the Minister of Interior and Safety, the Vice Minister of Interior and Safety, and the head of the Disaster Safety Headquarters (Vice Minister), and emphasizing the urgent need for major projects.

In the process, the city received a total of 2 special allocation tax allocations in the first half of this year: △ old water pipe replacement project (300 million won) △ Osan Stream automatic voice warning system replacement (200 million won).

In the first and second halves of 2023, the city secured project funds for △ intelligent residential crime prevention CCTV installation (500 million won) △ Osan Stream entrance automatic vehicle barrier (450 million won) △ Osan General Sports Park vicinity disaster information LED board replacement (400 million won) △ Oosaek Market and Gwol-dong public parking lot facility improvement project (400 million won) △ Tapdong Bridge and Namchon underground underpass entrance barrier (325 million won) △ Osan Oosaek Culture and Sports Center alternative gymnasium facility maintenance (200 million won) △ Sammi Elementary School pedestrian overpass canopy installation (200 million won) △ child protection zone safety fence installation (125 million won), and proceeded with improvement projects.

In the second half of 2022, the city secured allocation tax for △ traffic signal control devices (500 million won) △ Daewon-dong public parking lot facility improvement (100 million won) △ Osan Child Protection Specialist Agency facility functional improvement (100 million won) △ nationwide bike trail new route maintenance (35 million won) △ outdated crime prevention CCTV replacement (200 million won) △ child protection zone ground signal light installation (100 million won), and proceeded with improvement projects.

Mayor Lee Kwon-jae stated, "Over the past three years, by repeatedly knocking on the door of the Ministry of Interior and Safety day and night together with public officials to secure special allocation tax, we were able to secure multiple project funds for improving citizens' living environments and ensuring disaster safety," and added, "Going forward, with the mindset of being Osan City's No. 1 salesman, I will make all-out efforts to secure government budgets including national and provincial funds."