Receipt of Resident Proposals for Participatory Budgeting in Dong, Jung-gu, Seoul

Operation of Intensive Application Period for Resident Proposal Projects until May 31, Online Non-Face-to-Face Submission Available... Tasks or Projects Desired for 2022 Budget Reflection to Develop Our Neighborhood

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Jung-gu, Seoul (Mayor Seoyangho) is operating an intensive application period for the 2022 budget formulation for the Dong Resident Participatory Budget projects until May 31.

The Resident Participatory Budget is a system designed to guarantee residents' opportunities to participate in the budget process, such as budget formulation, to enhance the democracy, accountability, and transparency of local financial management, and to improve the fairness of resource allocation.

The proposals target small-scale, community-based projects prioritized for regional development and welfare improvement. Anyone who is a resident, or an employee or student of a company, organization, or school located in the district can make a proposal.

In January 2019, the district established the Dong Government Division nationwide for the first time, transferring 77 administrative tasks and budget formulation authority from the district office to the Dong Community Service Center.

The term "Dong Government" literally means that the Dong acts as a small government. This aims to increase the speed and perceived effect of administrative services while expanding the scope of resident participation. The budget for each Dong has also been formulated based on residents' demands and proposals.

Last year, the Dong budget formed through resident proposals amounted to 201 cases totaling 13.7 billion KRW. Recognizing the realization of practical resident autonomy, Jung-gu received the Grand Prize in the Basic Local Government Head category at the "2020 Local Autonomy Development Awards" in October last year, and the Excellence Award in the Institutional Policy category at the "19th National Resident Autonomy Expo" in December.

Resident proposals have given birth to diverse projects tailored to the characteristics of each neighborhood. These include installing elevators to improve the walking environment for seniors in Yaksu-dong, operating the Jungnim Happy Laundry, and installing a smart library at Chungjeongno Station, resulting in tangible outcomes and increased satisfaction.

The district plans to overhaul the entire process of proposal, review, and implementation for projects to be promoted in 2022 to overcome limitations encountered during the resident participatory budget process.

First, to prevent budget waste caused by overlapping proposals between the Seoul City Participatory Budget and the Dong Resident Participatory Budget, the application period will be extended from the previous one month to an intensive application period from February to May, aligning with the Seoul City Participatory Budget schedule.

Additionally, the review period by the responsible department, which was previously only within three days, will be extended to within 30 days to allow sufficient and substantial project reviews, including unifying basic project cost standards and unit prices for similar projects by Dong.

Furthermore, the activities of the Resident Participatory Budget Committee will expand beyond project proposals and resident general meetings to include participation in budget execution and on-site verification throughout the entire process.

There are various ways to submit proposals. Residents can apply directly at the local Dong Community Service Center or fill out the form and send it via text message to #1110-3396. Forms are available at each Dong Community Service Center and can also be downloaded from the district office website.

Moreover, project proposal boxes will be installed at Dong Community Service Centers, welfare centers, parks, and other multi-use facilities. Non-face-to-face opinion collection methods such as group chat rooms, SNS by meeting groups, and ZOOM video conferences will be activated by Dong.

The district will review the submitted project proposals through the responsible departments and then gather residents' opinions via mobile (internet) resident voting. Subsequently, combining on-site voting at resident general meetings and mobile pre-voting, priority projects will be selected. Once the Dong-specific ceiling budget is set in September, the final projects will be decided according to priority.

Seoyangho, Mayor of Jung-gu, said, "Our district's Dong Resident Participatory Budget system is an important project where residents who know their neighborhood well propose and share various ideas to solve local problems and decide the Dong budget." He added, "We expect residents' interest and active participation so that projects essential to the area where they live can be proposed and reflected in the budget."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.