Hwacheon County, under the 9th elected administration, will gather public input from residents in five towns and villages ahead of preparing the 2027 main budget. This initiative continues the tradition of resident budget briefings established during the 8th administration, with the aim of incorporating community suggestions from the early stages of budget preparation.
According to Hwacheon County on August 19, the "2027 Budget Preparation Resident Briefing" will kick off on August 24 at 10 a.m. at the Hwacheon Cultural Arts Center. The same day, a session will be held at 2 p.m. at the Sangseo Township Office.
Subsequent meetings are scheduled for August 25 at 10 a.m. at the Gandong Comprehensive Cultural Center, August 26 at 10 a.m. at the Hanam Comprehensive Living Culture Center, and August 28 at 10 a.m. at the Sain Comprehensive Cultural Center.
County Mayor Kim Se-hoon and heads of various departments will attend the briefings. The county will explain its major project plans and the basic direction for budget preparation while collecting feedback on local issues and resident suggestions.
Mayor Kim will also directly address residents' questions and suggestions during the sessions. Issues that can be immediately reviewed will be considered for inclusion in next year's budget. Suggestions requiring further verification will be assessed by the relevant departments through field investigations and feasibility studies before budget allocation decisions are made.
After gathering opinions from the five towns and villages, the county plans to prepare the 2027 main budget and submit it to the Hwacheon County Council.
The resident budget briefings in Hwacheon County are part of an ongoing citizen participation program. During the 8th administration, similar briefings were typically held around October to inform residents about financial operations and major projects while collecting feedback on living issues and project proposals.
The 9th administration has maintained the existing framework while advancing the timing of public input by more than a month compared to previous years. The goal is to identify projects desired by residents before the budget is finalized, rather than merely explaining projects after the budget has been developed.
Changes in policy priorities are also anticipated. While the 8th administration focused on expanding and solidifying existing projects in education, childcare, housing welfare, and tourism, the 9th administration has prioritized increasing residents' income as its top goal. Consequently, there is keen interest in how new directions, such as basic income for rural areas, agricultural support, and income-generating tourism, will be reflected in next year's budget.
However, since the resident briefings themselves are not a new initiative, the practical differences between the two administrations are expected to be evident in the number of suggestions received and the scale of the budget.
According to Hwacheon County, 74 proposals, including suggestions for basic income in rural areas and small-scale living issues, were submitted during the briefings held last October and November. The county has secured a budget of 44.2 billion won to promote related projects.
Mayor Kim Se-hoon stated, "The center of Hwacheon County's financial operations is the citizens. I encourage active participation to create a budget that residents can truly feel and benefit from."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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