The Kaohsiung City Government plans to merge its Information Office and Military Service Office with other city government agencies to help its fiscal budget clear the city council as soon as possible, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) said yesterday.
Chen said during question-and-answer sessions with Kaohsiung City councilors that she had made the “painful” decision to show the city government’s respect for the council.
The city council on Oct. 22 rejected the city government’s budget request because the it had submitted separate budgets for the two offices for the next fiscal year instead of following a resolution reached by the council last year to have the offices dissolved or merged with other city agencies by next June.
The city government had submitted a NT$80 billion (US$2.46 billion) budget, in which a total of NT$300 million was earmarked for the two offices.
In response, Chen convened a provisional administrative meeting on Wednesday at which a draft proposal was approved to merge the Information Office with the Tourism Bureau and to merge the Military Service Office with the Civil Affairs Bureau.
The mergers would take effect on July 1 if the council passes the draft proposal.
Chen yesterday praised the two offices’ performance, saying that the military office had served retired military personnel and their families very well, while the information office had done a good job in promoting the city.
“The council’s request to have the two offices dissolved or merged with other agencies is beyond the comprehension of everyone in the nation,” Chen said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Councilor Lee Chiao-ju (李喬如) said he wondered whether the council’s move resulted from the city government’s decision to screen a documentary about exiled Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer in September.
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