Jangheung County in South Jeolla Province has reviewed 31 community budget proposals submitted by residents and selected 7 for inclusion in next year's budget.
On November 9, the county held the '2026 Community Participation Budget Committee' meeting at the county hall to evaluate and select proposals for the 2027 budget, the county announced on November 10.
The community participation budget system allows residents to directly propose projects needed in their area and prioritize them during the budgeting process, enhancing transparency and community involvement in financial operations.
During the committee meeting, the public nature, necessity, urgency, and appropriateness of the budget for the proposed projects were comprehensively reviewed.
Earlier, from April to May, Jangheung County conducted community participation budget training through meetings with village heads and social organization leaders across five towns.
In particular, separate training sessions were held for youth and women's group members to enhance understanding of the community participation budget system and encourage participation from diverse demographics.
The training introduced the purpose of the community participation budget system and showcased successful proposal examples from other regions, enabling residents to propose projects addressing local inconveniences and issues.
A total of 31 community proposals were submitted this year.
After preliminary reviews by relevant departments, the county classified the proposals into four suitable for implementation, four partially suitable, and 23 unsuitable before presenting them to the committee for evaluation.
The committee discussed the feasibility of each project, the scope of benefits for residents, and the appropriateness of budget allocation, ultimately selecting 7 proposals.
The selected projects will undergo budget preparation procedures and will be included in the 2027 main budget and supplementary budget following deliberation and approval by the Jangheung County Council.
However, even projects selected by the community participation budget committee may have their funding and implementation timelines adjusted during the actual budget preparation and council review process.
Jangheung County aims to continue reflecting community-suggested projects in its governance and to discover projects closely aligned with local needs through the community participation budget system.
Jangheung County Mayor Sa Sun-moon stated, "We will do our utmost to ensure that the selected projects are included in next year's budget without any issues, enhancing the quality of life for residents and providing practical assistance in their daily lives."
Meanwhile, Jangheung County is continuing to enhance the effectiveness of the community participation budget system through ongoing education for residents and the discovery of proposal projects, planning to expand the foundation for community participation to incorporate diverse opinions into the budgeting process.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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