Gwangyang City Council Opens Regular Session Plenary Meeting

Review of 2020 Fiscal Year Settlement and Contingency Expenditure Approval and Ordinance Proposals
Assemblyman Baek Seong-ho Demands Improvement of School Meal Workers' Treatment in 5-Minute Speech

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] The Gwangyang City Council of Jeollanam-do (Chairman Jin Su-hwa) opened the 299th 1st regular session starting with the 1st plenary session on the 10th.

At the 1st plenary session, a total of 11 ordinances and general agenda items, including the approval of the 2020 fiscal year settlement and contingency expenditure, were submitted.

The city council formed a Special Budget and Settlement Committee to review the 2020 fiscal year settlement, fund, and contingency expenditure approval, appointing Councilors Song Jae-cheon, Kim Seong-hee, Moon Yang-o, Jo Hyun-ok, Jeong Min-gi, and Lee Hyeong-seon as members. Kim Seong-hee was elected as the chairperson and Jo Hyun-ok as the vice-chairperson.

From the 11th to the 16th, each standing committee will review the submitted agenda items, and the Special Budget and Settlement Committee will review the 2020 fiscal year settlement and contingency expenditure approval from the 17th to the 20th.

The main agenda items include councilor-initiated ordinances such as △ Ordinance to Support the Activation of Ice Pack Collection and Reuse in Gwangyang City (Councilor Lee Hyeong-seon) △ Ordinance to Support the Protection of Rights of Mobile Workers in Gwangyang City (Councilor Moon Yang-o) △ Ordinance on Inspection of Radioactivity and Harmful Substances for Safe School Meal Ingredients in Gwangyang City (Councilor Jeong Min-gi) △ Partial Amendment to the Gwangyang City Sewerage Use Ordinance (Councilor Jo Hyun-ok), and 14 items in total including △ the 2020 fiscal year revenue and expenditure settlement approval submitted by the Mayor of Gwangyang City (Accounting Department).

Additionally, Councilor Baek Seong-ho delivered a 5-minute free speech demanding improvement in the treatment of school meal workers, mentioning the increased labor intensity due to additional tasks such as disinfection of meal facilities to prevent COVID-19 infection and the complication of meal distribution procedures in the cafeteria.

He also emphasized that projects producing quality effects, such as the plum beverage provision project promoted by our city to increase income for plum farmers and provide quality beverages from elementary to high schools and daycare centers and kindergartens, as well as support for food waste processors to reduce food waste disposal costs, also add to the workload of cafeteria field workers.

In response, Councilor Baek requested the Jeollanam-do Provincial Council Budget and Settlement Committee to approve the personnel expenses for increasing the number of kitchen assistants and asked the city council to also work together to prepare support measures for the increasing labor intensity of meal workers.

Chairman Jin Su-hwa, in his opening remarks, stated, "Since early this year, there have been discussions with the executing agency regarding the payment of disaster relief funds, but due to the absence of the mayor, the disaster relief funds and the first supplementary budget scheduled for April have been delayed until now," and urged, "Even in the absence of the final decision-maker, an administrative system should be established to ensure that major pending tasks are handled without disruption, and administrative power should be concentrated around the deputy mayor to prevent citizen inconvenience caused by work gaps."

Meanwhile, the 299th 1st regular session plans to hold the 2nd plenary session on the 21st to handle the approval of the 2020 fiscal year settlement, fund settlement, contingency expenditure approval, ordinances, and other agenda items.