Yeongcheon Council Member Soo-ye Bae: "The Essence of the Budget Controversy Lies in the Executive's Policy Misjudgment"

5-Minute Speech at the 249th Regular Session:
Strong Criticism of Formalistic Budget Planning Ignoring Citizens' Livelihoods
"Do Children Not Have Votes?"...Points Out Stinginess in Children's Budget Compared to Increased Funding for Sports Events

Yeongcheon City Council member Soo-ye Bae has strongly criticized the budget planning and execution process of Yeongcheon City, directly addressing the core issues behind the recent controversy over budget cuts.

During a five-minute free speech at the 3rd plenary session of the 249th regular meeting held on the 23rd, Assemblywoman Bae emphasized, "The crux of the current budget controversy lies in the executive branch's misguided policy decisions that prioritized formalistic and inefficient budget planning over residents' right to livelihood."

Yeongcheon City Council member Soo-ye Bae raised concerns about the executive branch's biased budget allocation during the 3rd plenary session of the 249th regular meeting held on the 23rd. Provided by Yeongcheon City Council

◆"Claimed No Budget, Yet Allocated 2 Billion Won in New Funds"...Highlighting Contradictions in Budget Management

Assemblywoman Bae first cited the detection of arsenic in groundwater in Yonggye-ri, Hwanam-myeon, as an example to criticize the executive branch's double standards.

She pointed out that while the executive branch claimed there were "no available funds" for the urgent water supply installation project that directly impacts residents' health, in reality, they have returned leftover budget every year or suddenly allocated 2 billion won in new funds during the supplementary budget adjustment, demonstrating contradictory behavior.

She also expressed deep regret over the executive branch's refusal to accept the council's requests for budget increases, while simultaneously shifting responsibility onto the council through press releases.

◆"Budget Should Not Follow Votes"...Raising Issues of Fairness

The issue of fairness in budget allocation was also brought to the forefront.

Assemblywoman Bae criticized, "While Yeongcheon City claims to be a 'child-friendly city,' it is stingy with increasing the budget for Children's Day events, yet has doubled the budget for township and district sports competitions." She added, "I hope this is not because children do not vote, while sports competition participants do."

She also raised concerns that budget priorities may be driven by political interests rather than citizen-centered projects, citing underperforming investment-leading district projects as an example.

◆Youth Soccer Team & Cheongjebi Budget Cuts..."Decisions Backed by Reason"

Assemblywoman Bae also provided specific grounds to refute criticism regarding the recent budget cuts for the youth soccer team and Cheongjebi-related projects.

She made it clear that the player departures from the youth soccer team were not due to budget cuts, but rather to "management failures" and a "lack of leadership."

She argued that injecting funds without a normalization plan is an irresponsible decision, and stated that support could be discussed at any time once the operational system is properly established.

Regarding the Cheongjebi academic research project, she pointed out that commissioning a study for UNESCO registration is "premature," given that even a provisional listing at the national level is uncertain.

She explained that what is needed now is not a study laden with grandiose language, but rather a practical "basic management budget."

◆"Council Oversight Is a Safeguard for Citizens' Lives"

In conclusion, Assemblywoman Bae criticized the executive branch's insincere attitude, such as omitting materials during administrative audits and budget reviews, and called for the restoration of trust in administration.

She concluded her remarks by stating, "The council's budget review and adjustment are the minimum checks necessary to protect citizens' lives," and emphasized, "Yeongcheon City Council will always act on behalf of citizens and uphold its responsibilities with citizens' lives as the standard."