Mayor Lee Donghwan: “It Is Unreasonable for Gyeonggi to Make Cities Cover 70% of Bus Budget... Raise Provincial Share to Over 50%”

"Do Not Place Excessive Burdens on Cities and Counties": Call for Responsible Administration by Gyeonggi Province
Goyang Mayor Lee Donghwan Proposes Four Key Agenda Items at the Gyeonggi-do Mayors and County Governors Association
Raising the Provincial Cost-Sharing Ratio to Over 50%... Focusing on Securing Sound Local Finances

Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Donghwan) strongly called for Gyeonggi Province to take responsible budget sharing on major pending issues, including the public management system for city buses, at the 10th regular meeting of the Gyeonggi-do Mayors and County Governors Association held on February 25 at the Gimpo Media Art Center.

Lee Donghwan, Mayor of Goyang Special City, is speaking at the 10th regular meeting of the Gyeonggi-do Mayors and County Governors Association held on the 25th at the Gimpo Media Art Center. Provided by Goyang City.

According to the city on February 26, Mayor Lee formally submitted as agenda items an increase in the provincial cost-sharing ratio for the Gyeonggi-do city bus public management system and the strengthening of city and county authority, conveying without omission the fiscal crisis facing local governments.

The public management system currently being promoted by Gyeonggi Province is structured so that cities and counties bear 70% of the budget. In the case of Goyang City, when the system is fully implemented in 2027, the city’s share alone is expected to reach approximately 84 billion won per year. Mayor Lee therefore argued that “it is unreasonable for the province to set a low provincial subsidy rate and shift the actual operating cost burden onto cities and counties, even though this is a province-led project,” and proposed raising the provincial cost-sharing ratio from the current 30% to more than 50%.

He also pointed out that, despite the massive budget投入, citizens’ perceived level of service remains low, and proposed introducing a “permanent service evaluation and penalty point system” for issues such as unkind behavior and reckless driving. This measure is intended to ensure that transport operators assume responsibility and make self-help efforts commensurate with the level of financial support they receive.

In addition, on agenda items proposed by other local governments, he presented reasonable alternatives that put citizens’ interests and environmental protection first.

First, regarding Yangju City’s agenda item on “establishing a basis for private treatment of municipal solid waste,” Mayor Lee pointed out that “introducing an import cooperation fee while maintaining a policy of refraining from raising garbage bag prices is a structural contradiction that places excessive fiscal pressure on local governments.” As a supplementary opinion, the city proposed that financial support measures, such as expanding national funding, should come first, and this stance was reflected in the agenda item, which was passed in a revised form.

In addition, with respect to Gapyeong County’s agenda item on “easing road standards for permits to convert mountain forest land,” he strongly raised concerns about indiscriminate, haphazard development and forest fragmentation that could result from a blanket easing of standards. Instead of unconditional deregulation, the city proposed a concrete alternative of reviewing exception provisions limited to eup and myeon areas, urging a sustainable development approach.

He went on to present alternatives aimed at securing the administrative and fiscal autonomy of basic local governments, including improving the cost-sharing ratio and consultation procedures for education cooperation projects, and adjusting the cost-sharing ratio for home-based benefits under the long-term care insurance system for the elderly. Mayor Lee stressed that “forcing cities and counties to shoulder 50%, and in some cases as much as 90%, of the costs of projects that are the inherent duties of the office of education or universal welfare programs is a distorted structure,” and called for an increase in the cost-sharing ratio borne by the responsible institutions.

Mayor Lee Donghwan of Goyang City stated, “Practices such as imposing an excessive burden on cities and counties in areas like bus administration, which clearly have the character of metropolitan affairs, run counter to the purpose of decentralization and local autonomy,” adding, “We will communicate closely with Gyeonggi Province and other local governments to ensure that the hard-earned tax money of Goyang citizens is not wasted, and we will firmly assert the city’s position on issues that are directly linked to citizens’ interests.”