No.136 Initial Budget for Fiscal Year 2023

This year, the initial budget was approved at the first Regular Session of the City Council held in March, so I will provide an overview.

Since 2020, due to measures to curb face-to-face contact as a response to the spread of COVID-19, economic activities have significantly declined, and it was anticipated that local government finances would also be affected. Therefore, at the time of formulating the initial budget for fiscal year 2021, a "Fiscal Crisis Alert" was issued, and efforts were made to implement austerity fiscal management.

However, fortunately, in Inagi City, there was no decline in Municipal Tax revenue as initially feared, and we were able to lift the alert during the preparation of the initial budget for fiscal year 2022. This time, in preparing the initial budget for fiscal year 2023, both the projected settlement for fiscal year 2022 and the budget forecast for fiscal year 2023 show a steady increase in Municipal Tax revenue.

At first glance, it may seem like we have overcome the COVID-19 crisis, but the virus itself has not disappeared, and we cannot predict how it will mutate in the future. Therefore, we will continue to manage our finances and administration with a sense of urgency.

In the fiscal year 2023, the budget formulation was carried out based on four key points: (1) Continuation of COVID-19 prevention measures, (2) Measures to address rising prices, (3) Initiatives under the Fifth Long-Term Comprehensive Plan of Inagi City, and (4) Disaster prevention and mitigation measures prioritizing the safety of citizens.
The General Fund Budget for fiscal year 2023 increased by 8.7% compared to the previous year, amounting to an increase of 3.128 billion yen, with a total of 39.195 billion yen, the largest scale ever.

In terms of revenue, the Municipal Tax, which accounts for 42.5% of the total revenue, is expected to increase by 3.6% due to the income growth of taxpayers and the increase in newly built houses, exceeding a total of 16.6 billion yen, the highest ever. Meanwhile, local consumption tax grants supported by steady consumption will increase by 17.1%, approximately 320 million yen, while due to these impacts, local allocation tax will decrease by 46.0%, approximately 400 million yen.

In terms of expenditures, assistance costs increased due to Public Assistance, disability care benefits, and medical expense subsidies for high school students, while investment expenses increased due to the expansion of Minamiyama Elementary School and renovations of the Second Junior High School. Additionally, property costs rose due to the separation and recycling of plastic waste and the soaring utility costs of Public Facilities. Furthermore, the transfer payments increased due to the promotion of the Land Readjustment Project, resulting in an 8.7% increase compared to the previous fiscal year, similar to the revenue.

The main construction projects for this fiscal year include the improvements to the Yomiuri Land Line No. 3, 4, and 12, the expansion of Minamiyama Elementary School, the establishment of a branch of the Development Support Center, waterproofing and exterior renovation of the Second Junior High School, the electrification of the drainage gate at Omaru Yatogawa, the development of parks in the eastern area of Minamiyama, and the renovation of the Third Division Fire Brigade's station. The total cost related to these construction projects amounts to approximately 2 billion yen, making this year's budget the largest in history.

Next, we will introduce the distinctive budgets for each policy issue.

Child Care Support Related
In response to the increasing demand for the After-School Childcare Program, we will expand the After-School Childcare Program at Minamiyama Elementary School, and at the Second Cultural Center, we will privatize the After-School Childcare Program along with the Children's Center to improve convenience. At Shiroyama Elementary School, we are considering establishing an After-School Childcare Program on campus in preparation for the rebuilding of the school building. The After-School Children's Program will provide snacks and extend usage hours until 6 PM for those who wish to participate across all schools. The subsidy for children's Medical Expenses will be expanded to include high school students in accordance with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's system.

Older Adults Support Related
With the increase in regular classrooms at Hirao Elementary School, we will subsidize the expenses for relocating the Hirao Community Center to the Hirao Danchi Shopping Street. We will establish a group home for older adults with dementia and a small-scale multifunctional home care facility in the Nanzan East District.

Support for Persons with Disabilities
We provide financial assistance to group homes that accept severely disabled individuals transitioning from institutional facilities, address the shortage of helper personnel, and offer support for employment and qualification acquisition for human resource development. We will renovate the former Fourth Nursery School facility to establish a branch of the Developmental Support Center and a branch of the Educational Consultation Room, as well as start a day service for individuals with severe physical and intellectual disabilities who require medical care.

Social Welfare Related
We will add the Welfare Center to the Public Facilities reservation system to improve user convenience.

Education Related
We will introduce external instructors for swimming instruction during the summer vacation period at elementary schools, trial the introduction of programming learning materials for junior high school students, increase the number of school social workers in elementary and junior high schools, and strengthen the system for visiting support for children and students facing issues such as school refusal. We will hold the 50th anniversary ceremony of the Community Center and Library, which opened in June 1973. We will implement the digital archiving of cultural properties and launch a website for the cultural property database. Minamiyama Elementary School will carry out construction to expand the school building in response to the increase in the number of students. At Daini Junior High School, we will carry out waterproofing of the roof and renovation of the exterior walls to address the aging of the school building.

Environmental Measures
In the opening policy statement of this council, we declared our commitment to carbon neutrality. Accordingly, we will formulate the city's carbon neutrality promotion plan within this fiscal year, introduce solar power generation equipment in all public facilities as much as possible, switch lighting to LED, and expand subsidies to support the ZEH (Zero Energy House) initiative for general residences. We will work on the separate collection and recycling of plastic waste, glass, and ceramics, aiming to improve the recycling rate.

Disaster Prevention and Mitigation
Renovations for flood control measures will be carried out at City Hall, ensuring the availability of cooling water for emergency generators and toilet drainage even during water outages. The Sugahori riverbank will be improved, the Omaru Yato River drainage gate will be automated, and the high-voltage transformer replacement work at the Oshitate drainage pumping station will be implemented. Four fire department pump trucks will be updated simultaneously to enhance disaster response capabilities. A rainwater (internal water) flooding risk area map will be created to prepare for wind and flood damage, and new installations and relocations of earthquake automatic unlocking boxes will be carried out to prepare for earthquakes.

Digitalization Promotion Related
Conduct a basic survey and develop a transition plan for the standardization of local government information systems, aiming to transition to the government's cloud environment by fiscal year 7. Expand the tax items compatible with the eLTAX common local tax payment system to all Municipal Tax items, establish an electronic payment environment, and make credit card and ATM Pay-easy available.

This year marks the fourth year of COVID-19 response, with the relaxation of mask-wearing starting from March 13, and a planned change from Category 2 to Category 5 of designated infectious diseases starting May 8. Let us work together towards behavioral changes for the post-COVID stage, without excessive fear, while continuing infection prevention measures.