No.112 Initial Budget for Fiscal Year 2021

In this year's budget formulation, the impact of COVID-19 continues, resulting in a significant decrease in municipal tax revenue.
On the other hand, there is an increase in expenditures for measures to eliminate waiting lists for childcare, such as increasing childcare capacity, outsourcing the operation of the After-School Childcare Program to the private sector, providing services for children with disabilities, and increasing Public Assistance. Additionally, there are costs for communication fees due to the provision of one tablet per student as part of the GIGA School concept, and an increase in the outsourcing of the first kitchen operations after relocation and reconstruction, leading to a difficult situation with rising mandatory and fixed costs.
The current situation greatly exceeds that of the Lehman Shock, and to raise awareness both internally and externally that we are on the brink of a financial crisis, we issued a statement in the budget formulation policy presented last October indicating that we are in a "financial crisis alert state."
In this context, while implementing a 5% negative ceiling on discretionary expenses, we prioritized four points in the budget formulation: first, efforts to protect the lives and livelihoods of citizens from COVID-19; second, sustainable financial and administrative management aimed at realizing the future city vision set forth in the Fifth Long-Term Comprehensive Plan of Inagi City; third, disaster prevention and mitigation measures prioritizing citizen safety; and fourth, reviewing the burden on beneficiaries and securing new financial resources while striving for further cost reductions.

We would like to inform you that the summary has been approved at the 1st Regular Session of the City Council.
The amount of the General Fund Budget for fiscal year 2021 is 35.69 billion yen, which is the fourth largest budget scale in the past, and represents a decrease of 1.715 billion yen, or 4.6%, compared to the previous year.
Municipal Tax, which is the backbone of revenue, has decreased by 3.5%, or approximately 542 million yen, due to the income reduction of taxpayers affected by COVID-19 and the decision to maintain the taxation standard amount for land as a COVID-19 measure. Although the local allocation tax has increased by 26.0% considering this impact, the increase is only about 154 million yen, resulting in a total general revenue of approximately 18.552 billion yen, a decrease of 1.7%.
The main construction projects for this fiscal year include improvements to City Road No. 171 (Keio Yomiuri Land Station North Exit Square), improvements to Yomiuri Land Lines No. 3, 4, and 12, pump replacement at Oshitate Drainage Pump Station, renovation of tennis courts at Shiroyama Park, and demolition of the old first kitchen for School Lunch, with total related expenses amounting to approximately 875 million yen.
By the end of last fiscal year, construction work worth approximately 2.6 billion yen has been completed, including renovations of the air conditioning system in the City Hall main building, improvements to the second and third City Hall parking lots, construction of the (tentative name) Cycle Cafe, and relocation of the first kitchen for School Lunch, resulting in a reduction of approximately 1.7 billion yen in construction costs.

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

50th Anniversary of City Administration
On November 1, 2021, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of city administration with commemorative events such as a ceremony, the establishment of a city song, the creation of a commemorative publication, and a film screening.

Olympic and Paralympic Related
Although it has been postponed for one year, we have budgeted for expenses such as support for the torch relay and bicycle road race operations, just like last year. Additionally, as a legacy of cycling events, a monument will be installed in front of the Inagi Central Park Cycle Cafe.

Parenting Support Related
The opening of "Shiodome Nursery School Inagi" due to the reconstruction, relocation, and privatization of the Third Nursery School, as well as the increase in capacity due to the flexibility of the Fifth Nursery School's capacity, and the increase in capacity for younger children due to the privatization of the Sixth Nursery School, aims to eliminate the waiting list for children. Additionally, various projects such as the distribution of parenting packages, First Birthday support, support for families with multiple births, transportation cost subsidies, and postpartum care will be implemented at the Inagi version of Neubola, the "Parent and Child Comprehensive Support Center," which was established in December 2020.

Support for Older Adults
We coordinate information on three public insurance programs (National Health Insurance, Late-Stage Elderly Medical Care, Long-Term Care Insurance) and implement all health projects in an integrated manner to support the health issues of older adults. Additionally, we estimate the expected service volume in the Long-Term Care Insurance business plan for fiscal years 2021 to 2023 (8th term) and revise the premiums to provide sustainable services.

Support for Persons with Disabilities
Due to the limited number of day service facilities in the city for individuals requiring medical care due to severe physical and intellectual disabilities, a subsidy system will be established to promote their attraction and establishment.

Welfare Consultation and Economic Support
The loan application deadline for the COVID-19 special financial support program will be extended until March 31, 2022. Additionally, due to the increase in consultations at the welfare living consultation desk, we will maintain the system for increasing the number of consultants.

Education Related
The After-School Childcare Programs at Nagamine Elementary School and Hirao Elementary School will be privatized to meet diverse needs, and the capacity of the After-School Childcare Program at Minamiyama Elementary School will be expanded. Additionally, in conjunction with the operation of the new first kitchen at the School Lunch joint kitchen, we will start residue recycling (composting) and promote environmental measures.

Community Development Related to Safety and Security
We will replace the pumps at the aging Oshitatebori drainage pumping station to prepare for the prevention of internal water flooding, and we will conduct special inspections and maintenance (overhauls) of the fire station's ladder truck.

Creation of Vibrancy and Community Development Related
In cooperation with the Inagi City Sister City Friendship Association, we will establish a sister city partnership with Foster City, California, USA, and implement exchange projects.

This fiscal year, although we are in a financial crisis alert state, we are determined to secure the necessary level of services for citizens' lives and to continuously review administrative operations for efficient and effective city administration. In light of the hardships faced by citizens due to COVID-19, we will also implement a measure to reduce the monthly salaries of the mayor, deputy mayor, and education director by 10% for one year in fiscal year 2021.
Furthermore, regarding COVID-19 measures, we have included the supplementary budget No. 11 for fiscal year 2020 and supplementary budget No. 1 for fiscal year 2021, and the vaccination project has been accounted for in supplementary budget No. 2 for fiscal year 2021, separate from the initial budget for fiscal year 2021, which has been approved in this council session.
This year, let us all work together to overcome the impacts of COVID-19 and make it a good year.