No.89 Initial Budget for Fiscal Year 2019

The initial budget for the final year of Heisei was approved at the last Regular Session of the Heisei City Council, so I will provide an overview.
In preparing this year's budget, we focused on maintaining sound finances, addressing key projects in the Fourth Long-Term Comprehensive Plan, promoting the achievement of the Inagi City Community, People, and Work Creation Comprehensive Strategy, and prioritizing disaster prevention and mitigation measures for the safety of our citizens.
Based on these considerations, the scale of the General Fund Budget for fiscal year 31 of Heisei is 35.69 billion yen, the second largest amount in history, an increase of 1.194 billion yen, or 3.5% from the previous year.
In terms of revenue, the core Municipal Tax is expected to increase by 0.7% to 15.365 billion yen due to an increase in the number of Municipal Resident Tax payers and new and expanded buildings. Although there are fluctuations such as a 51.7% decrease in automobile acquisition tax grants due to tax reform and a 251.8% increase in local special grants to cover local burdens associated with free early childhood education, the total general revenue is secured at 18.739 billion yen, an increase of 1.5%.
The main projects for this year include the renovation of the air conditioning system in the city hall, air conditioning work at Elementary and Junior High Schools and the Cultural Center, the construction of a meal delivery service facility under the Nambu Line (Higashi-Naganuma), renovations of the life support service base (Koyodai), improvements to roads 7, 4, and 5 (from San-Chu-Mae to the Keio Line), tunnel construction on roads 3, 4, and 36 (from Kamihirako to Odaryo), maintenance and repair work on Sugahori, and the relocation and reconstruction of the first joint cooking facility for school lunches. Even just the projects listed here amount to nearly 2.7 billion yen in significant undertakings.
Next, I will introduce an overview of the characteristics of this year's budget by policy issue.

Inagi Village 130th Anniversary Commemorative Project
This year marks the 130th anniversary of the establishment of Inagi Village, and commemorative projects will be implemented.
Safety and Security Community Development
We will implement new subsidies for security cameras set up by the Neighborhood Association, a demonstration project for small community transportation in the traffic-inconvenient area of Shimohirao, the introduction of the Net119 emergency reporting system that allows hearing and speech impaired individuals to make emergency calls from mobile devices, updates and distribution of the Inagi Disaster Prevention Map to all households, and the renewal of high-spec emergency vehicles.
Parenting Support
We will aim to eliminate waiting children by establishing new Licensed Childcare Centers, increasing capacity through the authorization of certified childcare centers from fiscal year 31, increasing childcare capacity through the transition of existing kindergartens to certified childcare centers, and preparing for the opening of Licensed Childcare Centers utilizing metropolitan land, while also working towards the free provision of early childhood education and childcare.
Support for Older Adults
We will prepare for the formulation of the 8th Long-Term Care Insurance Business Plan, conduct training to address the shortage of caregiving personnel, hold dementia cafes, and establish new group homes for older adults with dementia.
Education and Sports
We will establish special support classrooms in all municipal middle schools, expand school social workers, and formulate the third Children’s Reading Activity Promotion Plan, while advancing the relocation and rebuilding of the joint cooking facility for school lunches, and fostering enthusiasm for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Creating a Livable Community
We will support the formulation of the Chamber of Commerce's commercial revitalization plan, hold entrepreneurship support projects within the city, and consider the organization of addresses in the Sakahama area in conjunction with the land readjustment project in the Odaroshi area.
This fiscal year also has a rich budget. We will continue to advance the development of Inagi while listening to the opinions of the citizens, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation.