No.66 Policy Formation through Citizen Collaboration

Inagi Newsletter May 15, 2017 Edition

This year, not only at the Kamihirao Fire Branch Office, but also in relation to public works closely related to citizens' lives, there have been changes and the commencement of the use of public facilities. This time, we would like to inform you about the overview of these projects.
iBus Review
Reflecting on the fact that the previous first phase review work was insufficient both in terms of duration and content, we began preparations for the second phase review in June of the same year, prior to the start of the first phase review route operation in October 2014, and started discussions in January 2015. We upgraded the "Inagi City Regional Public Transport Study Council" based on the city's guidelines to the statutory council "Inagi City Regional Public Transport Conference" based on the Road Transport Act, increasing the members from 14 to 26, including representatives from various regions within the city and user representatives.
Over approximately two years, we held 9 main meetings of the Regional Public Transport Conference, 10 joint study meetings with citizen representatives, 5 study meetings with Neighborhood Association representatives, and 8 meetings with bus operators, thoroughly discussing the matters. Additionally, we held 20 citizen briefing sessions at 11 locations before the route decisions, receiving various opinions. We published the progress of the discussions a total of 5 times in the Inagi Newsletter, keeping everyone informed.
Central Community Center Hall Renovation
The hall, which opened in 1973, has aged and had usability issues, so it was planned for renovation in the third Long-Term Comprehensive Plan covering the period from 2001 to 2010. However, due to financial circumstances, it was postponed and re-listed in the fourth Long-Term Comprehensive Plan covering the period from 2011 to 2020, and this time, a large-scale renovation will be carried out.
When implementing the renovation work, I consulted the Community Center Management Council in 2013 about the "State of the Central Community Center Hall." The council conducted a user survey, discussed the basic policy, and decided on five aspects: complete renovation of the restrooms, renovation of the air conditioning system, renovation of the seating, implementation of barrier-free access, and functional renovations within the hall.
After the decision of this basic policy, we held 6 user briefing sessions. Throughout this process, there were various requests, expectations that seemed excessive, and differing opinions, but within the limitations of financial resources and facility conditions, we were ultimately able to reach a harmonious conclusion.

Through the two cases mentioned above, we were able to gather the opinions of the citizens, which is a testament to the fact that forums for discussion, such as the Regional Public Transport Conference and the Community Center Management Council, are functioning substantively rather than merely formally. This is the result of sincere exchanges of opinions among the members of the council, users, citizens, and the secretariat staff, deepening mutual understanding, and I would like to express my gratitude and respect to all the participants involved.
In these two cases, I take pride in the fact that citizens directly participated in the city's policy formation process, making it a model case for collaborative administration.
Although the i-bus is a form of route bus, even as a community bus, it is impossible to respond to everyone's requests. However, through this initiative, we were able to promote the main objective of the review policy, which is to "complement route buses and increase opportunities for transportation-disadvantaged individuals to go out and participate in society."
There were some matters that could not be realized in the renovation of the Community Center hall, but it has been reborn as a compact hall that incorporates users' ideas in various places, reflecting the character of Inagi.
I sincerely hope that both the i-bus and the Community Center hall will continue to receive your support for many years to come.