No.146 Initial Budget for FY2024

This year's initial budget was passed at the first regular city council meeting held in March, so we would like to provide you with an overview.
　
When preparing the initial budget for fiscal 2024, I instructed each department within the agency to make requests in line with the budget preparation policy established in August last year.
　
As the Japanese economy has overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, socio-economic activity is recovering, and personal consumption and corporate capital investment are continuing to recover, with gradual growth driven by private demand expected to continue in the future. Against this backdrop, the national government, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and Inagi City are showing steady growth in tax revenues in both the fiscal year 2023 settlement estimates and the fiscal year 2024 budget estimates.
　
On the other hand, however, prices and resource costs continue to rise due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and pressure to boost spending remains high as measures to combat rising prices and the provision of special subsidies to low-income earners continue.
　
The initial requests from each department this time showed that the total expenditures were approximately 4.45 billion yen more than the total revenues. This revenue shortfall was the largest ever, and even compared to the shortfall of approximately 3.14 billion yen at the same time last year, it was an amount that was difficult to resolve. Therefore, we have compiled a budget based on four basic points: (1) maintaining sound finances and sustainable administrative and financial management, (2) measures to combat price increases and post-COVID-19 response, (3) disaster prevention and mitigation measures that prioritize the safety of citizens, and (4) reviewing beneficiary burdens and securing new financial resources.
　
The general account budget for fiscal year 2024 is an increase of 7.4%, or 2.885 billion yen, from the previous year, for a total of 42.08 billion yen, the largest amount ever and exceeding 40 billion yen for the first time.
　
In terms of revenue, city taxes, which account for about 40% of total revenue, decreased by 1.4%, or approximately 230 million yen, overall due to the fixed tax cut in individual municipal taxes. However, this was not affected as the reduced revenue was fully compensated for by subsidies from the national government, and other income generally increased.
　
In terms of expenditures, personnel expenses increased due to salary revisions and the increase in the minimum wage, assistance expenses increased due to child education and childcare benefits, operating contract fees for private childcare centers, disability care benefits, medical expense subsidies for compulsory education children, and medical expense subsidies for high school students, etc., investment expenses increased due to the installation of air conditioning equipment in special classrooms, subsidies for the promotion of private childcare centers, the purchase of the second phase of land for the First Kitchen, and the expenses for the contracted project for the Yomiuri Land Line on Prefectural Highway, etc., property expenses increased due to expenses related to system standardization, contract fees for the childbirth and child-rearing support gift project, and contract fees for garbage collection and transportation, etc., and transfers increased due to the promotion of land readjustment projects, etc., resulting in an increase of 7.4% compared to the previous year, just like revenues.
　
The main construction works this year include improvements to the Yomiuri Land Line, No. 3, 4 and 12, the construction of the new No. 7, 5 and 3 roads, the expansion of the Nanzan Elementary School after-school club, improvements to the plaza in front of the south exit of Inagi Station, and the installation of air conditioning equipment in special classrooms. The total construction-related expenses including these works are approximately 4.3 billion yen, which is one of the reasons for the large size of this year's budget.
　
Next, we will introduce the characteristic budgets for each policy issue.
　
Childcare support related
Income restrictions will be abolished for Maruko and Maru Ao, making all children up to age 18 eligible for the medical expense subsidy system. The amount of childcare packages distributed in the First Birthday Support Program for children turning one year old will be increased from 10,000 yen to 60,000 yen, and the Family Support Center program will improve the treatment of active members and strengthen the system. The Shiroyama Cultural Center Children's Hall and Shiroyama Elementary School After-School Club will be privatized to improve convenience, and the capacity of the Nanzan Elementary School After-School Club will be increased with the completion of the expansion.
　
Elderly support related
We will start a brain health measurement project to prevent and improve the progression of dementia through early detection, support the relocation of the Koyodai Community Support Center to the former site of the Kiraboshi Bank Koyodai branch, and increase the number of days that the Inagi Home Medical and Nursing Consultation Center, which is run by a contracted medical association, is open from three days a week to five days a week.
　
Disability support related
The renovation of the former Fourth Nursery School facility has been completed, and we will open a development support center branch and an educational counseling center branch, as well as start a day service for people with severe physical and mental disabilities and those who require medical care. As disaster support for home ventilator users, we will provide private power generation equipment or storage batteries to those who were not covered by the system until now.
　
Social welfare
In order to respond to increasingly complex and diverse support needs, we will establish a multi-layered support system that provides comprehensive support to a wide range of welfare targets.
　
Education
We will provide emergency subsidies for school lunch expenses to all students in public elementary and junior high schools to reduce the burden on parents in response to rising prices, etc. We will formulate the next plan for the Inagi City Children's Reading Activity Promotion Plan, and hold the "World Children's Future Conference in INAGI Supporting the United Nations" for elementary school students to further promote ESD education. We will improve the regular classrooms at Futago Elementary School and Hirao Elementary School in response to the increase in the number of students, and will carry out basic and detailed designs for the expansion of the Futago Elementary School building. We will install air conditioners in special classrooms at elementary schools that did not have them before, and install barrier-free toilets in the gymnasium at Shiroyama Elementary School to improve the environment of the facilities.
　
Environmental measures
In order to introduce solar power generation equipment under the PPA scheme to as many public facilities as possible, we will prioritize waterproofing the roofs of the Fifth Nursery School, Fourth Junior High School, and Third Cultural Center, which were deemed infeasible under current conditions after a survey. In addition, we will replace the ground lighting at Friend Hirao with LEDs.
　
Crime prevention, disaster prevention, and disaster mitigation
The city will also subsidize the operating costs of neighborhood association security cameras that the city has subsidized for installation. The city will begin formulating a comprehensive stormwater management plan by reviewing goals based on climate change, and the fourth Inagi City Fire Prevention Basic Plan, and will revise the Inagi City Regional Disaster Prevention Plan based on lessons learned from earthquakes, wind and flood damage in various regions. In order to open designated evacuation shelters quickly in the event of an earthquake, the city will install more earthquake automatic unlocking boxes for storing keys near evacuation shelters. As a disaster prevention measure for the city hall building, the city will carry out design work for the renovation of the substation equipment to expand the area where business can continue during a power outage, and will renovate the aging air conditioning equipment at the Inagi Fire Station and update it to equipment that can operate autonomously with only gas supply during a power outage and can be powered externally. The Osatatebori Drainage Pumping Station will have a generator installed to prepare for flood prevention.
　
Digitalization Promotion Related
We will completely renovate the city's website and create a system that can provide citizens with the information they need in a timely and accurate manner. With the update of the public facility reservation system, in addition to online reservations for sports facilities, we will promote cashless payment of usage fees and smart key rentals, creating a system that eliminates the need to visit the city office to complete procedures. We will introduce interactive generation AI to City Hall to improve the work efficiency of city employees.
　
In addition, the general account supplementary budget for fiscal year 2023 (No. 6) was passed in the December assembly last year, and the general account supplementary budget for fiscal year 2023 (No. 7) was passed in a special resolution in January this year, and budgets for "Temporary Priority Support Benefits for Households Exempt from Resident Tax, Priority Support Benefits for Price Rise, and Premium Gift Certificates" were included separately from the initial budget. We will continue to take measures against price rises and respond to the post-COVID stage.