Mayor’s remarks:
1. Council session ended November 29
The current council session lasting from September 21 to today (November 29) has completed the second and the third readings of bills. Within the 70-day agendum, we proposed the 2018 general budget bill, advance payment bill, and other related bills. After the plenary interpellation session on city administration and the policy address of each bureau and department, which lasted for nearly one month, all bills were deliberated and passed today. I want to thank Speaker Lai, the three chiefs of each political group, and all the councilors for their support. I also want to thank Deputy Mayor Wu, Deputy Secretary General Wu, and the directors-general of all bureaus and departments for their efforts. We will remain humble and take the council’s comments and recommendations into consideration as well as make good use of the approved budget to implement various projects in 2018, including the major construction projects under the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program, to ensure that there is no window period in project implementation. I would like the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission to register and monitor the interpellations and recommendations of councilors and implement feasible ones at full stretch. In addition, I expect and exhort employees not to be slack even if faced with the up-coming the mayoral and councilor elections. With the well-being of citizens being our prime mission, we should do our best to enhance city administration. I want to thank the city council again for its assistance and support.
2. Passing ISO 37120 platinum certification, showcasing Tainan’s international connectivity
(1) This February the Tainan City Government joined the World Council on City Data (WCCD) to apply for certification of the international standard ISO37120 Sustainable development of communities. In addition to Tainan, the event was attended by other 250 advanced international cities including London of the UK, Boston of the USA, Melbourne of Australia, Amsterdam of the Netherlands, Dubai of the UAE, Shanghai of China. Through the seamless bureau-department cooperation and under the direction and planning of the Environmental Protection Bureau, we have passed the platinum grade certification to become the second platinum-certified city in Taiwan following Taipei City. Such an honor suggests that our efforts have earned international recognition. I must present with special gratitude and salutation to the Environmental Protection Bureau and all colleagues for your efforts and contributions.
(2) The WCCD takes charge of the subsequent implementation and promotion of the system indicators in cities across the world. ISO 37120 is a globally accepted statistical indicator system for city governance, performance evaluation, and comparison among cities. In ISO 37120, there are supporting indicators and core indicators under 17 themes: economy, education, energy, environment, finance, fire and emergency response, governance, health, recreation, safety, shelter, solid waste, telecommunication and innovation, transportation, urban planning, wastewater, and water and sanitation. Currently, only 35 cities around the world have passed platinum certification. It is not easy to win such recognition in less than one year.
(3) Tainan is an ancient capital and the oldest city in Taiwan. In addition to marking out its timeless value as an ancient capital, this honor raises Tainan’s international visibility, enables the city to build its own statistical indicator system, and connects Tainan to the world and earns global recognition.
3. Enriching city contents with multiple activities and developing the charm of Tainan through bureau-department cooperation
(1) The end of the year is the season of harvest and the time to demonstrate achievements. Recently, we have organized many activities that won critical acclaim, including the LUC Festival and Food Festival organized by the Tourism Bureau; Bringing the Arts to Your Community, Yuguang Island Art Festival, 2017 South Taiwan Film Festival, and Street Art Competival organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau; and the Tainan Shopping Festival organized by the Bureau of Economic Development. Each of them has enriched the look of Tainan.
(2) The success of these events should be attributed to the planning efforts and diligent contributions of Director-general Wang of the Tourism Bureau, Director-general Yeh of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and Director-general Yin of the Bureau of Economic Development and their teams, who sacrificed their holidays and fully devoted to accomplishing their missions. Thank you for your efforts. I also want to thank Deputy Secretary General Fang and Deputy Secretary General Lee for their horizontal integration among bureaus and departments, I should say thanks to you on behalf of all the citizens. Thank you everybody for your contributions to Tainan City.
(3) As the food festival comes to its last phase, the Christmas Illumination and New Year’s Eve Celebration are coming forth. I hope all colleagues can hang on to the end to make Tainan more charming by holding successful events for all citizens to pride themselves on being part of Tainan.
Report
1. Report on the Achievements of the Tainan Park Centennial Celebration presented by the Public Works Bureau (please refer to the written sources for details)
Resolution: Approved for reference filing
Mayor's remarks:
(1) The year 2017 marks the centenary of Tainan Park. Built in 1917 near the North Gate of the old Tainan City, the park was the only one built with funds that were mostly raised from public donations during Japanese rule. The remnants of the city wall of the Qing dynasty, the reflection in the Swallow Lake, and the park administration building in the European style still survive in the park, which constitutes the unique tropical characteristics and nostalgic image of Tainan. As the first modernized park in the ancient city of Tainan, Tainan Park is worthy of celebration and deserving of its special position.
(2) The centennial celebration of Tainan Park features Centennial Rebirth as its core theme. The rebirth started with the grouting ceremony hosted by former Mayor Lai on January 1, 2017. Later on June 7 in this year, the celebration was brought to another climax by the holding of Tainan Park Historical and Cultural Content and Regeneration Strategy International Conference. Between June 12 and June 17, a series of activities were held, including the park history and ecological walks, which enabled citizens of Greater Tainan and across Taiwan to learn more about Tainan Park. On June 15, former Mayor Lai visited the park with honorable guests to celebrate the birth and the service of the water fountain, accompanied by senior citizens and enterprises that have donated to park construction a century ago. I want to thank Deputy Mayor Wu for his supervision and Director-general Su and all our colleagues at the Public Works Bureau for their efforts in planning and smoothly implementing the centennial celebration activities that earned critical acclaim from all parts of society with outstanding achievements.
(3) No other cities in Taiwan except for Tainan has incorporated an international conference into The Tainan Park Centennial Celebration, which is merely a city-level activity. The Public Works Bureau invited Professor Ruey-tsung Lee to write the monograph Tainan Park: Reflections in a Mirror, which was also a unique monograph for the centenary of Tainan Park in Taiwan. In the monograph, Professor Lee presented many valuable historical documents and photos. Through his insightful elaboration and discussion, we can learn more and better about the special position of modernization and parks in Taiwan. The monograph also enables many Tainan citizens to understand the origins and evolution of this century-old park for the first time through the history and stories about Swallow Lake, the park administration building, the Chongdao Chongwun Archway, the zoo, and the circus.
(4) This year, we have enabled all our citizens to experience the profound historical value and cultural contents of Tainan Park through a series of activities. In the future, we will continue to explore more prospects for the park for the next one hundred years to come so as to re-present the city glory of Tainan Park.
(5) The Public Works Bureau should continue the subsequent projects, such as the renovation of the park administration building, the possibility of partially exposing the Great North Gate walls, the possibility of restoring or reconstructing the Japanese-style water foundation, or the possibility of extending the waterfall area to the drainage based on the example of the image remediation of the waterfall area.
2. Report on the Achievements and Outlook of the Tainan City Bikeway Construction by the Bureau of Transportation (please refer to written sources for details)
Resolution: Approved for reference filing
Mayor's remarks:
(1) Building a low carbon city is the vision of the city government and one of the New Ten Flagship Projects. Tainan boasts an abundance of natural beauty, including mountains, sea, and plains. There are traces of special geographical features shaped by the Taijian inland sea and Daofeng inland sea in the past. What’s more it is also renowned for a long history and culture, historical monuments, gourmet food, and natural landscapes. All together they make Tainan a suitable city for bikeway development.
(2) The total length of bikeway in Tainan has increased from 304.5km in 2010 to 594.4km at present. The total length has grown nearly twice as much as it used to be. I want to thank the Water Resources Bureau, the Bureau of Urban Development, the Tourism Bureau, and Bureau of Transportation, and all district offices for their efforts and contributions. I also want to thank the Bureau of Transportation for its integration and reports.
(3) Currently, the central government subsidizes most part of the bikeway construction. I also want to thank the Sports Administration of the Ministry of Education, the Construction and Planning Agency of the Ministry of the Interior, and the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications for their support. In 2017, the city government also proposed nine bikeways to the Sports Administration of the Ministry of Education, including building 118.213km of new bikeways and renovating 143km of existing bikeways with a total budget amounting to NT$249.06 million. The Bureau of Education and the Bureau of Transportation should continue to strive for subsidization from the Sports Administration of the Ministry of Education. The secretary general should also supervise the process to create new classic bikeways in Tainan.
(4) Maintenance and management after bikeway construction are also very important. I urge all related units to conduct periodic and irregular tour inspections to maintain a safe cycling environment and turn Tainan into a cycling-friendly city. The secretary general should supervise the establishment of a city government level mechanism and a bureau/department level mechanism for tour inspections of these bikeways together with other public facilities, tourist attractions, and related public space in the city to ensure all public land and facilities are well attended. Currently, we have a bikeway network of nearly 600km long, Deputy Secretary General Lee should discuss with related bureaus and departments to promote the use of the bikeway by citizens and visitors through strong campaigning. Motorcycles running on bikeways can cause accidents very easily. Deputy Secretary General Lee should cooperate with related bureaus and departments to draft related penalties to prevent injuries.