Mayor’s Remarks:
1. We extend our gratitude to all bureaus and departments for their hard work over the past year, which ensured that the Christmas and New Year’s Eve series of events concluded successfully and garnered widespread praise. This year, the Lunar New Year holiday includes nine continuous days off. However, municipal administrative services will remain uninterrupted. During this period, responsibilities, such as maintaining order, environmental cleanliness, safety, and public health, will continue, and colleagues are expected to uphold their commitment to serving citizens. Recently, various administrative issues have arisen in different counties and cities, including the disqualification of the grand prize winner of the Shopping Festival, damage to the walls of a historic site caused by cleaning staff, and accidental injuries to the public from inadvertently misdirected fireworks during a New Year’s Eve event. These incidents could happen even with the slightest negligence. Colleagues are urged to stay vigilant and highly alert when organizing each event to prevent similar occurrences. During the Lunar New Year Festival, major events, such as shopping festivals and lantern festivals, will be held. We urge all relevant bureaus and departments to prioritize safety and maintain order. Let us work together to ensure that participants can appreciate the highlights of these events.
2. The prices of vehicles purchased in the first and second halves of the year will differ. All bureaus and departments are advised to consider the bargaining potential for discounts carefully when purchasing government vehicles.
Reports
1. The Public Works Bureau presented a report on the "Progress and Outcomes of Promoting Safe Routes to School" (refer to written sources for details).
Resolution: Approved for reference filing.
Mayor’s Comments:
(1) In the past, media reports indicated that students had to cross dangerous pedestrian underpasses or navigate poorly designed routes to reach their schools. As a result, society has placed great importance on improving safe routes to school in recent years. Through the collaboration of central and local government funding, the routes near schools have been gradually upgraded. Currently, Tainan City has the smallest increase in centrally allocated tax revenues among the six special municipalities. Given this situation, we must actively seek additional funding from the central government by leveraging competitive programs and demonstrating past achievements. With sufficient resources, we aim to enhance more safe routes to school, providing a safer environment for parents to pick up and drop off their children and reducing the risk of traffic safety incidents caused by congestion.
(2) Of the 93 Safe Routes to School projects undertaken by the Tainan City Government, 52 have been completed, and 41 are being actively implemented. The Public Works Bureau is urged to plan and prepare actively for subsequent projects.
2. The Research, Development, and Evaluation Commission presented a report titled “New Policy Measures for 2025” (refer to written sources for details).
Resolution: Approved for reference filing.
Mayor’s Comments:
(1) At the start of each new year or during the year, the central and local governments typically roll out new policy measures. For example, the city previously approved health insurance subsidies for citizens aged 65 and older. These new measures are closely tied to the welfare and rights of citizens. The Department of Information and International Relations, along with other bureaus and departments, is requested to enhance the promotion and dissemination of these policies.
(2) Since the last dengue fever case occurred on February 5 last year, there have been no new local cases. We extend our gratitude to the Public Health Bureau, other relevant bureaus and departments, and the citizens for their full cooperation in helping to eliminate dengue fever as a major concern for the city and a significant threat to public health. However, due to the impact of climate change and global warming, dengue fever cases have begun to appear in northern regions and higher-latitude countries. Although the mosquito species transmitting the disease may differ, they still pose a threat to residents' health. This year’s warmer winter may also lead to an earlier start of the dengue fever season. We look forward to the continued efforts of all bureaus and departments, the expansion of cooperation with clinics and pharmacies, and the strengthening of prevention measures to ensure that dengue fever outbreaks are effectively prevented. The central and local governments have introduced various measures to improve environmental sanitation for public benefit, and all bureaus and departments are requested to promote and publicize these initiatives actively.