Mayor’s Remarks:
1. Having a grasp on administrative objectives and responding to anticipations with positivity
(1) The local elections are scheduled to take place at the end of the year. Recently, the media has released the administrative reviews and censuses for the various counties and cities. In the 2018 Overall County/City Competitiveness Report published in the latest volume of Global Views Monthly, Tainan improved by four places and was named the City with Best Progress. Tainan ranked top two in four of the nine major categories, an achievement that is well-worth celebrating.
(2) I urge the departments to make changes in response to negative reviews and to award and congratulate its staff members for positive reviews. We should not allow external opinions hinder our endeavors of promoting policies that benefit the citizens. In the face of misunderstandings and criticism, please adopt a positive perspective and earnestly engage the public and respond to the expectations of citizens and various external parties.
(3) After former Mayor Lai took on the responsibility of Premier of the Executive Yuan last year, the Tainan City Government has continued to strive toward achieving its original administrative goals. Therefore, it is erroneous and unfair to claim that the Tainan City Government is a caretaker government. I would rather think that “caretaking,” in our example, is caring for this city’s future and safeguarding our infrastructural achievements. Although our term will end in half a year, the Tainan City Government will continue to deliver Premier Lai’s promises to Tainan’s citizens by proactively working with the Central Government and promoting various projects, thereby realizing Tainan’s visions of development and continuing to improve our city.
2. Remaining vigilant when preparing for extreme weather
(1) Although the recent Typhoon Prapiroon did not pass over Taiwan, it brought westerly winds that led to significant rainfall along the western coast. Taiwan was struck by the tail of the typhoon. The localized showers that resulted from the typhoon exceeded 200 mm per day. Torrential rains that occur in a short span of time are likely to cause temporary flooding. In certain regions, hourly precipitation reached 71.5 mm, and three-hour rainfall accumulation reached 125 mm. Thus, I urge the various departments to remain vigilant in preparing for extreme weather events and educating the public on such risks.
(2) During Monday morning’s rainstorm, the maximum hourly precipitation and three-hour rainfall accumulation reached 71.5 mm and 125 mm, respectively, which far exceeded the capacity of the sewage systems. Although the continuous rainfall eased the water shortage, it also caused temporary floods and landslides in mountainous areas, which obstructed bridges and roads. Although the Cingliao Kanding Tribe is situated on high ground, the downpour exceeded the area's capacity, and Cingliao started to flood. Although the district office activated pumps before the flooding began, the continuous and concentrated rain still led to short periods of flooding. Fortunately, all four pumps proved effective, and all flood water was pumped out before noon, whereas in the past it would have taken an entire day for floods to subside.
(3) To resolve flooding in low-lying Houbi and sludging in Bajhang River, and to protect the Cinglaio Kanding community, the Tainan City Government has invested NT $125 million in constructing the 1.8 km-long Cingliao Levey. This project, combined with the NT $155 million emergency drainage project in Cingliao following Typhoons Trami and Kong-rey in 2013, demonstrates that safety is the Tainan City Government’s priority. Together, these projects have ensured a 25-year flood prevention capacity while substantially reducing the area and duration of flooding. None of the communities in Houbi that are prone to flooding, such as Dingchang, Pingan, Sinjia, and Sindongli, experienced flooding during this wave of torrential rains. However, due to ongoing construction in the Cingliao Community and heavy rain at Kanding Tribe, Cingliao Tribe experienced flooding. The Tainan City Government will continue to improve and enhance the flood prevention standards in various regions to gradually minimize flood-prompted casualties and loss of property. I would like to ask citizens to continue to encourage the city government’s frontline workers, for they have put in great effort to improve Tainan’s flood prevention infrastructure. Gaining recognition for their hard work will boost their morale.
Announcements
1. The Tourism Bureau’s report on the 2018 Summer Party (refer to written sources for details)
Decision: Approved for reference filing
Mayor’s Remarks:
(1) The 2018 Summer Party, a marketing campaign that combines major summer events in Tainan, has been organized for five consecutive years. The promotional video of this year’s Summer Party was centered on the theme of Tainan bu ni (“one never gets tired of Tainan”). An audition was held, where citizens used the Taiwanese syntactic expletive “ni” to convey Tainan’s unique hospitality. During the audition, citizens were also asked to give examples of tourism elements in Tainan that are fun, diverse, and intriguing. I would like to thank the Tourism Bureau for producing this year’s video and the Department of Information and International Relations for helping to promote the video. I would like to ask all departments to also help to promote the video.
(2) Cigu Seafood Festival, which is scheduled to begin on July 14, has been previously held on 11 different occasions. This year’s events include Digging for Clams in Chizhui Tourism Park, a fish market, Tour Cigu, and Feasting on Cigu’s Seven Specialties. The 280 openings for Tour Cigu, which includes seven tour routes, were sold within the hour. This event has been popular over the past years and has a lot to offer. The Tainan Summer Music Festival, scheduled to start on July 28, is held in combination with a cultural and creative bazar and a food market. A variety of packaged tours and pickup services, organized by travel agencies, transportation companies, and local communities, are available. These events are combined with the Southwest Coast National Scenic Area Administration’s Sand Sculpture Festival that is scheduled to start on July 15, which will certainly promote tourism along Taiwan’s western coast.
(3) The 2018 Summer Party, which included key events such as Cigu Seafood Festival and Tainan Summer Music Festival, is a cluster of major tourism events that attract many families and youth to Tainan’s coast each year. Thus, safety always comes first. I would like to ask the departments to work together and offer mutual assistance. Also, I would like to ask the Tourism Bureau to make preparations. As summer vacation coincides with typhoon season, the weather is relatively unstable. I urge the Tourism Bureau to keep an eye on weather conditions and ensure the safety of participants taking part in these events.
2. The Environmental Protection Bureau’s report on amendments to the Air Pollution Control Act and the Tainan City Government’s future responses (refer to written sources for details)
Decision: Approved for reference filing
Mayor’s Remarks:
(1) The latest major amendments to the Air Pollution Control Act were made 16 years ago in 2002. With rapid changes in the domestic socioeconomic structure, demands for pollution control have also risen, and the current law requires reviewal and amendments. The results of the current amendments enable local governments to have greater authority over controlling pollution sources; thus, the Tainan City Government highly supports the current amendments.
(2) The current amendments are characterized by five highlights, including the addition of a good neighbor clause, a clause on factory source control mechanisms, additional measures and higher penalties concerning the management of mobile sources of pollution, the recovery of illegal gains, and the addition of a whistle-blower clause. Reinforcements were made to air quality improvement plans, source control and intermediary management, and end-of-pipe treatment. Many citizens have raised questions pertaining to whether controlling mobile sources affects vehicle rights. In response, we would like to emphasize that aged vehicles do not necessarily produce large amounts of pollution. Aged vehicles are allowed on roads as long as they meet the new exhaust standards and are regularly serviced. Overall, amendments to the law have positive impacts on air quality.
(3) After the amendments to the Air Pollution Control Act take effect, the Tainan City Government will utilize new law enforcement tools and continue to enhance air pollution control based on the Project for Clear Sky, thereby improving Tainan’s air quality and safeguarding citizens’ basic rights to clean air. Since Tainan was upgraded as a special municipality, 310,000 two-stroke scooters have been phased out. Currently, only 110,000 two-stroke scooters are registered in Tainan City, and only 62,000 remain in use, which accounts for 4.8% of all 1.28 million two-stroke scooters in Taiwan. We urge citizens who own two-stroke scooters to maintain and service their scooters regularly to prevent further pollution from affecting citizens’ health. The Tainan City Government will also take multiple approaches to encourage citizens to phase out two-stroke scooters.