[Provided by Yeongju City]
[Provided by Yeongju City]

Yeongju City in North Gyeongsang Province held the first general assembly of its 2026 participatory budgeting committee Friday at the city hall auditorium, with 40 members of the sixth-term committee in attendance.

The assembly marked the opening step of the city's participatory budgeting process for the 2027 fiscal year, aimed at incorporating residents' views into budget planning and reviewing projects proposed directly by citizens.

Earlier, the city conducted a survey from May 26 to June 16 through neighborhood offices and its official website to gather public input on priority investment projects by sector, drawing responses from 875 residents.

A separate call for project proposals, held from February through April, received 75 submissions.

At Friday's assembly, the committee reviewed the survey results alongside assessments from relevant city departments, examining each proposed project's necessity, feasibility and practicality.

Members also formed subcommittees and discussed the review schedule and operational direction, formally launching the deliberation process.

The committee plans to rank projects through subcommittee reviews and incorporate the final selections into the 2027 budget proposal.

"The participatory budgeting system is an important channel for putting citizens' voices into the budget," Mayor Hwang Byeong-jik said. "We will operate the system fairly and transparently so that projects proposed and supported by residents are faithfully reflected in city administration."


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com