Hong as Commissioner of Taipei Sports Department; Chu hopes for closer ties
Hong Jiawen as Commissioner of Taipei Sports Department; Chu hopes for closer ties
New Taipei City, News Department
[News] New Taipei City
In the city municipal meeting today, New Taipei City Mayor Chu Liluan noted the appointment of former Deputy Commissioner of the Education Department, Mr. Hong Jiawen, as the new Commissioner of the Department of Sports of Taipei City. The mayor indicated that this appointment is a sign of closer relations, in terms of exchange of personnel and government functions, between the two cities.
After the presentation of “Better Maintenance leads to Safer and Smoother Roads” by the Public Works Department, the mayor said that even with the national budget amendments and fuel taxation being still in the process, the Public Works Department was able to take 2nd place at the national road audits for two years in a row; the department is deserving of high recognition.
Chu said that the Public Works Department’s performance is very noticeable in recent years. In terms of the levelness of the road, working lights, and many other public works, the department demonstrated great effort, and the results speak for themselves. It has been five years since New Taipei City has been elevated to a municipality, but the work on the nation’s tax distribution has yet to complete. He cited automobile fuel tax as an example. The fund from the fuel tax remains unevenly distributed. Taipei is allocated $6.8 billion NT and Kaohsiung is allocated $3.5 billion NT, while New Taipei City is allocated $300 million NT, which has been unchanged since the days when the region was still classified as a county. The city is very short of financial resources.
Mayor Zhu said that although funds are limited, Public Works Department was able to effectively execute by conserving expenditures and streamlining workflow. In the process, the city was awarded second place at the national road audit for two consecutive years. Other projects, such as new construction, bridges, public facilities, accessible space competitions, etc., also have shown substantial progress. Chu hopes that the department will persist in its efforts and build on its strong foundation to improve even more.
In regards to Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Education, Mr. Hung, taking on a new role as the Commissioner of Taipei City’s Sports Department, Mayor Chu noted that this personnel change is very positive for the collaboration between the two cities. This holds especially true for New Taipei’s hosting of the 2016 International Children""s Games and the co-hosting of the 2017 World University Games by the two cities. He said, in fact, Mr. Hong’s appointment is not the first case of personnel exchange between the two cities. Previously, Mr. Deng Jiaji served as deputy mayor of Taipei, and Mr. Lee Dequan was the Commissioner of Taipei’s Land Administration Department. These are all examples of the closeness between the two cities. Other collaborative projects, such as the upcoming inter-city forum, the Lantern festival of Pingxi, transportation networks, YouBike integration, and others, point to continuing collaboration in greater Taipei. The mayor believes that the relationship between the cities will grow even closer in the future.
In today’s meeting, Sanchong and Luzhou district offices also presented regular administration updates. Mayor Chu said that the two districts are both intersections of old and new city regions. For the older regions, the city needs to ensure the cleanliness of the these regions and provide a higher quality of life. The city also needs to introduce newer improvements, such as parks, greeneries, and others.
The mayor said that the construction of the two high-volume highways, renovation of the Taipei Metro Park, and the construction of Hebing Park in Tamsui and Tahan River banks are all important resources for the Sanchong area. The city is also improving the access to the region, allowing more citizens to travel to the district. As an example, the access bridges on the embankments that have been inconveniencing residents due to its steepness. A new modification project will reduce the slope of the bridge and extend the bridge into the community, allowing residents and elder citizens easy access. The mayor hopes that future city constructions will consider the users’ vantage point and promote friendlier designs so that the citizens will find greater ease-of-use and convenience in public properties.
Contact Information:
Xu, Hongjie
Contact Section, News Department
ext: 6166
ab4166@ms.ntpc.gov.tw