Stalemate in Hualien County Budget; Interior Ministry Mediation Yields No Conclusion
Negotiations over Hualien County's 2026 budget ended without a resolution. The county government warns that the six-month delay is illegal and severely impacts social welfare and disaster recovery services.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 27, 2026 at 18:16
- 🔍 Collected: April 27, 2026 at 18:31 (15 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 22:26 (27h 54m after Collected)
HUALIEN (CNA) - The Ministry of the Interior held a consultation meeting today regarding the 'Hualien County 115th Fiscal Year (2026) General Budget,' inviting the county government and council. The first meeting concluded without a resolution. The county government issued a statement urging the central government to either complete the consultation or make a direct administrative decision to protect residents' rights.
Hualien County Government stated that legal regulations set a clear deadline for budget review, and the council's failure to schedule the review is a violation of the law. The budget delay of over six months has affected everything from social welfare to industrial measures, impacting 320,000 residents. Under the Local Government Act, the budget should have been reviewed a month before the new fiscal year started. The county government submitted the budget on October 14 last year, but the council has yet to include it in the official agenda.
The council's Procedure Committee has reportedly demanded the county government 're-examine and re-compile' the budget three times since October, citing disaster recovery funds for the Mataian area. The county government argues that the committee is overstepping its power, as budget review is the responsibility of the full council, not the procedure committee.
Governor Hsu Chen-wei previously conducted a special report on the Mataian incident, but the deadlock remains. The stalled budget affects new initiatives for women, children, youth, the elderly, and the disabled. Furthermore, emergency reserves and new capital projects cannot be funded. Council Speaker Chang Chun noted that the Ministry of the Interior recommended the Governor provide another special report to clarify the overall budget and the allocation of special tax revenues to facilitate the process.
Hualien County Government stated that legal regulations set a clear deadline for budget review, and the council's failure to schedule the review is a violation of the law. The budget delay of over six months has affected everything from social welfare to industrial measures, impacting 320,000 residents. Under the Local Government Act, the budget should have been reviewed a month before the new fiscal year started. The county government submitted the budget on October 14 last year, but the council has yet to include it in the official agenda.
The council's Procedure Committee has reportedly demanded the county government 're-examine and re-compile' the budget three times since October, citing disaster recovery funds for the Mataian area. The county government argues that the committee is overstepping its power, as budget review is the responsibility of the full council, not the procedure committee.
Governor Hsu Chen-wei previously conducted a special report on the Mataian incident, but the deadlock remains. The stalled budget affects new initiatives for women, children, youth, the elderly, and the disabled. Furthermore, emergency reserves and new capital projects cannot be funded. Council Speaker Chang Chun noted that the Ministry of the Interior recommended the Governor provide another special report to clarify the overall budget and the allocation of special tax revenues to facilitate the process.