With 220 Days Left in Term, DPP Councilors Urge New Taipei Mayor Hou to Step Up Governance

(CNA, New Taipei, 19th, by reporter Wang Hung-kuo) New Taipei Mayor Hou You-yi attended a general interpellation at the city council today. With only 220 days left in his term, several Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) councilors questioned and examined the policy differences between New Taipei and Taipei, holding up posters and shouting slogans to demand that Mayor Hou's city government team "step up." Hou You-yi replied that he would do his utmost. The New Taipei City Council held a general interpellation where DPP councilors Lee Yu-hsiang, Chen Chi-neng, Lin Ming-jen, Chen Nai-yu, Huang Shu-chun, Yamada Moi, and Cho Kuan-ting jointly questioned the administration. They compared policy differences between New Taipei and Taipei in various aspects. Hou You-yi stated that although he has only 220 days left in his term, he will give it his all. Among them, Lee Yu-hsiang stated that New Taipei City has a shortage of civil servants. Compared to Taipei City, which implements a 2-hour flexible work schedule and provides a monthly transportation allowance of up to NT$1,260, New Taipei still has significant "room for improvement" in tangible benefits for civil servants. Hou You-yi said that New Taipei will work hard, strengthen cross-departmental cooperation, and enhance reward and promotion systems to address the problem of civil servant attrition. Personnel Department Director Lin Cheng-yi stated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, New Taipei's flexible work hours were also 2 hours and were reverted to 1 hour post-pandemic, with adjustments to be made based on the actual situation. Cho Kuan-ting expressed concern about the progress of the New Taipei Dome site selection, advocating for it to be located in Shulin. He argued that if the site is confirmed, an overall plan for the surrounding urban development, transportation, pedestrian space, parks, green spaces, and commercial districts should also be proposed. Hou You-yi said that the schedule for announcing the site selection has not changed; 8 expert forums have been held, and the evaluation results are expected to be announced between June and mid-July. Huang Shu-chun mentioned that Taipei City provides additional cash bonuses for career-related injuries of athletes and hoped that New Taipei would consider increasing and raising the prize money for disabled athletes. Chen Nai-yu stated that Hou You-yi once described Taipei as the "egg yolk" and New Taipei as the "egg white," and that KMT's New Taipei mayoral candidate Lee Szu-chuan's proposal for "joint governance of Taipei and New Taipei" both make New Taipei citizens feel disrespected. She said New Taipei is not Taipei's "little brother" and must stand firm and be its own master. Hou You-yi said that New Taipei has its mountains and seas and its own characteristics. New Taipei has its own development vision and subjectivity, and there is a platform between the two cities for cooperation on some matters, while others can be handled separately. Yamada Moi criticized that the design of New Taipei's sports facility rental websites, such as for baseball and softball fields, is inferior to Taipei's. Hou You-yi said they will be optimized. Chen Chi-neng pointed out that residents of Sanchong and Luzhou heavily rely on riverside parking, but New Taipei's hourly charging system is less user-friendly than Taipei's per-entry system, demanding it be brought in line.