No.66 Policy Formation through Citizen Collaboration

Inagi Newsletter May 15, 2017 Edition

This year, not only at the Hirao Branch Office of the Fire Department, there have been changes in public works closely related to citizens' lives and the commencement of use of public facilities. This time, we will inform you about an overview of the progress of these projects.
iBus Review
Reflecting on the fact that the previous first phase review work was insufficient both in terms of duration and content, preparations for the second phase review began in June of the same year, prior to the start of the first phase review route operations in October 2014, and discussions commenced in January 2015. The "Inagi City Regional Public Transport Study Council," based on the city's guidelines, was elevated to the statutory council "Inagi City Regional Public Transport Conference" under the Road Transport Act, and the number of members was increased from 14 to 26, including representatives from various regions within the city and user representatives.
Over the course of about two years, we held 9 meetings of the Regional Public Transportation Conference, 10 joint study meetings with citizen representatives, 5 study meetings with Neighborhood Association representatives, and 8 meetings with Business Operators, engaging in thorough discussions. Additionally, we held 20 citizen information sessions at 11 locations before the route decisions were made, where we received various opinions. We also published a total of 5 articles in the Inagi Newsletter, keeping everyone informed about the progress of our discussions.
Renovation of the Central Community Center Hall
The hall, which opened in 1973, had become dilapidated and had usability issues. Therefore, it was planned to be renovated in the Third Long-Term Comprehensive Plan, covering the fiscal years from 2001 to 2010. However, due to financial circumstances, the renovation was postponed and re-included in the Fourth Long-Term Comprehensive Plan, covering the fiscal years from 2011 to 2020, and it has now been decided to carry out a large-scale renovation.
When carrying out the renovation work, I consulted the Community Center Management Council in the fiscal year 2013 about the "State of the Central Community Center Hall." The council conducted a user survey, discussed the basic policy, and decided on five aspects: complete renovation of the restrooms, renovation of the air conditioning system, renovation of the seating, implementation of barrier-free access, and functional renovation of the hall.
After the decision of this basic policy, we held six user briefing sessions. During this process, there were various requests, expectations that seemed excessive, and differences of opinion, but in the end, we were able to reach a harmonious conclusion despite the limitations of financial resources and facility conditions.

With these two cases, we were able to compile the opinions of the citizens, which is evidence that the forums for discussion, such as the Regional Public Transport Conference and the Community Center Management Council, are functioning substantively rather than merely formally. This is the result of sincere exchanges of opinions among the members of the council, users, citizens, and the secretariat staff, deepening mutual understanding, and I would like to express my gratitude and respect to all the participants involved.
In these two cases, we take pride in being a model case where citizens directly participate in the process of forming city policies and collaboratively operate the administration.
Although the i-bus is a form of route bus, which is a community bus, it is impossible to meet everyone's requests. However, through this initiative, we were able to promote the main objective of the revised policy, which is to "supplement route buses and increase opportunities for transportation-disadvantaged individuals to go out and participate in society."
Although there were some matters that could not be realized in the renovation of the Community Center hall, it has been reborn as a compact hall that incorporates users' ideas in various places, reflecting the character of Inagi.
We kindly ask for your continued support for both the i-bus and the Community Center hall for many years to come, even more than before.