Special Municipality Governments

As introduced by the Yearbook of the Republic of China:

With the implementation of local autonomy under the Taiwan Provincial Government, the first direct election of the Taipei City mayor was in 1952. But after Taipei and Kaohsiung became municipalities under the auspice of the Executive Yuan, their mayors were nominated by the premier and appointed by the ROC President.

The passage of the Municipal Self-governance Act in 1994 provides a clear demarcation of the powers to be exercised by the central and local governments. One distinct move towards local autonomy has been the direct election of Taipei and Kaohsiung city mayors. The mayors serve a four-year term and may be re-elected to a second term in office. They may appoint two deputies, one in charge of political affairs and the other in charge of administrative affairs. The political deputy mayor must resign if the mayor who appointed him is no longer in office.

Taipei City Government

Taipei is the capital of the ROC. The Taipei City Government is headed by Mayor Ma Ying-jeou, who succeeded in winning the second term in December 2002 and is a member of the KMT. The city government has a secretariat, 16 bureaus, eight departments, seven commissions, the Taipei Public Service Institute, the Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation, and an office for each district. There are 12 districts in Taipei City.

Kaohsiung City Government

Frank Chang-ting Hsieh, a member of the DPP, won the election for a second term as Kaohsiung City mayor in December 2002. The Kaohsiung City Government consists of a secretariat, 18 bureaus, three commissions, six offices, and 11 district offices.

City Councils

According to Article 15 of the Municipal Self-governance Act, the main functions of the Taipei and Kaohsiung city councils are:

• to adopt municipal statutes and regulations;
• to approve the municipal budget;
• to approve special taxes, temporary taxes and surtaxes in the special municipality;
• to approve the disposal of municipal properties;
• to approve the organic laws of the municipal government and municipally owned businesses;
• to approve proposals made by the city government;
• to screen the auditor's reports on municipal accounts;
• to approve proposals made by the council members;
• to hear petitions from citizens; and
• to carry out other functions as prescribed by law or endowed by laws promulgated by the central government.

The term of office for a city councilor is four years. Councils meet for 70 days at most (including holidays) every six months. A session may be extended by ten days at the request of the mayor, council speaker, or one-third of the council members. At each session, various committees are formed to scrutinize proposals. A councilor may join only one committee.

City Government and Council Relationship

The municipal council sends its resolutions to the city government for implementation. In case of delay or otherwise unsatisfactory performance on the part of the city government, the municipal council may ask for an explanation or request that the Executive Yuan invite pertinent agencies for consultation to reach a resolution.

If a municipal council resolution is considered impractical, the municipal government may request reconsideration. If two-thirds of the council members present uphold the previous resolution, the municipal government is obliged to abide by their decision.

When the municipal council is in session, the mayor must periodically submit an oral or written report on the city government's administrative policies, on the administration of previous municipal council resolutions, and on other major activities of the municipal government. Directors of departments in the municipal government must also submit reports on matters under their jurisdiction. The members of the council may interpellate the mayor and his subordinates. The mayor or officials may be asked by the municipal council to submit special reports on important matters.

Every year the municipal government submits an administrative budget for the next fiscal year to the municipal council. Details of expected revenues and projected expenditures must be listed, but the council cannot propose spending increases.