Kaohsiung City Council

The Kaohsiung City Council is the elected local legislature of Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. It deliberates on municipal ordinances, budgets, public expenditures, local policies, and other matters within the authority of the special municipality. The council is one of Taiwan's largest local representative bodies by seat count and, together with the New Taipei City Council, has 65 councilors. The present institution was established on 25 December 2010, when the former Kaohsiung City and Kaohsiung County administrations were consolidated into the enlarged Kaohsiung special municipality. The merger brought together the legislative traditions and elected representatives of the former city council and county council. The councilors serve four-year terms and are elected through Taiwan's single non-transferable vote system. The speaker and deputy speaker are chosen by the councilors through secret ballots. Eligibility rules for municipal elections provide that Kaohsiung residents aged 23 or older who have lived in the city for more than four months may vote or stand for election, subject to applicable election law. The council represents the city's electoral districts and provides a forum for scrutiny of the mayoral administration and municipal departments. Its work includes questioning officials, reviewing proposed ordinances, examining annual budgets and special appropriations, and expressing local positions on transportation, urban development, public services, welfare, education, environmental policy, and other city concerns. The council's institutional history predates the 2010 merger. In the postwar reorganization of local government, 56 candidates were elected to the Kaohsiung County Senate in an indirect election held on 15 March 1946. Following the reorganization and partition of local governments, the 48-member Kaohsiung County Council was established on 11 January 1951 after local elections held on 17 December 1950. In the urban area, the 40-member Kaohsiung City Senate was succeeded by a 28-seat Kaohsiung City Council on 11 January 1951, after Kaohsiung had been designated a provincial city. The city council expanded over the following decades, while councilor terms were extended to four years. When Kaohsiung was elevated to a special municipality on 1 July 1979, the existing body entered a transitional phase and was reorganized as the Provisional Kaohsiung City Council, with three additional seats. A successor Kaohsiung City Council was established on 25 December 1981 after that transition ended. The later 2010 municipal merger created the current unified council. The council building is in the Fongshan area of Kaohsiung and is accessible on foot from Fongshan West–City Council metro station. As a public institution rather than a commercial brand, it has no conventional products, commercial ownership structure, stock listing, or corporate parent. Its public role is defined by democratic representation, legislative review, and oversight of Kaohsiung's municipal government.

Kaohsiung's local legislative history developed through successive changes in Taiwan's postwar local-government system. On 15 March 1946, 56 candidates were elected to the Kaohsiung County Senate through an indirect election. Subsequent government reforms reorganized local administrations and divided Kaohsiung and Pingtung into separate county structures. After local elections held on 17 December 1950, a 48-member Kaohsiung County Council was established on 11 January 1951, replacing the county senate. The urban institution followed a parallel path. The 40-member Kaohsiung City Senate was replaced on 11 January 1951 by a 28-seat Kaohsiung City Council after Kaohsiung became a provincial city. During the following decades, the number of city council seats increased substantially and councilor terms were extended to four years. The body functioned as the elected legislature for the urban administration, reviewing local measures and providing political oversight of municipal officials. Kaohsiung's promotion to special-municipality status on 1 July 1979 created a transitional institutional arrangement. The existing council was reorganized as the Provisional Kaohsiung City Council, and three seats were added. This provisional phase ended on 25 December 1981, when a successor Kaohsiung City Council was formed. The current council dates from the major administrative merger of 25 December 2010. On that date, the former Kaohsiung City and Kaohsiung County administrations were consolidated into a single enlarged special municipality. The new council combined the representative structures associated with both predecessor jurisdictions and became the municipal legislature for the merged city. Its present composition consists of 65 councilors elected for four-year terms through Taiwan's single non-transferable vote system. Councilors elect the speaker and deputy speaker by secret ballot. The council's continuing responsibilities include deliberating municipal ordinances, reviewing the city's budget and public spending, questioning the mayor and administrative departments, and representing district-level interests in citywide policy debates. Its institutional setting reflects Kaohsiung's transformation from separate county and urban administrations into a large special municipality. The council building is located in Kaohsiung's Fongshan area and is served by the nearby Fongshan West–City Council metro station.

• 2010

  Current council established after municipal merger

  [1]Kaohsiung City Councilen.wikipedia.org

  On 25 December, the merger of Kaohsiung City and Kaohsiung County created the present unified Kaohsiung City Council.

• 1981

  Successor city council formed

  [1]Kaohsiung City Councilen.wikipedia.org

  The provisional arrangement ended on 25 December, when a successor Kaohsiung City Council was established.

• 1979

  Provisional council created

  [1]Kaohsiung City Councilen.wikipedia.org

  Kaohsiung's elevation to special-municipality status on 1 July led to the reorganization of the city council as the Provisional Kaohsiung City Council, with three additional seats.

• 1951

  Predecessor city and county councils established

  [1]Kaohsiung City Councilen.wikipedia.org

  On 11 January, a 48-member Kaohsiung County Council replaced the county senate, while a 28-seat Kaohsiung City Council succeeded the 40-member city senate.

• 1946

  Kaohsiung County Senate elected

  [1]Kaohsiung City Councilen.wikipedia.org

  An indirect election on 15 March selected 56 candidates for the Kaohsiung County Senate, an early postwar predecessor of the county council.

Kaohsiung's elected municipal legislative and oversight institution.

1. 1Kaohsiung City Councilen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Kaohsiung City Council official websitekcc.gov.tw