1. Background
In representative democracy, local councilors are tasked with supervising the administration, reviewing budgets, debating bills, serving constituents, and voicing public concerns. According to the current “Act Governing Payment of Expenses for Local Elected Representatives and Subsidies for Village Chiefs,” city and county councilors receive statutory compensation that includes a monthly research stipend plus a daily attendance fee (NT$1,000), transportation allowance (NT$1,000), and meal allowance (NT$450) during council sessions.
For publicly funded assistants, city councilors receive NT$240,000 per month in assistant subsidies, while county councilors receive NT$80,000. Additionally, there is a constituent service subsidy reimbursed up to NT$20,000 per month for city councilors and NT$9,000 for county councilors.
Clearly, the current system of support for local councilors shows at least five issues:
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The original design treated local councilors as unpaid positions, with their main income labeled as a “research stipend” rather than salary, unlike the arrangement for national legislators.
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The research stipend differs between city and county councilors, with no adjustment for seniority, and does not match the pay grade of equivalent agency heads.
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The assistant subsidy differs between city and county levels, potentially creating a service quality gap.
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The flat-rate assistant and service subsidies ignore differences in population, area, and transportation needs across districts even within a single county or city.
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For county councilors, the NT$80,000 assistant subsidy must cover 2–4 assistants, but given the minimum monthly wage of NT$27,470, they can effectively afford only two full-time assistants. The subsidy has not been indexed to minimum wage increases.
In 2022, the Legislative Yuan debated amendments to this Act, receiving 24 draft versions from various parties. Although only the adjustment for village chief subsidies passed, many legislators also raised concerns about councilor subsidies.
Ultimately, to promote healthy development of local politics, the system should provide reasonable support resources that enable councilors to govern with confidence and serve conscientiously. Without adequate resources, councilors may be forced to moonlight as business executives, seek corporate donations, or risk corruption through kickbacks or fraudulent assistant expenses—entrenching a patronage-based political structure.
Local councilorship is often the first step for those aspiring to political careers, and in recent years many councils have seen an influx of younger members, injecting new energy into local politics. Furthermore, councilors often go on to become county/city mayors or legislators. Therefore, fostering their professionalism is a key part of strengthening democratic governance.
This forum will invite experts in local government and politics, as well as current and former city and county councilors and their assistants, to discuss the current institutional support for local councilors in Taiwan and propose recommendations for continuous improvement to deepen democratic governance.
2. Moderator, Speaker, and Panelists
Moderator:
Speaker:
Panelists:
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Chen Chiu-Cheng (Professor, Department of Public Management and Policy, Tunghai University)
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Liu Chao-Lung (Associate Professor, Department of Public Affairs and Civic Education, National Changhua University of Education)
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Chen Yi-Chun (County Councilor, Nantou County, Democratic Progressive Party)
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Liu Kun-Li (Ph.D. Candidate, National Taiwan Normal University Graduate Institute of Political Science; Chief Secretary to the Speaker, Changhua County Council)
3. Date, Time, and Venue
Date: Saturday, September 14, 2024
Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Venue: Room 713, 7th Floor, College of Social Sciences, National Taiwan University
4. Organizers
Organizers:
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NTU Graduate Institute of Public Affairs
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Chinese Association for Government and Public Affairs
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Taiwan Association for Local Governance Studies
Sponsor: