Guidelines for Petitions

• Civil petitions are citizens’ hopes or ideas for improvement in relation to city affairs that are submitted in the form of document. The petitioners can file their petitions to the city council with the recommendation by a member of the council in the following cases.
  • Indemnification of damages
  • Demand for correction of corruption of public servants or for disciplinary actions or punishment against public servants
  • Establishing, revising or abolishing laws, orders and rules
  • Operation of public processes or facilities
  • Other matters within the authority of certain public institutions
• The matters that may have an impact on a trial or that go against the law; the message that is insulting to council members or public institutions; or two or more petitions submitted by a single person to the same institution or a single petition submitted to two or more institutions are not accepted.

Petition Handling Process

• Submission of the petitionary paper
  • Petitioners should submit petitionin writing featuring their names addresses including signatures
  • Petitioners should attach the councilor's opinion paper
• Acceptance of petitions
  • Non-acceptance of petitions: The matters that may have an impact on a trial or that go against
• Reporting to the plenary session
  • Form the special committee for deliberation on petitions, if needed, and refer petitions to the committee
  • The dealing result is reported to the councilor and petitioner
• Deliberation and decision-making at the plenary session
  • The councilor who present petitionwith a petitioner must explain its purpose to the council or to the committee when it is necessary
• Transfer of petitions
  • The petitions that need to be handled by the mayor are transferred to the mayor with the letter of opinion on a petition attached
  • The mayor reports the results of handling of petitions to the city council
• Notification of Results
  • Notify a petitioner and the council member who acted as a recommender of the results and the rationale for handling of the petition.

Guidelines for Complaints

A complaint form can be submitted without a council member’s recommendation in various formats, such as documented complaints, suggestions, requests, pleadings, inquiries, and appeals, as there is no specific format required. Unlike petitions, the handling process of a complaint is not explicitly specified in the law, but the city council ensures that complaints are handled in a speedy manner.
The secretary general of the city council reviews complaints accepted and determines and implements the process to handle the complaints, and the results are approved by the chairperson of the city council and notified to the people who filed the complaints. The matters that are seen as important or that require expertise are referred to the competent standing committees (or special committees) for deliberation, and the handling process and results are approved by the committee chairperson, reported to the city council chairperson, and then notified to the people who filed the complaints.