한국 지방의회 제도의 변화와 개혁 과제

Abstract

Our country’s local council system was started on the basis of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea promulgated on July 17, 1948 and the Local Autonomy Act enacted on July 4, 1949. Particularly, the Local Autonomy Act is to support the overall operation of the local council system and is to build the basic “framework” of local council activities. Accordingly, when the changes and the history of the Local Autonomy Act are traced, the causes of the changes of the local council system can be diagnosed, and by extension, the reform agendas of the local council can be found. For this purpose, the analysis and the diagnosis of the history and the content of the amendment to the Local Autonomy Act were performed in stages as follows. In the first stage, the analysis of the status and the coordinate of the local council was conducted from the perspective of “how the status of the local council was established.” In the second stage, the analysis of the composition and organization of the local council was conducted from the perspective of “how the local council is composed.” In the third stage, the analysis of the authority and the functions of the local council was conducted from the perspective of “what the local council is doing.” In the fourth stage, the analysis of the operation and the support of the local council was conducted from the perspective of “how the local council is operated.” And in the fifth stage, the issues and the reform agendas raised based on the aforesaid diagnosis and analysis were presented as follows. First, with regard to the status and coordinate of the local council, “the aiming at the Constitutional Law for Local Decentralization” and “the evaluation of local council activities and the review of election pledges” are needed. Second, with regard to the composition and organization of the local council, the reexamination of “the party candidate selection system,” “the remuneration system for local council members,” and the local council committee system,” is required. Third, in the aspect of the authority and the functions of the local council, the plans for “the expansion of the autonomous legislative authority” of the local council, “the reinforcement of financial control,” and “the separate application of the 1st and the 2nd administrative surveillance authority” should be considered. Fourth, in the operation and support of the local council, the amendment to the Local Autonomy Act for the “establishment of policy adviser organs,” and “independence of authority over personnel affairs” is considered to be required.