Kaohsiung honored 210 neighborhood chiefs and promised bigger budgets and new insurance next year — good news for the city's grassroots officials.

• Mayor Chen Chi-mai handed out awards to 91 outstanding and 119 long-serving neighborhood chiefs.
• The longest-serving honoree has held the post for 43 years in Gushan District.
• City funds for local public facilities and neighborhood activities are rising each year through next year.
• Neighborhood sub-chiefs will get group accident insurance for the first time, plus higher allowances.
• Large districts have been split or merged to ease the workload on chiefs handling tens of thousands of residents.

Outlook: The bigger budgets and insurance coverage kick in next year, with further allowance increases already planned.