Taitung's county council approved two new senior government posts, a move that critics say the small county cannot afford.

• The council signed off on adding a second deputy magistrate and a deputy secretary-general.
• A DPP councilor questioned why a county of under 210,000 people needs more top officials.
• The extra salaries, bonuses, staff, offices and official cars will add real strain to county finances.
• The worry is more paperwork layers, not faster government — files would pass through one more desk.
• The county defends the move by pointing to its spread-out geography, scattered population and large Indigenous community, with the two deputies splitting development work from social and education work.

Outlook: The personnel office has been asked to produce a report justifying the roles and their budget impact before the split of duties is finalized.