Kaohsiung's city council starts its last session of this term with the smallest membership since the city and county merged, a sign of how much scandal and turnover have thinned its ranks.

• The session opens August 21 and runs 70 days, ending October 28.
• Only 61 of 65 seats are filled, the lowest since the merger, after two members won legislative seats and two were removed over legal cases.
• Attendance on opening day could drop to 60 or fewer, since one sitting member is in custody and another is out on bail.
• The ruling DPP caucus falls to 29 and the KMT to 27, but two independents who lean green give the pan-green side a bare majority.
• This is the last time Mayor Chen Chi-mai and his team face questioning from this council.

Outlook: Following past practice, the council will likely leave the full budget to the next set of members taking office at the end of December.