The Huxi Township Office in Penghu has publicly rebutted criticism from a candidate for county magistrate, with its account favouring incumbent township chief Chen Chen-chung and unfavourable to the accuser.

• Independent candidate Yeh Chu-lin said the township library had been moved from Aimen to Dingwan, wasting NT$20 million in planning fees.
• The township office said the relocation was due to aircraft noise and electricity costs, that it had been reported to and approved by the Ministry of Education, and that only about NT$1.11 million in architects' fees had actually been paid.
• The original Aimen site has not been left derelict; funding has been secured to convert it into a park and green space.
• The township office stressed that under the Government Procurement Act a chief officer may serve as convener of a selection panel, and that selection decisions are made jointly by the committee.
• Responsibility for the 18 fires at the Hongluo landfill over three years lies with the Penghu County Environmental Protection Bureau, the office said, adding that it had itself lost cleaning team equipment to the spreading flames.

Outlook: As the Penghu county magistrate race heats up, the library and landfill issues are expected to remain focal points of exchanges between the two sides.