Decision-making

The City Council with 43 councillors exercises the highest decision-making power in the City of Kokkola. The council is responsible for the city’s activities and finances. It decides on the city’s strategic policies. The City Council establishes the principles for finances and funding and approves the annual budget.

The City Council decides on the city’s administrative principles and, among its other duties, appoints the members of the City Board and the different committees. The duties of the City Council are defined in the Local Government Act and the administrative regulations.

The councillors are elected in municipal elections for a term of four years.

• Chair: Tiina Isotalus, Finnish Social Democratic Party
• I Vice Chair: Bjarne Kallis, National Coalition Party
• II Vice Chair: Tapio Pajunpää, Centre Party
• Council groups: Centre Party: 12, Social Democratic Party 8, National Coalition Party 5, Swedish People’s Party 5, Christian Democrats 5, Finns Party 3, Left Alliance 3, the Greens 2

Meetings of the City Council

The City Council meets in Kokkola Hall once a month on Monday evenings at 18:00. Meetings are held in Finnish. The meeting can be seen online via the provided link. The link becomes available on meeting days 30 minutes before the meeting starts.

Meetings during the spring season 2021

• 15.2.
• 15.3. (cancelled)
• 25.3.
• 19.4.
• 17.5.
• 14.6.

The City Board manages the Kokkola City Group in accordance with the strategies, goals and principles adopted by the City Council, promotes for its part the best interests, general success and operation of the city, and is responsible for the preparation and execution of the City Council’s decisions and for overseeing their legality.

The City Board manages the activities of committees and departments and monitors and oversees the achievement of established objectives.

The City Board has 12 members and their personal deputy members.

The City Council appoints the chair of the City Board and the first and second vice chair from among the board members. The chairpersons and members of the City Board are selected from among the city councillors. The personal deputy members do not have to be city councillors. The term of office of the City Board is two years.

• Chair Reino Herlevi, Centre Party
• I Vice Chair Janne Jukkola, National Coalition Party
• II Vice Chair Mauri Salo, Christian Democrats

Group and urban development division

The group and urban development division steers and monitors the operations of city-owned businesses and joint municipal authorities, companies, enterprises, foundations and similar organisations in which the city is a member or shareholder.

The group and urban development division is also responsible for managing general master planning and large-scale land use projects.

The City Board appoints the members and their personal deputy members for the group and urban development division from among the members of the City Board. The City Board appoints the chair and vice chair of the division.

In the first meeting of its term of office, the City Council appoints the members and deputy members for the different committees for a term of four years.

The committees set up their own meeting schedules, but they usually meet approximately once a month. The meetings are closed to the public. The City Board names a board representative for each committee. In addition, the Mayor has the right to attend the meetings.

The following committees are operating in the City of Kokkola:

• Central election committee
• Auditing committee
• Building and environmental protection committee
• Technical committee
• Education and culture committee
• Central Ostrobothnia and Pietarsaari area rescue service committee
• Central Ostrobothnia environmental health committee

Management boards

Management boards are elected official bodies tasked with running municipally owned companies or performing limited duties for some other units.

The City Board oversees one public utility, Kokkolan Vesi, which has a management board of seven members. The City Council appoints the chair and vice chair from among the members. Each member has a personal deputy member.

Advisory boards and councils

Advisory boards and councils are elected official bodies appointed by the City Board, which convene when necessary.

Commissions

Commissions are bodies that are formed of several elected officials. The City Board may establish different commissions for the purpose of carrying out temporary or permanent tasks for, at most, the period of the City Board’s term of office.

The decisions on commissions, councils and advisory boards are usually made separately at the beginning of the council’s new term of office.