From 2023 onwards MerikarviaWith this, everyone interested in the matter has been able to participate in the preparation of the municipal budget. In cooperation, discussion groups have considered where the available funds in the municipality will be invested, what will be developed and how it will be developed. Now MerikarviaThe municipal panel activity is starting for the third time and every person over the age of 15 who lives in the municipality either part of the year or permanently or works in the municipality has the opportunity to register to participate in this discussion.
In municipalities, ordinary citizens have several different opportunities to influence the development of their municipality. The most common of these is probably municipal elections - by voting, you can influence who makes decisions about the use of municipal funds. MerikarviaThe municipality of Pieksämäki was the first, along with the municipality of Nääsä, where anyone could join in discussing what issues are emphasized in the budget. MerikarviaThis was achieved in the RatkaisuTori discussions. Citizen discussions have now also been tried out in, for example, Turku, Salo, Rautalammi and Jyväskylä. In some municipalities, citizen debaters have formed a non-aligned group for the municipal elections. This way, matters can be influenced in the council without a party background.
What is this really about?
Participatory budgeting has been around for a long time. It means that an elected municipal council allocates a certain amount of money to a group of citizens. This allows for the development of a specific issue, such as youth services, digital services, or even municipal flower planting. This is not what RatkaisuTori is about. Merikarvian The Solution Markets offer the opportunity to comment on the entire budget and suggest changes to it. Through discussion, the jury then decides which issues are considered most important in that particular year.
What experiences do these municipalities have with citizen discussions?
As a result of these citizen discussion experiments, investments are now being considered from completely new perspectives in many municipalities, the activities of the audit committee have been developed and overall financial planning has gained new sharpness. And most importantly; the discussion between different actors has increased. Only through discussion can the wishes of different groups regarding the direction of development be found out. The main idea here is to have as open a discussion as possible and, above all, to listen to and take into account different views. Through calm, thoughtful discussion, different views can be better understood and then solutions can be found that suit as many people as possible. So the purpose here is not just to vote and see which opinion wins, but to try to reach a consensus through discussion.
Merikarvia invites everyone to join the discussion again
MerikarviaThe established model at the municipality is that you can register to be a discussant at the beginning of the year. When the group is together, we examine last year's financial statements and examine the financial situation compared to other municipalities in Finland. Then we discuss the strategy and values - how they affect the choices. For example, if the strategy includes investing in services for the elderly, we consider what this means in practice. After this, the RatkaisuTori group comments on the preliminary policies made by the office holders and elected representatives - the municipal board and the council. When the ten main comments and/or proposals have been formed, they are presented to the board. These are then taken into account in decision-making when the final budget is formulated. Last year, all 10 development proposals were assigned to the division managers and the progress of the projects is monitored during the year by, among others, the audit committee. This ensures that things are actually implemented.
Where can I find information about my municipality's budget and how can I influence it?
You too can learn about the opportunities in your own municipality to influence decision-making. Budgets and financial statements can be found on the municipalities' websites. All residents can submit municipal initiatives, and many municipalities also have other ways to influence. MerikarviaOpportunities to influence the municipality can be found here: https://merikarvia.fi/kunta-ja-hallinto/asiointi/osallistu-ja-vaikuta/