Decision-makers and decisions

The supreme decision-making body in the City of Tampere is the City Council with its 67 members. Council members and their deputies are elected in a municipal election held every four years. The Council is responsible for the operation and finances of the City, exercises the City’s decision-making authority, and transfers its powers by orders in the administrative regulations.

The City Board is responsible for the administration and finances of the City and implements decisions made by the Council. The City Board includes the Mayor, who serves as the chair, and 12 other members elected by the Council.

Various committees are responsible for the organisation, provision and development of services. The committees are the Education and Upbringing Committee, the Culture and Leisure Committee, the Committee for Competence and Economic Development, the Housing and Real Estate Committee, the Committee for City Planning and Infrastructure Services, the Regional Waste Management Committee, and the Regional Public Transport Committee.

Municipal enterprises include Tampere City Transport Services and Tampere Water Services. Each of them has its own board that guides and supervises the operation of the enterprise.

City Council

The supreme decision-making body in the City of Tampere is the City Council with its 67 members. Council members and deputy members are elected in a municipal election held every four years. The term of the chair and three vice-chairs of the Council is two years.

The Council usually meets once a week, at 17:00 on Mondays. Council meetings are public.

The public can watch Council meetings as live video broadcasts online and from video recordings published after a meeting. You can follow the meetings also on Twitter @tamperelive. Council discussion on Twitter occurs with the hashtag #trevaltuusto.

In addition to Council meetings, an hour of questions and answers is held when necessary, during meetings specified by the chair of the Council. The Q&A hour begins at 15:30 and may last one hour at most. The Q&A hour is public.

City Board

The City Board has 13 members, is elected by the Council, and manages the administration and finances of the City.

The City Board is responsible for preparation and implementation of Council decisions, guides preparation of City strategy and planning of operation and finances, and is charged with ownership of City operation and joint municipal authorities as well as coordination of City operations.

The City Board must provide the Council with financial statements for discussion every year in June at the latest. The City Board must prepare the City’s budget proposal for the following calendar year, which is accepted by the Council by the end of the year.

The City Board includes the Mayor and 12 other members, each with a personal deputy member. The Mayor serves as the chair of the City Board. The Council elects the first, second and third vice-chair of the City Board from among its members for its term.

Matters belonging to the decision-making authority of the City Board are decided either by the City Board at its general meetings or by the City Board’s Corporate Section at its meetings, or a committee appointed by the Mayor, the Group Chief Executive Officer or the City Board, as provided in the administrative regulations.

Minutes of the City Board’s meetings are made available for viewing on the City’s website on the Tuesday following the meeting.

The City Board usually meets at 13:00 on Mondays. At the chair’s invitation, the City Board can meet at other times as necessary.

Committees and boards

Various committees are responsible for the organisation, provision and development of services, in accordance with City strategy and policies indicated in the budget.

The committees are the Education and Upbringing Committee, the Culture and Leisure Committee, the Committee for Competence and Economic Development, the Housing and Real Estate Committee, the Committee for City Planning and Infrastructure Services, the Regional Waste Management Committee, and the Regional Public Transport Committee.

Composition, duties and decision-making authority of the committees are laid down in the administrative regulations.

The Deputy Mayor serves as the chair of each committee. The City Council elects the vice-chair and other members and deputy members.

Some of the City’s own production is operated as enterprises, each of which has its own board. Municipal enterprises include Tampere City Transport Services and Tampere Water Services.

The board guides and supervises the operation of the enterprise subordinated to it. The board has 9 members elected by the Council, each with a personal deputy member. The chair and vice-chair are elected by the Council. Operations and duties of boards of enterprises are laid down in the administrative regulations.

Commissions, advisory boards and councils

In addition to committees and boards, the City has permanent commissions and advisory boards designated by the City Board that meet as necessary. The youth council, older people’s council, disability council, and immigrant/multicultural council are organs that serve as participation and influence channels of the group they represent.