The City of Kalajoki aims to provide a comfortable living environment with excellent opportunities for entrepreneurship, work and a good life as well as a wide range of services. You can also help us achieve these goals and contribute to the city’s future by participating in taking care of common matters and making yourself heard. Pick your own influencing channel and tell us your opinion.

Feedback

You can send feedback or questions to the city and its employees either by using the electronic feedback form or by contacting the city’s employees or elected officials directly. The electronic form can be found on the city’s website. Every page includes a link to the form. You can use the form to send us questions, let us know of any faults or ideas for development, or thank us for our operations. The feedback will be forwarded, based on the subject, directly to the persons in charge of the services in question.

We request that you submit your feedback in Finnish or English. Replying to feedback submitted in other languages will take longer due to the need for translation.

You can find the contact information of the city’s personnel at each service’s own page or by using the personnel search.

Social media

The City of Kalajoki and its services use various social media channels. These channels are used to share news about the city, decisions pertaining to it and other current topics. They also serve as open discussion forums. Visit the page Kalajoki’s electronic channels to find a list of all social media channels used by the city.

Information meetings

Information meetings for residents of the municipality are discussion and information meetings pertaining to the city’s services. Local government officers and elected officials of the city are present at the meetings to discuss matters and answer questions. Information meetings are announced on the city’s website and the local paper.

News, announcements and newsletters

Check the news section on the city’s website to see the latest press releases, news and announcements. Most of the news and announcements are only available in Finnish, but some press releases will also be translated.

You can also receive news by subscribing to RSS feeds. Official announcements are used to provide information on town planning projects, construction permits granted, approved fees, meetings of the City Council, street plans and hearings.

Some services also use newsletters. You can subscribe to the newsletters of different themes on each service’s own web page.

Citizen initiative

In accordance with the Local Government Act, residents of the municipality have the right to submit initiatives to the municipality in regards to its operations. The initiatives must pertain to common matters, which is why inquiries or personal applications and petitions cannot be submitted as initiatives.

Keep yourself informed of the city’s decisions

You can find out more about the municipality’s decision-making process by reading meeting agendas and minutes. The agendas and appendices for meetings of the City Council, City Board and committees are made available on the city’s website before the meetings. These documents are only published in Finnish.

• agendas and minutes (in Finnish)

Meetings of the City Council are for the most part public, and anyone interested in the municipal decision-making process can observe them in person. The City Council’s session hall is located at the City Hall. Meetings of the City Council are usually held once a month on Mondays at 6 pm. The meetings are announced in the local paper and the city’s website.

Appealing decisions

In accordance with the Local Government Act, you have the right to appeal a decision made by organs of the city. You can do so by filing a written appeal, municipal complaint or administrative complaint.

Youth Council

Kalajoki has a Youth Council. The Youth Council is a politically neutral group that serves as a link between young people and the decision makers. The Youth Council comprises students in secondary and upper secondary school. At any one time, the Youth Council has 10 – 15 members. Representatives are chosen from among these members for the Social Protection, Technical and Education Committees, which the representatives have the right to attend and speak in.

Elections

Voting is a basic right of all citizens of age and one of the most important ways to influence decision-making. The following national general elections are held in Finland:

• parliamentary elections every four years
• municipal elections every four years
• presidential elections every six years
• European Parliament elections every five years

The right to vote in municipal elections is granted to every individual who turns 18 no later than on the date of the election and who is:

1. a citizen of Finland, some other EU Member State, Iceland or Norway and who is domiciled in the municipality in question on the 51st day preceding the election day; or
2. a citizen of another country who is domiciled in the municipality in question on the 51st day preceding the election day and who has been domiciled in a Finnish municipality without interruption for two years prior to the 51st day preceding the election day; or
3. in the service of EU or an international organisation operating in Finland and who has a residence in the municipality in question on the 51st day preceding the election day, provided that the individual’s information is saved in the Finnish Population Information System as per his or her request and that the individual has submitted a written notification to the local register office regarding his or her wish to exercise his or her right to vote in the municipal elections no later than on the 52nd day preceding the election day.

For more information on elections, visit the elections website of the Ministry of Justice at www.vaalit.fi.

The general election arrangements in the city of Kalajoki are handled by the Central Election Committee.