Local Resident’s Initiative
Municipal inhabitants as well as communities and foundations active in the municipality have the right of initiative, that is, they may write initiatives on matters concerning municipal actions. Initiatives can be sent to the municipality either by post, personally, or in a digital format. You can write the initiative online, and send it over either using the online service Kuntalaisaloite.fi, or by email.
A resident’s initiative is usually some kind of proposal to action, presenting a state of affairs and suggesting some kind of action for mending it. In other words, the goal of a resident’s initiative is often to promote the interests of some larger group. Thus, resident’s initiatives are not to be mistaken for feedback or applications.
All local resident’s initiatives are processed appropriately. Once arrived, the initiative will be directed to the municipal official who is responsible for the matter in question.
Ordinary municipal initiatives can be written by individual residents, or in cooperation with several people living in the municipality. If no less than 2 percent of Sipoo residents eligible to vote take an initiative on an issue that falls within the municipal council’s jurisdiction, the council must process the initiative within 6 months of the introduction of the issue.
Residents constituting at least four per cent of those persons resident in the municipality who are at least 15 years old may submit a referendum initiative. The local council must decide without delay on whether to hold the referendum referred to in the initiative.
Do the following
Submit the initiative to the municipality either electronically or on paper.
The online service Kuntalaisaloite.fi operated by the Finnish Ministry of Justice is safe to use and free of charge. Alternatively, the initiative can be submitted personally, digitally to the municipality of Sipoo Registry Office at kirjaamo@sipoo.fi, or by post to the address Sipoon kunta, PL 7, 04131 Sipoo.
To whom and on what terms
The residents of a municipality, people who own or govern real property in the municipality, and communities and foundations that operate in the municipality have the right to submit initiatives on matters that concern the municipality’s activities. People who use the municipality’s services have the right to submit initiatives on matters concerning the service in question.
The community and foundation refer to parties that have ownership in the municipality or a connection to a service. Such a community or foundation may be local, regional or national.
Basic information and legislation
An initiative usually concerns developing a service or tackling an issue at a general level. The competent municipal authority must consider the initiative as soon as possible. In all cases, the municipality must respond to the person who submitted the initiative and report on any measures taken as a consequence of it.
A minimum of five per cent of municipal residents eligible to vote can submit an initiative to organise a municipal referendum. If at least five per cent of the municipal residents eligible to vote jointly submit initiative to organise a municipal referendum, the council must decide without delay whether to hold a municipal referendum.