Municipal Council October 29, 2025
29. lokakuuta 2025 18:00
Kuntakiinteistöt Oy was established due to corporatization requirement
Lempäälä established a new company, Kuntakiinteistöt Oy, to handle the leasing of social and healthcare properties to the wellbeing services county. The corporatization requirement stems from the municipality operating in a competitive market situation in property leasing. The health center will be sold to the company through a business transaction and the municipality will grant it a 10-year loan. The activity center, fire station, and Himminkoto will be transferred tax-free as contributions in kind.
Water company received 1.4 million loan guarantee
The municipal council granted Lempäälän Vesi Oy a joint and several liability guarantee for a 1.4 million euro loan. The funds will go toward completing the transfer sewer leading to the central treatment plant and constructing water services for the Punaporti area. Over 90% of the transfer sewer has already been built and wastewater discharge began in September.
High tax on undeveloped plots remained
The municipal council kept the property tax rate for undeveloped building sites at 6 percent by a vote of 25-17. Opposition member Tuukka Liuha tried to reduce the tax to 3 percent, but the proposal failed. However, it was decided to investigate how many "garden plots" fall under the high tax rate and whether they can be removed from it.
Tax rates remained unchanged
The income tax rate remains at 8.4 percent and other property tax rates stay unchanged for 2026. Tax revenue forecast weakened significantly - the estimate dropped from 68.2 million euros to 67.4 million euros.
Greens demand opposition to highway
The Green council group submitted an initiative demanding that the municipality refrain from zoning the Puskiainen highway and seek new business plot areas sustainably.
Agenda
The municipality establishes Lempäälän Kuntakiinteistöt Oy to manage the administration of properties to be leased to the wellbeing services county, as the law requires the corporatization of this type of business activity by the end of 2025. The health center, activity center, fire station, and Himminkoto will be transferred to the new company - however, the land plots will remain under municipal ownership. The municipality grants the company a ten-year loan for the purchase of the health center and makes a 100,000 euro investment to launch the company's operations. This arrangement enables the leasing of properties to the wellbeing services county in accordance with legal requirements.
Pöytäkirjan tarkastajat
The municipal council granted Lempäälän Vesi Oy a loan guarantee of 1.4 million euros for completing the transfer sewer leading to the central treatment plant and constructing water supply for the Punaportti area. Over 90 percent of the transfer sewer has already been built and wastewater discharge to the central treatment plant began gradually in September. The project will be completed by autumn 2026 and will improve wastewater treatment in the municipality. Construction of water supply for the Punaportti zoning area will begin in 2026 with estimated costs of 700,000 euros.
The municipal council noted the municipal board's statement on the 2024 evaluation report. The evaluation report is an assessment made by the audit committee on how the municipality has performed its duties and used its funds in the previous year. The municipal board has responded to the findings in the evaluation report and proposed measures to improve areas for development. The statement will also be forwarded to the committees so they can utilize the feedback in their own operations.
Councilor Anita Huhtala submitted a motion signed by 15 councilors, demanding that the municipality refrain from zoning the Puskiainen highway project and take a critical stance toward the project. The motion proposes that the municipality should instead seek new areas for business plot zoning on more sustainable grounds. The council decided to refer the motion to the municipal board for preparation, which must handle the matter within 8 months.
Kokouksen laillisuus ja päätösvaltaisuus
The municipal council approved the end-of-August financial situation monitoring report, which shows how the municipality's budget and set targets have been realized during the year. The report has been prepared with the new organizational structure, where the functions of the welfare and vitality committee that started in June are visible for the first time. The review also includes information on the progress of the municipality's climate targets and the advancement of the most important projects.
The municipality's elected officials and office holders have submitted their statutory conflict of interest declarations, in which they report, among other things, their secondary positions in companies and significant assets. The audit committee has reviewed the declarations and the council noted them for information. The conflict of interest register has now been published on the municipality's website, so anyone can review it.
Lempäälä decides to keep all tax rates unchanged for 2026. The income tax rate remains at 8.4 percent, property tax on permanent residences at 0.45 percent, and tax on summer cottages and other buildings at 1.00 percent. The municipality estimates receiving approximately 67.4 million euros in tax revenues, which is slightly less than expected in the original budget plan. The tax rates must be reported to the Tax Administration by November 17 at the latest.