Municipal Council February 18, 2026

The municipal council receives information about a list of all pending council and citizen initiatives from 2024-2025 that have not yet been finally processed. The list includes a total of seven council initiatives that address, among other things, ensuring free second-level education, supporting the vitality of villages, and reducing animal-based products in municipal procurement. Additionally, six citizen initiatives are being processed, which propose, among other things, establishing a dog park, improving traffic arrangements, and constructing pedestrian and bicycle paths. The council can determine which initiatives have been fully processed once their preparation has been completed.

The municipal board proposes that the council motion on restricting the use of digital devices during breaks in secondary schools be taken up for consideration by the education board. The motion proposes restricting the use of mobile devices to support young people's physical and social well-being, and Sääksjärvi secondary school will already trial a complete ban on digital devices during school days in November 2025. School principals have prepared a response stating that implementing a complete ban would require clarification of practical arrangements, such as the secure storage of phones in different school buildings. At the same time, it is proposed to increase break-time activities and involve students in their development.

The municipality proposes the selection of a new audit firm for the financial years 2026-2027 and possible option years 2028-2029, as the current contract expires with the final audit of 2025. The audit committee has already conducted a competitive tender for audit services, and tenders were received at the end of January. The tender also requests quotes for the audit committee's secretarial services as an additional option. The council will make the final decision on the selection of the audit firm based on the audit committee's proposal.

The municipal board presents to the council for information a report on the implementation of the adjustment program approved in 2024. The program included expenditure cuts of approximately 2.6 million euros and revenue increases of 0.55 million euros, which were to be implemented during 2024-2026. Most of the adjustment measures have already been implemented in connection with previous budgets, and the final cuts of 0.8 million euros were made during the preparation of the 2026 budget. Residents are hereby informed of the successful implementation of the adjustment program.

Anu Pellikka (SDP) has requested resignation from the position of municipal councillor and deputy chairperson of the audit committee for personal reasons. The municipal council is proposed to grant the resignation and call the first deputy councillor from SDP to replace Pellikka. At the same time, the council chairperson should request the central election committee to appoint a new deputy councillor to replace the departing person. A new deputy chairperson must also be elected to the audit committee, who meets the eligibility requirements stipulated by law.

The municipal board proposes to the council for approval a response to a council motion that concerned considering anti-racism and anti-discrimination work in the trustee handbook. According to the response, the content of the motion has already been taken into account in the handbook update work, where the matter was raised in training sessions and working group activities in autumn 2025. The updated trustee handbook was already approved in December 2025, so the objective of the council motion has been achieved. Approving the proposal would mean concluding the handling of this matter.

The municipal council is proposed a response to a council motion demanding withdrawal from zoning related to the Puskiainen motorway project. The proposed response states that this concerns a state infrastructure project, on which the municipality will provide a statement only when requested, and no advance positions are taken at this stage. The project is based on the current Pirkanmaa regional plan, which the municipality must promote in its own land use planning. According to the response, Lempäälä's business plot reserve does not rely solely on plots along this route, as plots have also been reserved from other areas.

The municipal council is presented with general fee principles for approval for the new micromobility permit, which has become statutory starting from 1.1.2026. The permit concerns shared electric scooter, electric bicycle and similar vehicle rental operations in Lempäälä. The municipality may charge a fee for processing the permit application as well as for relocating and storing improperly parked micromobility devices. Fees are determined according to the actual costs incurred by the municipality, and the community board decides on the detailed tariff based on the principles approved by the council.

The municipal board proposes a response to a council motion where 41 councilors propose supporting village vitality through village planning. The motion suggests that village associations would survey landowners' willingness to offer building sites and create a preliminary village plan in cooperation with municipal planning. The goal is to facilitate rural living, support the preservation of village schools, and increase community spirit. According to the response, the municipality recognizes the need to develop rural living and considers village schools important centers of community.

The municipal council is presented with a report on alternative arrangements for morning and afternoon activities for approval. The report proposes piloting a multi-provider model during the 2026-2027 school year, where private service providers and associations could organize activities alongside the municipality. The pilot would begin at Saikalantalo in August 2026, and a market dialogue with interested operators would be held in January 2026. After the pilot school year, feedback will be collected and a child impact assessment will be conducted, based on which decisions will be made regarding the continuation of the activities.

The municipal council received two council motions: The National Coalition Party group proposed organizing maintenance and clearing voluntary work events for Birgita's path in cooperation with associations, and the Green group proposed that Lempäälä join the Nature-wise municipalities network to implement housing fair themes. Both motions were sent to the municipal board for preparation. According to the administrative regulations, the municipal board must process the motions within eight months.

The municipal board proposes to the municipal council that budget overruns for the year 2025 be approved retroactively. This concerns overruns by municipal bodies, of which only cases exceeding 50,000 euros with justifications are processed. The overrun authorizations concern both expenditure appropriations and revenue estimate shortfalls, and they have been compiled in the attached summary. Approval is necessary so that the municipality's finances for the year 2025 can be officially concluded.

Tuija Korhonen (KESK) requests resignation from the position of deputy member of the education and instruction board for personal reasons. It is proposed to the council that the resignation be granted and a new deputy member be elected for the remainder of the term. This concerns a personal deputy membership, which means that the deputy member has been appointed to replace a specific principal member. The processing of this matter is routine administrative procedure in filling positions of trust.

The municipal council is proposed to decide on approving the amendments to the articles of association of Pirkanmaan Jätehuolto Oy. The changes mainly concern securing the company's affiliated entity status due to changes in the Public Procurement Act and Waste Act, the possibility of appointing a staff representative to the board, as well as minor terminological updates. Lempäälä's share in the company is 5.59 percent, and the decision is given as instruction to the municipality's company meeting representative when the matter is handled at the company's extraordinary general meeting on March 20, 2026.