Decision-making

The City Council is elected for a fixed term of office.

The City Council consists of 9 members, of whom the City Council elects the President and the 1st and 2nd Vice-Presidents for their term of office.

The members of the City Council are elected from among the councillors. Alternates may also be elected from among the deputy councillors.

The members are listed in the table below.

Meeting times:

The City Council has a vitality group with 7 members. Members of the group may be appointed from outside the City Council. The City Council appoints the chairs and members of the group for their term of office.

The members are listed in the table below.

The City Council is elected for a fixed term of office.

There are 35 councillors. In addition to the president, there is a 1st and 2nd vice-president. The term of office of the President and Vice-President is two (2) years.

The members are listed in the table below.

	Chairman Suhonen Timo Member of Parliament timo.suhonen@lh.varkaus.fi SDP		1st Vice-Chairman Husu Risto Master of Economics risto.husu@lh.varkaus.fi IOC
	2nd Vice-Chairman Matti Semi construction worker, pensioner matti.semi@lh.varkaus.fi VAS		Councillor Alanen Heikki parish councillor, pensioner heikki.alanen@lh.varkaus.fi SDP
	Councillor Asikainen Minna entrepreneur, managing director minna.asikainen@lh.varkaus.fi KOK		Councillor Brandt Elina Teacher of special education elina.brandt@lh.varkaus.fi SDP
	Councillor Grönlund Tiina entrepreneur, engineer tiina.gronlund@lh.varkaus.fi PS		Councillor Hartikainen Jukka Engineer jukka.hartikainen@lh.varkaus.fi KD
	Councillor Hedman Pia Social Sciences (YAMK) pia.hedman@lh.varkaus.fi SDP		Councillor Hynninen Kati Case Manager, Nurse kati.hynninen@lh.varkaus.fi KOK
	Councillor Häkkinen Ari wheeled machine and excavator driver ari.hakkinen@lh.varkaus.fi VAS		Councillor Häyrinen Petteri rescuer petteri.hayrinen@lh.varkaus.fi SDP
	Councillor Immonen Niina machinist niina.immonen@lh.varkaus.fi SDP		Councillor Karvinen Tatu student tatu.karvinen@lh.varkaus.fi SDP
	Councillor Tarja Kivikoski pensioner tarja.kivikoski@lh.varkaus.fi SDP		Councillor Hilkka Koponen Financial Manager, pensioner hilkka.koponen@lh.varkaus.fi KOK
	Councillor Olli Koponen District heating expert, farmer olli.koponen@lh.varkaus.fi KESK		Councillor Koskinen Antti Master of Business Administration, Rector antti.koskinen@lh.varkaus.fi SDP
	Councillor Kosunen Antti Plumber antti.kosunen@lh.varkaus.fi SDP		Councillor Laakkonen Nina Special Education Teacher nina.laakkonen@lh.varkaus.fi SDP
	Councillor Johanna Lamberg Music Lecturer johanna.lamberg@lh.varkaus.fi KD		Councillor Lumiala Kirsti FM, Library Director emerita kirsti.lumiala@lh.varkaus.fi SDP
	Councillor Major Maarit Doctor maarit.majuri@lh.varkaus.fi KESK		Councillor Makkonen Väinö Youth Counsellor vaino.makkonen@lh.varkaus.fi SDP
	Councillor Natunen Marko Director of Planning and Project Operations marko.natunen@lh.varkaus.fi IOC		Councillor Matti Nieminen lawyer, entrepreneur matti.nieminen@lh.varkaus.fi KESK
	Councillor Paula Pulliainen Class teacher, pensioner paula.pulliainen@lh.varkaus.fi SDP		Member of Parliament Pöllänen Tuula Nurse tuula.pollanen@lh.varkaus.fi SDP
	Councillor Saastamoinen Jorma logistics trainer, coach jorma.saastamoinen@lh.varkaus.fi SDP		Councillor Tarja Saharinen Doctor of Health Sciences, Nurse tarja.saharinen@lh.varkaus.fi KESK
	Councillor Soininen Juha regional representative evp juha.soininen@lh.varkaus.fi SDP		Councillor Suna Sassa Senior Constable, Labour Commissioner suna.sassa@lh.varkaus.fi KOK
	Councillor Sundgrén Marja actor, musician (bachelor of arts) marja.sundgren@lh.varkaus.fi VAS		Councillor Tolvanen Nea paramedic YAMK, chief shop steward nea.tolvanen@lh.varkaus.fi SDP
	Councillor Tuovinen Esa Technical Director, CTO 040 552 6341 esa.tuovinen@lh.varkaus.fi CTO

Meeting times:

LINK to the meeting:

If the embed is not visible, you can watch the meeting live on YouTube.

The meetings are subtitled afterwards and can be watched as a recording on our YouTube channel.

• LINK to the city's YouTube channel
• LINK to the subtitled recording on the YouTube channel

Members of the Central Electoral Board 2025-2029

Both members and alternates must represent the parties that stood in the spring municipal elections, i.e. as long as one party is not represented, no two representatives from the other party may be elected to the Central Electoral Board.

The members are listed in the table below.

Meetings of the Central Election Committee:

The Election Committee meets in connection with the elections.

The Welfare Promotion Board is part of the Welfare and Education Division, which shares governance with the Growth and Learning Board. Well-being and inclusion is part of the joint governance of the division.

The Board for the Promotion of Well-being is responsible for:

• Library Services
• cultural and events services
• sports services
• museum services
• youth services
• Soisalo School

The Welfare Promotion Board is responsible for organising high-quality and diverse welfare services and the services of the Soisalo School (liberal arts, basic arts education) in cooperation with the other services of the division. The Board is responsible for the services provided by its subdivisions in accordance with the law, other regulations and other specific tasks.

To carry out its tasks, the Board and its subordinate organisation work in close cooperation with the other departments of the city, the free civic sector, the business community, various authorities, environmental municipalities and other bodies.

Board for the Promotion of Welfare 2025-2029

The Welfare Promotion Board is elected for one term of office at a time.

The City Council elects seven (7) members and an equal number of alternates to the Welfare Promotion Board for its term of office. The council elects the chairman and vice-chairman from among the members of the board.

The members are listed in the table below.

*Jukka Häyrinen and Marja Sundgren will share a seat between the Welfare Promotion and Growth and Learning Committees for 2 years and vice versa for the remaining 2 years.

Meeting times:

Regional Chamber 2021-2025

The Welfare Promotion Board has a regional chamber for the Soisalo School, which is elected for one term of office at a time.

The City of Varkaus elects three members and their personal deputies. The municipalities of Heinävesi and Joroinen shall elect two full members and one personal deputy for each member for the same term of office. The municipality of Leppävirra and the town of Pieksämäki shall elect one representative to the Regional Council who shall have the right to attend and speak at the meetings. The members of the Regional Council shall be elected by the Welfare Promotion Committee of the City of Varkaus. One of the members of the City of Varkaus must be a member of the Welfare Promotion Committee and shall act as chairman of the Regional Council. At the meetings of the Regional Council, the rapporteur is the Director of Welfare and Education of the City of Varkaus.

The members are listed in the table below.

The Board for Growth and Learning is responsible for:

• early childhood education and care
• primary education

The Board for Growth and Learning carries out the tasks specified in the legislation, in other legal acts and in other specifically prescribed tasks within its area of competence. It is responsible for providing high-quality and varied early childhood education and basic education services that promote well-being and health. In order to fulfil its mission, the Board and its subordinate organisation work in close cooperation with other city departments, the free civic sector, the business community, various authorities, environmental municipalities and other bodies.

Members of the Growth and Learning Board 2025-2029

The Board for Growth and Learning is elected for one term of office at a time. The City Council elects seven (7) members and an equal number of personal deputies to the Growth and Learning Board for their term of office. The Council shall elect a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson from among the members of the Board.

The members are listed in the table below.

*Marja Sundgren and Jukka Häyrinen will share a seat between the Welfare Promotion and Growth and Learning Committees for 2 years and vice versa for the remaining 2 years.

Meeting times:

Members of the Audit Board 2025-2029

The Board of Auditors is elected for one term of office at a time.

It is composed of a Chairman and a Vice-Chairman and three (3) other members. Each member has a personal deputy. The chairman and vice-chairman must be councillors.

The members are listed in the table below.

Meeting times:

Evaluation report

According to § 121 of the Local Government Act, the Audit Committee must submit an annual evaluation report to the City Council on the achievement of the operational and financial objectives set by the Council. The Audit Committee submitted the attached evaluation report for 2024 to the City Council on 26 May 2025 § 26.

• Evaluation report

The Technical Committee is responsible for the city's public areas, water supply, and other technical functions of the city. The Technical Board carries out the tasks specified in the legislation and other regulations within its area of competence, as well as other tasks specifically prescribed.

It is also responsible for

• town and country planning
• the allocation of plots of land
• the geographic information and mapping service
• the acquisition and transfer of land
• transport
• the functioning of the urban fabric
• comfort and safety
• urban image
• the organisation of public transport and other similar matters
• premises
• public areas
• networks
• land and water property and equipment.

It is also responsible for the local management and financing of the regional rescue service.

Members of the Technical Commission 2025-2029

The Technical Commission is elected for a term of office of one term of office.

The City Council elects seven (7) members and the same number of personal deputies to the Technical Board for the term of office. The Council elects the Chairman and the Vice-Chairman of the Technical Committee.

The members are listed in the table below.

Meeting times:

Technical Committee Licensing Division

The Licensing Division of the Technical Committee is elected for a term of office of the Council.

The City Council elects five (5) members and the same number of personal deputies to the Licensing Board for its term of office. The Chairman of the Licensing Board must be a member or deputy member of the Technical Board.

The members are listed in the table below.

According to the joint operating agreement between the cities of Varkaus and Pieksämäki and the municipalities of Joroinen and Leppävirra and Chapter 7 of the Administrative Regulations of the City of Varkaus, the Employment Subcommittee is responsible for the services of its subordinates as defined by legislation, other regulations and other separately prescribed tasks.

The Employment Sub-Committee acts as a cooperative body as defined in the cooperation agreement pursuant to Section 52 of the Municipal Act.

Members of the Central Savo Employment Subcommittee 2023-2025

The Employment Subcommittee will have ten (10) members, of which Varkaus and Pieksämäki will each have three (3) and Leppävirta and Jorois will each have two (2).

The employment area municipalities shall each elect the full members and their personal deputies in accordance with the number of seats per municipality and submit them to the Varkaus City Council for approval. Each member shall have one vote and in the event of a tie, the chairman shall have the casting vote.

Each Contracting Community shall also have the right to appoint one (1) other representative with the right to speak and be present at the Employment Sub-Committee.

The chairmanship of the Employment Subcommittee shall rotate so that in the first year of each council term the chairmanship is held by Varkaus, in the second by Pieksämäki, in the third by Leppävirra and in the fourth by Joroi.

The vice-chairmanship shall rotate so that the municipality which holds the chairmanship in the following year shall hold the vice-chairmanship in the year preceding the chairmanship. In the years 2024 and 2025, when the new organisational task starts, the city of Varkaus will chair the committee and the city of Pieksämäki will be vice-chair.

The members are listed in the table below.

Warpaset, the Varkaus Children's Parliament, brings school-based inclusion and community building activities to the municipal level. The participants are chosen by the school student councils and there are three of them from each primary school. Warpaset meets twice a year in the council chamber of Varkaus Town Hall. The meeting is chaired by a decision-maker at municipal level and the secretary is the Youth Services' Inclusion Coordinator.

The student council is an official channel for pupils to have their say, based on the law and the curriculum. It is legally entitled to have an influence on matters that concern pupils, on various plans and, for example, on the school.

Youth counsellor
Maiju Vaalimaa
tel. 044 743 6634
maiju.vaalimaa@varkaus.fi

The Varkaus Youth Council Wanuva is an expert and cooperative body on youth issues under the city government, made up of young people aged 13-22 from Varkaus. The Youth Council Wanuva is a religiously and politically independent group of young people. You can join at any time during the two-year term of office.

The Wanuva office is located at the Youth House, entrance B3 (Osmajoentie 28 b, 78210 Varkaus).

The Youth Council Wanuva meets every second Tuesday of the month from 16 to 17.30.

You can read Wanuva's rules below:

Wanuva's rules

Wanuva's rules:
Helmi Härkönen
helmaharkonen039@gmail.com

Youth Leader/Participation
Väinö Makkonen
041 732 6606
vaino.makkonen@varkaus.fi

Youth counsellor
Maiju Vaalimaa
044 743 6634
maiju.vaalimaa@varkaus.fi

Minutes can be found at the link below.

• Youth Council Wanuvan minutes

All schools in Varkaus have a student council. The student council is made up of all the pupils in the school. The student council is a body elected by the students and represents all the students in the school. The board is responsible for running the school council, and everyone is involved in its activities. All pupils are equally important members of the PTA and the school community, and each has the right to influence their own affairs. The pupils are supported by a supervising teacher, who also liaises with other teachers and the headmaster. The PTA is an important part of the school, just like the teachers, the head teacher and other school staff.

Through the PTA, pupils can have a voice in matters that concern them and contribute to the development of their school community. It promotes interaction and cooperation among students and between all members of the school community. In the PTA, pupils learn to use negotiation and influencing skills for life. It is important that pupils' participation is not just about being heard, but that they have real opportunities to influence decisions in the school. If pupils notice something wrong in the school, individual pupils can pass the message on to the headmaster through the Pupil Union.

The information in the register of affiliations for each of the persons and officials subject to the obligation to declare can be consulted in the contact details of the institutions.

from this link.

The following are subject to the obligation to declare:

• the chairman and vice-chairmen of the council
• members, deputy members and rapporteur of the City Council
• members, alternates and rapporteur of the technical committee
• members, alternates and rapporteur of the technical committee's licensing committee
• the chairmen and vice-chairmen of the other committees and the rapporteurs

The Audit Board is the registrar of the City's register of affiliations. The Board of Audit ensures that the public information in the register of interests is published on the city's website and submits the declarations of interests to the City Council once a year for information. The Board of Audit may, if necessary, request the declarant to make a new declaration or to complete an existing declaration.

Subject to the provisions on confidentiality, the municipality must keep a register of affiliations on the public information network. Only the information required by law shall be recorded in the register of affiliations. On termination of a position of trust or office, the data relating to the person concerned shall be removed from the network.

Each declarant is responsible for the provision and accuracy of his/her data, and for updating them if they change. The municipality acts only as a repository and publisher of the data.

The Disability Council consists of seven (7) members, of which two (2) are representatives of organisations. Each of them has a personal deputy. The term of office of the members is the same as that of the City Council.

Tasks of the Disability Council

• The Varkaus Disability Council is a working group of persons with disabilities and their relatives and disability organisations in the city and its area.
• Promotes cooperation between the authorities, disabled people and disabled people's organisations in the city.
• to make initiatives and proposals and to give opinions to the various authorities of the city. Appoint working groups to prepare issues, which may include, in addition to the members of the Disability Council, representatives of organisations for people with disabilities, the parish and various authorities.
• Monitor the general decision-making process in the city on social issues from the perspective of people with disabilities.
• monitor the implementation of statutory services, support measures and other benefits for people with disabilities in the city and promote opportunities for the Disability Council to participate in the preparation of issues and influence decisions of the municipal administration.
• to promote the equal participation of people with disabilities in various social activities such as education, employment, housing, social and health services, culture, sport and leisure activities.
• to ensure that information is disseminated on the matters it deals with.
• prepare an action plan for the following year and submit an activity report.
• to carry out any other tasks assigned to the Disability Council by the City Council.
• One of the main tasks of the Disability Council is to monitor the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

E-mail address of the Disability Council: puheenjohtaja.vammaisneuvosto@varkaus.fi

The Council for the Elderly consists of seven (7) members, two (2) of whom are representatives of organisations. The term of office of the members is the same as that of the City Council.
The Council has the right to consult experts and to prepare opinions and proposals for the various departments of the City.

Functions of the Council:

• To monitor and influence decisions concerning the elderly population and to promote cooperation between the authorities and elderly people's organisations in Varkaus.
• To monitor the elderly population's ability to cope with their daily activities, such as housing, care needs and mobility.
• To monitor the decision-making process of the city's general administration and its effectiveness and suitability for older people.
• Promote opportunities for older people to participate and influence public decision-making.
• To promote the survival of older people in the various activities of society, such as housing, social and health services, social security, cultural and leisure activities and other municipal services.
• To monitor the development of services, support and other benefits for the elderly provided and organised by the city and, with the help of the administrative departments, to inform the elderly people's organisations about the development and availability of services and support for the elderly. Where necessary, the Council for the Elderly makes proposals in this connection.
• influencing the design and implementation of the environment so that public spaces and similar facilities are also suitable for use by older people. The suitability of facilities must take account of the limitations imposed by age, disability or illness, such as reduced mobility, perception, hearing or vision problems.
• Provide information to older people on the various benefits, services and access to them.

E-mail address of the Council of the Elderly: vanhusneuvosto@lh.varkaus.fi