Merry Christmas to everyone!
I want to express my gratitude for this year to all the active members and to you, the residents of the city, with whom we have had meaningful discussions about our beloved Hyvinkää throughout the year. As we now settle into the Christmas season, I encourage everyone to consider whether you have the time, expertise, or passion to share for the benefit of Hyvinkää. If so, join us as candidates in the spring elections!
Here’s a brief summary of the autumn season’s events for those who might not follow the news elsewhere:
Autumn Budget Negotiations
In the fall, the city board proposed by the votes of Kokoomus and Perussuomalaiset that the city would not raise taxes at all but instead balance the economy through budget cuts to the services. The city compiled a list of 80 savings measures to cover an 8.5 million euro deficit.
However, a lot of discussions happened behind the scenes, and the Greens worked hard to save cultural targets from the savings list. Fortunately, we eventually gained support from other groups, and the council decided in October to raise the municipal tax rate by 0.1 percentage points for 2025, making it 7.7%.
We managed to prevent cuts to funding for the music school, art school, Taito Etelä-Suomi, youth services, and the art academy. Funding for the Hyvinkää Orchestra and sports was also spared. The outcome was fairly good, but there is a risk that some of these cuts will resurface as an issue next fall. Next spring’s elections are significant for us because many of these savings measures affecting culture and well-being were prevented by a very narrow margin. The power balance of the next council will set the course for development in the coming years.
Sonninmäki Road Connection
For years, there have been plans to construct a new road through Sonninmäki, connecting Kytäjänkatu and Sairaalankatu. We Greens have opposed this project and proposed designating all of Sonninmäki as a recreational area.
An unusual twist occurred in the December council meeting when kokoomus suddenly wanted to postpone the zoning decision. According to them, some missing material, such as statements from HUS (the capital hospital district) and the Keski-Uusimaa Rescue Department regarding the road connection, should have been provided. These statements had apparently arrived late or were missing altogether. However, kokoomus had overlooked this during the city board’s handling of the matter. The council’s position was to proceed with the matter regardless of whether the statements could still be added.
The city council debated the necessity of the road, but the majority sided with us to protect the forest nature and recreational area, voting 24–23. The plan was sent back for revision, ensuring that no road connection would be included and the entire forest would be marked as a recreational area. Supporting us in defending Sonninmäki were vasemmisto, perussuomalaiset, keskusta and one substitute representative from kokoomus. SDP, contrary to their public statements, did not vote in favor of nature, instead voting against it, with four abstaining. Kokoomud and kristillisdemokraatit supported the road.
However: The final decision will only be made when the revised zoning plan is voted on by the council. This is unlikely to happen during this term, so candidates in the upcoming elections can still be asked about their stance on Sonninmäki.