Järvamaa local governments discussed amalgamation

In March, Paide city council proposed to all Järvamaa counties to start negotiating amalgamation. On the 1st of June 2015, a collaboration meeting took place in Paide city hall with all local government units of Järvamaa county that followed the proposal of Paide City Council. Türi municipality and Koigi municipality decided not to take part in the amalgamation negotiations. If these municipalities do not partake, Imavere municipality will lose the common border with the amalgamation participants and cannot participate in the amalgamation discussions of Järvamaa. At the meeting, the topic of Järvamaa’s unity as a whole was raised, as Imavere municipality is often connected with the city of Põltsamaa in Jõgeva county and Ambla with Rakvere in Lääne-Virumaa county. Therefore, the amalgamation discussions concern inner-county amalgamations as well as cross-county border developments. At the same time, a part of the local government leaders shares the opinion that the county identity has to be kept and that the local government units’ league has to actively deal with this topic. At the meeting, also the future organization of the negotiations was discusses and it was agreed that the respective local government representatives will meet again in Paide on the 7th of September 2015. Geomedia consultant Rivo Noorkõiv participated in the meeting and gave an overview of the need and state of proceedings of the administrative reform. For more information, see: