Tallinn wants the state to change the funding of family status and population operations. Currently, state funds do not cover all costs.
Deputy Mayor Riina Solman said that the work has become more extensive and complex. For example, there is more work with foreigners.
Kristi Kail, head of the Family Status Department, said that some operations do not make it to the registry. Therefore, these tasks cannot be paid for. For example, it is difficult to register a marriage if one of the partners is a foreigner.
Digital services do not always help because some people do not know how to use them. This leads to more questions and phone calls.
Solman said that officials have to provide more counseling and guidance. They check documents and provide legal assessments. This is more work than before.
The current funding model is based on 2018 data. It does not account for the current volume or complexity of work.
Funding is transaction-based, but many applications do not end with a transaction. However, officials still have to process them.
Solman emphasized that this is not just a problem for the local government. National registries and services must function well. If funds are insufficient, errors may occur.
The state should fund its own services. This also applies to social and healthcare services.
Solman did not say how much money would be needed. She first wants to discuss it with the Ministry of the Interior.
Tallinn wants a new funding model. It should include a fixed part and a part that depends on the volume of work. The fixed part would cover basic costs. The other part would account for actual operations and complex cases.
Tallinn wants the model to consider the city's size and the number of international cases.