The merger of Toila Rural Municipality, population a little over 4,300, and Jõhvi Rural Municipality just to the south, with around 12,400 inhabitants, will, supporters of the scheme say, strengthen Ida-Viru County governance and administrative efficiency.

The new entity would simply retain the Jõhvi name, meaning Toila is being folded into the former.

The move will also address integration issues in a county with a large Russian-speaking populace.

Proposals for state aid toward associated costs and residents' support via a referendum will also be addressed

Jõhvi Mayor Maris Toomel (Reform) said the merger will boost administrative capacity.

"We see many advantages and strengths in this merger, both in terms of increasing financial capacity and having more effective management," Toomel said.

The merger in fact can be seen as a completion of the 2017 wave of municipal mergers; that time the former Kohtla-Nõmme and Kohtla municipalities were subsumed by Toila.

Toila Mayor Eve East (Center) said although the shoe is on the other foot now, Toila residents have nothing to fear about being marginalized by the merger.

She said: "Jõhvi is already a logical center of gravity for Toila Municipality. Plus with the merger, our areas in Toila Municipality will actually move closer to that center."

The two municipalities are seeking state support for merger-related costs.

On this, Minister of Regional and Agricultural Affairs Piret Hartman (SDE) said it was under process.

"We have received their application and are currently negotiating with them to determine the necessary costs incurred during the merger process," Hartman said.

"We will then approach the Ministry of Finance plus the government, to establish if there is any opportunity to agree on covering the costs," the minister went on.

Both municipalities' residents can express views on the merger via a public poll which has been set up.

One Jõhvi resident, Alar Tasa, said that: "Ultimately, the people who carry out this process will determine the final result, ensuring that no one suffers and no one benefits too much either."

The merger is slated for approval at the Toila and Jõhvi council meetings in December.

With the boundary changes, Ida-Viru County will have seven municipalities: Narva, Narva-Jõesuu, Sillamäe, Kohtla-Järve, Lüganuse, Jõhvi, and Alutaguse.

The local government elections take place in October 2025.

The 2017 reforms saw the number of municipalities nationwide slashed from 213, to 79.

Efficiency gains due in part to demographic changes as some municipalities had grown significantly in population since the boundaries were drawn up, while others fell in size, were given as the main rationale.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!