Tallinn Deputy Mayor Aleksei Jašin (Eesti 200) stated that the city government is discussing consolidating youth work management under a single structure that would encompass youth centers, student summer work programs and mobile youth work services.

According to him, the city is already consolidating social services under the city government and discussions are underway regarding the centralization of youth work. This would leave only part of the municipal sector outside the consolidation, raising questions about the continued necessity of district governments in their current form.

"I, along with Eesti 200, clearly see that consolidating district services brings many benefits, offers significant advantages and provides much-needed clarity for city residents."

Jašin emphasized that centralization would not be limited to youth centers but would also extend to street maintenance, landscaping and snow removal.

"There are various contracts handled by district governments, although the larger contracts fall under the Urban Environment and Public Works Department. This creates a situation where one company maintains one section of a street under a district contract, while another company maintains a different section," Jašin explained.

"Services should be as simple and accessible as possible. If we talk about a personalized state, then we should also have a more personalized city," he said.

Jašin suggested that Tallinn should have a dedicated channel — such as a phone number, website or app — through which residents can report issues that need resolving.

Currently, a similar function is provided by Tallinn's helpline, 14410, which Jašin did not mention.

"There needs to be clarity and simplicity in services, but we also need to reassess district-level services. The primary role of district governments should be strengthening and organizing grassroots community and cultural life. This can be facilitated through district community centers, district government buildings and other municipally owned properties," Jašin explained.

"This also raises the question of whether we really need eight district elders. We could certainly have fewer," he added.

"However, the cultural, community-based role of district governments, as well as their function as a representative body of the city government with its own team, should remain," he concluded.

Jašin also pointed out that cost savings would come from restructuring management. "Instead of eight district leaders, we could have two top-level executives with higher salaries, but overall, we would still be talking about saving tens of thousands of euros," he said.

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