Elontien palstaviljelijät ry

  • Suomi
  • English
  • News
  • Association
  • Contact
  • Info

    • Elontien palstaviljelijät ry

    The association was founded in 1994, and its business ID is 3045915-4.

    The latest rules of the association are valid from October 7th 2024 and you can read them here. Familiarizing with and accepting the rules are prerequisites for membership.

    Rules of the association

    Name and domicile

    The name of the association is Elontien Palstaviljelijät ry and its domicile is Helsinki.

    Purpose and activities

    The purpose of the association is to maintain and support recreational allotment gardening.

    In order to put its purpose into practice the association rents gardening land from the City of Helsinki and distributes allotments to its members in exchange of a membership fee. The association organizes presentations about gardening and discussions, summer events, bees for the whole allotment area and harvesting events and publishes material related to cultivation. In order to support the activities the association can organize events, fairs, lotteries, flea markets after being granted the appropriate licences. The association owns and manages fixed or movable assets essential to its activities.

    Members

    Anyone who lives in Helsinki and who supports the association's purpose, can join. The admission of members is done by the executive committee of the association. In addition to the association's rules, activities of its members are guided by the responsibilities of the land lease agreement, instructions for the use and management of the allotments from the City of Helsinki, and instructions from the association.

    A member is entitled to resign from the association by informing the executive committee or its chairperson thereof in writing. The executive committee can expel a member, who breaks the rules or instructions of the association, or otherwise acts in a way that damages the association. A member is entitled to give an explanation in the matter in the following meeting of the association. The expelled member shall inform about their will to be heard within 30 days of receiving the notice of expulsion.

    The executive committee can expel a member, who fails to pay their membership fee for the accounting period. A member expelled for failure to pay the membership fee, has no right to bring the issue to the executive committee or association meeting. The expelled member has no right to request a refund for paid membership fees.

    The amount of the entry and membership fee for each year is decided in the annual meeting of the association.

    Executive committee

    The affairs of the association are attended by an executive committee, which consists of a chairperson and no less than four (4) and no more than six (6) members elected in the annual meeting of the association. The term of office for the members of the executive committee is the time between annual association meetings. The executive committee shall elect a vice-chairperson and a secretary, a treasurer and other essential officials among its members. The executive committee holds a meeting when the chairperson, or if they are unable to carry out their duties, the vice-chairperson considers it justified, when they so decide or when no less than two (2) members of the executive committee demand it.

    The executive committee has a quorum when no less than half of its members, including the chairperson or vice-chairperson, are present. A simple majority of votes determines outcomes. In the case of a tie, the motion supported by the chairperson of the meeting, shall be carried out, or in elections, appointments shall be cast by drawing lots.

    Tasks of the executive committee:

    • improve, monitor and lead the activities of the association
    • keep records of its members (membership registry), which includes at least the name and domicile of the members
    • admit new members
    • lay out and confirm the rules of the association and other essential instructions
    • suggest groups of volunteers to maintain the common areas of the allotment area
    • keep in touch with the municipality and other collaborators of the association
    • carefully attend to the financial affairs and property of the association
    • prepare the agenda for the meeting of the association and convene the meetings

    Persons entitled to sign the name of the association

    The chairperson and the vice-chairperson of the executive committee have the right to sign the name of the association together, or one of them together with the secretary.

    Term of office and accounting period of the association

    The term of office is the time between annual meetings of the association. The accounting period of the association is the calendar year. The financial statement with related documents and the annual report shall be given to the operations inspector no later than three weeks before the annual meeting of the association. The operations inspector shall give their report in writing a week before the meeting of the association. The term of office for the operations inspector is the calendar year.

    Invitations to meetings of the association

    The meeting of the association is convened by the executive committee. The invitation to the meeting shall be sent no later than fourteen (14) days before the meeting either by email or regular mail to each member.

    The meetings of the association

    The annual meeting of the association is organized between February and April at a date determined by the executive committee. The meeting can be attended using data connection, or some other technical means, if the executive committee so decides. Matters, which the members wish to be handled in the annual meeting of the association, must be submitted in writing to the executive committee no later than 30 days before the meeting.

    An extraordinary meeting of the association is organized when the executive committee considers it justified, or when at least one tenth (1/10) of the members of the association has submitted in writing for a matter to be handled to the executive committee. The matter for the extraordinary meeting shall be stated in the invitation. The extraordinary meeting shall be held within two months of the members' request for the matter to be handled.

    Every member has one vote in the meeting of the association. A simple majority of votes determines outcomes. In the case of a tie, the motion supported by the chairperson of the meeting, shall be carried out, or in elections, appointments shall be cast by drawing lots.

    Agenda for the meeting of the association

    • 1. Calling the meeting to order
    • 2. Electing a chairperson for the meeting, a secretary and two scrutineers
    • 3. Determining quorum
    • 4. Approving the agenda
    • 5. Presenting the financial statement, annual report and the report of the operations inspector
    • 6. Adopting the annual accounts and deciding on discharging from liability for the accounts
    • 7. Confirm the operational plan, confirm budget for the next financial term
    • 8. Confirm the amount of entry and membership fee for the next financial term
    • 9. Decide the amount of reward for the chairperson and the members of the executive committee for the next term of office
    • 10. Elect a chairperson for the association
    • 11. Decide the number of other members for the executive committee, at least four (4) and no more than six (6) members
    • 12. Elect the other members of the executive committee
    • 13. Elect the operations inspector for the association, and vice operations inspector
    • 14. Address other matters of the agenda
    • 15. Adjournment

    Amendments to the rules and dissolution of the association

    Motion to amend the rules has to be supported by at least three quarters (3/4) of the votes cast. The matter has to be stated in the meeting invitation.

    The association will be dissolved if the decision to dissolve has been made in two meetings, having at least one month between the meetings, and in both meetings no less than two thirds (2/3) of the votes cast support the dissolution. The meeting invitation has to state the dissolution of the association.

    Upon dissolution, the assets of the association shall be used to support the purpose of the association, in a way which shall be determined in the meeting where the dissolution is decided on. In the case of terminating the association the assets shall be used for the same purpose.

    (Note: this is an unofficial translation of the rules. The Finnish version is valid in case of any inconsistencies.)