Public Administration
 Responsibilities and tasks are divided between three administrative levels, that of state, county and municipality.
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Anne Sofie Nielsen
20.11.2006 10:31
The State
The County Governor performs qualified tasks for the central authorities and holds the overall responsibility for state-run activity in the county. The County Governor is the link between the central administration and the municipalities in the county. The office reflects the policies ratified by the state government and parliament and supervises the introduction of these policies. The County Governor's tasks also include supervision of municipal economy and administration.
Other Regional State Institutions
The Public Roads Administration is one of the state institutions in the county. All state-run activity defers politically and administratively to the ministry and directorate. The seat of the County Governor and other regional offices is in Vadsø, while some services, such as job centres, tax offices, the National Population Registry, the police/sheriff are also available in the municipalities.
The County Municipality
Finnmark County Municipality looks after social development in the county, in collaboration with the municipalities, state-run institutions and trade and business. The county authority is the leading regional political body and provides continuing education, cultural services and dental services for all county residents, whereas child and family welfare services were nationalised in 2004. The County Centre, seat of the central administration, is located in Vadsø, while in most municipalities the county has workplaces (such as schools, dental health care centres.) The county municipality is regionally elected, presided over by a county parliament. Elections for the county parliament are direct and are held every four years, simultaneously with the municipal elections.
The Sami Parliament
The Sami Act was ratified in 1987, and the first Sami Parliament was elected in 1989. There is a separate electoral register for the Sami Parliament, in which all Sami over the age of eighteen can be registered and thus be entitled to vote. These elections are held simultaneously with elections to the national parliament. The Sami parliament is a political instrument, and its aim is to promote Sami standing and to contribute to the fair treatment of Sami people. Being indigenous they have a very special standing in the Norwegian society and hold more privileges than other minority groups.
The county authority has entered into a co-operation agreement with the Sámi Parliament.
Municipalities
Finnmark County is divided into nineteen municipalities, six of which are towns: Alta (received town status in 2001), South Varanger (where Kirkenes was awarded town status in 1998), Nordkapp (where the centre Honningsvåg was given town status in 1996) Vadsø -1833, Hammerfest - 1789 and Vardø - 1789.
The municipalities hold responsibilities within most fields, notably for the primary schools, nursery schools, health care centres, care of the elderly, water supplies and municipal roads. The local representatives of the municipal council are elected directly every four years and are the highest political authority.
Cooperation Between Administrative Levels
There is extensive collaboration between the state, the county and the municipalities in many fields. The County Governor and the county municipality share responsibility for the coordination of public activities with respect to regional development and administration of parts of or the entire county. The county municipality mainly focuses on regional needs, whereas the county municipality must primarily ensure that national policies are adhered to in the county.
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