Weekly Update 31

March 28, 2025

Hello everyone,

Summary:

• The council chair already has a coalition of 9 council members—an absolute majority that will allow him to pass anything, including the budget I’ll be writing about this time.

The coalition includes: 3 from the Abutbul party (Eli Abutbul, Dganit Azoulay, and Roni Kenig) + 2 from the ultra-Orthodox party (Aryeh Polak, Dudu Baranes) + Odelya Kadmi from The Jewish Home + Meir Vanunu (a party supported by the Likud) + 2 from the Zikaron ShebaLev party: Tzila Reshef and Tzachi Baruch.

Zila had promised their voters they wouldn’t sit with Abutbul because they don’t share the same values. And it turns out they do share the value of buying a coalition.

• The Council Chairman submitted the 2025 budget for approval by the plenary session; it will be put to a vote at the plenary meeting this coming Tuesday, April 1. This is a shameful budget that systematically undermines welfare, youth, community, and routine maintenance of the town. Here is a brief explanation of why it is shameful. Please also refer to the detailed tables below.
• I posted about the budget, including the summary here—please visit and comment. Changes may still be possible; criticism is welcome: don’t leave me in the opposition to fight alone for what matters to all of us.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BP61iBRXN/

1. A budget for two unnecessary deputy mayors at an annual cost of 1.24 million NIS (930,000 NIS through the end of this year) is a large sum intended to build the coalition by paying salaries to two council members and designating them as deputies on paper. Where will the money come from? I will show that the money will come from a long list of cuts that harm residents. From now on, two deputies come at the expense of caring for residents’ needs.
2. In these difficult times of hostages and war, the budget calls for an unreasonable increase in Independence Day events, raising the budget from 370,000 NIS to 950,000 NIS. Who would think of celebrating like this these days, especially at the expense of youth and social services?
3. Massive cuts in spending on welfare, culture, youth, community, and education programs, totaling 1.65 million NIS. Cuts in areas such as emotional support for youth, the complete cancellation of the “School Plays Music” project, the elimination of a youth worker on leave, cuts to summer camp subsidies, and more. See the first table.
4. Dramatic cuts in expenditures that ensure operational flexibility in the ongoing maintenance of the community. This means there will be less money to immediately repair hazards and malfunctions. This is already evident throughout the community—potholes, electrical malfunctions, fallen utility poles, and insufficient landscaping. See the second table.
5. Under-budgeting of expenses by the amount due, according to our review, ranges from 1.5 to 2 million NIS!!! This systematic reduction in expenditures is apparently intended to artificially reduce certain budget items and to make the budget appear balanced (we would be happy to receive explanations at the meeting, if any exist).
6. There is no good news in the 2025 budget: it lacks growth engines, but it severely undermines the policies and values that were a central pillar of Ziv Deshe’s previous term: values of mutual responsibility, empowering youth and young adults, and community building. A community is the key to local resilience—resilience that is especially important these days.

The proposed annual budget—revenues and expenditures—for 2025 stands at 248,296 NIS. This represents an increase of 9 million NIS from the 2024 budget.

The budget reflects the council’s priorities. More precisely, it reflects the priorities of those who drafted the budget—the coalition led by the council head.

This is a sad picture, as it indicates cuts to youth programs, young adults, social services, and community centers. Cuts to the town’s routine maintenance. All in favor of two deputy mayors and Independence Day events.

We’ve prepared a table showing the expenses that have been cut. The symbol next to each amount indicates that it is an expense.

Focus on the column highlighted in red, as it shows the cut to this expenditure in 2025.

Budget Item/Section	Budget_2024	Actual_2024	Budget 2025	Amount Reduced	Comments
Community Center Participation in the Founding Seniors Center 100	-230,000.00 NIS	-230,000.00 NIS	0.00 NIS	230,000	Despite statements regarding the operation of a youth center at the site alongside the Senior Citizens Center, the budget has been cut to zero. Will this lead to the closure of the site and its conversion into real estate?
Emotional response to students	-400,000.00 NIS	-378,114.76 NIS	-207,000.00 NIS	120,000	Of all years, while we are still at war, they are cutting such an important budget (part of it was transferred to another line item)
Community Center Participation in Summer Camps	-260,000.00 NIS	-260,000.00 NIS	0.00 NIS	260,000.00	No more discounts, scholarships, or family support for summer camps
Youth Center	-195,000.00 NIS	-195,000.00 NIS	-150,000.00 NIS	40,000	Why?? We thought that number 3 on the council head’s list cares about the needs of young people.
Families in need in the community	-130,000.00 NIS	-17,680.00	-30,000.00 NIS	100,000	Why????
Zamarin Association: Subsidized tickets for performances at Beit Nir	-200,000.00 NIS	-200,000.00 NIS	-100,000.00 NIS	100,000	Is this the salary of the cultural director? (Cultural director’s salary + the municipality’s contribution to the ticket price per resident; 600–700 annual subscribers, including children, plus residents attending without a subscription (single-entry))
Community Center Holiday Events (Hanukkah, Purim, Passover, Shavuot, Summer, and Sukkot)	-224,000.00 NIS	-157,588.80 NIS	-190,000.00 NIS	34,000	During wartime, there was a slight decrease in the number of events (this budget cut primarily affects local suppliers and creators, who in most cases carry out these activities)
Summer events for youth and recruits	-135,000.00 NIS	-117,279.20 NIS	-70,000.00 NIS	55,000	Summer events, recruits, youth council seminar
Appreciation events for medical staff/security forces	-50,000.00 NIS	-42,022.00 NIS	0.00 NIS	50,000	Zero support for an event for security and rescue forces residing in the town.
Activities under Project 2000	-37,000.00 NIS	0.00	0.00 NIS	37,000	Critical outreach activities with the Jewish diaspora
Welfare support	-30,000.00 NIS	-7,700.00 NIS	-10,000.00 NIS	20,000
Support for Outstanding Students and Athletes	-100,000.00 NIS	-82,000.00 NIS	-70,000.00 NIS	30,000
Events, etc. -Teacher Appreciation Day	-50,000.00 NIS	-251.00 NIS	-10,000.00 NIS	40,000	Interfering with a highly important activity: An appreciation and thank-you event for educational staff
Education Administration	-140,000.00 NIS	-105,872.96 NIS	-120,000.00 NIS	20,000	Miscellaneous, including gifts for high school graduates and Bibles for elementary school graduates
Meal assistance and transportation	-10,000.00 NIS	-6,920.00 NIS	-7,000.00 NIS	3,000
Teens on Vacation	-40,000.00 NIS	-97,988.61 NIS	0.00	40,000	In practice, spending in 2024 was more than double the budget, and now zero shekels for a youth worker in the summer?
Marketing and Communications Activities	-80,000.00 NIS	₪0.00	0.00	80,000
Mangan School	-70,000	87,500 NIS	0.00 NIS	70,000	Cuts to funding for a program that allows every fourth-grade student to learn a musical instrument of their choice
Contribution to administrative and general expenses	-1,900,000.00 NIS	-1,875,000.00 NIS	-1,810,000.00 NIS	90,000	Includes legal counsel and graphic designer. Electricity: approx. 150,000 NIS (net), paid by the council. The cut is higher because the council requires the community center to contribute 80,000 NIS in the revenue section
Community center contribution to workshop expenses: 100	-60,000.00 NIS	-60,000.00 NIS	-50,000.00 NIS	10,000	Small amount offset – substantial damage to the workshop
“Hila” Youth Advancement	-160,000.00 NIS	-122,728.79 NIS	-150,000.00 NIS	10,000	Youth Advancement
Various expenses	-75,000.00 NIS	-49,236.76 NIS	-53,000.00 NIS	22,000	Impact on support and recreational activities for new immigrants

Table 2 – Dramatic reduction in operational flexibility for infrastructure and routine maintenance	Budget_2024	Actual_2024	2025 Budget	Offset Amount
Road Markings	-50,000.00 NIS	-30,211.33 NIS	0.00 NIS	50,000
Weed removal from sidewalks, paths, and dirt roads	-80,000.00 NIS	-74,818.28 NIS	-50,000.00 NIS	30,000
Electrical contracting work	-250,000.00 NIS	-362,019.58 NIS	-50,000.00 NIS	200,000
Road Safety Contractor	-400,000.00 NIS	-404,085.81 NIS	-200,000.00 NIS	200,000
Purchase of equipment for gardens and groves	-50,000.00 NIS	-49,958.00 NIS	-40,000.00 NIS	10,000
Supplementary landscaping work	-350,000.00 NIS	-345,607.38 NIS	-250,000.00 NIS	100,000
Seasonal plants and flower bed restoration	-70,000.00 NIS	-66,266.74 NIS	-65,000.00 NIS	5,000
Street furniture expenses	-20,000.00 NIS	-19,114.00 NIS	0.00	20,000
Miscellaneous expenses for the purchase and maintenance of defibrillators	-80,000.00 NIS	-20,000.00 NIS	0.00	80,000

3. Systematic under-budgeting of expected annual expenses. Under-budgeting involves allocating less funding for a given activity than what it actually cost in the previous year, or suddenly reducing fixed costs such as water and electricity. There is no clear explanation for this under-budgeting other than the desire to balance the budget. Here is one example:

Property tax discounts planned for 2024 were 13,560,000 NIS

Actual property tax discounts for eligible recipients in 2024 were 14,027,828.27 NIS

Property tax discount allocation for 2025 according to the budget proposal: 13,355,000 NIS

In other words, there is a budget shortfall of 650,000 in this section compared to actual expenditures in 2024

• Secretary: I posted about the overall budget, including the summary here—please visit and comment. Changes may still be possible; feel free to offer criticism: don’t leave me in the opposition to fight alone for what matters to all of us.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BP61iBRXN/