Weekly Update 61

November 14, 2025

Hello, everyone.

This newsletter will cover three topics. The first two were discussed at the last council meeting on 11/4, so this will complete my coverage of that meeting. The third will take us both into the past and the future.

• Topic 1: Promises are like sand—there has been no progress on infrastructure work in the Villas in the Woods neighborhood on Shazif, Shikma, and Tapuach Streets. Work has begun on part of the sidewalk, but the roads are still dirt roads and the drainage openings are clogged with dirt. When will this be finished?
• Second issue: Why is the council head publicly announcing amounts of money invested in projects that differ from the amounts we approved in the council? Why this disregard for public budgets that belong to all of us? And when a council member asks to find out the actual cost—they don’t answer her. The council member submits an inquiry—and even then, the mayor doesn’t disclose the amounts that were actually spent, but gives a vague answer.
• Third issue: An important project that has already been fully planned and budgeted for the upcoming term is sitting idle and gathering dust. Why isn’t the project to renovate Granot Street and the Granot/HaMeisadim intersection being carried out? The Shaar Yishai intersection, where many cars and pedestrians pass through in danger every day.
• Fourth issue: Senior Citizens Month, which took place in November, will continue into December! You are invited to enjoy the activities—the activity brochure is at the end of this newsletter.

First Topic: Promises like sand—no progress on infrastructure work in the Villas in the Woods neighborhood on Shazif, Shikma, and Tapuach Streets  

As of Thursday, the reality is extremely grim. There has been no progress whatsoever.

Equally serious, contrary to all rules of proper administration and governmental norms, they refuse to present to me the contract documents with the contractor, the scope of work that was approved, and the documents and requests submitted to the Ministry of the Interior. Therefore, as long as these documents are not presented to me, I have no choice but to assume that there is something to hide and that there are serious problems in the entire process of managing the contract and carrying out the work.

I would like to remind you that I have been requesting these documents since mid-August. Primarily to understand where the drainage works came from, which we did not explicitly approve at the plenary session. Nor did the council intend to carry them out.

Here is the council chair’s announcement before the work began:

A reward will be given to anyone who finds a notice here regarding the replacement or addition of pipes and infrastructure for rainwater drainage.

But these works were carried out anyway—with exactly whose money?

I also tried at the last council meeting to understand where these drainage works came from (which will likely increase the project’s cost). The council head seriously replied that we had approved “scouring, paving, and additional works. And replacing all the drainage pipes is additional work. So we approved that as well.”

But—and so you understand just how serious the council head’s words are, coupled with the silence of the gatekeepers—when drainage works are brought before the plenary for approval, it is always explicitly stated. That’s how it always is—I checked and compared it to other municipalities. Drainage infrastructure work, including deep excavations with specialized equipment, massive piping, large catch basins, and more—this is a massive and far too expensive project to be considered “additional work.” The council chairman is certain that council members agree with every word he says and don’t actually ask questions or verify the details. And unfortunately, he’s right.

The sidewalk repairs on HaTapuach Street are also being delayed again and again. Unfortunately, a pedestrian was seriously injured there a few weeks ago, and due to this tragic incident, we approved an emergency budget of 155,000 NIS in the plenary session about two weeks ago to repair the sidewalks on HaTapuach Street. Even these urgent works are not progressing, except for a section of a few meters that was completed at the HaTapuach/Yasmin intersection.

Residents claim that the drainage grates were not cleaned before the rains, and they are concerned about flooding or the conditions that will arise during the upcoming rainy days.

I will continue to try to expedite the completion of the work and will keep you updated.

Second issue: Budget mismanagement—let’s throw some numbers out there and hope no one actually checks them.

Following up on the previous issue of the “disappearing budget” that I’m trying to uncover—and which they’re hiding from me—here’s another ongoing budget problem.

I closely follow the council head’s social media posts—posts in which he showcases his achievements (and glosses over his failures, but that’s his right). And I’ve noticed a concerning trend: he’s publishing project costs that are much higher than what we approved in the council for that same project. Are these false posts? Or are the posts actually accurate, and are projects being carried out with significant deviations from the approved budget?! In any case—it seems that the entire matter of the council’s current budget and its details is completely fluid (where is the treasurer?).

Here are the examples:

1. Renovation work on HaAliyah Street is being carried out according to Budget Resolution No. 2510, which was approved by the plenary session in February 2025 in the amount of 730,000 NIS.

The council head posted on the council’s page that the project’s cost is 1,800,000 NIS.

The difference between the budget approved by the plenary session and the mayor’s announcement amounts to 970,000 NIS.

1. Work on additional parking and traffic management in the Beit Ramaz neighborhood – Budget Resolution 2239, approved by the plenary session following a budget increase to 950,000 NIS.

In contrast, the council head posted on the council’s Facebook page that the project cost 2,000,000 NIS.

The difference between what was approved by the plenary session and what was actually carried out is 1,050,000 NIS.

1. Repair work on the fountain in the park in the Moshava.

These are being carried out under a budget reserve whose increase was approved by the plenary session in August 2025 to the amount of 690,000 NIS.

However, the council head posted on the council’s Facebook page that the cost was 600,000 NIS.

The discrepancy, which in this case amounts to a reduction of 100,000 NIS from the figure published to residents, raises the question: What is the actual cost of repairing the fountain?

So, since there is a directive not to answer my questions—I submitted a detailed inquiry to the council head with these examples. Because that is precisely the role of a council member—to oversee public funds. At the last meeting on November 4, the council head deigned to respond to me. “Respond” is a strong word because he didn’t really respond. Instead, he evaded the issue as usual. This is his response:

“All approved projects have a set budget, which is the project cost, and this is also stipulated in the contract.

If there are general changes to the work, then this requires council approval.”

This is the answer to my inquiry, which cited specific project numbers and asked what their actual costs were. An answer that the treasurer has at his fingertips—but there is no transparency, only evasion.

Or perhaps the council head actually told the truth—what you approved is the project cost. Because they didn’t come back to us asking to increase the amount. And this truth means that the residents are being fed a complete fake message. He threw numbers around, up and down.

Why lie to the residents? Why not write exactly how much the project cost—will that diminish you? After all, almost all projects receive a unanimous vote in favor. We have never delayed projects that benefit the public. So why lie? Write the actual budget.

And respond to the council member who is asking to verify the actual budget.

That is transparency. That is good governance that works for the residents.

Third issue: The Granot Street project and the reorganization of the Founders/Granot intersection—why isn’t this safety project being carried out to create a sidewalk and a safe crossing for pedestrians?

I often ask myself why the council isn’t carrying out projects for which there is detailed planning, an approved budget, and a contractor available to execute the work—a budget that was approved two years ago.

Background for those of you who are unfamiliar with the situation.

Granot Street, which runs parallel to the cemetery, has a missing section of sidewalk approximately 20 to 30 meters long, near the section adjacent to HaMeisadim Street.

Additionally, the intersection of Granot and HaMeisadim Streets is dangerous, lacking crosswalks or driver visibility for pedestrian traffic, and therefore also requires improvement.  

Recognizing the importance of this project, the full council during the previous term approved, at a meeting on August 1, 2023, Capital Expenditure Budget No. 2326 in the amount of 250,000 NIS for the work, based on detailed planning and cost estimates.

The Ministry of the Interior approved the budget on August 31, 2025!!! That is, almost two years and three months ago!!!

The political turmoil surrounding the local elections in February 2024 prevented the project from moving forward to implementation, but the current term began nearly a year and nine months ago—and there is no known progress on carrying out the work despite an approved budget and plan!

The current situation, in which there is an approved plan and budget for implementation but the work is not being carried out, indicates a lack of planning and managerial foresight, and ultimately leads to cost overruns, which necessitate increasing the approved budget.

The excuse that the contractor working on the adjacent “Founders’ Complex” will carry out development work on HaGranot Street cannot be used, and such work is even prohibited by law.  The contractor for the “Founders’ Complex” will indeed be required to repair and perform paving and resurfacing work, as well as restore any public infrastructure it has damaged, but only on the section between the new project and Abba Shechter Square; as stated, this section is unrelated to the sidewalk on HaGranot Street.

Since the head of the council has declared a boycott against me and instructed not to answer my questions, and in an improper manner, the department heads—who are public servants—are cooperating with this illegal directive, I hope that publicizing the fact that there is a project available and budgeted for implementation—a project of the utmost importance, particularly in terms of safety—will help the elected officials reading this newsletter to expedite the execution of this safety work as soon as possible.

Fourth Topic: Senior Citizens Month, which took place in November, will continue through December! You are invited to enjoy—