The 2023 budget was approved yesterday by a large majority in the city council, which will cross the one billion shekels mark for the first time. All the details on the various budget items, as well as the mayor’s satisfaction and the criticism of the opposition
Published on: 29.12.22 09:04
The Kfar Saba municipality also has a budget for next year: just before the end of 2022, last night (Wednesday) the city council approved the municipal budget for 2023, which for the first time in Kfar Saba exceeds the billion shekels in a regular budget.
According to the budget proposal, which was already approved about two weeks ago by the finance committee, the regular budget for 2023 is NIS 1,042,200 billion and the development budget is NIS 182 million.
The budget, which was approved by a majority of 13 council members against 5 council members from the opposition, designates about 45 percent of it for the education budget which will amount to NIS 466 million with an increase in the financial investment per male and female student, a significant budget for recruiting assistants and a budget of about NIS 180 million for the continued development and upgrading of institutions Education in the city. The municipality stated that this is a move promoted by the mayor, Rafi Sa’ar, in the last four years, and as part of which dozens of educational buildings were renovated and upgraded, including the Shazar and Sharet divisions built in the 1970s, the Ramez school in the east of the city, the Golda school, kindergartens and more .
The municipality also noted that the annual education budget is the highest in the Sharon region, when in Herzliya, for example, an amount of NIS 424 million was allocated for education, which is 37 percent of the municipal budget, and in Ra’anana an amount of approximately NIS 346 million was allocated, which is 37 percent of the municipal budget.
The budget also includes an increase of approximately 7 percent in the sanitation and cleaning budget, which will amount to approximately 83 million shekels, in the welfare budget which will amount to approximately 108 million shekels, and in the culture and sports budget which will amount to over 62 million shekels in 2023.
The mayor of the city, Rafi Sa’ar, said after the approval of the budget: “We continue to conduct ourselves responsibly, while maintaining a balanced budget and seeing all the needs of our residents, in order to provide the population of Kfar Saba with the best services in the city and maintain the best quality of life in Israel. Tonight we promised that the education system In Kfar Saba, which is already the best in Israel today – it will be even better, with huge and even historic news – of a large education budget, investment in every student in our city, etc. In a charged and turbulent time in the Israeli public, with parents’ fear of consequences for the education system, Kfar Saba It will remain an educational beacon that emphasizes the values of partnership, liberality and tolerance, alongside the cultivation of meaningful, creative and broadening learning. I would like to thank the council member and chairman of the municipal finance committee, Lirit Shapir Shemesh, the director general of the municipality Yuval Budnitsky, the municipal treasurer Tzachi Ben Aderat and all the staff The profession in the municipal treasurers and the strategy department, for the professional work in preparing the municipal budget, and to all the council members who supported and approved the budget. I am confident that we will continue to lead Kfar Saba forward, for the future of our residents and our children.”
On the other hand, the opposition explained why they opposed the approval of the budget. Councilwoman Hadar Lavie said on behalf of her members of the opposition: “The municipal budget reflects the failed priorities of the mayor. There is not a single line in this budget for the residents of the city and it is not based on a development vision for the city. While the residents of the city suffer from the lack of transportation infrastructure and terrible traffic jams, only 1% of the budget The usual is directed to transportation, the investment in the personal security budgets of the city’s residents increased by only 1% while the mayor’s public speaking and public relations budgets increased by over 40% in one term. About 2.5 million NIS are allocated to internal and external advertising and PR consultants. The education budget is based Mostly on transfer funds from the Ministry of Education, with the municipal supplement standing at only 30%. For comparison, in Herzliya and Hadera, which have a similar number of residents, the municipal supplement stands at 46% and 40% respectively. The sports support budget reflects a small increase of NIS 250,000 in support. A total of 5.85 million compared to 5.6 million the previous year. It is about informal education that keeps children and youth away from the street. The support framework is half of what the municipality of Herzliya allocates to the subject. Despite the high cost of living and the burden of taxes on the city’s residents, the property tax increased by 2% in 2022 and will increase by another 1.5% in 2023. Along with this, the mayor plans to put another burden on the residents with the parking reports. Part of the municipality’s expenses is based on an expected increase of NIS 5 million from fines. This means putting a deep hand into the pockets of the residents. On the other hand, the mayor continues to withdraw loans from the banks and increase our total debt by an additional 50 million NIS, bringing it to 335 million NIS And this is contrary to the council’s decision on a policy of reducing the debt. The budget includes a puzzling request for retroactive financing of extraordinary works carried out in the NTA to the extent of NIS 7 million. This conduct does not comply with the rules of proper administration and will not be tolerated. The budget reflects a failed order of priorities that must change, it is possible to increase the investment in transportation and transportation for children and reduce the burden of traffic jams, it is possible to invest in urban policing and deal with the wave of burglaries and thefts, promote responsible planning and create affordable housing solutions, invest in early childhood education and reduce the number of children in classes and so on and so forth . The city of Kfar Saba is amazing and full of potential, but unfortunately the mayor is not doing anything to realize the potential and even worse is setting a failed order of priorities for the city that is reflected in the municipal budget, this thing must be changed.”
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