Instead of a security levy: cutting the salary of the mayor and his deputies in favor of municipal policing • Council member Tatiana John

(Hai Fe) - Haifa City Council member, Tatiana John, chairman of the Haifa-connected faction along with faction members attorney Yaakov Borovsky and Artiom Kharchenko, submitted a proposal for order directing the mayor and his deputies to cut 15 percent of their salary and make a horizontal cut of 10 percent in the budgets of the municipal departments, in order to finance the establishment of the integrated municipal policing system.

The proposal comes as a response to the ongoing examination in the municipality on the possibility of imposing a new "maintenance levy" on the city's residents. According to her, this move is required as an act of identification towards the public and the businesses in the city, which are in a difficult economic situation due to the war and the economic crisis in Israel.

The plan for a maintenance levy is objectionable

The municipality is considering imposing a "maintenance levy" in the amount of NIS 1.92 per square meter per year, which will stand as a separate by-law for the collection of property tax. Its purpose is to finance the establishment of a municipal policing system in cooperation with the police, for the purpose of improving personal security in the city. Following initial opposition in the council and the fear of burdening the public at the time Economically sensitive, the municipality decided to establish a committee to examine the implementation and costs associated with this levy.

According to the proposal, John explains that many of the city's residents and business owners are currently struggling financially, and the imposition of another levy may burden them even more: "The financial situation of many households has deteriorated following the war and the northern shooting circle. The municipality is required to show sensitivity and take the situation into account."

A demand for transparency and budget cuts in the municipality

John demands that, as part of the 2024 budget, "unidentified" jobs be eliminated and a horizontal cut of 10 percent be made in all municipal departments to finance the integrated policing system, instead of imposing an additional tax on the residents. According to her, the number of jobs in the municipality is inflated and there is no budgetary justification for a job that is not part of a specified and approved facility. "Preparation must be made for the establishment of the policing system within the framework of the existing budget. The financial means for this exist if cuts and streamlining are made in municipal functioning," she stated.

In addition, she suggested that the mayor and his deputies lead a step of identification with the residents through a 15 percent cut in their salary, for the benefit of the city and the policing system. According to her, if the step is not legally possible, they must announce a donation of a similar amount for this purpose. "Instead of just burdening the public with taxes, the leaders should bear responsibility and set an example," said John.

Call for an emergency discussion in the council

At the end of her proposal, John calls for an emergency discussion in the city council to discuss the budget for 2024 and the planned budget for 2025. She asks to approve the horizontal cut and to re-examine the distribution of the budget in a way that puts personal security at the center.

Undoubtedly, John's proposal poses the urban challenge to deal with the need for improved personal security while maintaining sensitivity towards the economic situation of the public in Haifa.

The language of the proposal: