(haipo) – The Ministry of the Interior published this week (Monday, 20/1/25) the Local Authorities Law Memorandum: Amendment to the Municipalities Ordinance (Amendment No. 125), 2025-XNUMX. The purpose of the proposed law is to regulate financial compensation and reimbursement of expenses for members of local councils, for their participation in council meetings and committees.
Council members who faithfully perform their duties are required to devote many hours each month to participating in council meetings and committee discussions, all without financial compensation. This situation, according to the Ministry of Interior, may impair the ability of council members to properly fulfill their duties and devote sufficient time to their public duties.
According to the bill, a council member will be entitled to financial compensation and reimbursement of expenses for his participation in council meetings and committees, according to rules to be determined by the Minister of the Interior. The purpose of the compensation is to make it easier for council members financially, strengthen their status as elected officials, and encourage significant investment in their public role.
Interior Minister Moshe Arbel explained the importance of the bill and said:
"Local council members are a central part of local government, and partners in shaping policies that affect the daily lives of every citizen. The bill is intended to give them, at least in a small way, the recognition they deserve for their dedicated work, and to allow them to focus more on the needs of residents. I believe that financial compensation and reimbursement of expenses for participation in council and committee meetings will help increase motivation, encourage more meaningful involvement, and strengthen public service."
The proposed law represents an important step towards improving the functioning of local authorities and empowering council members. The Ministry of the Interior believes that the proposed compensation will contribute to strengthening the status of council members and improving the quality of services to residents. The bill is expected to arouse broad public interest and raise questions regarding its implications for local budgets and the scope of compensation to be given to council members. The move will continue to develop in future debates in the Knesset.
'In favor of the initiative – but not from residents' money'
Deputy Mayor, Attorney Sarit Golan Steinberg, has dedicated her years of lecturing and inviting as a council member to public activity. Golan Steinberg told Lipah: "I strongly support the initiative, but it is important to ensure that the source of funding comes from the government and does not fall on the shoulders of the city's residents through property tax money."
'Provide rewards – while increasing demands'
City Council member Yaakov Borovsky told the newspaper: "I believe that the bill must pass, as the 31 members of the city council effectively serve as a kind of board of directors for a company, responsible for overseeing and managing a budget of approximately 5 billion shekels and approximately 6,000 employees. When council members are not compensated for their participation in committees, council meetings, and public boards of directors, one of two scenarios occurs: either they do not invest the time necessary to fulfill their duties, or they may succumb to the temptation of favors, which could constitute fertile ground for corruption.
"Why is it clear to everyone that a mayor is entitled to a salary, but council members are not? Why is a Knesset member compensated for his work, while a city council member does not receive any compensation for his investment? As with any board of directors or public authority, there is an obligation to provide hourly compensation to council members, and at the same time, to increase the demands on them."
'Reward will strengthen the local system and allow young people to take part'
City Council Member Sally Abed addresses a conversation about lip service to the proposal to compensate council members and emphasizes the importance of local democracy as the lifeblood of participatory democracy, which directly affects the daily lives of residents. According to her, "Local democracy and local elected officials are the backbone of life itself - the municipality is concerned with improving people's lives, our streets, kindergartens and public transportation. What bothers us and what doesn't bother us - is life itself."
Abed argues that compensating elected officials will not only strengthen the local system, but will also allow many young people, who do not have sufficient financial means, to take part in public life. "Today, most elected officials are financially well-off people who do not need to earn a full-time living, or older retirees. If we want to change the situation and diversify public representation, adequate compensation is a necessary step," she concludes.
City Council member Rabbi Uri Uzan told the newspaper: "This is a very welcome and important initiative. I hope things will work out soon, as it is not clear to me how something like this has not progressed to date. The public is not always aware that a council member invests his private time, at the expense of his home, family, and sometimes even his livelihood, in order to act on his behalf - and all this without reward. This is a welcome initiative that will advance the activities of council members in the State of Israel. A big salute to the Minister of the Interior, Rabbi Moshe Arbel, for his efforts and work for the citizens of the country."
It is definitely appropriate to pay from the municipality's funds. This will now eliminate the need for additional payments to the deputy mayors, thereby achieving financial savings.
If an elected official dedicates his full time to the public and has no additional income, from a pension, a partnership in a shopping center, or other work, it is appropriate to pay him for a full-time position.
I have an idea for a source of financial funding for this initiative:
Cut in half the election budgets worth hundreds of thousands of shekels for factions running for the City Council, less littering of the city with plastic signs and tarpaulins on balconies and roads, and give the money that is saved later to the council members as increased expense reimbursement.
Important article Samar Odeh. Good night and blessings to everyone. Good night