Today, the Petah Tikva City Council voted on the proposed budget for 2014, which is estimated at 1.4 billion shekels - the largest budget in its history. More than 401% of the amount is earmarked for employee salaries, pension and retirement payments, and the remainder for ongoing operations.
In addition to the regular budget proposal, for the first time, the Petah Tikva municipality proposal includes a new section: security for elected officials. This is a budget estimated at 1.2 million shekels, and opposition representatives oppose it. The section was added due to the series of criminal incidents, the most notable of which was the explosion of a bomb in the car of acting mayor Uriel Bosso.
The bombing on the eve of the municipal elections, under the car of Acting Mayor Uriel Bosso of the Shas faction, who also serves as chairman of the Planning and Building Committee, constituted a significant leap forward in threats against elected officials in the city.
According to city officials, since then, there has been a feeling that the blood of senior public figures in the city has been forgiven. It began with the placement of a bomb in the yard of Itzik Braverman's house, progressed through curses and insults directed at council members, continued with the smashing of the windows of Ron Katz's car from the Yesh Atid faction, and continued with the explosion of Bosso's car.
""This is a shocking event," said Bosso, who since the incident has never left his home without a security guard and is under tight security around his home. "Such an event should disturb all of us. If we, as elected officials, change decisions because of threats and pressure, it is the end of democracy," he told an emergency meeting.
The 2014 budget includes a huge sum, including approximately 601 million shekels in property tax payments and is based largely on the 2013 budget. As every year, approximately 480 million shekels are dedicated to education, 158 million shekels to welfare, and approximately 97 million to culture.As mentioned, this is the first time in the municipality that the budget proposal includes a sum for the security of elected officials. However, the section has caused bewilderment among a number of opposition members, who claim that the sum is higher than expected. "Dozens of residents in the city are threatened, and the municipality is not spending millions from its budget to secure them," said council member Rami Greenberg. "The issue of security is necessary in a time like this, but public funds must be used with the utmost discretion. The amount allocated for security is disproportionate. Instead of protecting oneself with huge sums, we should ensure cooperation with the police and bring those who threaten to be brought to justice," he said.
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