Weekly Update 78

March 20, 2026

Hello everyone.

In response to your comments, I want to point out that the newsletter always tries to include things that will benefit all residents, and I haven’t found any issues or mismanagement in them. However, I am not the spokesperson for the mayor, and anyone looking to read only positive things through “rose-colored glasses” and not wanting to know about other issues that are problematic is welcome to stay updated through the council’s announcements or the mayor’s announcements, which are intended for a limited audience. There, everything is “rosy” and happy, and it will never include any criticism—even in the comments, which are always things like “How great that we elected you,” “You’re the best,” and so on. The newsletter is for people who want to know everything, from the good to the bad, and aren’t afraid of the truth.

• First topic: At the last meeting, we voted in favor of budgets for a series of improvements to Moshava Park—including the construction of a pergola to serve the meat cafeteria that is about to open there. There will also be a dairy food truck.
• Topic 2: This time, we’ll discuss the budget for road repainting, and I’ll try to explain why the paint fades so quickly and what we should do to ensure that road markings always remain visible, especially in areas with children.
• Third topic: Another petition filed against the council, this time regarding the lack of transparency on the council’s website. And once again, transparency is a fundamental requirement for local governance.
• Fourth topic: At the last meeting, we learned that Zichron Ya’akov will not, after all, be withdrawing from the joint employment zone planned to be built north of the Mall Mol Zichron.
• Fifth issue: Presentation of the “Moshava Courtyards” plan—the project to be built on the parking lot beneath the Hobbit. The presentation will open the special council meeting to be held this coming Monday, March 24, at 6:00 PM. See what other items are on the agenda. And as always, it’s important for residents to attend or at least watch the live stream of the meeting. The regular link for viewing is below. Save it to your computer. Remember—transparency is a fundamental requirement for local governance.

First item: Improvements to the Moshava Park: a cafeteria and food truck area to be built in the park, benches, and lighting

We were pleased to learn at the last meeting that a winner has been selected for the tender to operate two food complexes: the first, a meat cafeteria that will operate only on weekdays; the second, in a different location in the park, will be a dairy food truck that can also operate on Saturdays and holidays (if the operator chooses to do so).

After no one submitted a bid for the previous tender, the council investigated why and found that the reason was that the cafeteria building did not include a covered area where dining tables could be placed year-round. Therefore, the council issued a new tender that included a commitment to provide a proper roof. This tender has a winner. And to fulfill the tender’s conditions, we voted in favor of a budget of 180,000 NIS to construct a durable pergola that allows for winter enclosure adjacent to an existing structure in the park that will serve as the meat cafeteria.

At the meeting, we also approved 170,000 NIS to replace 70 benches in Moshava Park with new benches similar to those recently installed in Gan Tiul.

At the meeting, we also approved 120,000 NIS to replace the existing lighting fixtures in the park with energy-efficient LED lighting that is also brighter. The replacement is expected to save 40% on the park’s electricity consumption, which currently stands at 57,000 NIS per year.

In response to my question, it was clarified that this is in addition to the plan we have already approved to replace all lighting in the town with LED lighting—a project expected to cost 5 million NIS, of which 1 million will come from a grant from the Ministry of Energy.

Second issue: What is the annual cost of road markings, and why do the markings fade so quickly?

At the last meeting, we approved a total of 300,000 NIS—an annual budget for the contractor responsible for marking all roads, sidewalks, and traffic islands in the town.

A question raised by many council members concerned the quality of the paint, as we all see that the markings fade quickly. And until they are repainted, there remains the danger of markings that are not visible and are not obeyed. The issue is cost. Oil-based markings last longer—they cost more and may also be slippery (a claim that has not been verified). But we need to thoroughly examine this option.

In my opinion, which I expressed at the meeting, we must resume using the equipment available to the council and the operations department staff to reinforce and repaint the fading markings in critical locations. This isn’t feasible throughout the entire town. But it is near schools, where the danger is greater. You, the residents, have an important role here: Report any faded markings that endanger lives to 106. Hopefully, this will be addressed quickly by the Operations Department.

Third issue: Another petition has been filed against the council regarding a lack of transparency, this time concerning the council’s website.

The petitioner is the Association of Lawyers for Good Governance, with whom I filed the previous petition against the council and the council head regarding prohibited advertising. A petition in which we prevailed. I hope that this time the council head has learned his lesson and will not waste public funds on paying a law firm to try to defend against the petition with baseless arguments. This time, an apology is required, and the website must be corrected immediately. You are invited to visit the websites of other local authorities and see that they publish internal auditor reports to the public. A council should not prevent or fight against transparency but rather promote it.

Fourth Issue: Zichron Yaakov Is Not Withdrawing from the Joint Employment Zone

One of the items on the agenda of the last meeting was the appointment of the new council engineer as the council’s representative on the industrial zone management board, replacing the engineer who retired.

From this, we learned that Zichron Yaakov is remaining in the joint employment zone. I have already written here about the utter folly of withdrawing from this important project, which will bring significant revenue to Zichron Yaakov (after its construction costs are covered). I am glad that the council head ultimately chose what is best for the community.

Fifth topic: The Moshava Courtyards project will be presented at the special council meeting to be held this time on Monday, March 24, at 6:00 PM

A reminder of what I wrote in previous newsletters and an explanation of why it is important for you to come, listen, and learn about this project, which will impact the heart of the Moshav and beyond. I remind you that the opposition demanded a discussion in which the project would be presented in full to council members and residents who attend. The discussion and presentation of this project are scheduled to take place this coming Monday.

Location of the real estate project: The rear section of the pedestrian mall between Jabotinsky Street and HaNadiv Street/the pedestrian mall. Where there is currently a large parking lot on the side bordering The Hobbit Pub and Danka Restaurant.

Background: This project has been under discussion since the establishment of Derech HaYayin. It involves two plots that were formerly part of the agricultural holdings of the Wilder and Livovich families. Over 20 years ago, a land swap was carried out such that, in exchange for these plots of land that were transferred to the council, the families received replacement land of equal value.

A review of the tender published by the Council, which has already been launched, raises the following facts and questions:

• The land offered for sale in the tender covers approximately 3.5 dunams, all of which is owned by the council. Given that the Council is seeking only a minimum bid of 1.25 million NIS + VAT for the land in the tender (meaning the bidder who offers the highest amount and meets a series of conditions will win the tender)  This is in addition to 170 parking spaces to be allocated to the Council and built by the winning bidder. The question arises: Is it appropriate to proceed under these conditions?
• There is a problematic precedent here of additional residential density and housing units in the center of the town. Is the number of housing units the developer will receive beyond the accepted density in the heart of the town? According to the zoning plan, approximately 14 housing units may be built on a 3.5-dunam plot.
• According to the plan, two adjacent buildings with an inner courtyard will be built. These are buildings of up to 6 stories adjacent to the historic pedestrian mall!
• How does the tender comply with the approved zoning plan 353-0363929?
• Only 170 parking spaces out of the total will be transferred to the council. 109 parking spaces will be allocated to the apartments and the commercial complex.
• The office spaces that were supposed to be transferred to the council, as in the original plan, have “disappeared” from the tender! Previously, there was a model whereby, in exchange for the construction of the building and the parking garage, the council would receive hundreds of square meters of office space in addition to the parking areas. This condition is not included in the published tender. It may stem from economic considerations, but given the lack of transparency and the council’s failure to respond to my inquiries, this is the conclusion I have reached.
• There is no certainty regarding how the parking complex—which includes the council’s public parking and private parking areas—will be managed: whether by a developer who will lease the space or by the council, and consequently, the cost per hour for parking in the public lot (It is clear that the maintenance costs for an underground parking garage of this scale are extremely high, and it is not at all clear whether an economic calculation has been made for this).
• A 5-story parking garage will be excavated!!! That is, an excavation depth of at least 15 to 20 meters—a project of this kind has never been carried out in the historic center of the town. (It was previously done on private land at the Alma Hotel).

The parking garage issue is critical because it is ostensibly the justification for the low price of the expensive land being sold by the council—since the developer will have to invest a great deal of money in building the garage. Instead, the council could have retained ownership of part of the land and built a multi-level parking garage that allows for robotic parking on the floors without the need for excavation, thereby also generating ongoing revenue for the municipality.

For example, one could explore an elevated robotic parking system or one integrated into a single excavation level with a lift serving 2 to 3 complexes; there are many solutions on the market today, some of which have been implemented in Israel. An example is attached for readers’ reference. See, Parking Multipliers – Tzofia Engineering

• It is unclear whether betterment fees are payable on the land belonging to the council, meaning the council may have to pay a levy that could exceed the amount received from the sale.

In addition to the project presentation, there are other items on the agenda; see below. You can also attend the meeting at the council building (there is a large protected space in the building). And you can watch the live stream at this permanent link:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCroNWtlM8YInsjPf3Tv_uXQ/live