Inquiry: Sources of budget allocation for various activities as an alternative to unapproved budget requests
June 29, 2025
To
Mayor Mr. Eli Abutbul
Inquiry: Sources of budget allocation for various activities as an alternative to unapproved budget requests
The Council Chairman’s instruction to Council employees not to respond to my inquiries is part of a flawed and non-transparent management culture. This is an organizational culture that views the Council as the Mayor private property rather than a public body obligated to respond transparently to members of the coalition and the opposition. To my great regret, the Mayor has revived this culture amid the silence of the gatekeepers. As evidence, as early as 2015, theMayor acted in this manner, as shown in the attached excerpt.
Below is a motion submitted in advance of a plenary session scheduled for May 5, 2015, and submitted by former council member Attorney Naama Tzur and council member Meir Vanunu (currently the paid deputy Mayor)
On May 20, 2025, I submitted a question to the council’s treasury. I received no response, not even a return email confirming that my inquiry had been received. The email was forwarded to the treasurer, his deputy, the mayor, and the two paid deputy heads. Does the lack of a response over such a long period indicate that unmonitored actions are being taken regarding the council’s budget?
Below is the text of my inquiry dated May 20, 2025:
Dear Avi,
At the plenary session on May 6, 2025, under Agenda Item 9, which discussed the closure of special budget funds, we were also required to approve the cancellation/closure of the following three funds:
Special Fund - 2418 – Purchase of a small electric vehicle for kindergartens
Special Fund - 2503 – Sewer line installation in the section between HaChasida Street and Shikun Daromi
Special Fund - 2513 – Noise measuring device for environmental monitoring.
In response to my question at the meeting, the treasurer replied that these budget items were not approved by the Ministry of the Interior because, in the Ministry’s view, they fall under the operating budget. Therefore, the purchase will be funded from that budget. I continued to ask from which source in the budget. The treasurer replied: “It is in the budget” (quote from the minutes).
Therefore, I would appreciate receiving the following information:
- What exactly are the budget items for carrying out these equipment purchases/actions that were the basis for the requests I mentioned?
- What is the status of the budget items from which these actions will be carried out or have been carried out, with regard to: the amount in the approved budget item, budget execution to date including reserves, and the budget balance in each of these items through the end of the year.
This concludes the text of the email that received no response. Hence, this inquiry is submitted on 06/29/2025
- What exactly are the budget items for the procurement of this equipment/these actions that formed the basis of the alternatives I mentioned to Special Budget 2418, Special Budget 2503, and Special Budget 2513?
- What is the status of the budget items from which these actions will be carried out or have been carried out, with regard to: the amount in the approved budget item, budget execution to date including reserves, and the budget balance in each of these items through the end of the year.
Sincerely 
Dr. Limor Zer Gutman, Esq.
Council Member
"Lema'an HaMoshava" Faction