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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Israel
Index
As of late 1988, there were two levels of local government: the
central government operated the upper or district level; citizens
elected the lower and relatively autonomous municipal level
officials. The system of district administration and local
government was for the most part based on statutes first
promulgated during the Ottoman era and perpetuated under the
British Mandate for Palestine and under Yishuv policies. Since
independence it has been modified to deal with changing needs and
to foster local self-rule. As of late 1988, local government
institutions had limited powers, experienced financial
difficulties, and depended to a great extent on national
ministries; they were, nevertheless, important in the political
framework.
Israel consisted of six administrative districts and fourteen
subdistricts under, respectively, district commissioners and
district officers. The minister of interior appointed these
officials, who were responsible to him for implementing legislative
and administrative matters. District officials drafted local
government legislation, approved and controlled local tax rates and
budgets, reviewed and approved by-laws and ordinances passed by
locally elected councils, approved local public works projects, and
decided on grants and loans to local governments. In their
activities, local officials were also accountable to the Office of
the State Comptroller. Staff of other ministries might be placed by
the minister of interior under the general supervision of district
commissioners.
Israel's local self-government derived its authority from the
by-laws and ordinances enacted by elected municipal, local, and
regional councils and approved by the minister of interior. Up to
and including the municipal elections of 1973, mayors and members
of the municipal councils were elected by universal, secret,
direct, and proportional balloting for party lists in the same
manner as Knesset members. Council members in turn chose mayors and
municipal council chairpersons. After 1978 mayoral candidates were
elected directly by voters in a specific municipality, while
members of municipal and local councils continued to be elected
according to the performance of party lists and on the basis of
proportional representation
(see The Knesset
, this ch.).
Population determined the size of municipal and local councils.
Large urban areas were classified as municipalities and had
municipal councils. Local councils were designated class "A"
(larger) or class "B" (smaller), depending on the number of
inhabitants in villages or settlements. Regional councils consisted
of elected delegates from settlements according to their size. Such
councils dealt mainly with the needs of cooperative settlements,
including
kibbutzim and
moshavim (see Glossary).
The extensive
local government powers of the minister of interior included
authority to dissolve municipal councils; district commissioners
had the same power with regard to local councils.
Local authorities had responsibility for providing public
services in areas such as education, health care and sanitation,
water management, road maintenance, parks and recreation, and fire
brigades. They also levied and collected local taxes, especially
property taxes, and other fees. Given the paucity of locally raised
tax revenues, most local authorities depended heavily on grants and
loans from the national Treasury. The Ministry of Education and
Culture, however, made most of the important decisions regarding
education, such as budgets, curriculum, and the hiring, training,
and licensing of teachers. Nationwide, in 1986 local authorities
contributed approximately 50 percent to financing local budgets. In
1979 the figure was about 29 percent. Over the years,
municipalities have relied on two other methods for raising funds:
cities such as Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa used special
municipal endowment funds, particularly for cultural purposes; and
Project Renewal, a collaboration among local authorities,
government ministries, and the
Jewish Agency (see Glossary)
provided funds to rehabilitate deteriorated neighborhoods.
Local government employees came under the Local Authorities
Order (Employment Service) of 1962. The statutes pertaining to the
national Civil Service Commission did not cover them.
The Local Government Center, a voluntary association of major
cities and local councils, was originally established in 1936, and
reorganized in 1956. It represented the interests of local
governing bodies vis-à-vis the central authorities, government
ministries, and Knesset committees. It also represented local
authorities in wage negotiations and signed relevant agreements
together with the Histadrut and the government. The center
organized conferences and advisory commissions to study
professional, budgetary, and managerial issues, and it participated
in various national commissions.
Data as of December 1988
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