KS Municipality continues to fight against Upper Galilee Regional Council • The controversy: charging high fees to foreign residents who come to vacation • "It creates unnecessary tensions"
The battle for payment
Photo:
Eyal Margolin - Ginny
An escalation was recorded today (Monday) in the Kiryat Shmona municipality's struggle against the Upper Galilee Regional Council, regarding its decision to charge vacation parking fees that are not among its residents in parking lots near the Jordan River.
Israel Today has learned that the northern city municipality is currently considering an outline according to which parking for its residents throughout the city will be free, while the tariff for foreign residents will be higher in order to cover the expenses that will be deducted from its coffers.
The municipality, for its part, does not deny the details and said in response: "We are examining all the possibilities."
The confrontation between the neighboring municipal authorities about two weeks ago began when the Upper Galilee Regional Council announced that from the Passover dance it would start charging for parking near the Jordan River from the non-resident public.
This angered the mayor of Kiryat Shmona, Avichai Stern, who sent a letter of warning to the neighboring municipal authority before taking legal action.
Stern said the municipality will fight and act against any attempt to restrict access to streams, whether through collection of parking, or in any other way.
"The streams in the Galilee are in the public domain and not just the regional council. We will not agree that the regional council will restrict access to the streams and we will not agree to restrict the residents of Kiryat Shmona as was done in Kibbutz Nir David," Stern said at the time.
"I am afraid that Kibbutz Nir David's restrictions on access to the streams could create unnecessary tensions, which have clouded the area in the past, and it is a pity that we go back to those periods. I call on residents to go out into nature. The streams belong to us all," said the mayor of Kiryat Shmona.
The Upper Galilee Regional Council stated: "The council sees great importance in making the streams in its territory accessible to all the people of Israel and invests many resources in cleaning, supervision, maintenance and infrastructure, including arranging access by car and on foot, accessing the disabled, arranging parking, placing toilets and trash cans, gardening and more. This is done by the council from its current budget, without any support from the state and the authorities in the area.
"In order to preserve the streams and other open areas, regulate and make their stay enjoyable, the council has enacted bylaws regarding noise, lighting fires, a series of day and night parking lots, a ban on the use of disposable utensils and more. Thanks to the council's activities over the years, 240 km of The banks of streams in its territory are open, accessible and allow all the people of Israel to come and enjoy the outdoors. "
They added: "Like the shores of the Sea of Galilee, the sea and parks all over the country, the purpose of paid parking in a limited number of parking lots established (along one kilometer of 240 km of river banks in the council areas), is to regulate recreation on the riverbank and ensure a safe, clean and pleasant stay. The travelers.
We invite all the people of Israel to come and enjoy the best, most beautiful and delicious in the Upper Galilee. "
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