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Jun 23, 2014

Bet Shemesh News: new bus line, dividing BS, arnona increase

Some notable Bet Shemesh news:

1.
In the wake of the recent kidnapping in Gush Etzion, a discussion has arisen about the need for hitchhiking due to the lack of adequate public transportation in certain areas. One of the decisions was to  strengthen the public transportation system to towns in Judea and Samaria.

The Ministry of Transportation, in its first announcement to that effect, has announced that a new bus line will soon begin operation, from Bet Shemesh to Gush Etzion, and from Gush Etzion to Bet Shemesh. The bus line will be #409. The bus route will include Neve Daniel, Elazar, Efrat, Gush Junction, Alon Shvut, Emek HaEla and the train station in Bet Shemesh.

The line will be From BS to GE, and in reverse, and will operate twice a day in each direction, coordinated with the train schedule.
From GE to BS: 06:00, 07:00
From BS to GE:  18:00, 20:00
source: Haredim10 and Iryat Bet Shemesh FB page

2.
It was reported in local papers that the request to divide the city of Bet Shemesh has moved a step forward. As city council members have said they would be doing in the near future, they have officially submitted a request of the Knesset Interior Committee to investigate the matter - the possibility, the need, the viability - of dividing the city into two separate cities.

Interestingly, not all opposition members have signed on the petition to the Interior Committee. Chaim Ben Marghi and Elyasaf Whorman (both from Habayit Hayehudi) have not signed.

Will that affect the petition and the way the committee relates to it?

3.
The agenda for this coming Thursday's city council meeting is set to approving a hike in arnona for the year 2014.
The mayor has requested a 5% increase above the increase that was already approved. Somehow this translates, as was reported, into arnona increases ranging from 400nis-1000nis per year per household.

Personally, besides for being against such drastic increases in arnona, I don't think it is right to set retroactive increases. People have budgeted for the year and suddenly their arnna bill be much higher. If it must be passed, pass the increase for the coming year, not the previous year.

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5 comments:

  1. NIS 1000 per month. What happens when all of the haredim move into Gimmel, Daleth, Heih and ask for THEIR 90% discounts ???? Will services be degraded or we will have to pay MORE increases or BOTH?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. not per month. per year.
      arnona always goes up. never down

      Delete
    2. Per year it is STILL not fun paying an extra NIS 1000 because Haredim refuse to work and vote themselves 90% discounts en masse. Yes I know there are MANY working haredim who pay in full (just like me, and support the non-payers just like me) and I have no complaint against them. But this does NOT negate the fact that a large percentage of the haredi community becomes voluntarily poor and sends the bill for municipal services to the rest of us.

      Delete
    3. According to what I've heard, it's not the iriya who makes up the difference by charging other people more, it's Misrad Hapnim which covers the discounts granted. (Discounts which include olim chadashim, seniors, low income, etc.) Whether that actually happens or not I don't know.

      Either way, it looks bad when they raise it so much when more and more people are paying 10%.

      Delete
  2. The new 409 bus line does NOTHING to help the situation involved in the kidnapping. People in Gush Etzion need to have a way to get around within Gush Etzion and also to other parts of the country. Buses to Beit Shemesh need to go BOTH directions at all hours, expecially in the evening.

    ReplyDelete

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