State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman cautioned Tuesday that municipalities are not meeting standards in essential areas affecting everyday life in Israel, ranging from traffic monitoring systems and overloaded social service teams during conflict to structures long flagged as hazardous that remain unaddressed.

In the yearly review of local administration, Englman noted that municipalities and national offices frequently recognize needed changes yet fail to finish the required actions. He urged clearer rules for monitoring cameras, limits on social worker caseloads, a nationwide plan for neighborhood upgrades, quicker permit reforms for businesses, local climate strategies, digital security tracking, and stronger checks on Pal-Kal structures.

The findings point less to single dramatic lapses and more to a recurring pattern where local bodies stand at the front line yet often lack the guidelines, funding, information or follow through to operate effectively.

Regarding traffic monitoring cameras, Englman observed that municipalities employ them to handle parking and transit lane violations in ways that improve compliance, yet cautioned this approach could affect the privacy of people nearby and thus calls for measured review along with balanced and restricted application.

The review showed that just six out of 38 municipalities with transit lanes had posted notices on their sites about using cameras to address lane violations.

In the four municipalities reviewed - Herzliya, Hadera, Ramat Gan and Binyamina-Givat Ada - 189 cameras operated, roughly 121000 notices were sent during 2024, and the penalties totaled around 44 million shekels.

The concern, Englman noted, centered not only on the volume of notices but also on how the cameras were handled.

Certain municipalities retained images clear enough for staff to recognize individuals. Binyamina-Givat Ada continued recording with four monitoring cameras even after ending their use for parking rules in March 2024 and redirecting them toward security purposes.

The challenge reaches past municipal offices

The Transportation Ministry had not moved forward in contacting municipalities that fail to address transit lane violations and encouraging them to start, despite gaining that power at the close of 2022.

Englman stated that municipalities must apply monitoring cameras in a balanced and equitable way aimed at upholding traffic rules while safeguarding the privacy rights of individuals nearby.

He advised that offices regularly pose a basic query: Does this camera still fulfill the purpose for which it was installed? If not, filming should cease or the unit should be relocated.

The conflict also features in the review. Englman noted that the events of October 7 and the ensuing war underscored the key part played by social workers in welfare offices.

Yet the review showed those offices already faced difficulties and the conflict intensified the pressure.

Conflict has intensified the strain

During 2024, 1155 social worker posts in municipal welfare offices across the country stood vacant, representing 16 percent of all positions. In the offices checked, vacancy rates varied from 1 percent in Modi in Maccabim Reut to 34 percent in Kiryat Motzkin.

The Welfare Ministry had still not established the upper limit on cases per social worker, even though more than twenty years had passed since the relevant distribution formula was introduced.

In a survey tied to the review, 74 percent of social workers who replied indicated their department workload had risen substantially or very substantially since the conflict began. Another 54 percent reported experiencing exhaustion to a substantial or very substantial degree due to the conflict.

Englman urged the Welfare Ministry to partner with municipalities to keep social workers and promptly set the maximum caseload, given that demand for welfare support is projected to rise.

On neighborhood upgrades, Englman called the approach a key instrument for planning and building, especially since Israel requires additional housing and older structures need protection from quakes, rockets and missiles.

Yet the review found that projects advancing most readily are those offering financial returns for developers. This leaves many outlying cities where needs may be pressing but economic conditions are less favorable.

Around 58 percent of upgrade projects are advancing or underway in the Central and Tel Aviv districts. In 23 clearance and rebuild projects advanced in Beit She an, Tiberias, Safed and Kiryat Shmona from 2017 to 2025 - all areas highly vulnerable to quake and conflict risks - no construction permits had been granted.

Englman said the task of strengthening structures against quakes is not getting enough attention, noting that communities facing these threats lack sufficient projects to refresh the built environment.

Despite earlier suggestions, Israel still lacks a national policy paper or coordinated national strategy for neighborhood upgrades, Englman said. He urged the Prime Minister Office, Israel Land Authority, Planning Administration and Government Authority for Urban Renewal to support projects in zones lacking strong economic pull.

Numerous enterprises function without valid permits

The review also uncovered wide shortfalls in the business permit reform intended to simplify and speed the legal opening and running of enterprises.

Even after the reform, 20.5 percent of businesses needing permits operated without approval to open during 2024, totaling 28351 enterprises. Forty two municipalities failed to supply the Interior Ministry with data on permit status for businesses in their areas that year.

Englman said the shortfalls impact current owners, those seeking to launch new ventures and the public. He recommended that all involved parties coordinate to clear obstacles to complete rollout, observing that permits help safeguard public health and safety and support legal compliance.

The review further showed that most municipalities have not prepared for shifting climate patterns. As of October 2025, 154 municipalities, about 60 percent, had neither created a local climate adjustment plan nor begun the process. Among those replying to a comptroller survey, 87 percent had not developed a climate risk map or assessment.

Of the 259 municipalities, only 45 had finished enrollment in the national digital security tracking service by November 2025. Another 138 had not yet started the enrollment steps.

One of the clearest sections addressed Pal Kal structures, a building technique whose risks gained national notice after the 2001 Versailles wedding hall collapse.

The review found that the dedicated Pal Kal center had not convened for about six years and had not kept a dependable, current national record. Around 300 privately held structures, including event spaces and shopping centers, had still not received initial identification reviews.

None of the municipalities examined had delivered yearly updates to the Pal Kal center as required since at least 2018. They also skipped the required yearly engineering checks for Pal Kal structures under their care, including school facilities.

Across the review, Englman message stood out clearly: municipalities are the first point of contact for residents when roads are obstructed, social workers are stretched, businesses cannot secure permits, structures are unsafe or the next storm arrives.

The shortfalls, he found, are concrete. They touch privacy, safety, welfare support, public transit, housing, enterprise owners and the capacity of local government to handle the next crisis.