Several sections of the State Comptroller's Report released Wednesday criticized municipalities for poor management. One section said that Ashdod, Carmiel, and Rishon Lezion held large numbers of public parties and celebrations at great cost, despite being financially strapped. Among their offenses: failing to find the best offers from suppliers and sell tickets to recoup part of the cost, and running over budget. Few rules are in place governing expenditures for such events, the report noted. Another section called municipalities out over how they chose suppliers and service providers. Without efforts to update lists of suppliers and check assertions made in bids, money is wasted and public trust eroded, the report said. A third section said that the Interior Ministry needed to improve the standards and protocol by which it approved loans to municipalities, but also blamed the municipalities for relying on loans after overspending.
