Cities go head to head over unpaid parking fines

The city of Tel Aviv is threatening the city of Givatayim with legal action over unpaid parking fines received by three of its senior officials.

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
The city of Tel Aviv is threatening the city of Givatayim with legal action over unpaid parking fines received by three of its senior officials back in 2004, reports www.mynet.co.il. Tel Aviv officials said letters had been sent to Givatayim warning that the next step would be to send in the collection agencies, as the original fines had accumulated late fees and penalties and had grown to more than NIS 1,000 each. According to the report, the fines were issued against the municipal vehicles used by Givatayim's then mayor Efi Stenzler, then deputy mayor Yoram Pomerantz and mayoral assistant Yaron Kouris on a visit to Tel Aviv in 2004. With their vehicles owned by the city, the three men apparently left the fines for the city to pay. When questioned about the fines, Stenzler said that in office he had always paid his fines, whether he had been issued them personally or whether his driver had been issued with them. He said he did not know of any old outstanding fines, but if there were any, they should be brought to him "and they will be paid immediately." Kouris similarly said he did not know of any old fines and had not received any request to pay, but if there was a fine he would pay it. And Pomerantz said he had never received a parking fine from Tel Aviv or any request to pay, but if he had committed a parking infringement, he would pay for it. An official from Givatayim's municipal car fleet said all three men had been given the fines either at their homes or personally, and Pomerantz had even been reminded to pay several months ago. The official said his department was now negotiating with Tel Aviv to have the fines transferred to the names of the drivers so that proceedings could begin against them personally.