Previous Situation

Accomplishments

Immediately after the current city council assumed its national duties of reconstructing the city, it was faced with a gigantic task due to the deteriorating conditions the Israeli occupiers had left the city with.

The problems it was faced with can be summarized in the following areas:

The Managerial Situation

• There was absolutely no management structure.
• Managerial and financial systems and quality control simply did not exist.
• There was a lack of qualified managerial staff to run the municipality's various departments.

The Financial Situation

• Statistical records of residents and their dues did not exist.
• The municipality was in deep financial debt.
• Most of the residents did not pay their dues and taxes.

The City's Organizational situation and Infrastructure

• There was a lack of a total and comprehensive organizational structure for the city
• The enormous number of building permits violations
• Municipal follow up on violations was simply lacking
• Roads and sidewalks were in deteriorating conditions
• Sanitation infrastructure did not exist
• Traffic problems and the lack of total lack of parking spaces
• The lack of equipment and machines to perform daily routine work including solid waste collection

The Health Situation

• There was a lack of proper sanitation and sewage networks
• Problems with solid waste collection and disposal station
• Lack of equipment and machinery and garbage containers
• Lack of a proper slaughter house

The Cultural, Art and Sport Situation

• Cultural centers simply did no exist
• There was a lack of art centers and activities
• Sporting clubs and fields were negligible

The current city council's accomplishments

Human Resources and Managerial Development

With the assistance of the United Nations Development Program, Ramallah Municipality took on the task of reorganizing its overall structure. The program included the following:

• Restructuring the various departments of the municipality
• Reorganizing the financial and managerial systems including the proper use of computerized accounting and stock control
• Human resource development including defining job descriptions for all employees and staff and salary and wage increase, life and health insurance.
• The development and enhancement of the engineering department was also given the proper attention including the hiring of competent and energetic staff and giving incentives to the existing ones.

Road Pavement

With the generous assistance of the European Union, The Municipality of Ramallah took on the task of fixing and paving most of the main streets, in addition to fixing sidewalks.

The Reopening of the Central Street

To ease traffic flow, the Municipality reopened the street connecting the main street with Al-Mughtaribeen square.

The Fixing of Al Mahfal Street

Al Mahfal street as the case with all other streets suffered severe neglect throughout the long years of the occupation. The Municipality took on the task of fixing this vital road which eased traffic flow dramatically in the city.

Al-Mughtaribeen Square

With the coordination of the police department, Al-Manarah round-about was reconstructed to accommodate the increasing flow of traffic. This included lighting and preparing for traffic lights.

Sidewalk Partition

To facilitate the flow of Pedestrians in the main streets and to minimize accidents, the Municipality added partitions to all sidewalks in the main streets of upper Ramallah.

Water Drainage

The Municipality constructed water drainage systems in various parts of the city to solve the problem of water flooding in Winter. Al-Yarmouk street was the best example of this crucial project.

The Modernization of the Slaughter House

The Municipality with the coordination of the Governorate issued a decree banning all animal slaughter outside the slaughter house and strictly enforced this policy. In addition, some equipment were modernized and new ones were purchased.

Solid Waste

Solid waste disposal was one of the most important issues the Municipality addressed. It increased the number trash containers around the city and controlled the waste dump. In addition, the issue of the city's cleanliness was positively addressed.

Traffic and Parking

With the help and coordination of the Governorate, the city solved many of the nagging traffic problems in different parts of the city. Traffic flow was better organized and parking laws were enforced.

Building Licenses and Violations

Previous building violations were addressed and new laws pertaining to building licenses were enforced. This prevented the random and spontaneous construction of building and was the first step towards proper urban planning.

The City's Structural Planning

A detailed structural plan was designed for the city of Ramallah to cater for the increasing demand of building construction. The plan took into consideration the city's urban planning and future development.

Ramallah Festivals

The Ramallah Fifth and Sixth Festivals were held in 1996 and 1997 consecutively after thirty one years of complete halt.

Ramallah Library

The development of the Ramallah Library was also one of the Municipality's main accomplishments. This included the addition of a new floor to the existing building, the subscription to "Internews" and the Internet and the future addition of the mobile library program.

The Children Playground

The construction of the children's playground was funded by an American donor and the facility will included a proper playground with all the up-to-date facilities to serve children. The playground will be operational by the beginning of 1998.

The Expansion of City Limits

After getting the permission from the Ministry of Local Affairs, the Municipality expanded the limits of the city by 1500 dunums.

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