Jerash — Naseem Municipality in Jerash Governorate faces a financial challenge, with 1.5 million dinars in outstanding dues owed by residents for taxes, building violations and fees. Its budget for the current year stands at 2.218 million dinars, making the collection of outstanding revenues a key priority in strengthening its ability to implement projects and improve services across the areas under its jurisdiction.
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Collecting these dues has implications beyond the municipality’s finances, as it is linked to its ability to respond to local needs and implement infrastructure and public service projects in line with its priorities and available budget.
At the same time, the municipality has secured exemptions from financial penalties totaling 720,000 dinars through two agreements: one with the Cities and Villages Development Bank worth 420,000 dinars, and another with the Social Security Corporation worth 300,000 dinars.
Qasem Al-Masri, head of the Naseem Municipal Committee, called on residents to pay their outstanding dues, stressing the importance of directing these funds towards projects and sustainable development in the municipality’s areas. He said this would help improve services provided to residents and address the needs of communities within its boundaries.
Al-Masri explained that the 1.5 million dinars in outstanding dues includes taxes, building violations and fees. If collected, these amounts could strengthen the municipality’s financial resources and support its ability to implement service and development programmes.
He noted that the agreement signed with the Cities and Villages Development Bank requires the municipality to pay its outstanding debts to the bank on a monthly basis. Under the agreement with the Social Security Corporation, the municipality was exempted from penalties amounting to 300,000 dinars.
Exemptions for the municipality
The agreements form part of efforts to address the municipality’s financial obligations, allowing it to organize debt repayments and benefit from the exemptions granted while complying with the terms agreed upon with the relevant entities.
The exemptions total 720,000 dinars, equivalent to approximately one-third of the municipality’s annual budget for the current year. They cover penalties owed to the Cities and Villages Development Bank and the Social Security Corporation.
These exemptions differ in nature from the dues owed by residents to the municipality: the former relate to the municipality’s own financial obligations, while the latter represent revenues owed to it.
As part of its service plans, the municipality is seeking to allocate a site for a permanent bazaar where local women can display their products. The initiative aims to provide a space for marketing locally made goods and support the economic activities of beneficiary households.
In this regard, Al-Masri said the Irbid–Amman–Jerash highway passing through the municipality’s boundaries, along with the presence of forested areas, offers opportunities to attract visitors and support the proposed bazaar. This would allow women to market their products and benefit from traffic along the road.
The bazaar proposal is part of broader efforts to create marketing spaces for local products and expand economic opportunities for women in the community, subject to completing the project’s requirements and determining its location and operating arrangements.
Regarding services for visitors, Al-Masri said the municipality had recently upgraded services at its affiliated court to facilitate procedures. It had also designated parking spaces and locations for people with disabilities across the municipality’s areas.
Naseem Municipality comprises four main areas: Qafqafa, Kafr Khall, Al-Mushairfeh and Bilela, in addition to residential communities including Umm Al-Zaytoun, Al-Saleem and Al-Haddadeh. This presents the municipality with service needs spread across multiple areas and communities.
According to resident Mohammad Al-Harahsheh, the municipality faces challenges arising from the range of service needs across these areas and their differing priorities, including road maintenance, public cleaning and waste collection, improving public facilities and developing services for residents. These tasks require financial and human resources, as well as operational mechanisms to ensure continuity.
He added that municipal services include cleaning, waste collection and maintenance of streets and roads within its remit, in addition to handling planning-related transactions, fees and building violations, maintaining public facilities and improving the local environment.
These services require regular follow-up and the provision of necessary supplies, particularly for road maintenance and repairing damage that affects residents’ movement. They also require ensuring regular waste collection and providing containers at locations where they are needed.
Improving access to services
Al-Masri reiterated that the municipality had recently worked to improve services at its affiliated court to make procedures easier for visitors. It had also designated parking spaces and locations for people with disabilities throughout its areas as part of efforts to improve access to services and take into account the needs of different groups.
Amid the service and development challenges facing areas under Naseem Municipality, residents believe the next phase requires expanding development and investment projects and making use of the area’s tourism and geographical assets. They say this could stimulate economic activity and create job opportunities for local residents.
Resident Saeed Al-Muqabaleh said: “The municipality’s areas have assets that can be built upon to improve services and development, particularly given their geographical location and proximity to Irbid Governorate, as well as their natural landscapes and forested areas, which could be used for tourism and recreational projects serving residents and visitors.”
Al-Muqabaleh added that the coming phase requires clear plans to make use of these assets by preparing suitable sites and establishing projects that offer additional services to visitors and create opportunities for local economic initiatives, including the marketing of rural and homemade products. He stressed that investment projects must go hand in hand with improvements to infrastructure and essential services.
Resident Raed Al-Zaboun also emphasized the importance of developing municipal services alongside efforts to attract investment projects. He noted that stimulating economic activity in the municipality’s areas requires creating a suitable investment environment, improving roads and public facilities, and making use of the area’s location and traffic. Such efforts, he said, could improve employment opportunities and the level of services provided to residents.
Al-Zaboun highlighted the importance of adopting development projects that address the needs of the municipality’s areas and make use of their distinctive features. He also called for encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises that could create jobs for local residents, support local producers and stimulate commercial and service activity.
Both residents stressed that development and investment plans should proceed alongside efforts to address residents’ daily needs, particularly road maintenance, public cleanliness and the improvement of facilities. This, they said, would help ensure that future projects make a tangible difference in people’s lives and that the area’s tourism and geographical assets become a foundation for sustainable development opportunities.
