Diary

Spending points

by Adrienne LaFrance | Jun 2, 2010

The Honolulu City Council has a week to go before its final vote on the fiscal year 2011 operating and long-term capital budgets. The proposed $1.8 billion operating budget represents a more than 1 percent increase over last year’s spending plan, which the administration says is due to uncontrollable cost increases.

The budget entails numerous cuts. The July 1 start to the new fiscal year also marks the beginning of mandatory twice-monthly furloughs for City workers. The furloughs could mean reduced services–like trash collection, for example–and limited access to City-run facilities like parks and nature reserves. Some facilities that are big revenue generators for the City, like Hanauma Bay, may opt to open later and close earlier due to furloughs.

In their last full meeting on May 24, Council members voted to restore the necessary funds–about $100,000–to cover the cost of providing televised broadcasts of their meetings. The Council has also opted to spare significant cuts to community parks and recreation programs, the neighborhood commission and the Royal Hawaiian Band–all areas that budget leaders had said earlier this year might be susceptible cuts.

The City Council lessened the suggested tax blow to so-called “non-occupant” homeowners detailed in a first-draft proposal, aimed at hiking taxes for non-residents, by Mayor Mufi Hannemann. Under the last version of the budget passed by the Council, those classified as “non-occupants” will still pay more taxes on their homes than they do now: About 16 cents more per $1,000 home value.

Another issue of contention over the course of the budget debate has revolved around vacant funded positions, or monies for City jobs not filled. The current version of the budget entails some half a million dollars in funding for vacant police positions. City officials in favor of funding those positions argue it’s particularly important to have extra security options given the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit planned to take place in Honolulu in 2011.

Also on the docket for the June 9 meeting: a total ban on fireworks in Honolulu and a vote on a replacement for former Council member and now-Congressman Charles Djou. The Council is holding a special committee meeting this week to meet with potential candidates for Djou’s former job.

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