Posted on: Thursday, June 21, 2001

Kaua'i budget OK'd despite objections

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau

LIHU'E, Kaua'i — Mayor Maryanne Kusaka objected to parts of the County Council's operating budget, but she allowed it to become law with no major changes.

The $81.5 million is less than what Kusaka had hoped to spend to run the county for the fiscal year starting July 1.

The new operating budget lacks money to help pay for a county purchase of Kaua'i Electric Co. and lacks a $100,000 appropriation for the hiring of private cleaners to clean county park restrooms on weekends.

The latter appropriation would be one of the state's first forays into privatization of traditionally government services under a bill passed in this year's Legislature.

But the Council indicated it was willing to consider both of those issues later, and set aside $1.2 million in a special account in the capital improvements budget, which could be used to pay for those projects.

Kusaka used her line item veto power to delete several sections of the county budget, but none involved direct appropriations.

Most dealt with deadlines for the administration to report financial results to the Council.

In several cases, the administration simply needs more time than the council budget called for, said Finance Director Wallace Rezentes Jr.

Kusaka objected to, but could not alter, the council's decision to abandon program budgeting and switch the county back to line-item budgeting.

Program budgeting allows the administration more flexibility in moving funds to newly identified needs. With line-item budgeting, the mayor can only spend money on things actually listed in the budget.