Official suggests 5 percent cuts for city departments

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser City Hall Writer

City Council Budget Committee Chairwoman Ann Kobayashi yesterday recommended 5 percent across-the-board budget cuts to most city departments, a move Mayor Jeremy Harris called irresponsible.

Harris said such cuts would hurt city services, "jeopardize the public health and safety" and result in layoffs of city workers.

Kobayashi is recommending cuts of no more than 1 percent in most areas that directly address public safety. Those include police, fire and emergency services, civil defense and the medical examiner's office.

Kobayashi yesterday made public her initial recommendations on the $1.1 billion operating budget for 2002-03 proposed by the Harris administration, cutting it by $19.2 million. She also proposed cutting the construction budget from $475 million to closer to $300 million.

In a written statement issued last night, Harris blasted the proposal, saying: "Changes to next year's city budget proposed by Budget Chair Ann Kobayashi are irresponsible at best, will result in layoffs and will jeopardize the public health and safety."

Harris said reducing the money going to police and firefighters would "will reduce their ability to recruit and train new employees, eventually reducing the size of each force." He said cuts to city attorneys' budgets "will severely limit our ability to defend the city in court and prosecute criminals."

Harris painted a dire picture of what the new budget would mean: plummeting park maintenance; more roads needing repair; golf courses forced to close or limit their hours; no more popular Brunch on the Beach or Sunset on the Beach shoreline festivities.

And he criticized changes to other popular programs. "All of our cultural grants have been wiped out. The Honolulu Symphony and Hawai'i Theatre are among those that will suffer," he said. "Even the budget to feed the zoo animals has been slashed."

Kobayashi's recommendations would also cut out some ambitious additions to the Central O'ahu Regional Park, including an aquatic center and a ballroom dance center. Councilman Gary Okino said the council is cautious about approving the plans without assurances that there is private-sector interest in sharing the costs.

The council earlier was startled to learn that maintaining the popular new Waipi'o Soccer Park in Waipahu was costing an estimated $750,000 a year. The 288-acre soccer park opened in September 2000, and Harris had said the costs would be kept down because the city planned a public-private partnership to run the complex.

At the Central O'ahu park, the administration is requesting $16.1 million to build an aquatic center, community ballroom dancing center, tennis complex and box-car racing area, and additional money to complete the 269-acre master plan.

Council members say they're worried about the mounting costs of building and maintaining such ambitious complexes.

Council Chairman John DeSoto said the initial budget recommendations represent a good start on shaping a budget during difficult economic times, but he's reluctant to support cuts that would reduce city services and cause layoffs.

"I think 5 percent across the board is too much, especially when you're dealing with warm bodies," DeSoto said.

Kobayashi's cutting of $19.2 million from the operating budget is far short of the $60 million she would like to trim to avoid tapping the city sewer fund this year.

Budget director Caroll Takahashi told Kobayashi that cutting $60 million from the budget "will definitely mean that there's a decline in services." Takahashi has told Kobayashi that without the transfer, "the real property rates for all classes of property will have to be increased by 15.6 percent."

Takahashi said Harris doesn't consider that an option this year.

Councilman Duke Bainum said he thinks that the budget needs some additional work and that 5 percent cuts aren't feasible for some smaller departments.

For example, the city Ethics Commission consists of an executive director and a secretary, so trimming 5 percent would force one of them to part-time status. "Certainly, the city needs the Ethics Commission now more than ever," Bainum said.

"I just will not support any reduction in personnel in fire or police," Bainum said.

But he praised Kobayashi for her effort.