Harris pledges more recycling

• Full text of the State of the City address

By Robbie Dingeman
Advertiser City Hall Writer

Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris today presented an ambitious plan to recycle more garbage, promised to hold off on raising real property tax rates and reviewed his administration's accomplishments of the last seven years.

Mayor Jeremy Harris said he wants an increase in H-Power capacity.

As expected, Harris said there will be no increase in real property tax rates. "Despite the fact that in the coming year collective bargaining pay raises will increase by $24 million, in the coming budget, I will ask for no increases in real property tax rates in any category," he said.

Lt. Gov. Mazie Hirono said she was concerned that a "huge area of concern" was not mentioned, which is how the city will afford the billion dollars needed to repair, replace and expand the city's aging sewer system.

Hirono said it is ironic that Harris would propose new environmental initiatives without addressing this old, lingering problem. "This is a huge, huge cost that's coming down the pike that we're going to need to address," Hirono said. "Basically it's the fiscal state of the city that he didn't get into."

Councilman John Henry Felix gave the speech more points for style than substance. "There was nothing really substantially new. But it was very visionary and it was delivered with great passion and conviction," he said.

Council Budget Chairman Steve Holmes praised the speech overall although he wonders how much it will cost to expand the H-Power garbage-to-energy plant.

City Council Chairman Jon Yoshimura said he thought it was the sign of a responsible leader to devote so much time to the issues of sewage and garbage. "It's not an attractive or particularly sexy issue, but it really is one of the most important challenges that we, as a municipal government, have."

Hawaii Hotel Association President Murray Towill said Harris' address was "exciting," and said he wasn't concerned the speech seemed to focus more on the environment than the economy.

"The most direct impact the city can have on the visitor industry are the kind of improvements that they're making in the infrastructure and the physical plant in Waikiki, and clearly a great deal of that has happened, and more of that appears to be happening."

Advertiser staff writer Kevin Dayton contributed to this report. Reach Robbie Dingeman at rdingeman@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.