Posted on: Tuesday, March 18, 2003

Kaua'i mayor prepares budget

By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau

LIHU'E, Kaua'i — Mayor Bryan Baptiste has sent a $95.2 million proposed operating budget for the coming fiscal year to the Kaua'i County Council, a 5.3 percent increase over this year's spending.

No tax increases were proposed, but the county is expecting an extra $3.3 million in real property tax income because of higher property values.

An updated budget is expected to be presented in April, after the state legislative session has ended and the county has a better sense of its likely revenue during the new fiscal year, which begins July 1.

Baptiste in his budget message told the council he had to allow for increases in fixed costs such as contributions to the state Employee Retirement System and the employee health fund, and hikes in county insurance costs. The possibility of higher labor costs as the result of collective bargaining has not been included, he said.

The mayor proposes adding three positions — two of them temporary — to the county's information systems division and two staff positions to the county attorney's office. The new positions are aimed at reducing the amount of outside help the county has to hire.

He also proposes periodic hiring of assistance beyond regular maintenance to use pressure washers on county restrooms, which he said "must be kept to the highest standards possible."

The county Division of Parks and Recreation would be removed from the Department of Public Works and placed under the jurisdiction of the Office of Community Assistance, which already runs programs for the elderly, the county bus system and the county housing office.

The county's Office of Economic Development will reduce its role in tourism promotion, and instead "will focus efforts on product enhancement, maintaining Kaua'i as a world-class destination," he said.