Mayor threatens to veto budget as deadline nears

By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

The City Council's Budget Committee today will debate for the fourth consecutive day a budget that Mayor Jeremy Harris and others say is one of the most troublesome in years.

"This is my 18th budget," Harris said yesterday, looking back on nine years as mayor and nine years as managing director. "I've never seen a budget in this disarray at this late date."

Harris said he would veto the budget bill if submitted to him as is because he does not believe it is balanced.

The Budget Committee yesterday deferred a final vote on the budget until today. It was the third postponement since Thursday.

Budget Chairwoman Ann Kobayashi said she wanted more time to find money to keep cuts to a minimum.

Kobayashi announced yesterday that she was able to restore about $4 million in cuts that were part of the proposal Harris submitted in March. She said the money was being transferred from the general fund to subsidize solid waste operations but was not needed there.

Budget Director Ivan Lui-Kwan said he wants to know where Kobayashi is finding the additional money.

"I don't know how they're making it all work," he said.

Meanwhile, Council Chairman Gary Okino continued to say he would not support Kobayashi's plan because he, like Harris, says Kobayashi is basing her budget on unrealistic revenue projections.

If at least six of nine council members don't come to an agreement on the budget, Harris' original budget plan would be allowed to become law as submitted. That's because even if the council can pass a budget, six members would have to vote to override a Harris veto.

Harris' budget included charging homeowners $8 for getting a second day of trash pickup to pay for a recycling program, a plan council members killed in committee.

Another possibility is that the administration could try to invalidate the budget bill by declaring that it is not balanced as mandated by the city charter.

Harris said he was still looking for a compromise.

"I don't look forward to winning by default," he said. "What we hope is that in the coming week, we will be able to work together and come up with a responsible budget that doesn't do damage to the communities on this island, and is balanced and is legal."

Okino is proposing raising tip fees on commercial trash haulers. Okino said other council members aren't against the plan, which would bring in about $5 million more.

But Kobayashi said she worries that would cause a burden on condominium owners and apartment renters.

Okino said the council should also consider the possibility of including Harris' plan for an optional $8 second-day trash pickup, but only beginning the second half of the fiscal year, or Jan. 1. That would give the city an additional $4 million.

Kobayashi said she is willing to go to court if necessary to back up the assumptions made by council budget staff, noting that they were based on the numbers provided by the administration.

"As I've said before, the mayor is trying to bully us," she said. "If this is going to be that crippling to the city, they can just veto the entire budget. We don't have that many options."

Councilman Charles Djou said he's hopeful he and his colleagues can come to some resolution before the scheduled June 4 final council vote on the budget to avoid a veto, override or legal entanglement.

Under the city charter, the council must approve the budget by June 15.

Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.