'Guessing game' at City Hall to be addressed

By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer

Mayor-elect Mufi Hannemann on Friday announced plans for a comprehensive review of city operations that will involve private businesses and public-employee unions.

The volunteer effort will be headed by Paul Yonamine, executive vice president of BearingPoint Inc., and will help guide the new administration through its first year's budget, Hannemann said.

"I want to end the guessing game at City Hall, where the City Council members give you one version of what the operations are, and the administration gives you another version," he said. "I hope to do this in such a way that we come out with one version, one story."

Hannemann said one example of the problem is the recent warning by Mayor Jeremy Harris' administration that residential sewer fees will likely increase by up to 23 percent next year. Any increase should be small and gradual, rather than all at once, and it should be clear how much is needed, Hannemann said.

"I think there's been an aversion to looking at the financial aspects of the city and city operations in a way in which we are inviting community leaders, labor organizations and, most importantly, city employees to participate in this process," he said. " ... I've always said government needs to run more like a business, and this is a very businesslike approach."

Yonamine said the "Mayor's Review" will be done in three phases. The first phase will take 60 days and help prepare for the proposed annual budget the new administration must submit to the City Council in March, he said.

"It will be objective," Yonamine said. "We have no aggressive agenda in mind."

The second phase will take nine months, and the entire review should be completed by December 2006, he said, adding that one goal will be to set performance benchmarks.

Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.