Harris budget veto still being contested
By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer
City Council Chairman Donovan Dela Cruz said he still hopes to overturn Mayor Jeremy Harris' veto of 11 items in the city's $1.5 billion annual budget, despite a city attorney's opinion that it's too late for such action.
Dela Cruz said he believes the City Charter requires that the council have 30 days to overturn a veto after the mayor makes it official. That would give the panel until July 21, and would require at least six of its nine votes.
Dela Cruz
But Harris and a city attorney advising his administration say it's too late, because the new fiscal year began on Thursday.
Harris agreed that the charter allows up to 30 days to overturn a veto, but said the full period isn't guaranteed if the budget takes effect before then.
Dela Cruz said he's not sure he has enough votes to overturn any vetoes, but is soliciting support from colleagues. It's not clear what would happen if Harris refuses to release money linked to a veto that's overturned, but the question could end up in court.
Harris trimmed $703,000 from the council's budget and vetoed various spending restrictions he said were problematic and in some cases illegal.
The restrictions would prevent the city from awarding a key recycling contract to a company that has been cited for various code violations, and would require the city to subsidize
the operation of a popular private trolley that runs from Kaimuki to Waikiki. The restrictions would also ensure that several cultural and arts groups receive city money.
Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
