Posted on: Tuesday, June 7, 2005
City Council approves $1.8 billion in outlays
By Mike Leidemann and Loren Moreno
Advertiser Staff Writers
| YOU'LL PAY MORE — HERE'S WHAT FOR | |
| Fee for commercial filming in parks: Permits will cost more:
• $300 a day for major movie/TV film/ads. • $20 a day for other movie/TV filming. • $20 a day for still photos. Starting date: July 1 |
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| Evangeline Lilly and Matthew Fox in ABC's "Lost"
Advertiser library photos |
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| Rental fees for city facilities: Nonprofits will pay more to use facilities such as Blaisdell Arena ($788 to $3,300) and Concert Hall ($525 to $1,850) and the Waikiki Shell ($500 to $1,354) over the next five years.
Starting date: July 1 |
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| Kamehameha seniors at song festival at Blaisdell | |
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| Sewer service charge: The current average bill of $33 a month for those connected to Honolulu's sewer system will increase 25 percent to $41 and 10 percent more every year for the next five years, for a bill that will double to $66.
Starting date: July 1 |
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| Sewer line work on Kalaheo Avenue in Kailua | |
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| Vehicle weight tax:
• Noncommercial vehicles: Increase from 2 cents to 3 cents per pound, or about $30 more each year for a Toyota Camry. • Commercial vehicles: From 2.5 cents per pound to 3.5 cents per pound. Starting date: Jan. 1 |
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| Cars shipped in by Matson at Pier 29 | |
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| Wastewater hookup charge: This charge is paid when a new house or business first hooks up to the city sewer system. The current charge of $4,641 per unit would increase to $5,541 by 2010/11.
Starting date: July 1 |
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| Home being built at Ocean Pointe | |
The City Council yesterday approved a $1.8 billion budget package that will pay for everything from arts programs to police salaries and new traffic signals in Honolulu in the coming fiscal year.
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| Councilwoman Barbara Marshall raised questions about the city's recycling program during yesterday's budget discussion.
Bruce Asato • The Honolulu Advertiser |
"None of us likes to raise fees, but we're here to make tough decisions. We've got to bite the bullet," Budget Committee chairwoman Ann Kobayashi said. "We're doing this so that the sewers can be fixed and the roads can be repaired."
Charles Djou was the only member to vote against both the budgets and the fee increases.
"We cannot afford to keep treating people as an endless cash machine by raising taxes and fees at every single turn," he said. "We should be looking at shrinking the budget instead."
| HONOLULU'S SPENDING PLAN
$1.361 billion in outlays. Among the priorities: Curbside recycling: $4 million to expand the program Islandwide Bulky-item pickup: $3 million to expand regularly scheduled service Islandwide and buy trucks TheBus: $131 million to keep city buses operating Pothole repairs: $1 million for asphalt Ambulance units: $473,000 for temporary facilities for new ambulance units in Makiki, Ka'a'awa and Nanakuli CAPITAL BUDGET $478 million — roads and sewers dominate the priorities: Sewer work • Niu: $10 million to replace 3,200 feet of sewer pipe; the main broke three times last month • Waikiki: $30 million to replace 6,600 feet of sewer pipe on Beachwalk Avenue and Ala Wai Boulevard • St. Louis Heights: $20 million to line or replace 22,000 feet of sewer pipe • Kailua: Continued work on the $50 million Kalaheo Avenue sewer reconstruction and $15 million to rehabilitate 3,400 feet of sewer pipes on Kalaheo Avenue and Mokapu Boulevard Roads Islandwide: $30 million for road rehabilitation |
"They wouldn't do it if it didn't need to be done," said John Makilani, 47, a city bus driver from Wai'anae.
"It's inevitable if you want to live in paradise. I need to pay the price, and so does everyone else."
Others said the council should have considered alternatives first.
"If they need more money, it needs to be found somewhere else — lotteries, casinos," said Terri Good, 45, a makeup artist from Honolulu.
Giao Nguyen, 33, a massage therapist from Honolulu added: "Instead of trying to generate revenue this way, they should look more for what is a priority. Take care of what is needed immediately and cut what isn't."
In March, Mayor Mufi Hannemann outlined a no-frills spending plan that focused on core services such as road and sewer repairs, and fiscal accountability. In the end, all of his major budget initiatives survived intact.
The new budget package is an increase over the $1.5 billion plan submitted by then-Mayor Jeremy Harris last year. Much of the extra money will come from real-property taxes, which are increasing based on higher valuations although the tax rate stays the same.
Other new revenue sources include higher rental fees for city facilities, sewer service charges that will double over the next five years, higher vehicle weight taxes and an increase in the sewer hook-up fee charged to a new house or business.
The largest single item in the capital improvement program, $280 million, is for sewer and wastewater improvements.
Among the hundreds of expenses planned for the coming year are:
• $131 million to keep city buses operating.
• $35 million to expand or build a new HPOWER-type solid-waste fueled energy facility.
• $30 million to repair and rehabilitate streets.
• $10 million in safety and office improvements at Honolulu Hale.
• $100,000 to buy and install new electronic parking meters.
• More than $2 million to design and build new buildings and classrooms at the Honolulu Zoo.
Reach Mike Leidemann at 525-5460 or mleidemann@honoluluadvertiser.com.
