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It’s budget week, which means voters who elected Mayor Peter Carlisle on his promise to clean up city finances will finally see how he plans to do that. Plus, Honolulu City Council members continue to propose legislation on everything from rail to medical waste. Civil Beat is reporting from the inside.

APEC Could Create Bandaid Solutions to Homelessness

3:21 p.m.
In a briefing on homelessness during the City Council’s Planning Committee meeting today, City Council Vice President Breene Harimoto said he worries APEC will create a sense of urgency to hide homelessness, rather than truly address it.

“I hope that we’re not just tyring to purely clean up one area without really trying to solve the problem, and move the problem elsewhere,” Harimoto said. “I really hope that we don’t look for a bandaid solution for one week good appearance.”

Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle has said the city won’t “tolerate” homelessness during APEC.

Planning Committee Advances Amended North Shore Plan

1:46 p.m.
Without objections or discussion, the City Council Planning Committee unanimously advanced an of the North Shore Sustainable Communities Plan this afternoon.

The controversial plan has drawn concerns from residents who want to “keep the country country,” but recent amendments to restrict development have soothed some of those worries. Read more about the plan and what’s at stake.

Cachola: City Treats Dogs Better Than Humans

12:27 p.m.
City Council members delivered a couple of one-liners during discussion of a proposal for a new dog park on Oahu. It came after a heated discussion on possible campsite fees, in which concerns were raised about how that proposal would affect the homeless population.

Parks and Human Services Committee Chairman Tom Berg jokingly disclosed he is not a dog-owner before expressing serious concern.

“I’m pained that we’re discussing dogs over people,” Berg said. “I’m (discussing) this by request.”

Bill Balfour, a former director of the Parks Department who is now a special assistant there, argued that dogs’ needs are important, too.

“Lots of people have dogs,” Balfour said. “Lots of people need dog parks.”

When Berg asked whether Waimanalo Gulch — when it’s no longer in use, and covered with grass — could be turned into a dog park, Balfour cracked a joke of his own.

“I may be pushing up daisies when that happens, so I’m not sure that’s really a question for me,” Balfour said with a grin.

City Council member Romy Cachola asked if there would be any fees to access dog parks — a reference to the earlier discussion on campsites.

“They’re treated better than humans!” Cachola said, when told there wouldn’t be fees.

But the council mood shifted after one woman gave testimony about how her dog’s role in her life.

“I don’t have any kids,” the woman said. “I can’t have any kids. My dog is my kid. To have a place for our dogs to be able to go and play and run and socialize, that’s what makes them good dogs.”

Berg thanked her for what he called “moving and compelling” testimony.

Council Continues to Press Administration on Camping Fees

12:10 p.m.
City Council members appear to remain skeptical about the Parks and Recreation Department’s proposal to require people to pay fees to use city campsites.

In a Planning and Human Services Committee meeting Tuesday afternoon, Council members unanimously voted to advance a measure that calls for an audit of camping operations within the Department of Parks and Recreation. City Council member Ikaika Anderson said he worried the cost of implementing fees might create “a bigger problem than we already have.”

Members of the public also voiced concerns about how charging money for camping would affect homeless people who sleep outside.

“I think the issue is whether or not we’re going to turn homelessness into crime,” one woman testified. “And that’s ultimately the issue… It’s preventing the homeless from using or accessing the camping sites.”

Parks and Recreation Director Gary Cabato emphasized that he believed the fee structure would not exclude homeless people, as it would apply to everyone. This drew more skepticism.

“Financially, there is a reason they are homeless,” Cachola said. “They do not have the money. You have to use common sense.”

Ultimately, City Council members advanced the bill calling for an audit to the full council for adoption. Council members said despite concerns, they supported continuing discussion.

City Council Considers Matson Containers for Housing

9:04 a.m.
The City Council Zoning Committee is gathered at Honolulu Hale this morning. One of the items up for discussion is , which would allow for some innovative approaches to affordable housing by allowing “inexpensive shelters” on some lots, with owners’ permission.

Council member Tom Berg said he’s hoping his colleagues will support creating shelters out of retrofitted shipping containers.

“I would live in one if I could,” Berg said. “They’ve been doing this on the mainland for years. Nobody wants tent cities but these are actual shelters with plumbing.”

Berg said he’s in touch with a manufacturer of the shelters, which some people already use as temporary shelters while their houses are being constructed.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen today, where the discussion is going to go, but we need to do something,” Berg said. “We can’t just keep talking. It’s always, ‘create a task force, do another study.’ That’s not enough.”

Kapiolani Park Could Get A Boost

City Council members have another busy day of committee meetings ahead. They’ll take up , which would allow the City and County to accept more than $13,000 from the Honolulu Marathon Association to revamp parts of Kapiolani Park.

In government terms, it’s not a whole lot of money. But Parks and Recreation Director Gary Cabato told Civil Beat it could make a big difference. Here’s the list of projects the money would cover, provided via e-mail by Cabato: “Repair and maintenance of the park such as sprinklers, repairs of tables and benches, comfort station fixtures, tennis nets, tennis courts wind screens, aerate and fertilize fields etc.”

Other items up for discussion today: An update on pending Land Use Ordinance amendments, amending the North Shore Sustainable Communities Plan, an update on the city’s plan to solve homelessness and more.