Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle has crafted an operating budget for next year that’s $114 million, or 6 percent, bigger than this year’s — mostly to cover “skyrocketing” debt and “unsustainable” rising benefit costs for employees.

Carlisle outlined his proposed $1.93 billion operating budget on Wednesday, and the City Council has until June to finalize a budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

The mayor proposes paying for the increases with two tax hikes: the city’s fuel tax and residential real property tax for resident homeowners. His plan also calls for increasing various user fees for things like sewer, drivers licenses, golf and zoo admission.

As far as savings, Carlisle’s plan assumes a 5-percent drop in “across-the-board labor savings” while ending Furlough Fridays for approximately 5,200 employees, about half the city’s work force. He also is reducing capital improvement spending by almost 35 percent, which he says will reduce the city’s future debt service. Carlisle described the city’s debt — expected to grow to $383.5 million in fiscal 2012 — as “public enemy No. 1.”

Here are the highlights of Carlisle’s budget:

Big Expenses

  • Salaries: $674 million. (Up from $671 million in fiscal 2011)
  • Debt service: $383.5 million. (Up from $335 million)
  • Contributions to the Employees’ Retirement System: $97 million (Flat)
  • Contributions for active and retired employee health benefits: $112 million. (Up from $110 million)
  • APEC: $30 million.

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Construction

  • Capital improvement program (not counting rail transit): $526 million. (Down from $805 million.)

Most of the money — $317 million — will go toward mandated upgrades to Honolulu’s sewers and sewage infrastructure. Another $65 million is flagged for highways and streets and $38 million for public safety projects including upgrades to police and fire facilities.

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Revenues

  • Real property tax revenue: $796.5.

Carlisle has proposed a single tax rate for residential property — $3.50 per $1,000 of property value, up from $3.42 for resident homeowners and down from $3.58 for non-occupant homeowners.

The separate rates were imposed by former Mayor Mufi Hannemann in an attempt to balance the budget by charging property owners perceived to be investors a higher rate.

  • Fuel tax hike: $3 million.

The tax, currently at 16.5 cents per gallon, would go up 1 cent per gallon in 2012, 2 cents in 2013 and 3 cents in 2014. “We need it to take care of the roads, period,” Carlisle said, noting that the rate hasn’t changed since 1989.

  • Transient Accommodations Tax: $44 million.
  • Public Service Company tax (on public utilities): $45 million.

Higher User Fees

  • Sewer: $13 million in revenue with a 4 percent increase in monthly sewer fees.
  • Drivers license: $2 million with a $2 increase.
  • Golf (green fees for a round): $700,000 with a $2 increase.
  • Golf (senior/disabled fees for a round): $400,000 with a $3.50 increase.
  • Zoo admission: $700,000 with increases between $1 and $4.
  • Auditorium rental: $100,000 with various increases.
  • Employee monthly parking: $200,000 with a $13 increase.

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