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The City Council continues its budget briefings, Honolulu rail planners forge ahead, Civil Beat is reporting from the inside.

Abercrombie Makes a Beeline After Rail Meeting

1:12 p.m.
The governor’s schedule is consistently packed, but Inside Honolulu noted with interest Gov. Neil Abercrombie‘s hasty departure from Honolulu Hale after a city rail briefing for federal officials.

We joined the governor as he exited at a fast clip, and asked for his reaction.

“I’m taking everything under advisement,” Abercrombie said.

But it’s hard to know what Abercrombie’s taking under advisement when federal transit officials won’t disclose the specifics of their conversations with local officials.

We pressed U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood for details on the advice he offered in the meeting, but he insisted he didn’t want to “get in the weeds” of specifics.

Honolulu, Hawaii, National Political Leaders: Rah Rah Rail!

11:39 a.m.
Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle hosted a group of some of the most influential players in local and national politics at Honolulu Hale Wednesday morning. The mayor gave a briefing about the city’s rail plan to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Federal Transit Administration Administrator Peter Rogoff.

Also in attendance were Gov. Neil Abercrombie, Sens. Dan Inouye and Dan Akaka, Congresswomen Mazie Hirono and Colleen Hanabusa and Honolulu City Council Transportation leaders Breene Harimoto and Ernie Martin.

The meeting was closed to the public, but officials agreed to take a few questions from reporters afterward. LaHood repeatedly emphasized that Honolulu continues to be on the right track with its rail project, and the extent to which the project will bolster the economy.

“We have to put Americans to work,” LaHood said. “And, really, there’s no better way to do that than this transit project… Building a model transit program for the people, and giving good paying jobs, and giving opportunities to people who — through no fault of their own — lost their jobs, and have not had the kind of opportunities that the president and this administration are really promoting.”

Carlisle said the meeting didn’t lead to any new developments with the project, but was mostly a “shot in the arm,” demonstrating cohesion among leaders as the city moves forward on rail.

“Just basically, the whole idea was, they want to see this thing to the finish, they want to see that it’s done right, and we want to do it right,” Carlisle told Civil Beat LaHood and Rogoff left. “We’re going to have to follow what they have to say, take advantage of their expertise and listen. If we listen and we follow what they’re telling us to do, we’re going to have an A-Number-1 absolutely top-of-the-line system that’s going to be to the benefit of generations to come.”

Federal Transit Officials Meet with Mayor, Governor

8:50 a.m.
The third floor of Honolulu Hale is more active than it usually is this time of day, as city workers and security prepare for a visit by federal transit officials. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff are in town.

Civil Beat caught up with both of them at an event last night. Read the full story.

Catch Up on This Month’s Inside Honolulu

March 21, 2011: Honolulu awards two new rail contracts; All four mayors talk labor; Firefighters get boisterous at City Hall; City Council continues budget briefings.

March 17, 2011: City Council questions necessity of long-planned bond float for rail; Lengthy executive sessions moves rail talks behind closed doors; Aging bus fleet, city workers.

March 16, 2011: City Council tables transit resolution; City Council members slam administration’s proposed fuel hike.

March 15, 2011: City Council member Ann Kobayashi tips off rail opponents to try to change City Council member Ikaika Anderson‘s mind; Rail arguments to continue in court next week; City Council members get an extension on HART nominations.

March 15, 2011: Honolulu spends $900 million on booze; Santa Claus moves to Pearl City; Mayor Peter Carlisle takes a 15 percent pay cut.

March 10, 2011: Landfill site-selection committee meets for third time, loses two members; HECO provides generators to family center; Like Honolulu, other cities and state grapple with spending on rail.

March 9, 2011: City’s rail groundbreaking ceremony costs about $30,000, consistent with Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle‘s estimate.

March 8, 2011: HART seeks $21 million in first budgetl; City IT Director Gordon Bruce works out kinks on new budget website; City gives HPD 9,000 hours in legal defense in two years; City moves forward with compost facility in Waialua; Could Honolulu ask residents to pay-to-play?

March 7, 2011: Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle says he doesn’t want a raise; Salary Commission recommends bump in pay for vacant medical examiner job; Tom Berg‘s chief of staff blasts HECO.

March 4, 2011: Landfill channel not designed to handle rainfall equivalent to storm that caused near-catastrophe; Six City Council members out of town.

March 3, 2011: Line-by-line budget to go online in about a week; Five City Council members are D.C.-bound.

March 2, 2011: Mayor Peter Carlisle raises taxes, fees in first budget; More money for autopsies; Liquor commish nominee Wesley Fong talks commission image issues; TheBus turns 40; Ides of March deadline for City Council’s HART nominees.

March 1, 2011: City Council member Breene Harimoto worries about bandaid approach to homelessness; Planning Committee advances North Shore communities plan; Parks and Rec eyes new dog park; Tom Berg pitches Matson containers as possible living space.