Off The Beat: Honolulu Drags Its Feet — When It Doesn’t Need To
It’s puzzling to watch the City Council dwell on what to do with a recycling subsidy that primarily benefits one company — especially after it already voted last week to end it.
On Tuesday, the City Council kept alive a conflicting measure that would spell out a gradual reduction in subsidy, as opposed to its outright elimination.
At the center of debate is Oregon-based scrap yard Schnitzer Steel, which benefits the most from the subsidy. It saved about $1.9 million last year out of a total of $2.1 million in discounts benefitting private companies. (It’s telling that one local company that receives part of the subsidy told City Council members it should be repealed.)
The City Council already agrees the fee should be ended — they already voted for a bill saying so. Yet council members continue to hem and haw, and waste time. They appear more comfortable hiking property taxes, gas taxes and golfing fees than eliminating a corporate benefit the city can no longer afford.
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