Inside Honolulu: May 18
Two branches of city government may be headed to court to sue one another, the City Council takes a stand on roads spending and officials have six weeks to go before their budget for next year takes effect.
Civil Beat is reporting from the inside.
Still No Official Report on Fact-Finding Rail Trip
5:45 p.m.
City Council Transportation Chairman Breene Harimoto and Budget Chairman Ernie Martin returned nearly three weeks ago from a fact-finding rail trip to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Copenhagen, but still haven’t produced a report.
Read our report.
Chin Points to Charter Question on HART
9:33 a.m.
With the City Council and Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle‘s administration poised to go to court to determine who gets to approve the new rail agency’s budget, it’s clear the two branches don’t see eye to eye.
The City Council keeps going back to the charter question that voters approved, which clearly states: “The council shall, with or without amendments, approve the authority鈥檚 appropriation requests.”
But Managing Director Doug Chin says his understanding of the process 鈥斅爐hat the HART board should determine its own budget 鈥斅燼lso comes from the charter question. In response to questions from Inside Honolulu, Chin pointed to Section 103 3B of the charter question. It reads:
“The board shall: Review, modify as necessary, and adopt annual operating and capital budgets submitted by the executive director of the authority.”
Chin says the word “adopt” is the key, and demonstrates that it is up to the HART board to finalize its budget. With six weeks to go until HART officially gets going, there’s still time for the City Council and Carlisle administration to find common ground. But given the discussion that took place Tuesday evening, it doesn’t look likely.
Read more about the battle over HART:
Council, Mayor Threaten to Sue Each Other Over New Rail Agency: May 17, 2011
Honolulu Council’s Rail Concerns Boil Over: March 30, 2011
: March 17, 2011
Read Previous Editions of Inside Honolulu
May 17, 2011: City Council reinstates roads funds; Union talks “ongoing;” Council advances property-tax hike.
May 16, 2011: Did police chief’s son get preferential treatment? Honolulu Zoo rhino dies; Police officers to walk for slain colleagues.
May 13, 2011: California judge assigned to rail case; City winds down busy week on furlough day.
May 12, 2011: City Council member Romy Cachola learns new slang; Brookings Institute lauds Honolulu mass transit; Long-awaited rail lawsuit filed in federal court; City Council members vet new rail financial plan.
May 11, 2011: Council advances rail bond bill; City Council Chairman Nestor Garcia waiting for word on ethics investigation; Council advances fireworks storage bill; Council scraps scrap-yard subsidy, kind of; Rail lawsuit to be filed soon.
May 10, 2011 Council member Tom Berg wants to move Honolulu Zoo into Diamond Head crater; Council to consider banning some cell phone use for pedestrians.
May 9, 2011: After heavy rains, Waimanalo Gulch gets extension; What happens in Copenhagen, stays in Copenhagen?; Feds monitoring city’s use of housing money.
May 6, 2011: Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle says Koolau Loa plan keeps “country country,” too; City Council’s Tulsi Gabbard gets promoted.
May 5, 2011: Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle heads to sunny East Lansing, Mich.; Emergency Management Deputy Peter Hirai clears up rumor about Waikiki sirens; Double the turnout so far in Neighborhood Board elections.
May 4, 2011: City Council advances HART budgets, measure to float rail bonds; Romy Cachola irked that no Filipinos appointed to HART; Mayor would likely support end to recycling subsidy.
May 3, 2011: Honolulu Mayor Peter Carlisle signed into law new North Shore plan; City Planning and Permitting Director David Tanoue questions move to turn shipping containers into homes; Environmental group raises concerns about trees along rail route.
May 2, 2011: City Council member Stanley Chang takes on managing director; Ann Kobayashi defends yelling at testifier; Romy Cachola calls testifier “stupid;” Tom Berg proposes horse racetrack for Kapiolani Park; Bill to eliminate scrap yard subsidy advances; Council member miffed that rail leaders skipped special council meeting.
