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City Council members say they’re “swamped” with finalizing the budget, so don’t expect to hear much else from them this week. The main action at Honolulu Hale today comes in the form of a Budget Committee meeting and a Transportation Committee meeting.

As city spending plans begin to solidify, members of the public are taking notice. We’re beginning to hear loud opposition to a measure related to parking fees at parks. Members of the public continue to testify about tax breaks for historic homes. That issue comes up again today.

Civil Beat is reporting from the inside.

Pack a Lunch, Sew a Lei

3:01 p.m.
City officials are asking for volunteers to help sew 50,000 lei to drape on veterans graves for memorial day, and inviting volunteers to join in the effort together on Friday.

Bring your lei-making supplies and a brown bag lunch to Honolulu Hale on Friday from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. to enjoy hula performances and the sounds of the Royal Hawaiian Band while you work (and eat!).

For more information on the event, or lei donations, contact the city’s Parks and Recreation folks at 768-3002.

City Council One Step From Passing Measure on Historic Homes

11:31 a.m.
Council members advanced on Wednesday. It’s a measure designed to help city officials better enforce requirements associated with the historic homes designation. (It will go before the full council for a final vote on June 3).

Some members of the public complain it doesn’t go far enough. Holly Huber has been one of the most vocal critics of the tax breaks that historic homeowners get.

“You don’t have to have this subsidy to love and maintain your historic home,” Huber said. “I know that you probably think I oppose historic preservation. I do not. I just want people to pay their fair share.”

Some have complained that historic home owners get a tax break — but then hide their homes from view with high hedges and walls. Many historic home owners have told the council that they are in full compliance with the law and spend a lot of money to do so.

One man said he would switch to a metal roof and build an addition on his historic home if the exemption is removed.

KITV: Police Chief Distant From Force

10:20 a.m.
KITV reporter Keoki Kerr offered a at the dynamic between Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha and his force.

Kerr reports that people call the chief “No-Aloha” and “King Louis” behind his back, and complain he’s out of touch with the force. Some key examples from KITV:

• Kealoha stopped attending daily morning meetings with his command staff
• Kealoha asked the mail room to confiscate anonymous letters that criticize him
• Kealoha is too close with the police union, and picked a former union leaders as his top aide

Kerr also spoke with Civil Beat editor John Temple about Kealoha’s refusal to follow the law and divulge police officers’ salaries. (We’re still waiting for a response from Mayor Peter Carlisle, a former prosecutor, about why he’s OK with local law enforcement breaking the law.)

In a statement to KITV, Kealoha rejected the notion that he’s cut off from his department. the full story from KITV.

Public Outcry Over 24/7 Parking Fees at Parks

9:57 a.m.
Members of the public are protesting a City Council proposal to require people to pay more — and more often — to park their cars at city parks.

would charge $1 per hour “24 hours per day, seven days a week.”

Some City Council members have expressed concern about the measure, saying that residents should have the opportunity to relax at parks rather than running to feed the meter every hour. It seems park-goers agree. Civil Beat’s Chad Blair spotted fliers stuck under the windshields of cars at Kapiolani Park, warning people about the bill.

Members of the public have also been circulating emails about the bill in an effort to gather people to testify against it at the full City Council meeting on June 3.

Fire Spokesman Statement on 911 Call

8:56 a.m.
After we read the Honolulu Star-Advertiser’s of an emergency call to the police following the Waikele fireworks explosion last month, we checked in with fire spokesman Terry Seelig.

What does the department plan to do about the fire dispatcher who (after hanging up) called a terrified caller a “f——g idiot”?

Here’s the written statement Seelig sent to us:

“The Honolulu Fire Department regrets the way that its dispatcher managed the call from the Waikele bunker fireworks explosion as it falls below our professional standards. The dispatcher’s performance did not provide the level of compassion and customer service that is consistent with our standards and that the public should expect from us.

“The Honolulu Fire Department is treating this as a serious matter. The department launched an investigation as soon as it learned of the manner in which the call was handled and the comments that were made at the end of the recording. The investigation revealed that the inappropriate profanity was uttered after the call was terminated and therefore not heard by the caller and that the Honolulu Fire Department dispatch center had already sent resources to the Waikele bunker before the call from the male caller was received. Therefore there was no delay in the response to this emergency.

“However these facts do not in anyway justify or rationalize the way in which the HFD dispatcher managed this call. This incident does provide an opportunity to the Honolulu Fire Department to improve its performance and reach a higher rate of consistency in what is normally excellent customer service. The Honolulu Fire Department will review customer service goals and techniques with all its dispatchers. We believe that this process will help ensure that we maintain our high standards and increase the consistency of high-quality customer service that the public is used to receiving from the HFD and that it deserves and demands.”

Read Previous Editions of Inside Honolulu

May 24, 2011: 911 operator calls man ‘F——g Idiot;’ Controversial Laie development gets hearing.

May 23, 2011: City Council advances fireworks bill; Kirk Caldwell organizes corn chowder party via Twitter; PVT landfill to turn trash into energy.

May 19, 2011: Sen. Daniel Akaka reiterates feds’ support for rail; Council member Tulsi Gabbard wants to send a message to President Barack Obama.

May 18, 2011: Still no report from City Council’s rail fact-finding trip; Doug Chin points to charter question to explain administration’s HART position.

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.