Inside Honolulu: August 3
There’s always something interesting going on at Honolulu Hale.
Civil Beat is reporting from the inside.
2:14 p.m. Board Defends Rate Hike
The Board of Water Supply is going to spend about $340 million in the next five years to modernize its system, and Acting Manager Dean Nakano says that’ll actually save the city in the long run.
In defending the board’s proposed rate hike under questioning from members of the Honolulu City Council‘s Public Works Committee, Nakano said the board hasn’t awarded bonuses since 2005 and that he’s open to cutting the lobbying budget that’s come under fire in recent days.
He also said that the rate hikes won’t necessarily stop after five years. Replacing more than 2,000 miles of pipes at the rate of 30 per year could take a while.
The committee is now watching a video presentation by the Department of Environmental Services about how the city handles waste water and raw sewage.
1:14 p.m. Appointee Asked About Water Rates
The full discussion of the Board of Water Supply‘s proposed rate hike comes later in the agenda, but public angst over that hike has already had an impact.
Duane Miyashiro, appointed by Mayor Peter Carlisle to serve on that board, faced one rate-related question from the Public Works Committee as it considered his nomination.
Asked by member Ann Kobayashi if he’d be open to looking at other ways to fund the board’s activities other than “always going to the ratepayers,” Miyashiro said even if confirmed, he’ll still be a consumer of water and is sensitive to the public’s concerns about proposed rate increases without looking at alternatives.
One of those alternatives, floated by Kobayashi and endorsed by Miyashiro, would involve the Water Board vacating its “prime piece of property” in downtown Honolulu and allowing a developer to lease the space as a source of revenue.
Hearing no testimony and no objections from his members, Committee Chair Stanley Chang recommended Miyashiro’s appointment be confirmed and moved it out to the full Honolulu City Council.
12:56 p.m. Tow Trucking Debated
In the last Budget Committee matter before the lunch break, the city explained its preference for giving one company the contract to tow delinquent cars from roadways.
The idea has been decried by some, including one testifier who referred the companies as “cartels” that can charge $300 or $400 per tow and recklessly race to the scene of accidents to fight one another for jobs. One proposed solution: an automated system that notifies drivers electronically when their cars are about to be towed.
Procurement is ultimately in the purview of the Carlisle Administration, so the council was just voicing its concerns.
The Public Works Committee is set to get started at 1 p.m.
12:19 p.m. Seniors, Disabled Ask for Help
Just before the Budget Committee’s discussion of the issues between ORI Anuenue Hale and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a mix of senior citizens and disabled persons filled the meeting room.
About a half dozen of those folks testified about the benefits they’ve enjoyed at ORI, and pleaded with the Honolulu City Council for support.
Full story coming later.
9:56 a.m. ORI Discussion Coming Soon
The council’s Budget Committee is more than halfway through its agenda, at least in terms of items. It’s now wrapping up discussion on , which deals with parking for employees at Kapolei Hale.
Upcoming matters include , related to real property tax rates for agricultural lands, and a discussion of “issues” related to the nonprofit ORI and the U.S. Department of Urban Development.
Elsewhere on Civil Beat today, Washington D.C. Bureau Chief Adrienne LaFrance has a pair of reports on those “issues.” For one, she examined years of documents to determine that the organization hasn’t served as many elderly as it originally hoped to. For the other, she shares the letter the city recently sent to HUD in response to the federal inquiry. Read those stories here:
8:15 a.m. Today’s Committees
Two Honolulu City Council committees are scheduled to meet today. Here are the agendas:
- 9 a.m. —
- 1 p.m. —
Three committees met yesterday, and two more are scheduled for tomorrow.
8:11 a.m. Fewer Golfers, More Money
Increased greens fees at the city’s municipal golf courses has increased revenue as it’s decreased the number of rounds played.
That’s the takeaway of an interesting KHON story last night. They even have a table showing the amount of rounds and the revenue from six courses.
Read the piece .
8:08 a.m. Chang’s Public Service
Councilmember Stanley Chang put his law career on hold to run for public office. He talks about that choice and more in his interview with Midweek’s Dan Boylan, online today. Check it out .
Where’s Carlisle?
Mayor Peter Carlisle is in Japan all this week, and has no local public events.
Read Previous Editions of Inside Honolulu
August 2: Case Closed, Not Decided; City Rests, Ansaldo Satisfied; City Witness Rebuts Sumitomo; Ireland, Silva Like Merger; Talking Merger; No Competition for Carlisle; Berg: GOP “Party of the Skin Heads”; Today’s Committees; Want Train? Get Brains; Where’s Carlisle?
August 1: Across the Street?; Waipahu Board Backs Hoopili; Executive Session?; Ansaldo Responds; Rail Appeal Continues, With Questions Churning About Ansaldo; Sewage Spill in Kailua; Where’s Carlisle?
