Council Members Seek $250K For Church
Honolulu City Council Chairman Ernie Martin and Councilman Joey Manahan propose using public money to pay for new church facilities.
Honolulu City Council Chairman Ernie Martin and Councilman Joey Manahan want to spend $250,000 in taxpayer money to pay for the expansion of , an international evangelical Christian megachurch with multiple locations on Oahu.
Martin, who represents the North Shore, and Manahan, who represents Kalihi, added the $250,000 request to their .
“The Center for Hope will include a 4-story parking structure that will fit approximately 270 stalls, an expo center, a 400-seat auditorium, a dining cafe, a resource center, and new restrooms,” Manahan’s budget request explained. “The center will benefit its thousands of islandwide church members and provide various outreach programs.”
Two years ago, New Hope ran into trouble when it tried to use public facilities for church gatherings.
The church聽paid $775,000 to settle a lawsuit claiming it shortchanged the state when it rented public school facilities on Oahu. The church subsequently ramped up its political activism.
The City Council is in the midst of deliberating the fiscal year 2017 budget and plans to send a final version to the mayor in June.
