Thursday, March 28, 2024
Hawai'i Free Press

Current Articles | Archives

Wednesday, June 6, 2018
A Sneaky Way to Approve City Funds for Rail
By Natalie Iwasa @ 4:35 AM :: 5168 Views :: Ethics, Rail

A Sneaky Way to Approve City Funds for Rail

by Natalie Iwasa, What Natalie Thinks, June 5, 2018

Buried in a proposed amendment to the bill for HART’s capital improvement budget (Bill 22, CD2, FD1) is the statement:

“Notwithstanding the provisions of Ordinance 07-001, City revenues may be used to pay for the debt service for the $44 million appropriated from the general improvement bond fund.”

We were told no city funds would be used to pay for rail. Last year, however, the state legislature passed Act 1, which prohibits the general excise tax surcharge from being used to pay HART’s administrative or marketing costs, including personnel costs. By default, that means that the bulk of these costs will need to be paid by city funds. Councilmembers then started discussions on Bill 42, which added “city” to the list of funding sources for rail. It was opposed by most testifiers, and no final decision was made on it.

The mayor put $44 million of HART administrative and marketing costs into the city capital improvement (CIP) budget for next fiscal year. Several councilmembers decried this as bad policy but then merely moved those costs to HART’s CIP budget.

When asked about the $44 million, HART representatives stated they had enough cash to pay it, but according to their cash flow projections, bonds would be floated and apparently used to pay a significant portion of it. There was no additional discussion of how the $44 million would be funded.

We deserve an open discussion of how and when city funds will be used to pay for rail and what councilmembers’ plans are to cover the $44 million.

As a side note, it is also important to consider that no significant cuts to HART’s administrative or marketing costs have been made.

There is one final hearing on this bill Wednesday. I will be there to oppose this bill and the manner in which the amendment is being done. I encourage others to testify as well. The agenda and instructions on providing testimony are available here.

---30---

Links

TEXT "follow HawaiiFreePress" to 40404

Register to Vote

2aHawaii

808 Silent Majority

Aloha Pregnancy Care Center

AntiPlanner

Antonio Gramsci Reading List

A Place for Women in Waipio

Ballotpedia Hawaii

Broken Trust

Build More Hawaiian Homes Working Group

Christian Homeschoolers of Hawaii

Cliff Slater's Second Opinion

DVids Hawaii

FIRE

Fix Oahu!

Frontline: The Fixers

Genetic Literacy Project

Grassroot Institute

Habele.org

Hawaii Aquarium Fish Report

Hawaii Aviation Preservation Society

Hawaii Catholic TV

Hawaii Christian Coalition

Hawaii Cigar Association

Hawaii ConCon Info

Hawaii Debt Clock

Hawaii Defense Foundation

Hawaii Family Forum

Hawaii Farmers and Ranchers United

Hawaii Farmer's Daughter

Hawaii Federalist Society

Hawaii Federation of Republican Women

Hawaii History Blog

Hawaii Homeschool Association

Hawaii Jihadi Trial

Hawaii Legal News

Hawaii Legal Short-Term Rental Alliance

Hawaii Matters

Hawaii's Partnership for Appropriate & Compassionate Care

Hawaii Public Charter School Network

Hawaii Rifle Association

Hawaii Shippers Council

Hawaii Smokers Alliance

Hawaii State Data Lab

Hawaii Together

HIEC.Coop

HiFiCo

Hiram Fong Papers

Homeschool Legal Defense Hawaii

Honolulu Moms for Liberty

Honolulu Navy League

Honolulu Traffic

House Minority Blog

Imua TMT

Inouye-Kwock, NYT 1992

Inside the Nature Conservancy

Inverse Condemnation

Investigative Project on Terrorism

July 4 in Hawaii

Kakaako Cares

Keep Hawaii's Heroes

Land and Power in Hawaii

Legislative Committee Analysis Tool

Lessons in Firearm Education

Lingle Years

Managed Care Matters -- Hawaii

Malama Pregnancy Center of Maui

MentalIllnessPolicy.org

Military Home Educators' Network Oahu

Missile Defense Advocacy

MIS Veterans Hawaii

NAMI Hawaii

Natatorium.org

National Christian Foundation Hawaii

National Parents Org Hawaii

NFIB Hawaii News

No GMO Means No Aloha

Not Dead Yet, Hawaii

NRA-ILA Hawaii

Oahu Alternative Transport

Obookiah

OHA Lies

Opt Out Today

OurFutureHawaii.com

Patients Rights Council Hawaii

PEACE Hawaii

People vs Machine

Practical Policy Institute of Hawaii

Pritchett Cartoons

Pro-GMO Hawaii

P.U.E.O.

RailRipoff.com

Rental by Owner Awareness Assn

ReRoute the Rail

Research Institute for Hawaii USA

Rick Hamada Show

RJ Rummel

Robotics Organizing Committee

School Choice in Hawaii

SenatorFong.com

Sink the Jones Act

Statehood for Guam

Talking Tax

Tax Foundation of Hawaii

The Real Hanabusa

Time Out Honolulu

Trustee Akina KWO Columns

UCC Truths

US Tax Foundation Hawaii Info

VAREP Honolulu

Waagey.org

West Maui Taxpayers Association

What Natalie Thinks

Whole Life Hawaii

Yes2TMT