by Lt. Governor Duke Aiona

As more Big Island families and businesses are tightening their budgets, your state government is developing innovative ways to maintain public service at the highest level with fewer resources, and without increasing taxes or fees.

Over the next three years, the state is facing a more than $900 million budget deficit.

To ensure we continue to serve residents of the Big Island, while maintaining fiscal discipline, we are planning additional spending restrictions. We are also looking at additional revenues from outside sources, particularly federal funds and private investments in high-tech and renewable-energy-related industries.

It is also critically important that we continue to move forward on capital improvement projects for our state infrastructure and facilities.

We remain confident these conditions can become opportunities for our state.

In August, Governor Linda Lingle and I met with industry leaders and agreed to have the Hawai`i tourism authority spend an additional $10 million on tourism.

Since then, the Hawai`i Tourism Authority announced that it will spend an additional $12 million on marketing through March. Also, Governor Lingle and I are planning separate trips to Asia and California to help promote the industry.

Our tourism outreach is one of five immediate steps our administration is taking to help improve current economic conditions. We will overcome our current challenges. And by being pro-active where opportunities exist, we will ensure our economy’s health into the future.