Kenoi says public deserves a fair, transparent hearing on any budget cuts

May 24, 2010 – Hilo, Hawaii
Video by David Corrigan

Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi held a press conference Monday to urge the Hawaii County Council to tell the public immediately where it intends to cut $23 million from the administration’s proposed budget.

“I don’t know where the Council will find areas to cut $23 million out of the budget without hitting vital public services and affecting the welfare of our residents,” Mayor Kenoi said. “The cuts will have to be deep, and they will be devastating. A decision of this magnitude will affect almost every resident and family in our community. The public has a right to know with enough time for review and comment.”

The council gave preliminary approval to the County budget on May 19, but has balked at the plan to raise certain real property tax rates. Some councilmembers have vowed to delve deep into the numbers to find solutions to ease the added tax burden. Word of possible amendments that may be proposed at any point prior to the final June 7th vote has already begun to circulate via news reports and the coconut wireless.

“I respectfully urge the Hawaii county Council to immediately provide full disclosure of its alternate plans to cut $23 million from the proposed budget,” said the mayor on Monday. “The Council owes it to the community to provide ample opportunity for the public to fully understand the dramatic impacts these cuts would have on our island.”

To illustrate how daunting the task is to cut  $23 million from the budget, the administration drew up this handout, entitled “How BIG is $23 million in the budget” to exemplify the sort of government services that could be a stake:

To give you an example, cutting the County’s budget by $23 million covers all of the following programs and services provided by the County of Hawai`i (FY 2010-2011 estimated):

• All election operations in the County of Hawai`i ($1,097,695)
• The entire County Civil Defense Agency ($1,678,137)
• The entire Hele-On County bus system ($5,667,336)
• All County grants to non-profit agencies ($1,500,000)
• All programs within the Department of Parks & Recreation’s recreation division ($2,295,147)
• All summer fun programs ($525,017)
• The entire county Aquatics Division for County pools ($2,240,118)
• All school-based DARE police anti-drug programs ($34,125)
• The entire volunteer firefighter training program ($427,126)
• All Fire Department building inspections to ensure compliance with County Fire Code ($2,025,087)
• All lifeguard services at County beach parks ($1,845,340)
• All Elderly Activities services including RSVP, Coordinated Services for seniors and senior nutrition programs ($3,425,258)

Total: $22,760,386

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