Kaua’i County Mayor Maryanne Kusaka utilized her line-item veto authority Monday in response to the council’s final budget submittal. But she did not make extensive objections to the council’s budget. Most of her attention was focused on giving the administration
Kaua’i County Mayor Maryanne Kusaka utilized her line-item veto authority Monday in response to the council’s final budget submittal.
But she did not make extensive objections to the council’s budget.
Most of her attention was focused on giving the administration longer time periods to complete certain government functions such as filing reports.
In fact, a council member who might have been expecting more fireworks from the mayor, sounded pleased Monday afternoon.
“I’m happy that most of the mayor’s recommended changes appear to be inconsequential. We can easily come to agreement on most of that,” Councilmember Gary Hooser said.
Hooser did say there were a couple of sections where the council might not agree with the mayor.
Kusaka vetoed Section 11 of the council’s proposed line-item budget, which would force the administration to come before the council before making new expenditures.
“This section,” Kusaka stated, “we feel, is an incursion into administrative prerogative. The establishment of a chart of accounts outlining various accounting classifications is an administrative function.”
“Those few changes referring to the charter and who has the authority … we’ll have to wait for the county attorney’s opinion,” Hooser said.
Council members had been adamant off the record that if the mayor vetoed significant sections of the proposed budget, they had the votes to overturn her Honor (five votes out of seven required).
The Council had voted unanimously to support the budget submitted to Kusaka and only council Member Bryan Baptiste voted against returning to a line-item budget after three years of performance-based budgeting, implemented at the Administration’s request.
Some council members mentioned the leasing of a new car for mayor Kusaka as a driving force to return to the line-item budget where such purchases require an administration appearance before the legislative body.
Three years ago when Kusaka extensively exercised her veto power on a council budget there weren’t enough votes to turn back her veto.
Staff writer Dennis Wilken can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and mailto:dwilken@pulitzer.net
