Concerns aired on sustainability, security
by Nathan Eagle – THE GARDEN ISLAND
Residents urged the Kaua‘i County Council to adopt a budget for next fiscal year that expands the bus service, requires a performance audit and illustrates a cautious approach to arming local law enforcement.
Community members offered their input on Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s proposed $155.7 million operating budget during an almost four-hour public hearing Wednesday evening at the Historic County Building.
The council shifts into decision-making mode on Monday morning, taking into account testimony from residents and a three-week, department-by-department review.
The mayor’s administration yesterday submitted its supplemental budget, which the council will analyze over the weekend. It was unavailable at press time.
The county Transit Advisory Committee and two grassroots groups advocating alternative energy and island sustainability called on the council to significantly increase the transportation budget to boost commuter ridership on The Kaua‘i Bus.
“The economic, social and environmental benefits of a convenient and well-utilized mass transportation system are highly apparent,” Malama Kaua‘i representative Andrea Brower said in her written testimony. “With ridership and demand for bus services rising steadily, we can assume that extending the hours and increasing the frequency of The Kaua’i bus will cut traffic, reduce our carbon footprint and other emissions and relieve some of the pressure on our highway infrastructure.”
Councilman Ron Kouchi said Janine Rapozo, who manages the county transportation agency, plans to put forth a recommendation to the administration about increasing services and funding next year.
“I think there’s great support here to do something,” Councilman Jay Furfaro said.
He suggested annually expanding the bus service 20 percent over the next five years, but said the county charter limits earmarking money for such purposes unless it accompanies a long-term plan.
Under the proposed budget, the county plans to buy eight new buses and retire five. On May three new bus routes were added to meet the weekday demand on the North Shore, but residents say more needs to be done.
Joint testimony from Apollo Kaua‘i and Malama Kaua‘i proposes four increases to the budget at an estimated cost of $1.5 million. The funding would step up bus service during peak commuter times to every half hour, establish hourly routes to Hanalei, extend service to 9 p.m. on weekdays and add a reduced Sunday schedule.
Transit Advisory Committee Chair Ben Sullivan noted the fine job Rapozo has done as the transportation agency executive, but said the county should give her an administrative assistant to allow her more time to focus her energy on establishing park and rides, studying service expansions and broadening marketing efforts for the bus.
The committee in February 2007 unanimously passed a recommendation that the agency make budget requests consistent with an intent to increase ridership.
“It benefits those who ride and those who don’t ride,” Sullivan said, noting reduced emissions, less traffic and stimulation to the local economy.
The most noticeable and quantifiable benefits of expanding the bus service, which currently offers $15 monthly passes for unlimited rides, are to community members, Brower said.
“We are quickly moving into an economic recession that will impact a majority of our working-class population,” she said. “Providing accessible, convenient and affordable transportation options is a matter of social justice. … Transportation expenses are the first thing that people have to cut out in these hard times.”
Council Chair Bill “Kaipo” Asing said whatever the county starts today, it has to carry into the future.
“We have money, but we need to be careful,” he said.
TASER, riot shield expenses opposed
The seven-member legislative body also heard public input on the proposed budget for the Kaua‘i Police Department.
Residents prodded the council to nix line items for TASERs and riot shields, saying this sends the wrong message to the community about local law enforcement.
“We should not go down the path to metropolitanize, Mainlandize and militarize our police department,” Eastside resident Jonathan Jay said. “There is no aloha to be found there.”
Having police act as protectors of large corporations is inappropriate, Hanapepe resident Juan Wilson said.
“I would think a police department on an island in the middle of the Pacific would have a different agenda,” he said, adding that he would rather the county buy Cannondales for the officer instead of equipment that will collect dust in a closet.
Some of the items in the police budget are not a reflection of things stemming from the August protests of Hawaii Superferry at Nawiliwili Harbor, Furfaro said.
It is about helping the department under the leadership of new Kaua‘i Police Chief Darryl Perry reach its goal of earning national accreditation, he said. This includes specific training, certification and retention requirements.
“The chief is not there to militarize, he’s there to professionalize and bring accountability,” Councilman Tim Bynum said yesterday.
Residents also rallied behind the need for the county to conduct a performance audit in addition to the fiscal audit it currently does each year.
This could help residents such as Rob Abrew of Wailua to have a better experience when working with local government agencies.
It took him some seven months to secure the necessary permit from the county Planning Department to build a home energy windmill.
Abrew said he was simply baffled when he learned his permit application needed approval by the Water Department, which took three weeks to sign off on. The renewable energy project required pouring a six-by-six foot cement foundation to hold a 41-foot pole.
“This is wasting taxpayer money,” he said.
Next budget process
to be televised
An underlying current flowing throughout the budget process, which began in March, burst to the surface at the public hearing.
Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura interrupted the session shortly after it started at 5 p.m., calling on the chair to take action so it could be televised on Ho‘ike public access channel, as nearly all council and board meetings are.
Asing said the council has aired the budget hearings in the past and any changes would have to take place at a later date.
Bynum said last year’s budget included funds to televise extra hearings. He objected to not televising this one.
The county has already exceeded its budget for this fiscal year, which ends June 30, according to Kouchi.
A March 15 snapshot of the current budget shows some $134,000 of $256,000 pegged for other services, which includes Ho‘ike, had been expended. The latest financial status of the television budget was unclear at press time.
Councilwoman Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho said when the county looked at televising the entire budget process this year, a shortage of qualified personnel was an issue in addition to a lack of funding.
But Yukimura said funds could have been transferred and the county could have at least covered the public hearing, which fell in the middle of the council’s committee meeting.
The council plans to earmark money for next year to televise the public hearing, according to Furfaro.
Televising the entire three-week process would have consumed “a pretty large portion of what we had,” he said yesterday.
For more information, visit www.kauai.gov
Proposed Fiscal Year 2009 budget by the numbers
• Overall operating costs: $155.7 million
• Increase over FY 2008 budget: $7 million
• Transportation Agency: $3.45 million
• Police Department: $20.49 million
• Capital improvement programs: $61.2 million
Kaua‘i County Council starts decision-making on Monday
