LIHU‘E — The final version of Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr.’s operating budget for fiscal year 2011, at $147 million, represents an increase of roughly $600,000 from the original one. He submitted it to the County Council on Friday. The mayor’s
LIHU‘E — The final version of Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr.’s operating budget for fiscal year 2011, at $147 million, represents an increase of roughly $600,000 from the original one.
He submitted it to the County Council on Friday.
The mayor’s position on the need to furlough county workers still stands, but he said he’s open to talks regarding certain positions.
Carvalho’s message says the county feels certain employee groups need consideration for an agreement that would prevent planned two-day-per-month furloughs, and he is in discussion with unions regarding the plan.
The positions to receive non-furlough consideration are police radio dispatchers, police public-safety workers, water-safety officers, the water-safety supervisor, bus drivers and solid-waste-refuse collectors.
Carvalho’s supplemental budget message adds that the Office of Prosecuting Attorney’s request for additional funding deserves consideration.
“We have added a new, fully-funded deputy county attorney position, three dollar-funded positions, and have increased general-fund availability for one law clerk position,” said Carvalho in his message, adding that the additional position is the only new funded position included the FY11 budget.
The supplemental budget for FY11 states $81.46 million will come from real-property-tax revenue, representing a $9.16 million decrease from the previous year. The original budget sent March 15 said the decrease would be $8.7 million.
Carvalho said the county expects the RPT “downward trend” to continue the next fiscal year.
The hotel-room tax (transient accommodations tax, or TAT), after almost being taken away by state lawmakers, came with an increase of $800,000 from the previous year. It now stands at a projected $12 million.
Carvalho’s projected loss of revenue from fees generated at Wailua Golf Course remained unclear. The original budget document from March 15 said the county would lose $536,913 compared to the previous year. The new document released Friday said the loss would be $263,087.
The revenue totals, however, remained the same on both documents, $2.1 million for FY10 and $1.56 million for FY11.
The rest of the county’s revenue-source outlook remained the same as the document released on March 15.
Solid waste revenue will be $3.04 million, down from $3.79 million in FY10.
The highway fund in FY11 will still come $900,000 short from the $12.02 million FY10 revenue.
The county’s Capital Improvement Projects budget will take the same amount that was stated in the March 15 budget version, $100.59 million.
Carvalho’s supplemental budget asked for several new items to be included.
The document asked for $65,000 to purchase a software program that “would allow the newly-established Capital Improvement Project program manager to effectively monitor and move projects to completion in various departments and divisions.”
United States Sen. Daniel Inouye’s office was able to appropriate $4 million through the National Resource Conservation Service to clean up debris from Wailapa Stream and Kilauea River. The debris accumulated when the Kaloko Reservoir breached in March 2006, resulting in property and life losses.
Go to www.kauai.gov for more information.
