LIHU‘E — The County of Kaua‘i 2024 fiscal year budget was formalized on Friday morning when Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami signed the document during a ceremony in the rotunda of the Mo‘ikeha Building.
The spending blueprint, which consists of an operating budget of $311.4 million and a capital improvement budget of $87 million, reflects the administration’s continuing focus on infrastructure.
That includes designating $15.5 million for repaving and $18.5 million in capital improvement plan-related road costs.
Kawakami opened the budget signing ceremony by thanking the Kaua‘i County Council, budget team and supporting staff for their efforts in piecing together the plan that came together in good order.
“When I reflect on past budgets, in a sense this was a rather uneventful one meaning that the floor debates were civil. The amount of disagreements were at a minimum,” said Kawakami, adding there wasn’t too much wrestling over the budget development process.
He also touched on the capital improvement budget and how it “reflects our priorities as far as getting people back to work,” reinvesting in areas that have been deferred over the years, investing in affordable housing and “basically trying to help people who are paycheck to paycheck.”
Kawakami also referenced the operating budget saying the “fiscal responsibility was sound.” He then once again made mention of the county council saying that they are paid part time, “but I can tell you that this council works full time.”
He subsequently then turned to County Council Chair Mel Rapozo, who echoed some of the things Kawakami said at the beginning of the ceremony. Rapozo said the process was “uneventful because of the work” involved to get to this point and that there was a lot of dialogue between all parties involved.
He also thanked Kawakami and his team for the efforts made to “realize long-term fiscal benefits for this county.”
Budget highlights
• Salaries and benefits comprise 77 percent of the general fund budget, leaving a little more than 20 percent for fulfilling the county’s core functions and services.
• The budget also aims to reduce the county’s debt by allocating $13 million to pay off the state Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund load for the Lima Ola housing project. Doing so will create significant savings in interest payments and will enable the Housing Development Fund to be utilized for the continued development of affordable housing.
• The budget also creates new positions, which will aid in expanding lifeguard coverage at beach parks, launching the new Kapa‘a Satellite DMV facility and provide extra support for initiatives concerning homelessness.
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Wyatt Haupt Jr., editor, can be reached at 808-245-0457 or whaupt@thegardenisland.com.
