The Kauai County Council Committee of the Whole yesterday approved a proposed county budget of $97.3 million and a proposed capital improvement budget of $19.4 million for the next fiscal year. The proposed budgets, for which action was taken in
The Kauai County Council Committee of the Whole yesterday approved a proposed county budget of $97.3 million and a proposed capital improvement budget of $19.4 million for the next fiscal year.
The proposed budgets, for which action was taken in the historic County Building is almost four million dollars greater than the proposed $95.2 million operating budget and a $17.7 million capital improvement budget Mayor Bryan Baptiste sent to the council March 14.
Upon certification of county revenues on May 1, Baptiste submitted a supplemental $97.7 million operating budget, reflecting additional funds of $2.4 million, and a $18.9 million capital improvement budget for the next fiscal year.
The larger supplemental budget proposed to cover mandated increases related to health care and collective bargaining and to set aside sufficient funding to provide adequate public services.
By law, however, the council can only act on the May 14 budget proposal, sent as part of an ordinance for action.
Councilman Daryl Kaneshiro said the May 14 budget and the one approved by the council committee yesterday are monetarily the same, only that the council chose to fund some projects and positions Baptiste chose not to fund or fund as much.
Both the council’s and Baptiste’s budgets focus on matters Baptiste and the council feel are of priority, including management of island garbage, improved public services, more funds for counsel services, updating and implementation of the county’s general plan and covering the cost for the employee health fund and collective bargaining increases.
The council is expected to take action on the budgets following a May 27 public hearing on the supplemental budget.
The council committee’s proposed budget differs from the May 14 Baptiste budget in these areas:
Through a resolution, the council committee also adopted property tax rates, which remained the same as those in the current fiscal budget and coincides with those requested by Baptiste.
They range from $3.64 per thousand dollars of evaluation for the building and $4.35 for the land for the homestead class to $8.15 for buildings for hotels and resorts and $8.55 for the land.
Hanalei resident Ray Chuan challenged the committee’s action to set the rates, saying it was pointless to do so until a public hearing on the Baptiste’s supplemental budget is held on May 27 and the matter is moved along the process.
“They have fixed the rate by resolution before they have a final budget, and they can’t have that until they have finished acting on the supplemental budget,” Chuan said
Chuan said the council’s action “demonstrates this whole thing makes no sense.”
Kaneshiro said the supplemental budget submitted by Baptiste was a “communication” to the council and that the council has scrutinized and evaluated it in developing a forthcoming budget.
Staff writer Lester Chang can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and mailto:lchang@pulitzer.net
