May 21 is when the Kaua’i County Council has to make its final budgetary decisions. But two preliminary decisions that could be significant to taxpayers were made Friday morning during initial budget talks. By a 5 to 1 vote –
May 21 is when the Kaua’i County Council has to make its final budgetary decisions.
But two preliminary decisions that could be significant to taxpayers were made Friday morning during initial budget talks.
By a 5 to 1 vote – with only Bryan Baptiste opposing – the council decided to return to a line-item budget. Council member Jimmy Tokioka did not vote, which counts as a yes vote.
For the past three years, the county has utilized program-based budgeting, but Council Member Randal Valenciano, who voted against the approach, proposed the return to line-item budgeting.
The general view of the council was that despite its potential for goal setting, program-based budgeting hasn’t really lived up to its advance billing.
Mel Rapozo, a 1998 council candidate, said the issue was accountability.
Rapozo, other members of the public and Valenciano have mentioned two items in particular when seeking to do away with performance based budgeting:
– The leasing of a new car for Mayor Maryanne Kusaka
– The hiring of former council member Billy Swain as a lobbyist for the county at the legislature in Honolulu.
Neither of those items came publicly to the council’s attention until after they had been accomplished.
“I’m from the old school,” said Council Member Daryl Kaneshiro. “A line-item budget gives us a little more control (of expenditures).
All we’re talking about is having a little more control.”
The Council also went along with Chair Ron Kouchi’s suggested a 10 cents across-the-board real property tax reduction – a giveback program estimated to return $577,524 to taxpayers.
In addition, a majority of the council agreed to reduce the Homestead class real property tax by another 10 cents – a giveback of $113,750 – for a total of $691,274 to benefit property taxpayers.
“I wanted to see more tax rate decreases rather than the $135,000 golf course fee reduction,” explained Valenciano, referring to the Council’s Thursday approval of an amended rate increase for the Wailua golf course, which reduced the administration’s request by $135,000). “My priority was an effort to seek more tax relief … I was willing to take some of the criticisms from the golfers.”
“I wasn’t on the council the last term, but I thought the increased rates in many areas was too much,” Council Member William “Kaipo” Asing said before casting his vote with Valenciano.
But Friday morning’s session was not binding and everything that was done remains tentative until May 21.
Staff writer Dennis Wilken can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and mailto:dwilken@pulitzer.net
