MEDIA RELEASE

Mayor Billy Kenoi has submitted his package of proposed reforms to the Hawai’i County Code of Ethics to the Hawaii County Council, including a proposal that would ban county employees from contracting with county departments. Another proposal in the package would tighten certain restrictions on lobbying County boards and agencies.

Mayor Kenoi submitted the same package of proposals to the Hawaii County Board of Ethics last September. After reviewing the package, the Board of Ethics returned it to the administration on February 10 with comments and a number of suggested revisions.

“We appreciate the careful review that the Board of Ethics gave to these proposals, and the time that they invested in listening to public testimony, debating the merits of the proposals and commenting on the package,” Mayor Kenoi said. “I have carefully reviewed their input, and I expect the County Council will also study the Board of Ethics’ comments and suggestions when the Council considers this matter.”

“I continue to support our ethics reforms as originally written because I believe they offer the best opportunity to boost public confidence in government,” Mayor Kenoi said. “I believe the public has certain expectations for County employees, and I believe those expectations are best represented in our original package of proposals. I look forward to working collaboratively with the County Council to adopt these proposals as law.”

Copies of the complete submittal to the Board of Ethics are available on this Web site, through the Office of the Mayor or though the Office of the Corporation Counsel.

MEDIA RELEASE

Mayor Billy Kenoi submitted a proposed $375,367,419 county budget to the Hawaii County Council today. Here’s his message to the Council that accompanied the budget:

March 1, 2010

The Honorable Chairman J Yoshimoto and

Members of the Hawai‘i County Council

Hawai‘i County Council

25 Aupuni Street

Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720

Aloha, Chairman Yoshimoto and Council Members:

As required by the Hawai‘i County Charter, submitted with this message is the proposed operating budget for the County of Hawai‘i for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011. This balanced budget includes estimated revenues and appropriations of $375,367,419 and includes the operations of eleven of the County’s special funds as well as the general fund.

The difficult economic conditions in Hawai‘i and on the Mainland have led to an unprecedented decline in County revenues. Continued projected declines in real property values as well as steep drops in County collections for charges for services, investment income, license and permit fees, fuel taxes and other revenues require that we make hard choices as we prepare for the year ahead. This balanced budget represents a thorough review of County activities, and continues my administration’s efforts to reduce the cost of government as we refocus on core County services.

Last year, we unfunded 55 vacant positions, which was the largest number of positions ever to be unfunded in a single County budget. This proposed FY 2010-11 budget will abolish or unfund 111 additional positions. This budget also includes furloughs of two days a month for County workers, which amounts to a loss of more than one month’s pay for those employees during the next fiscal year. These unprecedented furloughs reflect the severity of the financial challenges that now confront our entire community, and represent a shared sacrifice on the part of our public workers.

This FY 2010-11 budget is $11,678,784 less than the current year’s budget. Spending under this budget is almost $28 million less than the budget in effect when I took office in 2008. To achieve this balanced budget, we have continued to scrutinize overtime, travel and training, contract services, equipment purchases and other expense items.

To fully grasp the impact of these deep budget cuts, it is important to remember that departments were instructed to reduce their budgets by 5% last fiscal year, and then to cut another 10% in the current budget year. Now, for the new budget year that begins July 1, departments were instructed to reduce expenditures even more, by up to 20%. Operations have been reviewed to identify additional efficiencies that can help maintain services in the face of reduced resources. Departments have aggressively pursued grant funding and have succeeded in increasing total revenue from grants for the upcoming budget year. In particular, I would like to take this opportunity to extend special thanks to Hawai‘i County Council Chair J Yoshimoto and the Hawai‘i County Council for cutting Council spending by $718,591, or more than 19% for the coming year.

The steps we took last year and this year are reshaping County government. The percentage of County spending devoted today to activities such as General Government and Culture and Recreation has decreased significantly, while the share of the County budget devoted to core functions such as Public Safety, Highways & Streets and Health, Education & Welfare has increased. This is part of a continuing strategy to shift County resources to the essential services that are most important to our residents. As part of that effort, this budget continues the County’s free, island-wide bus service, and maintains County spending of $1.5 million per year in support of non-profit organizations that deliver social services.

The Department of Parks and Recreation faced a particularly difficult challenge this year because it was required to reduce spending, and at the same time was required to meet our directives to protect programs essential to the well-being and enrichment for our seniors, children and the most vulnerable in our community. Faced with high demands and scarce resources, the department made the most difficult decision of this budget process. Funding for the Hawai‘i County Band and the West Hawai‘i Band has been eliminated from the FY 2010-11 budget. The members and director of the two bands, all part-time employees except for the director, have been notified that their jobs will be ending.

Also impacting our employees was the decision to implement a furlough plan to reduce costs while retaining employees in their positions. The budget, as submitted, includes the implementation of two furlough days per month for employees other than those in UPW Bargaining Unit 1, SHOPO Bargaining Unit 12 and Firefighters Bargaining Unit 11. The furlough plan includes elected officials, appointees and excluded managerial employees. Police and Fire employees in the identified bargaining units are currently covered by contracts that do not include furloughs. Negotiations are ongoing with UPW. The furloughs will result in a 9.23% pay reduction for affected employees.

As real property values have continued to decline, the County’s primary source of revenue is poised to drop by more than 11%. After the FY 2009-10 decrease in property tax revenue of $15,094,000 (6.55%), an additional loss of this magnitude would leave the County unable to sustain basic operations and services. For this reason, we are proposing revenue-neutral rate adjustments that will adjust tax rates to ensure that the County collects the same amount of property tax in FY 2010-11 as it did in FY 2009-10. The tax on individual parcels will most likely vary from current taxes.

The real property assessed valuations used are still preliminary figures and the values certified in April may vary from those assumed here. The final budget presented to you in May will be based on the final numbers and will include a specific rate proposal.

OPERATING BUDGET BY FUND

The following table describes the budgeted expenditures for FY 2009-10 and the proposed budget for FY 2010-11 for each fund.

(Amounts in thousands)

REVENUES BY SOURCE

The following table presents a summary of projected FY 2010-11 revenues from various sources and the changes from the current budget:

(Amounts in thousands)

REVENUE CHANGES

The major changes in projected revenues are as follows:

Real Property Tax. Net real property tax values are projected to decrease by 9.62%. However, real property tax revenue is the same as the FY 2009-10 budget, based on a revenue-neutral rate proposal.

Fuel Tax. Fuel taxes are expected to decrease by 9.7%, or $788,000 due to reduced fuel consumption. This decrease is on top of a similar decrease in the current fiscal year.

Licenses and Permits. The 12.0% drop in this revenue category is due to decreases in liquor licenses ($238,000), construction-related permits ($730,000) and vehicle/trailer weight taxes ($995,000).

Revenue from Use of Money and Property. Interest earnings are expected to decrease by $1.3 million due to the low yield on investments, which is reflective of the current economy.

Intergovernmental Revenues. The $3.3 million, or 5.7% increase in intergovernmental revenues includes funding increases in housing voucher assistance and emergency medical services.

Charges for Services. Revenues from this source are expected to decrease by $4 million due to reductions in automotive charges to special revenue-funded departments, sewer fees and landfill charges.

Other Revenues. The elimination of the current year budget item in the amount of $8.2 million for land sales is the primary factor in the $8.3 million reduction in other revenues.

Fund Balance Carryover. Carryover savings are based on current projections of fund balance.

EXPENDITURES BY FUNCTION

The following table presents a summary of projected FY 2010-11 expenditures from various sources and the changes from the current budget:

(Amounts in thousands)

EXPENDITURE CHANGES

In addition to the cuts made by the departments, the unfunding of additional vacant positions and the inclusion of furlough adjustments, major changes in projected expenditures are as follows:

General Government

• Finance. The budget for building rents has decreased by $649,000 due primarily to the reopening of the Hawai‘i County Building, which allowed the county to vacate leased office space.
• Planning. The department’s budget has decreased with the absence of funding for new community development plans.
• Public Works. Reductions in estimates for fuel expense, janitorial services, electricity, insurance and facility repairs contributed to a net decrease in budget.

Public Safety

• Prosecuting Attorney. The Prosecuting Attorney’s budget reflects a reduction in grant funding of $799,000.
• Flood Control. The decrease in flood control funding is due to transferring drywell cleaning costs to the Highway Fund.
• Animal Control. Current contract negotiations with the service provider for animal control are expected to result in reduced costs.

Highways and Streets

• Mass Transit. The Transit office is projecting a $910,000 increase in grant-funded expenditures.
• Highways. The Department of Public Works is earmarking $1 million for work on roads-in-limbo.

Health, Education and Welfare

• Housing. An increase in grant funding results in a $2.2 million increase in voucher rental subsidy payments.
• Social Services. Despite declining revenues and shrinking budget, the County’s budget for distributing funds to non-profit agencies will be retained at $1.5 million in the FY 2010-11 budget.

Culture and Recreation

• Bands. The Hawai‘i County and West Hawai‘i bands have been removed from this budget proposal.

Sanitation and Waste Disposal

• Solid Waste Division. The Solid Waste budget has decreased with the reductions in contract services, cover material costs and recycling expenditures.
• Vehicle Disposal. The Vehicle Disposal budget will decline from approximately $4 million to about $3 million, a reduction of about 25 percent.

Health Fund

• Health Benefits. Health costs, including post-employment benefits, are expected to increase with the continuing increase in premium rates. The health insurance rates for next fiscal year have not yet been set by the Employer Union Trust Fund, so increases to this budget item are possible.

POSITION CHANGES

The administration has continued to analyze vacant positions and to fill only those that are immediately required for effective operations. The budget reflects the deletion or unfunding of 111 positions in FY 2010-11. Additional vacant positions remain funded, as they are deemed essential to basic County operations.

• Four temporary positions were deleted from the Fireworks Enforcement section of the Fire Department budget. With the establishment of the Fireworks Auditor as required under state law, these positions are no longer needed.
• Efforts are ongoing to reduce staffing through attrition, and with this budget an additional 62 vacant positions have been unfunded, for a savings of $2,350,671.
• As discussed above, 34 staffed Hawai‘i County Band positions and 11 staffed West Hawai‘i Band positions have been vacated as the result of layoffs and have been unfunded, saving $347,027.

CONCLUSION

This budget is $11.7 million less than the current year’s budget, but that number does not begin to reflect the painful effects of the budget cuts proposed here on our community at large, and our employees and their families. That number also does not reflect the continuing challenges we face in this difficult economic climate as state and county governments across the nation struggle to balance their budgets. Some members of the state Legislature advocate seizing the Counties’ share of the hotel room tax, a step that would strip another $18 million in revenue out of this County budget, leaving us no choice but to increase property taxes. My administration will continue to advocate for fair treatment at the Legislature, and will oppose any effort to unfairly shift the tax burden to County of Hawai‘i residents.

Demand for County services such as police protection, fire protection and other County services is always growing, and many County agencies are experiencing increased demands as the effects of a weak economy are felt by more and more people. It is essential that County government provide stability and security in meeting the basic public safety, sanitation, transportation and other service needs of our citizens. We will meet our responsibility to ensure that adequate resources are available to continue and expand services as needed, and to maintain a strong and financially sound County government.

This difficult budget process presents our administration with a continuing mandate to overhaul County government. We must invest our scarce resources in programs and projects that our residents must have, while shifting resources away from those programs that we can no longer afford. In the months ahead you will hear more about steps my administration will take to improve County government efficiency and adapt our government to today’s challenging economic environment. We all understand the lingering national and local economic difficulties will continue to put pressure on County government resources, and my administration’s strict review and reprioritization of County spending will enable us to deal with those challenges.

Aloha,

William P. Kenoi

MAYOR

MEDIA RELEASE

The following is the text of Mayor Billy Kenoi’s testimony to the House Finance Committee today in opposition to House Bill 2598, which would suspend distribution of the transient accomodations tax to the counties for three years. The County of Hawai’i will lose nearly $18 million a year in revenue if the bill passes.

Aloha, Chair Oshiro and Members of the Committee:

The County of Hawai‘i strongly opposes H.B. 2598, which would suspend for three years the distribution of transient accommodations tax (TAT) revenues to the counties.

Today you will be presented with testimony from the Mayors of all four counties, who together represent every one of your constituents. That is important because it lays bare a simple, important fact: If this committee votes to take away the counties’ share of the hotel room tax, you are taking that money from your own constituents. You are taking away money that today pays for critical programs such as police and fire protection.

Our constituents elected all of us to solve problems, but this bill solves nothing. I understand the state is confronted by budget challenges, but so are the counties. It makes no sense to make your budget situation better while making our budget situation worse. We represent exactly the same people.

When a visitor’s plane touches down in Hawai‘i, the state collects a landing fee. When the visitor rents a car, the state collects a car rental fee. When the visitor buys a drink, the state collects the liquor tax. When the visitor buys food, the state collects the excise tax. And when the visitor rents a hotel room, the state collects a transient accommodations tax.

Of all of those taxes, only the hotel room tax is shared with the counties, and House Bill 2598 proposes to cut off even that source of funding.

Yet when a visitor calls for law enforcement help, a county police officer responds. When the visitor gets into trouble in the ocean, county lifeguards or firefighters respond. When the visitor uses sewer and water service, those are county services. The visitors drive on county roads, and use county parks. The counties haul away the visitors’ rubbish.

The Legislature from the very beginning in 1986 planned to make the Counties beneficiaries of the hotel room tax because lawmakers recognized the importance of county facilities and services to support and enhance the visitor experience. It was always understood that much of the burden of mass tourism is carried by the counties.

We now have more than one million tourists a year visiting the County of Hawai‘i. Honolulu, Maui, Kaua‘i and Hawai‘i counties have relied on the TAT as a source of revenue for over 20 years and it is the second largest single source of revenue in Hawai‘i County’s budget – nearly $18 million.

As you know, the Counties have their own budget challenges, and we are doing our part by slashing department budgets, eliminating positions and carefully reviewing every new hire and major expenditure. I have furloughed my own staff, and will impose additional furloughs and painful budget cuts in the coming budget year.

Stripping away the TAT from the Counties would aggravate this situation, and would impose additional cuts in essential services for your constituents. I urge the committee to reject this bill.

Mahalo for your consideration.

Aloha,
William P. Kenoi
MAYOR

MEDIA RELEASE

Celebration for “Sweetheart of Hilo”

Luana Kawelu (left), Mayor Billy Kenoi and Auntie Dottie Thompson. Mayor Kenoi proclaimed Saturday, February 13th "Auntie Dottie Thompson Day."

Hilo, HI [February 13, 2010] – Dorothy “Auntie Dottie” Thompson was honored as this year’s YWCA Hawai’i Island Remarkable Person on Saturday, February 13. Citing her longstanding leadership of the Merrie Monarch Festival, YWCA President Lorraine Godoy said, “Auntie Dottie’s gift of vision, honor of culture, and devotion to preserving our traditions have been unselfishly shared with the people of Hawai’i and beyond. Auntie Dottie has enriched our cultural, artistic, and business spheres and united our community through this singular event.”

During the event, held at the YWCA’s community hall, Auntie Dottie’s picture was added to the YWCA “Remarkable People” honoree wall – named Kealohanohano, which means in the presence of the honored and dignified. She was also presented with a special memory book of stories, pictures, mementoes, and heartfelt sentiments that the YWCA had gathered from people whose lives she has touched. One such selection from Paul Tallett reads, “The most memorable [moment] is – seeing you each year at the Merrie Monarch Festival for the past 46 years, with your white hat, colorful leis and bright smile sharing your aloha to all…. Your courage to take on the …festival when no one else wanted to do it is remarkable. You gave hula a true Hawaiian cultural vision…, a class act, that is ever growing.”

YWCA Board Member Sandi Claveira dances the hula for Auntie Dottie Thompson.

Mayor Billy Kenoi issued a County of Hawai’i proclamation declaring the day “Dottie Thompson Day” and remarked, “Dottie, because of you and all the blood, sweat, tears, and love you poured into Merrie Monarch for over the last 40 years, you have put Hilo on the map and spread the warm spirit of aloha to people from all over the world.”

Over 100 family members and close friends joined in the celebration. Pupus were prepared or donated by community members, YWCA Board members, and YWCA staff. Donations were also provided by: Jennifer and Kyle Kaaa of K3A Productions for the sound system and slide show; U’i Soares for the decorations; Kawamoto Store for prepared food; Lena Abe for making ti leaf leis; and Joe Camacho, Paulette Ching, and Clayton Kua for providing the live music. David Corrigan of Big Island Video News filmed the event.

Dr. Ruben Casile presenting a lei to Auntie Dottie Thompson

YWCA Hawai’i Island is a not-for-profit membership organization whose mission is the elimination of racism and empowerment of women. Established in 1919, the organization offers services and programs which include: a nationally accredited preschool; an aquatics center; the only island-wide 24×7 rape crisis center; the only Teen Court for the Big Island; and the only home visitation child abuse prevention and family support program throughout East Hawai’i.

The YWCA Hawai’i Island is part of the YWCA USA, the oldest and largest national women’s organization. Nationally, the YWCA serves 2.5 million women and girls each year. Globally, the YWCA USA is a member of World YWCA, which has affiliates in 122 countries that serve 25 million women and girls worldwide.

For more information about the YWCA, visit www.ywcahawaiiisland.org Contact: Gloria Lau, Interim CEO at 808 987-1850 or glau@ywcahawaiiisland.org YWCA Hawai’i Island, 145 Ululani St., Hilo, HI 96720.

MEDIA RELEASE

Mayor Billy Kenoi released his business travel and expense records today for the first year of his administration.

The mayor’s work with the Hawai‘i Conference of Mayors comprised the bulk of expenses in the report. Mayor Kenoi also traveled to the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in January 2009, and visited tourism industry leaders in Japan with the Hawai‘i Travel Authority in October.

“This travel allowed me to establish relationships with key players from Washington D.C. to Honolulu to Japan,” Mayor Kenoi said. “Those relationships are essential in this uncertain economic environment, and they led to direct benefits for the County of Hawai’i.

“These trips helped to open discussions or to secure commitments for new collective bargaining contracts; for a major new highway in Kona; for more than $100 million in federal stimulus funding; and for additional airline capacity arriving in the County,” Mayor Kenoi said.

Mayors of the four counties in Hawai‘i for the first time forged a united front in lobbying the Governor and Legislature on behalf of the counties’ interests, particularly on collective bargaining issues and successfully preserving the counties’ fair share of the state’s Transient Accommodations Tax on hotel rooms. Hawai‘i County received nearly $18 million of TAT funds in the FY 2009-2010 budget as a result of the HCOM effort.

The report, covering the period from December 1, 2008 through December 6, 2010, details Mayor Kenoi’s HCOM lobbying expenses, primarily for travel to and from Honolulu, totaling $9,281.35.

The four Hawai‘i mayors also traveled to Washington, D.C., in January 2009, for the U.S. Conference of Mayors’ annual meeting, which coincided with the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

“The conference was a tremendous opportunity to gain valuable experience and establish important new relationships with federal officials and other mayors from across the nation,” said Mayor Kenoi. “This was part of the lobbying effort that resulted in $100 million in federal stimulus funds coming to Hawai‘i, including $35 million to build the mid-level road in Kona.”

Travel expenses related to the Washington, D.C., trip totaled $6,862.18.

Mayor Kenoi also participated in a “Spirit of Aloha” promotional trip to Japan sponsored by the Hawai‘i Tourism Authority, which resulted in direct talks with officials from Japan Airlines that led to the continuation of direct flights from Japan to Kona. The meetings also established relationships that will help Hawai‘i County gain additional JAL flights in the future, said Mayor Kenoi.

Mayor Kenoi noted that his administration reduced the number of “warm bodies” working for the County by 77 employees during his first year in office, and defunded another 55 vacant positions. Those cuts saved County taxpayers millions of dollars. The mayor also ordered his executive staff, including himself, to take one furlough day a month starting July 1, 2009. The furloughs will save the County $41,714 this year.

“No administration has worked harder than ours to reduce and control the cost of government, but it is also important that we make an investment in economic development,” Mayor Kenoi said. “For example, it is critical that we make an effective case in Washington, D.C., for our share of federal stimulus funding, which is bringing more than $100 million in new federal spending to our County.”

“It is also essential that we make our case at the state Legislature for retaining the transient accommodations tax, which is the second-largest source of revenue for the County at $17.8 million. And it is essential that the four county mayors work together to shape fair and frugal collective bargaining agreements, because the new public worker contracts will cost the counties millions of dollars.”

“Some travel overseas is also critical because it establishes relationships that will benefit our primary economic engine, which is tourism,” Mayor Kenoi said. “Political leaders across the state and the nation recognize we cannot simply sit back and hope and wait for better times. We need to reach out to potential markets, reach out to the key players in the visitor industry, and try to shape our own future.”

MEDIA RELEASE

County of Hawai’i Mayor Billy Kenoi today released data to the Hawai’i County Council detailing the cost of County hiring during the Mayor’s first year in office.

Mayor Kenoi announced new hiring restrictions the day he took office in an effort to cut the cost of County government, and from December 2008 to December 2009 his administration reduced the size of the county workforce by a net 77 employees through hiring restrictions and attrition.

Mayor Kenoi’s first budget also unfunded 55 vacant positions, the largest unfunding of vacancies in County history. Unfunding vacancies means those positions will not be filled. The Mayor’s budget plans for the coming year include additional de-funding of positions to save more money.

The Mayor also required that all requests to fill any positions in County departments be vetted by an Expenditure Review Committee. The committee weighs whether each position is needed to protect public safety, or to continue delivery of essential County services.

The salary data shows that:

54 police, fire and other public safety employees hired during the year earn a total of $129,428 per month.
11 employees hired to maintain or operate essential infrastructure such as sewer treatment plants and water systems earn a total of $39,780 per month.
20 employees hired to deliver essential public services such as drivers’ license examiners and solid waste transfer station attendants earn a total of $55,529 per month.
20 employees hired for revenue-producing positions such as water meter readers or to provide essential support services earn a total of $64,504 per month.
36 employees hired with state or federal funding (meaning they provide services within the County of Hawai’i at little or no cost to the County) earn a total of $48,193 per month.
16 other employees such as student helpers and a golf course maintenance supervisor earn a total of $25,638 per month.
“The record is clear. We have carefully restricted hiring in order to cut costs and maintain essential services, and the reduction in the County workforce has saved the County millions of dollars in salaries,” Mayor Kenoi said. “I am proud of my administration’s efforts to cut the cost of County government.”

“Again, we thank our County employees for pitching in during this difficult time and doing more with fewer resources,” the Mayor said.

Last month the County Department of Finance announced that restricting hiring, de-funding vacant positions and making a variety of other spending cuts in County departments resulted in a carryover or cash balance at the end of the last fiscal year that was $7.4 million more than had been budgeted.

(Reader Opinions Disclaimer: This column allows members of the community to share their opinions and views, which do not necessarily reflect those of Hawaii 24/7, its staff, sponsors or anyone other than the writer. Hawaii 24/7 reserves the right to refuse any column deemed to be misinformation, of an unethical nature, a personal attack, or a blatant commercial pitch.)

Your Tax Dollars Not at Work
How Mayor Kenoi’s Appeal for TAT Supports Puna’s Appeal for FTR

Most people are vaguely aware of paying tax on their gasoline purchases and that the taxes are used to maintain the roads they drive on. However, what they may not realize is that these taxes haven’t been used to maintain all the roads they drive on – just some of them. If you live and drive in any one of a number of private subdivisions on the Big Island you pay the fuel taxes but you do not receive full benefit of them.

This is the center point of a bill to be proposed in council by District 1 Councilman Dominic Yagong. Recently, as then Chairman of the Finance Committee, Councilman Yagong was approached by Friends of Puna’s Future (FoPF) with a proposal to create a grant-in-aid program to benefit the nonprofit community organizations bearing the responsibility and financial weight of maintaining the roads in their subdivisions.

The logic of the bill goes like this:

Fuel Tax Revenue (FTR) is charged on every gallon and is intended for the maintenance of roads in our county. But for decades the funds have only been used for some of the roads, not all of them. FoPF views this as a issue of tax fairness. Thousands of Big Island residents live within private subdivisions created by the county at the time of statehood. There are hundreds of miles of such roads with no county funding. Those who drive on these roads pay fuel taxes but fail to get the benefit of those taxes for their roads. Residents, tourists, police, fire and emergency vehicles all use these roadways — but the homeowners associations are left on their own to deal with the entirety of road maintenance.

Mayor Billy Kenoi recently made a similar argument to the state government regarding the TAT (or hotel tax). Mayor Kenoi maintains that the County is rightfully due a share of the TAT funds collected by the State in exchange for shouldering a large portion of the maintenance burden of tourism. Likewise FoPF says that since the county collects FTR taxes for road maintenance and private subdivisions carry the cost burden of keeping their roads maintained for everyone, – the subdivisions are due a share of FTR funds. As Mayor Kenoi says regarding TAT – It’s only fair.

FoPF is proposing that the Public Works Department be instructed by council to fund a Grant-in-Aid program. Nonprofit organizations with road maintenance responsibilities could apply for cash grants in a simple process which would be completed in ninety days or less. The funds would not be allowed for acquisition of land for new roads. Under no circumstances would county work crews be expected to perform maintenance on private subdivisions roads. The nonprofits would have full discretion in allocating the funds for road surfacing, road base, shoulders, signage and safety.

There is a history of FTR funds not being fully used by the county year by year. This has resulted in a carry-over of funds from one year’s budget to the next. For example, a total of $4.6 million dollars of fuel tax allotments for the entire island from 1994 – 2004 lapsed and had to be re-appropriated. This is appalling considering the conditions of our County roadways. Having to carry over and re-appropriate fuel tax funds is not productive when one considers the struggle of private subdivisions to maintain these roads – roads which were established by acts of council and are open to everyone’s use.

Please call FoPF at 965-1555 or email to friendsofpuna1@mail.com or visit www.fopf.org

Rob Tucker
Puna

Photography by Baron Sekiya | Hawaii 24/7

County officials Monday announced a holiday season program to help promote road safety, and cut down on impaired driving.

Police reminded drivers they will be out in force and urged people to get a free ride from the county rather than drive after drinking.

According to county officials: Now through Jan. 1, 2010, selected establishments in East Hawaii and West Hawaii will offer inebriated patrons free shared ride taxi coupons as an alternative to driving away from the bar while under the influence. At the same time, police will be on heightened alert for motorists under the influence, and set up more DUI enforcement roadblocks around the island.

A grant from drug forfeiture funds will purchase 500 Shared Ride coupons from the Mass Transit Agency to be distributed by the Department of Liquor Control to drinking establishments in East Hawaii and, for the first time, in West Hawaii.

Bars and restaurants will provide the coupons free to patrons who are too drunk to drive and call a participating taxi company, which can submit the fare to the county Mass Transit Agency for reimbursement of up to $6 per coupon. (One coupon is good for four miles, two coupons for nine miles).

On a per capita basis, the alcohol-related traffic fatality rate on the Big Island is three times that of Honolulu and twice that of Maui and Kauai.

Last year, 63 percent of all fatal accidents on the Big Island were alcohol related; this year the rate so far is at 50 percent.

The state average is 47 percent and the national average is 40 percent. Studies have shown the average cost of a fatal accident in overall terms including lifetime loss of income at from $1 million up to nearly $4 million.

Participating Taxi companies:

(East Hawaii)
Ace One Taxi – 935-8303
Alii Taxi – 989-6993
Bay City – Taxi 640-8815
Bobby Taxi – 937-6008
Hot Lava Taxi – 557-0879
Marhysa’s Taxi – 938-3285
Percy’s Taxi – 969-7060

(West Hawaii)
A/J Taxi Service of Kailua – 640-1804

— Find out more:

www.nhop.org/documents/HawaiiIslandTrafficSafetyReport2008.pdf

www.nhop.org/

www.maddhawaii.com/

www.nhtsa.dot.gov/

www.dmv.ca.gov/about/profile/rd/resnotes/accident.htm

Mayor Billy Kenoi talks about the free holiday shared ride taxi program. Photography by Baron Sekiya, Hawaii 24/7.

MEDIA RELEASE

The Kona Community Development Plan has won the 2009 Outstanding Planning Award from the American Planning Association’s Hawaii Chapter.

The plan took three years to complete and was officially adopted last year as the district’s guideline for future development.

Mayor Billy Kenoi is joined by Margaret Masunaga and Bobby Jean Leithead Todd. (Photo courtesy of Hawaii County)

The award will be presented Thursday at a luncheon of the 2009 Hawaii Congress of Planning Officials conference, which will be held Sept. 23-25 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel.

“Receiving this recognition from the state’s professional planners is special to us,” Mayor Billy Kenoi said, “because it affirms the County of Hawaii’s commitment to planning for the future in collaboration with our communities.

“Special mahalo to the Kona CDP Steering Committee, who reached out to over 800 residents for input on the long range plans of how they wanted 800 miles of land in Kona to look in the future,” the mayor said.  “Planning the entire area allowed keeping South Kona more rural with the coffee farms and agriculture, expansion in the area of North Kona in the area of the West Hawaii Civic Center, construction of the Ane Keohokalole Highway (Mid-Level Road), and Honokohau Village Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).”

Mandated by the Hawaii County General Plan, the Kona CDP was initiated by the Planning Department in 2005 in order to create a regional plan for the specific areas of North and South Kona. The community outreach was unprecedented and innovative.

The prime private contractor prepared the Kona CDP was Wilson Okamoto Corporation, which provided planning and engineering services.  ACP Planning and Visioning led the community participation process together with the Environmental Simulation Center supporting the community mapping workshops.  Also contributing were The Conservation Fund on “green infrastructure” and David Paul Rosen & Associates on affordable housing.

Deputy Planning Director Margaret Masunaga, a Captain Cook resident, said, “The Kona CDP Steering Committee, Nancy Pisicchio and Wilson Okamoto Corporation, planned an entire area in one cohesive way and see the ‘forest for the trees.’  It is my hope that we change with a vision that moves away from gated communities with only one way in and out of a subdivision.

“I envision Kona to be a place where local residents and newcomers live together in harmony, support each other as neighbors, where we interact and participate in our Kona community, embrace our diversity, preserve our Hawaiian culture and natural resources and enjoy the island way of life.  This is what Hawaii is all about.”

The annual Hawaii APA awards are given to recognize individuals, communities, and organizations whose work exemplifies the planning profession’s highest goals and ideals.

The awards program serves to raise public awareness of the benefits of good planning by showcasing significant contributions that planning practitioners, professionals, and community groups make to the State of Hawaii.

For more information, call Margaret Masunaga at 987-1046.

MEDIA RELEASE

Hawaii’s four county mayors will join state and county tourism officials next week for a special marketing campaign in Los Angeles to promote Hawaii as a wonderful visitor destination.

The special promotional campaign is entitled “Hawaii: A Thousand Reasons to Smile,” and was organized by the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, its Island Chapters and the mayors. Events in Los Angeles will begin on September 1. Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi, Maui County Mayor Charmaine Tavares and Kauai County Mayor Bernard Carvalho are participating to demonstrate how important the industry is to our economy and its workforce.

“We are so grateful to the mayors for their support of Hawaii’s tourism industry,” said John Monahan, President and CEO of the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau. “This is the first time all the county mayors have participated together at an HVCB media launch event, and their presence will add enormous value toward the success of our promotional efforts.”

The campaign is designed to remind major media outlets and potential visitors that Hawaii is a beautiful and safe destination with a rich culture and fascinating history, and offers good value to travelers who have many other options.

“For the first time, all Hawaii’s mayors are working together to support a major visitor industry event,” Honolulu Mayor Hannemann said. “We all know how important the industry is to our economy, and we know that we are more effective leaders when we work together toward a common goal. Having participated in the debut of this campaign in San Francisco earlier this year with entertainer Willie K. and the HVCB, I know it is proving successful and beneficial for Hawaii.”

The mayors said they strongly agree that leaders must work together on this issue.

“It’s important to be active in promoting our main economic engine, tourism,” said Maui County Mayor Tavares. “This is a unique opportunity to help showcase our wonderful state and each of our beautiful islands. Having all four of Hawaii’s mayors in a united effort speaks volumes about how important tourism is to our economic recovery. As we capture the attention of vacationers and business travelers, we will help draw their interest to Hawaii.”

Hawaii County Mayor Kenoi said, “Hawaii has so much to offer as a visitor destination, and reductions in hotel room rates and air fares make this the ideal time to experience all that Hawaii has to offer. We will be reminding travelers that whether they want to experience the power of erupting Kilauea Volcano, relax on beautiful Waikiki Beach or experience Native Hawaiian culture and traditions, there is no better time than now to bring your friends and family to the Islands of Hawaii.”

Kauai County Mayor Carvalho said, “Every destination is competing for scarce visitor dollars. We absolutely must be out in the marketplace with a compelling and unique message.  The Mayors are more than happy to support this effort because it should translate into more jobs more revenues for our businesses.”

The campaign will highlight Hawaii’s culture, its myths and legends, culinary trends and entertainment, and will feature lunch and dinner kickoff events with travel industry media professionals, and intimate “talk story” sessions with Hawaii representatives.

Photography by Bobby Command/Special to Hawaii 24/7

Kahu Danny Akaka blesses the new section of Saddle Road Tuesday, Aug 18 - 6.5 miles from Mauna Kea State Park to near the Girl Scout Camp Kilohana.

Former Mayor Harry Kim also played a role in developing the Saddle Road project.

Rick Suarez, federal highways; Darryl Hampton, Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command Transportation Engineering Agency; Sen. Daniel K. Inouye; Robert Korpanty, Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command Transportation Engineering Angency; Mayor Billy Kenoi.

Sen. Daniel Inouye speaks at the blessing of the newly opened section of Saddle Road.

The crowd laughs at a joke from Sen. Dan Inouye

PATH’s 23rd Annual General Membership Meeting
“Accelerating Great Ideas”
Tuesday, July 21st
5:30-7:30pm
NELHA’s Gateway Energy Center
73-4460 Queen Ka’ahumanu Highway

PATH members and the general public are invited to the meeting, which will feature remarks by Mayor Billy Kenoi and state Department of Transportation Director Brennon Morioka on efforts to accelerate the creation of trails, pathways and bikeways as part of healthy, safe and livable Hawaii communities.

PATH executive director Laura Dierenfield and education director Bob Borns will also provide an overview of PATH’s accomplishments over the past year and future initiatives to connect more families and individuals with the ability to safely walk, bike and hike in their communities.

PATH is a 501(c)3 non-profit bicycle and pedestrian advocacy organization founded in 1986 to promote the creation and use of non-motorized pathways, bikeways and trails serving the Island of Hawaii. 

Everyone is invited.
Membership is encouraged.
PATH: www.pathhawaii.org

An informational flyer is attached. R.S.V.P. to sharetheroad@pathhawaii.org or call 808-936-4653 as seating is limited. Light refreshments will be served.