Advocacy Updates

Budget Bills Passed

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell returned a number of bills to City Council – unsigned – including the executive operating budget, the executive capital budget, and the HART operating and capital budget bills for fiscal year July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018. The bills passed third reading at the City Council’s meeting on June 7.

The mayor also returned unsigned Bill 34, CD1 which authorizes the issuance and sale of General Obligation Bonds and Bond Anticipation Notes for HART. By taking this action, Bills 24, 25, 26, 32, 33 and 34 become law without his signature.  

Related to the budget and possible shortfall in funding for rail transit, the Mayor signed bills increasing fees for Oahu residents including:

  • Bill 68 (2016), CD1which allows the Director of Enterprise Services to set the admission fees for the Honolulu Zoo.
  • Bill 10, CD1 which increases the motor vehicle weight tax 2 cents per pound for passenger vehicles and trucks, and 2.5 cents for commercial vehicles, beginning in 2018. The result is an increase on average of $80 to $100 per year for most passenger vehicles.
  • Bill 12, CD2 which increases the parking meter fees from $1.50 to $3.00 per hour.

Other bills which did not pass City Council included increases in the gas tax, property tax, and disposal collection. As the City continues to look for innovative ways to balance the budget in the face of rising rail transit costs, fee increases will likely continue to be on the table. Efforts to move forward budget cuts failed overall.

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