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+--- Thread: $56 million CoH bond at council Nov. 30th (/showthread.php?tid=8091)
$56 million CoH bond at council Nov. 30th - Rob Tucker - 11-26-2010
Bill 311 is a call by the Kenoi Administration for $56 million in unscheduled bond (debt) intended for public infrastructure. The problem is that the current council wants to create the debt without public hearings and before the 2011 budget deficit is clearly known.
I will be there to testify on Nov. 30 at 9 am. I think that this bond proposal requires public hearings - preferably hearing on individual proposed items.
Ikeda wants several million for an extension of Kapiolani to open up 42 acres of land for development. Who owns this land? Why are the taxpayers obligated to pay 100% of the cost to make this land extremely valuable?
PMAR - Before a half million or more gets spent on consultants... who are the consultants? What parameters or instructions are they getting from Public Works? PMAR is a major issue for Puna and we only get one shot at it in our lifetime. It needs to be done right.
HPP Park - $5.5 million sounds like a lot until you see that $1.5 million is for more consultants. Personally I think an HPP Park proposal is ripe for a public private partnership which could lower costs substantially, improve the scope of the park and give HPP more control on the issue.
I can't see much ahead for the next decade for all levels of government except deficits. We need to find creative and intelligent ways to bring costs down and still deliver the infrastructure we need. Kenoi is not a creative person. He wants to keep the old machinery oiled with our money and that has been way too inefficient for way too long.
I encourage everyone to testify or write council calling for public hearings on Bill 311.
counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us
No point in slamming the current council majority. They don't listen or respect public input. But it only takes three council members to vote for public hearings which would move the whole topic to the incoming council.