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Per fishwrap: registration fee increases from $5 to $12, weight tax goes up by $0.005/pound to 1.25c/lb.
Hawaii County has the lowest vehicle fees in the state, so of course they need to be "brought in line".
My dumb question: where is all this "added revenue" going? Seems like last years' budget worked okay, why do we need a vehicle tax increase *and* a property tax increase *and* new fees/charges all around?
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My dumb answer: because the barely re-elected Mayor who spent $600,000 to get back in office owes the public employees unions bigtime. Not only do they expect furloughs to end, but they think they deserve raises, too. The Council, several of whom were Kenoi appointments to the Redistricting Commission, do not seem to be in the mood to resist. Greggor Ilagan and Brenda Ford voted "no" on the property tax rise, so it will be interesting to see if any others are brave enough to do so this time. My guess is probably not, and even Ford seems to be wavering, as per the HTH piece.
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From the Mayor's recent public meetings:
* After four years of budget cuts, our county per capita spending is now the lowest in the state.
* Almost everything is getting more expensive these days, but county government has actually been getting cheaper. The administration is proposing a smaller county budget than we had in 2008, and the county would collect less in taxes than the county collected in 2008.
* This total proposed budget is $394.3 million. That is about $8.8 million less than the budget in effect in 2008.
* Property tax collections have been dropping each year so that we now collect less in taxes now than we did four years ago.
* County tax collections declined from $225.9 million in the year we took office to $198.3 million in the current year. Property tax collections with the proposed budget will be nearly $7 million less than the county collected in 2008.
* The tax rate adjustment would increase the average monthly cost for a homeowner by $8.59. It would increase the average monthly cost for owners of agricultural lands by $4.75. Owners of conservation lands would actually see their average monthly cost decrease by $6.26.
* We now have about 200 fewer county employees today than we had in 2008. With the budget cuts of the past four years, our employees have been stretched to the limit providing core county services.
* This budget improves public safety by adding police officers for Puna and Ka‘u; new fire trucks for Keaau and Honokaa; and funds a new fire recruit class.
* This budget provides more support to our rapidly growing mass transit agency to allow us to continue to expand service.
* This budget includes an additional $4 million because of increased payroll costs with the end of public worker furloughs, and $3.8 million for negotiated public worker raises.
* This budget includes $3.15 million for GASB 45, to pre-fund future retiree health care.
As for employees, ending furloughs just means they're finally returning to their full salaries of three yesrs sgo. Why shouldn't they expect a raise after all this time?
We keep asking our government employees to do more and more with less and less, but they can't do everything with nohing....
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quote:
Originally posted by KeaauRich
As for employees, ending furloughs just means they're finally returning to their full salaries of three yesrs sgo. Why shouldn't they expect a raise after all this time?
We keep asking our government employees to do more and more with less and less, but they can't do everything with nohing....
Perhaps they should trade places with someone who makes $7.25/hour (without benefits, a full-time schedule, or any possibility of a raise) so they better understand the impact of their "modest" tax/fee increases on the "average" person -- minimum-wage workers are the very definition of "do more and more with less and less".
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Didn't I read that the council voted themselves a reelection slush fund? Different name officially though.
David
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quote:
Originally posted by kalakoa
quote:
Originally posted by KeaauRich
As for employees, ending furloughs just means they're finally returning to their full salaries of three yesrs sgo. Why shouldn't they expect a raise after all this time?
We keep asking our government employees to do more and more with less and less, but they can't do everything with nohing....
Perhaps they should trade places with someone who makes $7.25/hour (without benefits, a full-time schedule, or any possibility of a raise) so they better understand the impact of their "modest" tax/fee increases on the "average" person -- minimum-wage workers are the very definition of "do more and more with less and less".
your making sense! now what??
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quote:
Originally posted by KeaauRich
We keep asking our government employees to do more and more with less and less, but they can't do everything with nohing....
Kenoi's very simple County Population & Operating Budget shows why:
http://www.hawaiiscoops.com/wp-content/u...dget04.jpg
The population grew by 8,000 from 2008 to 2013, while the county operating budget went down by over $30M during the same time period. More people with more demand for government services, less government services available. This is also during a time that operating costs have increased for the government along with the cost of living for everybody else.
"This island Hawaii on this island Earth"
*Japanese tourist on bus through Pahoa, "Is this still America?*
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Minimum wage in 2008 - $7.25
Some things stay the same.
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Exactly my point: the government can just raise taxes and increase fees, but wages are frozen for most people. Later, when those same people "fall through the cracks", taxpayers have to come up with more money to expand the "safety net".
Eventually, we'll all be in prison, where the minimum wage does not apply.
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If you raise the registration fee everyone who has a car pays an equal share, if you raise the fuel tax the person in Puna, or Hamakua pays ten times as much as the Hilo citizen driving to work, and shopping. Maintenance costs rise and they has to be paid some how. This is the better choice in my view. If you can afford several "cruzers" as well as your regular car you can probably afford the increase.
