05-18-2007, 05:40 AM
Well it's not a done deal yet... There are always loop holes... But it's a good start. I wonder how much federal $$ is spent on helicopter raids? It is a bummer that we can't just vote for the $$ and shift it over to getting more cops on the streets to bust ice / theft crimes.
Council members voted to remove the money from next fiscal year's operating budget. That action won't be final, however, until lawmakers again vote to approve the countywide budget and send it to Mayor Harry Kim to consider signing into law.
That second vote is expected at the council's June 1 meeting in Hilo.
The county hasn't received the money, but had expected to get the grants so the funding is included of the proposed countywide budget that starts July 1, Deanna Sako, county controller, told lawmakers.
The "Green Harvest" money can still be added later, should lawmakers reverse course and accept the eradication grants, she added.
Getting future grants will now be harder since that money will be shifted to other states, Day said.
The council's vote won't stop the federal Drug Enforcement Administration from conducting helicopter raids, Prosecutor Jay Kimura told lawmakers.
"Whether the council accepts the money or not, eradication would continue," Kimura said, noting marijuana is illegal under federal law.
That prompted Ikeda to vote against rejecting the money, which he added cannot be shifted to combat crystal methamphetamine, a drug known locally as "ice."
"It's not like we're ignoring 'ice' and only concentrating on marijuana," Ikeda said.
Council members voted to remove the money from next fiscal year's operating budget. That action won't be final, however, until lawmakers again vote to approve the countywide budget and send it to Mayor Harry Kim to consider signing into law.
That second vote is expected at the council's June 1 meeting in Hilo.
The county hasn't received the money, but had expected to get the grants so the funding is included of the proposed countywide budget that starts July 1, Deanna Sako, county controller, told lawmakers.
The "Green Harvest" money can still be added later, should lawmakers reverse course and accept the eradication grants, she added.
Getting future grants will now be harder since that money will be shifted to other states, Day said.
The council's vote won't stop the federal Drug Enforcement Administration from conducting helicopter raids, Prosecutor Jay Kimura told lawmakers.
"Whether the council accepts the money or not, eradication would continue," Kimura said, noting marijuana is illegal under federal law.
That prompted Ikeda to vote against rejecting the money, which he added cannot be shifted to combat crystal methamphetamine, a drug known locally as "ice."
"It's not like we're ignoring 'ice' and only concentrating on marijuana," Ikeda said.