Episode 19: A budget that reflects our priorities
This week, Mayor Rick Blangiardi joins host Brandi Higa on the One O‘ahu Podcast to discuss the City’s budget which was recently approved by the Honolulu City Council, and the historic handing over of the rail system from the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transpiration (HART) to the City’s Department of Transportation Services.
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City Budget
On June 7, 2023 the Honolulu City Council, after a marathon session, approved the City’s $3.41 billion operating budget and $1.34 billion CIP budget.
“My reaction first and foremost is one of gratitude towards our team because everybody worked really hard on a budget of that size and, especially Budget and Fiscal Services,” said Mayor Blangiardi. “Andy Kawano, our director, Carrie Castle, our deputy, the whole team. I mean that’s a very complicated situation.”
The approved budget included an additional $50 to the one-time homeowner tax credit, bringing the total to $350 per homeowner, as well as an additional $70 million on top of the $100 million initially proposed to purchase and develop affordable housing.
Transferring Rail to DTS
On June 9, 2023, Mayor Blangiardi and City officials conducted a historic ceremonial handover of the first segment of the City’s rail project from the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation (HART), the agency responsible for rail construction, to the Department of Transportation Services (DTS), the agency responsible for rail operations.
“We’re beginning a new era,” added Mayor Blangiardi. “This is going to create things that nobody has even thought of yet with respect to communities, housing, access. You know the nice thing about this, while this is a historic moment in time to take it over, this is sort of the gift that keeps on giving because we continue with construction and we hope that two summers from now we’ll be to Middle Street.”
The rail system will open for passenger operations at 2 p.m. on June 30th from the Halawa Station.
Re-opening of the Pearl City Pool
On June 8, 2023, a grand reopening and blessing was held for the Pearl City District Park Pool after a multi-year closure for a variety of improvement projects.
“Look, the only part I played in it was get the damn pool opened,” replied Mayor Blangiardi. “I don’t want to hear about why we can’t, there’s got to be a way to get that pool opened.”
The pool was initially closed in November 2018 for an extensive repair project to improve the pools’ tiling, lane markers, pump room, drainage, concrete spalling, and plastering. Unfortunately, the completion of these repairs and reopening of the pool experienced significant delays as other issues were uncovered, primarily with the pool’s electric bonding. These extra issues required additional procurement, funding, and contract work, resulting in the over 4.5 year-closure of this treasured community resource.
