Green Energy Mandates a Tax on Poor People
Hawaii Congressional Delegation How They Voted September 16, 2018
New Thinking for Hawaiian Homes
Union proposal would require $400M hike in property taxes
SA: …The union representing Hawaii’s public school teachers is arguing that a state tax on second homes valued at more than $1 million could bring in $200 million to $400 million in new revenue for public schools that could be used to raise teacher salaries….
such a proposal could entail a hefty hike in property taxes that could prove politically unpalatable.
To generate such revenue could require a doubling or tripling of the current tax rate for such properties, according to a review of tax data.
The state currently doesn’t have the power to tax real property; only the counties do. But in November voters will have the chance to amend the Hawaii Constitution to give the state the authority to tax investment properties to support public education. If the ballot measure passes, it will then fall to the Legislature to debate and pass any proposed property tax increases….
The HSTA proposal is modeled after a tax category recently created by the City and County of Honolulu known as Residential A, which taxes at higher rates residential properties without a home exemption that are valued at more than $1 million. These properties are taxed at a rate of $4.50 for every $1,000 of the home’s value for the first $1 million of valuation. Thereafter the rate jumps to $9 for every $1,000 of valuation. So the tax on a $2 million property without a home exemption amounts to $13,500 annually.
The tax on Residential A properties on Oahu, which applies to 12,320 parcels, is expected to bring in about $130 million for the 2019 fiscal year.
If the state added a $7.50 surcharge to the current rate — almost doubling it — and applied this statewide, which HSTA had suggested last year, it would generate about $191 million for public education, according to Tom Yamachika, president of the Tax Foundation of Hawaii.
“That gets maybe close to $200 million, but it doesn’t get you to $400 million,” Yamachika said.
To generate $400 million in revenue, the state might have to add a surcharge of about $16 on top of current rates….
House Finance Chairwoman Sylvia Luke said it’s unlikely that the Legislature would be comfortable taxing investment properties at the levels HSTA is proposing…. “Nothing has been determined on what type of property would be assessed….”
read … Teachers’ proposal would require hefty hike in property taxes
DOE Proposes $100K Salary Increases For 19 Executives
CB: …The Hawaii Department of Education plans to carve out $100,000 in its budget to boost executive-level compensation for the deputy superintendent, assistant superintendentsand complex area superintendents.
The 19 affected positions are appointed and not union-represented, so the salary changes must be approved by the Board of Education, which is expected to vote on them Thursday.
DOE requests to increase executive-level pay have not met with much public objection in previous years. This year’s proposed pay increase starts at 2.5 percent for those who “fully meet expectations,” going up to 3.5 percent for those who showed “exceptional performance” based on evaluations from the 2017-18 school year….
Overall, the executive-level increases would shift the salary range for complex area superintendents to $135,000-$170,000 from $125,000-$163,589. Pay for the seven assistant superintendents would increase to $145,000-$175,000 from $143,023-$167,353. The annual salary for the deputy superintendent — who is second in command to the school superintendent — would increase to a range of $155,000-$180,000 from $143,023-$167,353.
Hawaii school Superintendent Christina Kishimoto makes $240,000 annually under her three-year contract. It’s not clear whether she is eligible for an annual increase within those three years. The superintendent is evaluated by the board.
The highest compensated principals in Hawaii can command a salary ranging from $133,597 to $189,119, according to a public database of state employee pay maintained by Civil Beat….
The largest subset of DOE employees — the state’s roughly 13,700 teachers — are represented by the Hawaii State Teachers Association. Under a contract covering years 2017 to 2021, annual salaries for 12-month employees go up to $104,186, with an annual average pay increase of 3.4 percent…..
read … DOE Proposes Increases For Executive-Level Salaries
Council to discuss call for audit of DOE
MN: …A resolution urging the state Office of the Auditor to conduct a performance and fiscal audit of the state Department of Education will be introduced at the County Council meeting Friday, Council Member Riki Hokama said.
“Quality education for our keiki is of the utmost importance” said Hokama. “However, the proposed constitutional amendment ballot question, authorized by the state Legislature, fails to evaluate efficiency and effectiveness within the Department of Education.”…
“The collection of real property tax revenues by the state would strip the counties of funds used to provide core services, such as fire, police, parks and emergency management,” said Hokama, chairman of the council’s Budget and Finance Committee.
“Taking these funds and autonomy away from the counties, especially without evaluating the department, sets a precedent for a lack of accountability,” he said.
The resolution also notes that the counties currently support education, a state government function, through funding after-school activities and science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs, and providing grants to educational programs and nonprofits, transportation for after-school programs, and facilities for educational and athletic activities.
At a council budget meeting Sept. 4, there was strong opposition to the proposed constitutional amendment with council members critical of the state encroaching on a county funding source and calling for an audit of the DOE….
The council meeting will begin at 9 a.m. in Council Chambers in the county building in Wailuku.
Residents may provide testimony at the meeting or email written testimony to county.clerk@mauicounty.us. To review the resolution on the meeting agenda, go to Maui County.us/agendas….
SA: Convicted Thief Michael ‘Bitchbear’ Golojuch Wants HSTA Tax Hike
read … Council to discuss call for audit of DOE
Four Years of ‘Disruptive’ -- Middle Street-to-Ala Moana phase of Honolulu rail project moving ahead
SA: …The roughly 100 people attending Monday night’s Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation meeting heard the message loud and clear from rail officials and their contractors: “We’re coming.”
After several years of site work and construction on the west end of the 20-mile rail line, HART is commencing with the Middle Street-to-Ala Moana phase of the $8 billion, 20-mile project starting with a utilities relocation project that began recently along Kamehameha Highway between Middle Street and Puuhale Road in front of the Oahu Community Correctional Center.
Nan Inc. was awarded the $400 million final utilities relocation contract which is expected to run 47 months into 2022….
SA: Some businesses and residents are anxious about rail construction in Kalihi-to-Ala Moana area
read … ‘Disruptive’ Middle Street-to-Ala Moana phase of Honolulu rail project moving ahead
Tax credits will be issue for film industry
SA: …A new cap on tax-credit reimbursements, set to start in 2019, would limit total reimbursement to $35 million per year — a drop from the estimated $58 million the state is expected to give back for productions this year. State lawmakers should stay tuned as they’ll likely be feeling the pressure to keep giving money away to Hollywood moguls….
read … Tax credits will be issue for film industry
Amendment 1: Transparency in Pay Hikes for Public Officials
WHT: …Amendment 1 on the Nov. 6 ballot was top of mind for most members of the Salary Commission on Monday, as it mulled a request for recommendations from the Charter Commission.
The Charter Commission is tasked with looking at ways to improve the county charter, the fundamental document governing the county, in the same way a constitution forms the basis for government of the state and nation. That commission’s recommendations will be put on the 2020 ballot for the voters to decide.
In the meantime, however, Amendment 1 will set new requirements for public notice of raises the Salary Commission proposes. If approved by voters, it takes effect Nov. 7.
Amendment 1 requires the Salary Commission to give the public 30 days’ notice before adopting pay increases, by publishing the notice in the island’s newspapers and providing for public inspection a detailed report of its findings and conclusions. In addition, the commission must hold a public hearing on either the east or west side of the island, with videoconference participation on the other side.
The amendment also requires a two-thirds commission vote of any salary increase or decrease of more than 10 percent.
An attempt by Commissioner George Campbell to have the Salary Commission tell the Charter Commission it’s OK with the charter amendment failed on a 1-7 vote….
VIDEO: Hawaii County Salary Commission Meets In Hilo
read … Salary Commission still irked at charter amendment oversight
Katherine Kealoha resigns as deputy prosecutor
SA: …Katherine Kealoha previously had been placed on leave without pay, according to the Honolulu Prosecutor’s Office.
Kealoha was formally placed on unpaid leave in October and had been on voluntary unpaid leave before that….
She and her husband, former Honolulu police chief Louis Kealoha, are scheduled to stand trial in U.S. District Court in November on bank fraud charges….
read … Katherine Kealoha resigns as deputy prosecutor
Authorities aim to thwart sex traffickers by reuniting high-risk teens with families
KHON: …The Honolulu Police Department is joining forces with another organization.
CrimeStoppers and the Missing Child Center of Hawaii are partnering up to help find teens who are considered "endangered" or "high risk."
The goal is to reunite runaways with their families to prevent them from getting involved in even more dangerous situations.
There are more than 50 entries listed in the state's missing children database. Twenty kids were reported missing since the beginning of the year….
The state records 3,000 juveniles as runaways every year; 2,500 are from Oahu alone.
Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.
Link: Click here for more information.
read … Authorities aim to thwart sex traffickers by reuniting high-risk teens with families
Hawaii: 66% of Lunatics Untreated
CB: …Nearly 57 percent of American adults with mental health disorders receive no treatment. In Hawaii, the situation is even worse. A 2017 access-to-care study ranks the islands second-to-last in the nation, with 66 percent of adults with mental health disorders failing to receive treatment…..
AP: Ruling keeps Hawaii schizo hospitalized in '06 triple murder
read .. Reopen the Insane Asylums
Swing and a Miss: ACLU Tries Another Trick to Keep Homeless out of Shelters
SA: …The American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii said a recent federal court decision could spell trouble for two bills before the Honolulu City Council that make it illegal to obstruct or “lodge” on sidewalks and other public property, as well as existing ordinances that target the homeless.
But Mayor Kirk Caldwell and his administration, which initiated the bills, said the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Martin v. City of Boise deals with laws that are different from what’s being proposed, or already on the books, in Honolulu. (Translation: Close but no cigar.)
The Council on Wednesday voted 7-1 to give the second of three required approvals to Bills 51 and 52, which are seen primarily as a means for the city to remove the homeless from sidewalks and other public property. The Council Public Works, Infrastructure and Sustainability Committee will take the bill up again at 1 p.m. Wednesday. Councilman Brandon Elefante was the one “no” vote. Councilman Joey Manahan was on the mainland attending a conference….
Bill 51 would make it illegal between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. to “create, cause or maintain” an obstruction on an Oahu public sidewalk if it “interferes, impedes and/or prevents” pedestrians from moving through freely. Administration officials say the measure is not simply aimed at the homeless, but anyone who obstructs the sidewalk — including, for instance, the company that recently left commercial scooters on sidewalks without city approval. Violators could be subject to fines of up to $100.
Bill 52 would make it a petty misdemeanor to “lodge” on a sidewalk or other public space. It defines “to lodge” as “to occupy place temporarily; to sleep; to come to rest and refuse to vacate” a public place. The bill states specifically that a police officer issuing a citation must first verify there is shelter space within a reasonable distance and to offer to take the person being cited to the shelter….
PDF: last month’s Boise opinion
read … Officials debate impact of court opinion on city homeless laws
State Sheriffs searching for homeless man that caused Saint Andrew's Priory to go on lockdown
KITV: …According to State Public Safety officials the man was found sleeping on the air conditioning system at the Queen Liliuokalani Building around 8 a.m. Monday.
When sheriffs ordered him to come down they say he flashed what appeared to be a sharp object before jumping a fence onto the school's property and running away.
Sheriffs then searched the school.and then gave the all-clear about an hour later.
Witnesses saw the man run towards the downtown Alakea area describing him as being in his mid-to-late 30s wearing a black hat, shirt, and pants.
He also was said to have a band-aid near his right eye….
AP: Homeless man charged in stabbing death of champion golfer
read … State Sheriffs searching for homeless man that caused Saint Andrew's Priory to go on lockdown
New Service Helps Public Access Public Records
CB: Code for Hawaii and The Civil Beat Law Center for the Public Interest recently launched a free service — UIPA.org — designed to help everyone request records from local government agencies. This new service aims to reduce barriers to access for community members who want to learn more about government practices….
read … New Service Helps Public Access Public Records
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