CATO: Josh Green Ranks 7th in Fiscal Policy
Young Brothers seeks 45% rate hikes
SA: … The cost to ship most cargo between islands in Hawaii could jump 20% on average, and in instances up to 45%, next summer under a plan by the state’s regulated interisland tug-and-barge operator.
Young Brothers LLC filed an application Tuesday with the state Public Utilities Commission to raise a variety of rates the company said are needed to cover higher costs that include investments in equipment, a new labor contract and other things as cargo volume still lags pre-pandemic levels.
The proposed increases would generate an additional $26.3 million in annual revenue, according to the company….
Rates for some types of cargo, however, are proposed for higher increases. They include:
>> 30% to ship a car or roll-on, roll-off cargo.
>> 35% for containers shipped to and from Hilo.
>> 20% to 35% for some service requiring less handling.
>> 35% to 45% for services requiring additional or special handling.
>> 30% for dry and 40% for refrigerated cargo on pallets.
>> 35% for less-than-container loads.
>> 45% for less-than-pallet loads.
During the pandemic in 2020, Young Brothers received an emergency 46% rate increase aimed at generating an extra $27 million in annual revenue that the company said was necessary to nearly break even financially and avoid ceasing service.
At the time, the state Consumer Advocate considered the increase excessive. In 2021 a state-ordered audit concluded that the emergency increase was producing profits for Young Brothers and said there was a strong argument for the emergency increase to be reduced.
The audit, by Nevada-based Munro Tulloch Inc., also said Young Brothers doesn’t appear to fairly split costs between its regulated service and a line of unregulated service predominantly moving containers for a few large international shipping companies.
“Based on our analysis and observations there is currently an over allocation of costs to the regulated business,” the audit said.
In July, the PUC approved a proposal by Young Brothers to modify cost allocations between its regulated and unregulated services.
REALITY: Young Brothers Rate Hike Proposal Based on Fraudulent Numbers
REALITY: Young Bros: Another Jones Act Failure
MN: Young Brothers requests rate adjustment to sustain interisland shipping service
read … Young Brothers seeks rate hikes
HHFDC ‘Affordable’ Units ‘an embarrassment’
SA: … The state’s Dwelling Unit Revolving Fund (DURF) Equity Pilot program — a new, $10 million loan program designed to get middle-income people into homes by lowering initial purchase costs — is drawing public scrutiny. That’s largely because of a Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corp. (HHFDC) decision in August to spend $1.7 million out of the fund to buy into 26 “affordable” condos at the controversial, mixed-use Sky Ala Moana project.
There’s plenty of room for criticism of the “affordable” positioning of the Sky development, which has drawn skepticism from the start. Poor sales for affordable units at Sky are behind the decision to use DURF Equity Pilot (DEP) funds there, to make units more attractive to buyers. That is an embarrassment to the city and state, both of which encouraged and signed off on developers’ plans that got land-use exemptions. Yet two years after first being offered for sale, 64 of 84 “affordable” units remain on the market.
It can stick in a taxpayer’s craw to learn that new public money is going into the project….
The Sky developers received a bundle of zoning rights — setback, density and height variances that it would not have been eligible for otherwise, in exchange for providing these 84 units, affordable to buyers earning up to 100%, 120% and 140% of Honolulu’s area median income (AMI), a price point that’s better understood as workforce, or middle-income housing. (For reference: 100% AMI for a single earner is $91,700, $104,800 for two, and $131,000 for a family of four.)
Sky’s developers agreed to keep a number of the workforce units restricted to sale at affordability limits for a 30-year-period, becoming the first Honolulu developer to agree to this restriction. They also were relieved of some affordable housing, park dedication and other requirements with the city’s acceptance of a condo-hotel model for a portion of the project. At the time, the developer said condotels would “offset the risk” of a 30-year sale restriction….
read … Editorial: HHFDC must focus funds on future
Hawaii Legislature Rarely Uses Its Own Process To Investigate Lawmakers
CB: … When the Hawaii State Ethics Commission last month fined a state legislator $12,500 for campaign financial disclosure violations, the case was referred to House Speaker Scott Saiki. The commission can only fine a representative, not discipline them.
But as of this week the commission had not received a formal response from Saiki, even though the rules of the Hawaii House of Representatives on legislative conduct indicate that action is required.
House rules state that the speaker “shall appoint” a select committee to investigate complaints for misconduct, disorderly conduct, neglect of duty and violation of the state’s Code of Ethics. That law addresses campaign activities, disclosure requirements, gifts, conflicts of interest, fair treatment, nepotism and outside employment, among other things.
House leadership did not respond to Civil Beat’s questions about Rep. David Alcos, who acknowledged violating the law.
House leaders also did not respond to questions about the long-standing special committee to investigate allegations of misconduct. The House Select Committee on Standards of Conduct appears to have rarely convened since its inception 16 years ago.
And House rules state that complaints against representatives cannot be made during an election year from the filing deadline, which was June 4 this year, until one day after the general election, Nov. 5 this year….
read … Hawaii Legislature Rarely Uses Its Own Process To Investigate Lawmakers
Honolulu Council adopts possible worker hazard pay
SA: … The City and County of Honolulu will likely tap about $5 million in federal COVID-19 money to help pay the estimated tens of millions of dollars in temporary hazard pay to city workers employed during the pandemic.
That action comes as United Public Workers in Kauai County voted last week to accept 15% of their base hourly pay for all the hours worked during the pandemic’s first two years.
On Oahu the City Council recently voted to adopt a city-initiated resolution that seeks to put reprogrammed American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, State and Local Fiscal Recovery funds toward the city’s other post-employment benefit, or OPEB, activity….
read … Honolulu Council adopts possible worker hazard pay
SHOPO Senses Opportunity to Remove Maui’s ‘Outsider’ Chief
HNN: … Last week, MPD’s former, longtime forensic morgue contractor revealed the department failed to follow many of the protocols for the respectful and accurate recovery of people who died in the fire.
(TRANSLATION: He wants $270K.)
When HNN Investigates asked Chief Pelletier about those claims, he refused to answer any questions regarding those processes. Now, there are a growing number of calls for the police commission and other county leaders to step up and get answers.
(TRANSLATION: They sense an opportunity to return the MPD to ‘local’ control.)
In the weeks after Greyson Abarra’s contract ended with MPD, he broke his silence on alleged missteps made by officers and officer recruits who had been ordered to recover human remains despite not having proper training.
When asked why he thought the community needed to hear this story, he stated, “To know what happened.”
Abarra says the process was so disorganized, he can’t guarantee all the ashes families received are actually those of their loved ones.
Camron Hurt says it’s a reality we cannot allow to be swept under the rug….
Now, the program manager at government watchdog group, Common Cause Hawaii, is calling on the police commission to get answers to questions Chief Pelletier is refusing to acknowledge….
HNN Investigates also gave the chief the opportunity to sit down with us for an on-camera interview.
Instead, a department spokesperson replied, “Please refer to our Preliminary After-Action Report, the Attorney General’s report, and the past official press conferences that provide comprehensive details addressing aspects of the recovery process.”…
State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers spokesperson Dustin DeRollo told HNN Investigates, “This isn’t like any other job that police officers do. This is very, very unique. There are very, very specific policies. And whoever is overseeing that operation has to have training. Anybody else is not acceptable.”
DeRollo went on to say, “Families should not have to experience the trauma and the grief knowing that the remains of their loved ones — may not be their loved ones. And our officers do not deserve — based on the job they do every day — to feel that they have any part in desecrating somebody’s remains. That is very real. And it is very heavy for our officers. We want to make sure that never happens again.”…
HNN: Maui PD won’t discuss allegations it owes forensic morgue contractor more than $270K
read … Watchdog group demands answers from MPD Chief amid reports department mishandled Lahaina victims’ remains
Wilcox Medical Center nurses to picket Wednesday
SA: … The nurses have been negotiating with Wilcox, a Hawai‘i Pacific Health hospital, since May 6. The negotiations have focused on ensuring safe staffing levels for quality patient care.
“We are picketing for safe staffing and safe patient care not only for our jobs, but most importantly for our community,” said Sonya Balian-Grande, a Women Infant Health nurse at Wilcox. “We are simply asking for guaranteed nurse-to-patient ratios and safer staffing numbers in our new contract. Our patients trust us to keep them healthy, safe, and alive and we want to do everything we can to maintain that level of trust and care.”
Kapi‘olani Medical Center for Women and Children’s recently settled with its nurses after more than a year of negotiations that culminated in Kapi‘olani imposing a 22-day lockout….
TGI: Wilcox Medical Center nurses take their battle to the streets
read … Wilcox Medical Center nurses to picket Wednesday
North Shore Development On Fast Track Thanks To 2022 City Decision
CB: … A decision over two years ago by the Honolulu Department of Planning and Permitting has enabled a North Shore developer to avoid doing a new environmental impact statement for the current version of a construction project underway near the Turtle Bay Resort.
The Utah-based company Arete Collective intends to build up to 350 units on two coastal land parcels the company purchased in April.
The plans for the first four buildings of five units each on a parcel called RR-3 were submitted for approval in December 2022 and are still under review, DPP deputy director Bryan Gallagher said in an email.
But six months before those plans were submitted for approval, DPP determined that an EIS approved in 2013 satisfied the necessary requirements and “therefore no further environmental impact statement will be required.” …
read … North Shore Development On Fast Track Thanks To 2022 City Decision
Election News:
QUICK HITS: