You Want to Raise the TAT by HOW Much?
DHHL Distributes 665 Ewa Beach 'Project Leases'
We can do more to help Hawaii businesses rebound
New maps improve Hawaiʻi’s wildfire risk warnings
Worse Than Rail: $11.1B to Control non-existent Ala Wai floods
SA: … As detailed under the city and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project’s 3,741-page Ala Wai Flood Risk Management Draft General Re-evaluation Report and Integrated Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement published in 2023, the project’s estimated cost — originally priced at over $345 million few years earlier — soared to nearly $1.1 billion….
But at a Feb. 27 event hosted by the Hawaii Hotel Alliance and the American Hotel & Lodging Association, Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi told attendees inside the Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, including Gov. Josh Green, that the Ala Wai flood control project’s overall cost had increased more than tenfold, to a whopping $11.1 billion.
“It’s out of reach,” the mayor declared….
(CLUE: They’re still going to try to build this. Its who they are. Its what they do.)
The mayor’s comments over the latest cost of the flood control project appear related to a federal civil lawsuit lodged in 2014 by property owners who alleged they were negatively impacted by Army Corps flood mitigation work next to the Missouri River.
The plaintiffs in Ideker Farms v. United States claimed the Army Corps caused flooding and damage to their respective properties while working on a project that spanned six states along portions of the waterway’s 2,300-mile course.
The lawsuit asserted that “farmlands, personal property and businesses” were severely damaged by these flood mitigation efforts — or taken by the federal government — in such a way that violated the takings clause of the Fifth Amendment, which bars the government from taking private property without just compensation.
In 2023, a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling determined the Army Corps was responsible and that three plaintiffs in the case could receive over $7 million in damages to their respective properties, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims has since ruled against the Army Corps’ ongoing contention that the case should be dismissed outright based on its lack of merit.
In Honolulu, the Ideker case could pose profound impacts on the Ala Wai flood control project’s future — namely, that hundreds of private landowners along the project’s path may desire hefty compensation if flood mitigation efforts cause damage to privately owned properties….
Really Obvious Question: When has there EVER been flooding of the Ala Wai Canal?
In terms of actual consequences for not finishing the Army Corps project, Finley said Waikiki area high-rises, including his own 50-year-old building, continue to experience flooding events.
“The elevator shafts are our big problem,” he explained. “I know in my particular building we’ve added a second sump pump to our elevator pit, just because of the amount of water that comes in when we have king tides and heavy rains.”
CLUE: The Ala Wai project cannot control ground water rise. It might even make ground water higher by percolating rain accumulation into the Ala Wai Golf Course instead of letting it flow into the ocean. Sump pumps are a lot cheaper than $11.1B.
1965: Photo of some puddling on Ala Wai Blvd.
REDDIT: Fake picture of non-flooding from 2024. Its really a puddle on Ala Wai Blvd. As the comments show, the Canal did not rise out of its banks.
read … Concerns raised over Ala Wai flood control project’s $11B estimate | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
Council chair presses to keep inflated paychecks coming
Shapiro: … Honolulu City Council members, having just filled their pockets with piggish 64% raises that took their pay from $69,000 to $113,000, now are conniving to stick around longer to enjoy their booty.
Council Chair Tommy Waters engineered the pay raises by falsely arguing before the city Salary Commission — largely appointed by the Council — that Council members, traditionally considered part-time, are actually full-time employees. Then he refused to allow a vote on a resolution by several members to reject the big raises.
Now Waters is pushing the city Charter Commission to eliminate or loosen popular term limits that restrict the mayor and Council members to two consecutive four-year terms. Council terms are staggered so at least four of the nine members have a term of experience.
“It takes four years just for us to learn how to do this job,” Waters complained to the commission.” By the time our term is up, we just got the job going, and I’m sure the mayor and other elected officials will tell you that that’s not enough time. … So, something to consider: term limits.” …
The Charter Commission will lose much credibility if it backs another attempt by self-interested politicians to undo what voters clearly want….
In 1992, voters enacted the current term limits for the mayor and Council by margins of about 60% to 30%. By a similar majority, voters rejected a proposed 2006 Charter amendment to either end Council term limits or add a third term. Yet another attempt in 2016 to add a third term was again voted down 60% to 34%.
Public opinion polls have shown that voters by the same overwhelming margins want to extend term limits to state legislators, the only major elected officials still unlimited….
read … David Shapiro: Council chair presses to keep inflated paychecks coming | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
State Salary Commissioners Explain how Legislators get Big Pay Raises Without Paying a Political Price
CB: … Salary increases are on the way for top elected and appointed officials in Hawaiʻi. All they have to do is nothing ….
read … State Salary Commissioners Defend The Big Pay Raises They're Recommending - Honolulu Civil Beat
Hawaii is where state taxes go to live and flourish
Borreca: … Surprisingly, the simplest information about the bad news about taxes in Hawaii comes from the state Tax Department (https://tax. hawaii.gov/blog/blog14-comparing-hawaii-income-taxes).
“Hawaii has one of the highest income tax burdens of any state for all income levels,” the department’s post says….
Hawaii is where state taxes go to live and flourish. Hawaii, for instance, has a name for every possible way to force you to hand over your money.
We have an individual income tax, corporate income tax, state sales tax, property tax, gas tax, cigarette, tobacco and liquor tax, fuel tax, public service company tax, rental vehicle, motor vehicle and car-sharing vehicle tax, and the transient accommodations tax.
State officials will note that both Gov. Josh Green and the Legislature combined last year to pass a new state tax plan that they say will “significantly reduce Hawaii’s individual income tax liability for everyone in the state.”
It is being called the largest tax cut in the state’s history ….
read … It’s a taxing situation, as state extracts revenues
As property values climb, Maui County eyes lower tax rates for resident homeowners
MN: … In his proposed budget released on Tuesday, Mayor Richard Bissen said he is calling to keep real property tax rates flat across all categories except for owner-occupied homes, “where I am proposing a reduction to support local families.”
Each of the three tax tiers for owner-occupied properties would see a decrease under the mayor’s budget, which proposes going from $1.80 to $1.70 per $1,000 of assessed value in the lowest tier, $2 to $1.90 in the second-highest tier and $3.25 to $3.10 in the highest tier.
But in most cases, the tax rate reductions are a small percentage of the tax increases that come with the higher assessed values.
As an example: If an owner-occupied property was assessed $800,000 last fiscal year, the taxes with the $300,000 homestead exemption — which property owners can get for their primary residence — would be $900 at the current rate of $1.80 per $1,000 of assessed value. If that same property’s assessed value increased by $200,000 this fiscal year, even with the lower rate of $1.70, taxes would be $1,190 — a $290 increase. That means reducing the tax rate by 10 cents ultimately saved the owner $70.. …
MN: Maui County Council to address proposed budget, property assessments
read … As property values climb, Maui County eyes lower tax rates for resident homeowners
Eternal flame again snuffed out by gas line blockage
KN: … Hawai‘i Gas Co. crews assisted the Hawai‘i Department of Accounting and General Services on Friday with attempting to clear the blockage between the meter on the ‘Ewa side of the memorial and the flame by using a high-pressure burst of air, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
The next step is for the department to clear the line or replace the plugged section of piping.
More will be known about the situation and a possible solution by early this week ….
read … Eternal flame temporarily snuffed out by rare gas line blockage : Kauai Now
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