RESOLUTION 11-203 FORMATION OF A JOINT TASK FORCE FOR THE PREVENTION OF FLOODING ON THE LEEWARD COAST

by Councilmember Tom Berg (Ewa, Waianae)

After RESOLUTION 11-203 CD1 FD1 passed the City Council unanimously on November 2, our Mayor has sought to deny the formation of the task force to address flooding for our district. The Mayor's explanation can be read by clicking here.

My response to the Mayor is, what are we then doing to address flooding for our neighbors along Honouliuli Stream in the Ewa area and for all the folks upstream of Farrington Highway in the Makaha area? I tried in budget season to get funding to tackle our flooding issues in the amount of $10 million but that did not pan out - even when I found the money with my proposal to stop subsidizing city golf courses and have the city golf courses instead charge their patrons a fee in the amount to sustain themselves as opposed to the the practice of raiding moneys from the city's general fund each year to keep these failing golf courses afloat.

In my opinion, the response of the Mayor to rely on politicians having their own meetings is not the way to go. Politicians come and go and the beauty of the task force I created was that it would live independent of elected officials and have Sunshine Laws applicable to it, postings of agendas, be accessible to all online, incorporate public hearings, provide quarterly reports to all of our neighborhood boards along the Leeward Coast, and thrive without politicians only focusing on their own legislative districts whereby my resolve included all of us. I do not expect Senator Shimabukuro and Reps Jordon and Awana to focus on the Honoluliuli Stream outside of their districts so that is why the task force was needed. All for one and one for all is my motto.

Thus, the justification to adopt all of our residents into a one-stop-shop whereby all residents in Council District One would get resolve and have the opportunity to have resources directed toward the entire Leeward Coast's plight - would be more efficient and prudent for the taxpayer in my analysis.

Feel free to write the Mayor or email him at pcarlisle@honolulu.gov and request with me to have him reconsider his position and reinstate the task force that never got a chance to show what it could do for us.