COM 0111.003 2010-2012 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Honorable Members of the Hawai`i County Council May 5, 2011 Page 7 • Transfer to Solid Waste — Subsidy to the fund has been increased by $643,918 to add funding for increased Department of Health disposal fees and DEM administrative fees as well as increases for landfill tonnage fees and worker's compensation insurance. • Transfer to Budget Stabilization — As discussed above, anticipated savings from HGEA agreements are being used to increase County reserves. • Provision for Compensation Adjustment — Represents the expected general fund savings from HGEA contract agreements, which will be liquidated and adjusted to each individual salary and wage accounts when all negotiations are settled and actual amounts are known. • Unfunded Vacant Positions — Adjustments were made to unfunded vacancies, with the net effect of reducing the number of vacant positions unfunded in the current budget process to 97 positions, or a cumulative total over the term of this administration of 222 positions. CONCLUSION Our island community is growing, and has maintained the values that make the County of Hawai`i the special place that we call home. Ours is a community where neighbors look out for one another, and where people pitch in to work together on park improvements and community clean -up projects. In good times and in difficult times such as these, we recognize our connection to one another, and our obligation to reach out to help one another. This budget reflects those values. This budget protects services for our elderly and youth, and preserves funding for the non - profit organizations that touch the most needy residents of our island. It also properly funds the essential public safety services that keep our families and communities safe. This is the third consecutive year that we have increased the share of the county budget that is devoted to public safety, even while we cut the budget as a whole. This budget demands more of our county employees because it once again cuts county spending and reduces staffing. We recognize that this three -year period of declining budgets has been difficult for our public workers, requiring that they make do with limited resources, and become more efficient. In this recession more than any other, our county workforce has shared the sacrifice, and I thank them for their efforts. We are seeing signs of an economic recovery, and we know our long -term economic outlook is excellent. We are ready to use our borrowing power and our excellent credit rating to advance public works projects to stimulate our island economy. We will work tirelessly with our partners to encourage economic growth that will benefit our families, and will provide meaningful jobs and educational opportunities for our children.