COM 0290.002 2016-2018 - Laserfiche WebLink

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RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AN INCREASE OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII FUEL TAX WHEREAS,the provisions of Section 243-5, Hawai`i Revised Statutes, enable, empower and authorize the Council of the County of Hawai`i to determine the amount of the County fuel tax; and WHEREAS, Section 243-5, Hawai`i Revised Statutes provides that the amount of the County fuel tax shall be determined by resolution of the County Council in the manner provided by law, relating to resolutions involving the expenditure of public money. The amount so fixed may be per gallon, one or more cents or a fraction of a cent or both, or zero; and WHEREAS, Section 243-5, Hawai`i Revised Statutes further provides that no such resolution shall be adopted until the County Council conducts a public hearing on the amount of the proposed tax after a notice of such hearing has been published in a newspaper of general circulation within the County at least twice during a period of thirty days immediately preceding the date of such hearing; and WHEREAS, Section 243-6, Hawai`i Revised Statutes, provides that in addition to expending fuel tax revenues for highway construction and maintenance purposes, revenues may be expended for mass transit; and WHEREAS,the existing Hawai`i County fuel fax of eight-and eight-tenths (8.8) cents has remained unchanged since 1988 in spite of a steady increase in costs and is the lowest in the State, as the County of Maui fuel tax is twenty-three (23) cents per gallon,the County of Kauai fuel tax is seventeen(17) cents per gallon, and the City and County of Honolulu fuel tax is sixteen and five-tenths (16.5) cents per gallon; and WHEREAS, the Council, after considering the various and numerous road, mass transit, and highway needs and improvements to be made within the County of Hawai`i, finds that the County fuel tax should be: a)increased by an additional six and two tenths (6.2) cents per gallon for the Fiscal Year 2017-2018,thereby making the aggregate county of Hawai`i fuel tax on liquid fuel fifteen(15) cents per gallon for the Fiscal Year 2017-2018, b) increased by an additional four cents per gallon for the Fiscal Year 2018-2019,thereby making the aggregate county of Hawaii fuel tax on liquid fuel nineteen(19) cents per gallon for the Fiscal Year 2018- 2019, and c) increased by an additional four cents per gallon for the Fiscal Year 2019-2020, thereby making the aggregate county of Hawai`i fuel tax on liquid fuel twenty three (23) cents per gallon for the Fiscal Year 2019-2020, all to support the safe and efficient operation and maintenance of County roads, mass transit, and highway infrastructure; and WHEREAS, all fuel tax increases proposed in this resolution are conditional to the timely submission of a comprehensive plan by the Department of Public Works in collaboration with the Office of the Mayor providing the following minimum information: • Amount to be generated by increases; • Information on how money will be equitably distributed to all districts; • Specific transportation projects to be funded in each district; and • Timelines for projects utilizing fuel tax revenues.; now,therefore,