HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0711.231 2008-2010Good morning, Chairman Yoshimoto, and other members of the County Council.
My name is Dave Smith. While I am currently a freelance technical writer, I haunted these
halls for two decades as a newspaper reporter, although this is the first time I've ever testified
before this body.
I'd like to express my support of Mayor Kenoi's budget, which is obviously the product of
long and careful analysis of how to cover the impending deficit in the least painful ways. I'd
also like to note that his budget has been debated at length, and has been the subject of a
number of public meetings.
On the other hand, the Council is essentially asking the public to accept a pig in a poke. While
there have been a few newspaper articles about the new amendments, virtually no one outside
of this building has any idea of the rationale behind them. The amendments can be found on
the Internet by those motivated enough and capable of doing so, but even that is not much help.
I looked up some on the county's web page and what did I fmd? Memos stating only the
proposed changes and lacking any reasons why. The press has tried to present what it can but
in such a short span of time can't possibly provide the detail needed for the public to digest
them properly. As an example, the articles have mentioned Councilman Hoffman's proposed
$4 million sale of public lands without including anything about the what, where, and how, or
why Mr. Hoffman has suddenly reversed his position on county land sales.
Some of these hastily proposed amendments are very troubling, such as Councilman Yagong's
proposal to defer a $5 million pension payment. How can that possibly be considered fiscally
prudent when it will only delay the inevitable and create additional costs?
And how could Mr. Yagong in good conscience ask that public safety employees forego a raise
when he himself did not? I know he asked the Salary Commission last year to reconsider the
council raise, but talk is easier than action. As far as I know, he could have rejected the raise
but instead has accepted the extra pay. In fact, I haven't heard of any council members taking
pay cuts as the mayor's office has, or even furloughs as many county workers will in the
upcoming fiscal year. So much for leading by example.
Also, proposals to reduce overtime budgets for public safety workers seem disingenuous to me.
I doubt that any council member would seriously propose that police and fire personnel not be
allowed to work overtime when needed, so that means those funds will eventually have to be
found anyway.
If these last - minute changes go into effect, I believe many Big Island residents will be shocked
at the resulting reductions in county services. That will particularly include golfers and anyone
hoping, praying that they will find an open solid waste transfer station.
Ultimately, after seeing what is unfolding here, I can only conclude that some members of the
council are engaging in political grandstanding, and I believe the citizens of the Big Island
deserve better. 1 ( . 2'�j
Core No.
Ref. Toy 1'JC trU Ca 1
Ref. Dote,, „LB 0 7 2010
Thank you for the opportunity to speak.