Latest news with #TommyWaters
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Kaimuki residents are calling for ‘monster home' to be torn down
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Kaimuki residents have had it with a monster home at 3615 Sierra Dr. 'It's really just a disguised apartment house with inadequate parking so as a nearby resident I think it really should just be torn down,' one Kaimuki resident said. How can Honolulu get rid of monster homes? 'Clearly from the get go, you could tell it was in violation,' another Kaimuki resident named Kaira said. 'Can it get torn down?' The Department of Planning and Permitting revoked the building permit for 3615 Sierra Dr. three years ago after discrepancies were found with what was being built and the floor plans submitted to DPP, which shut down construction. Then in 2024, an appeal to the building board was also denied. According to DPP, the property owner has since filed building permit applications to comply with the ordinance, which DPP said are under review. No word on how long that will take. 'The owner must pay a triple fee penalty for the permit, and possibly remove any portions of the work that do not comply with the monster homes ordinance,' DPP said. 'They have also suffered losses to time and money spent on the original permit, and the non-use of the current, incomplete structure.'DPP also said it has been cracking down on monster homes thanks to new laws and measures. Since 2022, DPP stated it has revoked 17 building permits. City Council Chair Tommy Waters is also pushing Bill 33, which would make it easier for DPP to enforce the laws and hold violators responsible. Meanwhile, residents are still left living next to this half-constructed monstrosity. They said it's a magnet for illegal activity and an eyesore. 'I don't think you can let these houses just sit there derelict indefinitely,' Kaimuki resident Elaine Evans said. 'Unfortunately this monster home is very visible, that's the problem,' a resident named Daniel added. 'And I got to say it's just ugly.' Check out more news from around Hawaii Honolulu City Council will be discussing Bill 33 at its meeting on May 29. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Honolulu Council advances bill to offset sewer fee hike
Honolulu City Council legislation to defray costs associated with the city's planned 10-year, 115 % sewer fee rate hike slated to start this summer has advanced on the first of three readings. The Council voted unanimously Wednesday to pass Bill 43, meant to redirect a portion of the 3 % visitor-generated Oahu transient accommodations tax, which in part is earmarked for Honolulu's rail project, to the city's sewer fund. The Council's passage of the bill—sponsored by Chair Tommy Waters—comes as the city plans for new fee increases to address rising operational costs and fund critical sewer-related projects within the city Department of Environmental Services' $10.1 billion capital improvement program, scheduled for 2025 to 2040. That includes work to upgrade the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant to full secondary treatment at an estimated cost of $2.5 billion. Bill 43, as drafted, temporarily would amend the disposition of the city's OTAT revenues so that 50 % would be deposited into the transit fund, while 41.66 % would go into the sewer fund. The legislation also allocates 8.34 % to create a special fund, one to be named by the city Department of Budget and Fiscal Serv ices, to mitigate impacts of visitors on public facilities and natural resources and 'supplement any funds regularly appropriated for that purpose.' If approved, Bill 43 would take effect July 1, 2027, and be repealed June 30, 2037. But in a letter sent Monday to the Council, BFS Director Andy Kawano stated Bill 43 was not a feasible option for the city to pursue. 'This measure will negatively impact the city's general fund and deviate from the intended purpose of the TAT, which is to provide general fund capacity to fund city services ; mitigate the strain visitors place on public facilities, emergency services, and natural resources ; and provide additional funding for rail (i.e., 'Skyline') construction, ' Kawano wrote. He added 'enterprise funds, such as the sewer fund, are structured to be financially self-sustaining through user fees.' 'Redirecting public tax revenues to subsidize an enterprise fund introduces long-term financial risks, including potential violations of bond covenants, possible downgrades to the city's bond rating, and increased borrowing costs, ' the budget director asserted. 'Furthermore, such a diversion may lead to service reductions or tax increases to balance the budget in future years as more dollars will need to be allocated to fund collective bargaining increases, rail operation and maintenance and increased public safety and health needs, et cetera.' 'We respectfully oppose the bill as it compromises sound financial principles, risks long-term fiscal sustainability, and unfairly shifts the burden of enterprise operations onto taxpayers who may not benefit from those services, ' Kawano stated. At Wednesday's meeting, ENV Director Roger Babcock also spoke in opposition to Bill 43. 'It is, of course, your purview and kuleana to use revenues however you want from the tourists' transient accommodation tax, ' he told the Council. 'The problem though is this was previously slated to go into the general fund, to be used for various other purposes. If it's not used for those other purposes, then it either cannot happen, or funding from those would have to come from other places.' 'So it is no different than taking real property tax and putting it from the general fund into the sewer fund, which we have been very clear from testimony that that is very problematic, ' Babcock said. Waters generally disagreed with the city's perspective, questioning the ENV director on the efforts the city had taken to lower costs to ratepayers. 'Because I believe that a 100 % increase is going to be devastating to local families, ' he added. In response, Babcock replied, 'The program is very efficiently run.' 'We have operations and maintenance costs which we basically hold steady at current rates, except for inflation, ' he added. 'The other component is our capital program and our debt service … so we don't have any control over that, we have issued a lot of debt already over the past 20 or 30 years, and so we do have very large outstanding obligations, and that's about 50 % of the annual operating costs.' To that, Waters asserted the city's proposed executive operating budget for fiscal year 2026—Bill 22—includes a provision allowing the BFS director 'to transfer money from other departments, if there is excess, into the sewer fund, which, as far as I can tell, has never been done, but it's in the budget bill.' Others from the community also do not support Bill 43. In submitted written testimony, Honolulu resident Milton Kotsubo said he opposed 'this bill and all bills that move funds designated for specific purposes to other purposes.' 'This muddies the water so that it becomes difficult to observe what money is allocated for what purpose, ' he wrote, in part. 'All budget allocations should be clearly specified what the funds are for and the source of the funds.' Meanwhile, Waters' new measure likely will not stop the city's sewer fee hike as presented under city-initiated Bill 60. In October, ENV initially proposed to increase sewer fees annually for the next 10 years—by 9 % annually over the first six years, followed by four smaller annual increases of 8 %, 7 %, 6 % and 5 %. The city says, an average single-family residential sewer bill totals approximately $110.89 a month. By July 1 that bill could rise to $122.04 a month. But since that time other versions of Bill 60 materialized, including a revision by ENV itself that supposedly lessens the initial blow of higher fees to its customers. During an April 29 Council Budget Committee meeting, Babcock presented a so-called 6 % option that would see sewer rates rise by 6 % on July 1. Those rates would increase by 7.5 % in 2027, 8.5 % in 2028, 9 % in the following four years, then rise by 8 %, 7.5 % and 7 % in the final three years, ending in the year 2035. Under this 6 % option, the city said the same average single-family residential sewer bill in the first year would go to $119.18 a month instead of $122.04, a 2.3 % difference. At that meeting, Waters said the city's new 6 % option is 'putting the big rate increases at the end of the 10-year cycle, rather than at the beginning.' With regard to Bill 60, Waters' tentative proposal to increase sewer fees annually for the next decade includes a 6.75 % increase for the first five years, starting July 1. The initial increases would be followed by an 8.75 % increase for the next two years, then a decrease to 7.75 %, 6.75 % and 5.5 % over the remaining years, 'thereby creating savings, ' he said. Waters said instead of a 100 % increase over the decade, 'it would amount to approximately about a 70 % increase over 10 years.' The Council's Budget Committee is expected to review various versions of Bill 60 at its May 27 meeting.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Honolulu city council looks to use hotel tax to help lower projected sewer fee increase
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Sewer fees on Oahu are set to rise starting July 1, and while the Honolulu City Council is seeking ways to lessen the financial impact on residents, not everyone agrees on the best approach. COVID on the Climb: Health Officials Urge Caution, Not Panic 'We now have the second-highest rent in the country. Food is expensive. Electricity is expensive,' said Council Chair Tommy Waters. 'Now our sewer bill is going to go up by 115%? We've got to do something.' The original rate structure proposed a 50-50 split between fixed charges and charges based on water usage, with a 9% annual increase over the first six years, followed by decreases to 8%, 7%, 6%, and 5% in the remaining years. A revised proposal introduces a more gradual rate hike, beginning at 6% and peaking at 9% before tapering down to 7% by year 10. It would also shift the cost structure to 40% fixed and 60% variable, aiming to better align sewer charges with actual household water use and promote conservation. 'We need it because there's a lot of projects we have to do,' said Roger Babcock, director of the city's Department of Environmental Services. 'We have billions of dollars of sewer infrastructure — pipes, manholes, pump stations, and nine wastewater treatment plants.'To help offset the fee increases, the City Council is advancing Bill 43, which proposes diverting revenue from Oʻahu's transient accommodations tax — a hotel tax — from the general fund to a sewer fund. Supporters say the move could reduce the burden on residents. However, Babcock raised concerns about the plan, noting that hotels already charge guests a sewer fee and that shifting tax revenue could hurt the city's bond rating, which affects its ability to borrow for infrastructure projects. 'If you start moving money around from one source to another that wasn't part of the financial plan, bond ratings could be degraded,' Babcock said. Waters compared the idea to using a credit card to pay for necessities. 'Pay it up front in cash and save the money we're paying on interest payments,' he said. Bill 43 passed its first reading Tuesday but must still go through committee and pass two more full council votes before becoming law. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news 'No matter which bill ultimately ends up passing, we want to reduce the financial impact on our families while protecting the city's bond rating,' said Council Vice Chair Matt Weyer. 'And ensure we provide that core service — every time you flush or shower, that water has to go somewhere.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill would offset Honolulu sewer fee hike with money intended for rail
Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters has sponsored legislation to defray costs associated with the city's planned 10-year, 115 % sewer fee rate hike that is slated to start this summer. Bill 43, which was introduced May 5, would redirect a portion of the 3 % visitor-generated Oahu transient accommodations tax, which is earmarked for Honolulu's rail project, to the city's sewer fund. The measure would temporarily amend the disposition of the city's OTAT revenues so that 50 % would be deposited into the transit fund, while 41.66 % would go into the sewer fund. The legislation also allocates 8.34 % to create a special fund, one to be named by the city Department of Budget and Fiscal Services, in order to mitigate impacts of visitors on public facilities and natural resources and 'supplement any funds regularly appropriated for that purpose.' If approved, Bill 43 would take effect July 1, 2027, and be repealed June 30, 2037. The full Council is scheduled to hold a first reading on Bill 43 on Wednesday. Waters told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 'Bill 43 offers a more strategic and equitable alternative to the administration's proposed 115 % rate hike. By using the Council's existing authority to reallocate a portion of OTAT revenue, Bill 43 reduces pressure on working families.' He added, 'It ensures that visitors who contribute heavily to the wear and tear on our water and wastewater systems contribute a fair share. This is more than sound fiscal policy ; it is about responsibly utilizing the existing OTAT, which is a practical step towards a more equitable and sustainable future.' In recent months the city Department of Environmental Services has said the planned sewer fee increases—amounting to a total increase of 115 % across all rate-paying classes over a decade—would take effect July 1. Currently, the city says, an average single-family residential sewer bill totals approximately $110.89 a month. By July 1 that bill could rise to $122.04 a month. ENV said that planned sewer fee rate hikes are necessary to address rising operational costs and fund critical projects within its $10.1 billion capital improvement program, scheduled for 2025 to 2040. That includes work to upgrade the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant to full secondary treatment at an estimated cost of $2.5 billion. Potable-water fee rates will not be adjusted, as they are separate fees administered by the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. The proposed sewer rate fee hike is being proposed under city-initiated Bill 60. In October, ENV initially proposed to increase sewer fees annually for the next 10 years—by 9 % over the first six years, followed by four smaller annual increases of 8 %, 7 %, 6 % and 5 %. But since that time other versions of Bill 60 have materialized, including a revision by ENV itself that supposedly lessens the initial blow of higher fees to its rate-paying customers. ENV Director Roger Babcock presented a so-called 6 % option that would see sewer rates rise by 6 % on July 1, during an April 29 Council Budget Committee meeting. Those rates would increase by 7.5 % in 2027, 8.5 % in 2028, 9 % in the following four years, then rise by 8 %, 7.5 % and 7 % in the final three years, ending in the year 2035. Under this 6 % option, the city said the same average single-family residential sewer bill in the first year would go to $119.18 a month instead of $122.04, a 2.3 % difference. 'We were asked if we could do anything to try to modify the rate schedule in order to perhaps reduce rates in the initial years, ' Babcock told the panel. 'The important thing was we took our revenue requirements for the 10-year period, and actually beyond, and made sure that we had enough revenues in each year of the rate package.' He said new rates should ensure the city is 'whole, in terms of operations and maintenance, debt service and new debt issued in order to do our (capital improvement program ).' During committee questions, Waters said the city's new 6 % option is 'putting the big rate increases at the end of the 10-year cycle, rather than at the beginning.' With regard to Bill 60, Waters' tentative proposal to increase sewer fees annually for the next decade includes a 6.75 % increase for the first five years, starting July 1. The initial increases would be followed by an 8.75 % increase for the next two years, then a decrease to 7.75 %, 6.75 % and 5.5 % over the remaining years, 'thereby creating savings, ' he said. Waters said instead of a 100 % increase over the decade, 'it would amount to approximately about a 70 % increase over 10 years.' Waters is not a voting member of the Budget Committee ; however, he said he would 'love for this committee to seriously consider this approach, ' rather than the city's versions of Bill 60. Later, Waters told the committee he had 'a bill already drafted which would infuse the sewer fund using the OTAT, using approximately $49 million a year.' He noted 50 % of OTAT currently funds the city's over-$10 billion rail project. He said by 'using cash from the OTAT, ' the city would not have to issue as many bonds to fund major city projects such as sewer treatment plant upgrades. But not all embrace Waters' use of OTAT funds to cover sewer costs rather than city rail. During public testimony April 29, Natalie Iwasa, a board member of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, said such actions might negatively sway bond investors connected to the city's multibillion-dollar upgrades to its sewer treatment infrastructure and related utilities. 'If you are taking cash or you are taking TAT or you are taking any other money that could go to the general fund and using that to supplement the sewer fund, what does that tell investors ?' asked Iwasa, in her individual capacity. 'Investors want to have the assurance that (the city has ) the sewer money here and that they have the general (fund ) money here.' 'And if you're taking from the general money and you're putting it over here, what happens to the general fund ?' she queried. 'Is the bond rating in the future going to go down because of that ?' In response to Bill 43's critics, Waters said, 'I respect those concerns, but the Council must look at the city's broader needs.' 'Rail is important, as is clean water, public health and environmental safety, ' he told the Star-Advertiser. 'The bill is not taking anything away from HART, but we're maximizing how we use visitors' revenue.'
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill seeks to offset Honolulu's sewer fee hike
Honolulu City Council Chair Tommy Waters has sponsored legislation to defray costs associated with the city's planned 10-year, 115 % sewer fee rate hike that is slated to start this summer. Bill 43, which was introduced May 5, would redirect a portion of the 3 % visitor-generated Oahu transient accommodations tax, which is earmarked for Honolulu's rail project, to the city's sewer fund. The measure would temporarily amend the disposition of the city's OTAT revenues so that 50 % would be deposited into the transit fund, while 41.66 % would go into the sewer fund. The legislation also allocates 8.34 % to create a special fund, one to be named by the city Department of Budget and Fiscal Services, in order to mitigate impacts of visitors on public facilities and natural resources and 'supplement any funds regularly appropriated for that purpose.' If approved, Bill 43 would take effect July 1, 2027, and be repealed June 30, 2037. The full Council is scheduled to hold a first reading on Bill 43 on Wednesday. Waters told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 'Bill 43 offers a more strategic and equitable alternative to the administration's proposed 115 % rate hike. By using the Council's existing authority to reallocate a portion of OTAT revenue, Bill 43 reduces pressure on working families.' He added, 'It ensures that visitors who contribute heavily to the wear and tear on our water and wastewater systems contribute a fair share. This is more than sound fiscal policy ; it is about responsibly utilizing the existing OTAT, which is a practical step towards a more equitable and sustainable future.' In recent months the city Department of Environmental Services has said the planned sewer fee increases—amounting to a total increase of 115 % across all rate-paying classes over a decade—would take effect July 1. Currently, the city says, an average single-family residential sewer bill totals approximately $110.89 a month. By July 1 that bill could rise to $122.04 a month. ENV said that planned sewer fee rate hikes are necessary to address rising operational costs and fund critical projects within its $10.1 billion capital improvement program, scheduled for 2025 to 2040. That includes work to upgrade the Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant to full secondary treatment at an estimated cost of $2.5 billion. Potable-water fee rates will not be adjusted, as they are separate fees administered by the Honolulu Board of Water Supply. The proposed sewer rate fee hike is being proposed under city-initiated Bill 60. In October, ENV initially proposed to increase sewer fees annually for the next 10 years—by 9 % over the first six years, followed by four smaller annual increases of 8 %, 7 %, 6 % and 5 %. But since that time other versions of Bill 60 have materialized, including a revision by ENV itself that supposedly lessens the initial blow of higher fees to its rate-paying customers. ENV Director Roger Babcock presented a so-called 6 % option that would see sewer rates rise by 6 % on July 1, during an April 29 Council Budget Committee meeting. Those rates would increase by 7.5 % in 2027, 8.5 % in 2028, 9 % in the following four years, then rise by 8 %, 7.5 % and 7 % in the final three years, ending in the year 2035. Under this 6 % option, the city said the same average single-family residential sewer bill in the first year would go to $119.18 a month instead of $122.04, a 2.3 % difference. 'We were asked if we could do anything to try to modify the rate schedule in order to perhaps reduce rates in the initial years, ' Babcock told the panel. 'The important thing was we took our revenue requirements for the 10-year period, and actually beyond, and made sure that we had enough revenues in each year of the rate package.' He said new rates should ensure the city is 'whole, in terms of operations and maintenance, debt service and new debt issued in order to do our (capital improvement program ).' During committee questions, Waters said the city's new 6 % option is 'putting the big rate increases at the end of the 10-year cycle, rather than at the beginning.' With regard to Bill 60, Waters' tentative proposal to increase sewer fees annually for the next decade includes a 6.75 % increase for the first five years, starting July 1. The initial increases would be followed by an 8.75 % increase for the next two years, then a decrease to 7.75 %, 6.75 % and 5.5 % over the remaining years, 'thereby creating savings, ' he said. Waters said instead of a 100 % increase over the decade, 'it would amount to approximately about a 70 % increase over 10 years.' Waters is not a voting member of the Budget Committee ; however, he said he would 'love for this committee to seriously consider this approach, ' rather than the city's versions of Bill 60. Later, Waters told the committee he had 'a bill already drafted which would infuse the sewer fund using the OTAT, using approximately $49 million a year.' He noted 50 % of OTAT currently funds the city's over-$10 billion rail project. He said by 'using cash from the OTAT, ' the city would not have to issue as many bonds to fund major city projects such as sewer treatment plant upgrades. But not all embrace Waters' use of OTAT funds to cover sewer costs rather than city rail. During public testimony April 29, Natalie Iwasa, a board member of the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation, said such actions might negatively sway bond investors connected to the city's multibillion-dollar upgrades to its sewer treatment infrastructure and related utilities. 'If you are taking cash or you are taking TAT or you are taking any other money that could go to the general fund and using that to supplement the sewer fund, what does that tell investors ?' asked Iwasa, in her individual capacity. 'Investors want to have the assurance that (the city has ) the sewer money here and that they have the general (fund ) money here.' 'And if you're taking from the general money and you're putting it over here, what happens to the general fund ?' she queried. 'Is the bond rating in the future going to go down because of that ?' In response to Bill 43's critics, Waters said, 'I respect those concerns, but the Council must look at the city's broader needs.' 'Rail is important, as is clean water, public health and environmental safety, ' he told the Star-Advertiser. 'The bill is not taking anything away from HART, but we're maximizing how we use visitors' revenue.'
