A Board of Water Supply inspector came to my home after I reported a leakage. Just by talking with me, he thought I had two units on the property, which I do (both legal). He then passed on some kind of "discrepancy of unit" report, and a customer service investigator came out when I wasn't in. That inspector said he noticed two mailboxes and two units, so now I am being charged for two units. Do they have any right to come on my property without my permission? I feel this was some sort of entrapment. Water board has right
to check on discrepancyIt doesn't seem right that just because I'm calling for help, they turn around and use that information against me. They shouldn't arbitrarily pick on me; they should check everyone. I've lived here for 27 years and always felt I was paying my fair share. Why didn't they know how many units I had?
Do they know whenever a homeowner puts in an additional unit?
The Board of Water Supply, under the City Charter, "is empowered to have its personnel enter property on water supply matters," said Raymond Sato, BWS manager and chief engineer.
In an agreement between his agency and the city Department of Wastewater Management, investigators or other personnel who discover more units than what is recorded are instructed to report the discrepancies to the other agency, he said.
Customer records are then updated. The reason is obvious, Sato said: the number of units affects the charges applied.
The fact that you had not been charged for a second sewer hookup for nearly 30 years does not excuse your obligation to pay current sewer charges, he said. (The charges are not retroactive.)
The semiautonomous water board has more than 150,000 customers, so it would be impossible to inspect every single property to determine if discrepancies exist, Sato said. So, YES, "when there is occasion to view individual properties -- usually at the invitation of the customer -- these discrepancies are occasionally found and our records are updated," he said.
The city Building Department usually passes on information about additional units when an application for a building permit is approved, Sato said.
Just before noon one day, I noticed three to four police officers measuring an intersection following an accident. One of them was smoking. What regulations do police have about smoking on duty?
and: Auwe: To the policeman who was on the Aliamanu Intermediate School campus smoking in front of the office in a group of other policemen responding to a call. This is not a model for our youth. -- J.A.In response to both the question and the "auwe," Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Jean Motoyama said HPD does have a regulation that prohibits smoking in uniform when officers are visible to the public.
The only time it doesn't apply is during an officer's work-day meal period and breaks.
"We will remind our officers of this regulation," she said.
After we printed a complaint about how many people were left in the lurch after Hawaiian Island Automotive Services unexpectedly shut down last year, owner Carlson Yamamoto Jr. called, apologized, and gave a phone number and address for people to get refunds. Since then, however, the number has been disconnected and letters have been returned. Consumer update
We have not been able to get in touch with Yamamoto. "We are still trying to see what can be done -- if there are any assets or recourses," said Jo Ann Uchida, executive director of the state Office of Consumer Protection. "But at this point, it doesn't look real good."
