Council backs right
to tax for transport

A resolution urging state lawmakers to give counties the authority to raise taxes for transportation projects was approved by the City Council yesterday.

The 8-1 vote is seen by some as a signal that the Council is once again ready to tackle the issue of raising taxes to fund rail transit.

"Your passage of this resolution will send a strong message to the Legislature," city Transportation Director Ed Hirata said.

But some Council members said they do not want the public to misinterpret this vote as supporting a tax increase.

"I support this resolution so that we have the ability to look into that and make that decision if that's the right way to go," Councilman Todd Apo said.

"This is only a vote to urge the Legislature to give us the authority to do this, not the vote do it," Councilwoman Barbara Marshall added.

The City Council in 1992 voted down a tax increase to fund rail transit by a 5-4 margin, killing more than $600 million in federal funding lined up for the project.

This time around, congressional and legislative leaders want some assurance that will not happen again if federal funding is pursued.

For now, officials are seeking a way to raise funds locally. House Bill 1309 is scheduled for a hearing Monday before the Senate Transportation Committee. If approved, it would allow counties to raise the tax by up to 1 percent for transportation projects.

Djou, the only nay behind the resolution, suggested that the Council's 8-1 tally is being viewed as an early vote on whether the majority of the Council would raise taxes to fund a rail project.

Opponents said rail is not the answer to the island's traffic congestion, and a tax increase will hit residents hard.

"There are many people who are struggling to make ends meet. They aren't necessarily poor. The point is that the price of living in paradise is very expensive, and this proposition is totally ridiculous," said taxicab company owner Dale Evans.