By Gordon Pang
Star-Bulletin
Wahiawa resident Carlos Jacinto says he wouldn't mind paying more in property taxes if the money goes to drug prevention programs.
So what's a candidate in this year's mayoral election to tell the public when it comes to the city's finances?
Many Oahu residents say city government is too big - bloated with unnecessary programs and expenditures designed to appeal to special interests.
Still, many people (and sometimes the same people) complain when there are lengthy lines at satellite city halls or when it takes a little longer for a police officer to arrive at the scene of an accident.
If there was a theme among residents interviewed last week, it was disillusionment.
Koets, a 62-year-old retiree, said she gets fed up by the perks that politicians get such as "high three" pensions based on three continuous years of appointed service at the highest scale.
As for the deputy directors, Koets feels there are enough supervisors to go around.
Koets doesn't believe the city needs to raise taxes to pay for programs because she believes there is fat to be trimmed. "But I'm all for helping the little guy, even if it means more taxes," she said.
Jacinto, 42, an employee with the city Department of Transportation Services, said he also doesn't oppose increased property taxes for matters such as youth gang prevention or more buses.
"The problem is the kids' doing drugs," he said. If the city raises taxes to support the anti-drug programs of the police, "I'm willing to spend more on this kind of stuff."
Lowell Kalapa, executive director for the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, said the city funds, or enters affiliations with, too many social welfare programs when such issues are also handled by the state.
The foundation estimates that $10 million is spent on social welfare and job training programs, which are covered by both the state and federal governments, Kalapa said.
Funding overlapping functions is inefficient, he said. "The same taxpayer (is) asked to pay for two bureaucracies, with two sets of highly paid administrators, for two programs which have the same function," Kalapa said.
Kalapa believes the city culture and arts and housing programs are inefficient because they duplicate state programs. He also believes the managing director's office should be shut down.
In Hawaii, Kalapa said, the counties are supposed to provide police and fire protection, ambulance and sanitation services while the state operates educational, social welfare, judicial, airport and harbor transportation and prisons.
But Ann Jacobs of Pearl City doesn't believe the city should disown social service programs.
An 18-year-old mother of two, Jacobs said she is encouraged that the city has been helping open child care centers.
"With the new welfare reform (nationally), they're pushing mothers out to work and we don't even have child care," she said.
But Jacobs said the city "spends a lot of money on bad things."
Joseph Almeida, 27, of Aiea, said he has doesn't believe the city should be subsidizing many social service programs, particularly for those healthy and able to work.
Instead, he said, the city should keep taxes down. In his financial services business, he said, "I see a lot of people every day and it hurts. They make $1,500 a month . . . and I wonder, 'How do they make it?' "
Like Kalapa, City Council Budget Chairman Duke Bainum doesn't think the city needs to raise property taxes. He believes the city is taking a more efficient approach toward government.
Last year, the Council held a summit of business and government leaders designed to make government more efficient and cost-effective. Some results of the meeting have been making their way through the Council.
Bainum said the Council is also taking steps to eliminate one of his pet peeves - overcharging by those who do business with the city.
The Council is close to hiring a person who will monitor the cost of city construction and renovation projects.
"I think a lot of our construction projects are paybacks for campaign contributions," Bainum said.
Neither Kalapa nor Bainum believes the city should raise taxes - a sentiment shared by many.
"They collect enough taxes from us already, said Albert Loo, a 58-year-old Pearl City resident and Hawaiian Electric Co. worker. "They're taxing us to death over here."
Many said another approach is needed.
"They waste a lot of time and effort on surveys when they could use common sense," said Dina Bonifaci, a 27-year-old Waipahu cook. "Open their eyes and look around."
Aiea resident Kaipo Tokushige, an accountant and manager in her 40s, said politicians should approach budget management the way families do.
"They gotta budget just like we gotta budget," Tokushige said.
And then there's Cristy Anzalone, a 32-year-old Kaneohe accountant who said she's glad she's not a politician.
"It's too hard to get anything done," she said. "There are too many options, egos and money involved."
Here are responses from Honolulu mayoral candidates to the question: "Where, specifically, would you cut city spending?"
Bruce L. Bellows: "I would look at every dollar that comes into the city tax kitty and look at where the dollars are going. And then I would have all the department heads show me where the money is going and how it is being used.
"I would make a decision after hearing from the voters, who pay the tax dollars, what they want cut and what they don't want cut.
"To cut out government waste, you have to see what's working and isn't working.
"I would also try to privatize a lot of stuff if private companies can provide the services better for less money."
Frank F. Fasi: "Cutting city spending and maintaining services demanded by taxpayers is almost an impossible job."We can cut $750,000 a year by eliminating two deputy managing directors and five high-three politicians. Additional savings can occur by consolidating some departments and agencies.
"The problem is that inflation costs some $35 million a year. Pay raises can cost the same or more. The cost of filling the 250 police vacancies, alone, would cost $15 million.
"I would contract with the Chamber of Commerce to run a complete performance audit of all departments and agencies with conclusions and recommendations on how to cut spending without cutting services."
Jeremy Harris: "We will continue our cost reduction program that has restored Honolulu's bond rating to AA-stable and will result in savings to taxpayers. These have included:
$24 million in operational cuts in 23 of 26 city departments for fiscal year 1996-97.
"We will continue to improve the city's fiscal health by:
Charles Hirayasu: Did not respond.
Lillian Hong: "Cut the deputy director and supervisors of parks/recreations.Just look at our city parks! Please! It is so poorly maintained. Graffiti, broken toilets, dripping faucets, paintless children equipments, trashes, beer cans, dying lawns.
Yes, parks/recreations are doing a good job at new beautification project along Ala Wai canal and downtown triangle islands.
Are you telling me the city departments are no longer interested in senior, old, tired, deteriorated unkept parks? They were once the new beautification projects not so long ago, you know."
Arnold Morgado Jr.: "City spending should be cut beginning at the top, 12 of 17 deputies and eliminate all appointed positions in the managing director's office.We must look to where we are spending your money. Our debt service is now 25 percent of our operating budget.
We are in a financial crisis and can attribute this primarily to this administration's faulty housing policy.
We must stop subsidizing negative housing projects like Ewa Villages and the Chinatown projects.
Cutting spending will require the refinancing of the debt service. While I remain committed to full employment, reduction will occur through attrition except for public safety."