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Cayetano: Tax revenues not enough for raises
Although state tax revenues for May show the Hawaii economy beginning to rustle itself from a decade-long slumber, the increase is not enough to pay for public worker pay raises, says Gov. Ben Cayetano.Cayetano said yesterday the growth in tax revenues -- which are up $118.2 million, or 28 percent, this May from the same month last year -- cannot pay for across-the-board raises as well as for expanded services for the disabled, the needy and the poor, which the governor has made his top priority for the rest of his term.
"I suppose if the revenues doubled or tripled, we'd think about it," Cayetano said.
Still, he said, there is enough money to propose in the next state budget large, one-time expenses, such as spending $16 million for a bulk purchase of computers for public schools.
Other one-time expenses include money for repair and maintenance of state buildings. And on the human services side, Cayetano wants to increase funding of social programs that have been hit hard by budget cuts over the past five years, as well as provide for some new programs.
Those include drug rehabilitation and prevention, domestic abuse, alcohol abuse, medical insurance for children and child dental care.
"That is going to be the No. 1 priority of this administration, before we even dream of any kind of pay raise," Cayetano said.
Gov says new UH leader must push high tech
The next president of the University of Hawaii must understand Hawaii's niche in the world's high-technology industry and push to produce skilled high-technology graduates, says Gov. Ben Cayetano."I want someone who understands the 21st century and is willing to break some of the conventional and academic norms that exist today to get the University of Hawaii out of the box, so to speak," the governor said.
UH President Kenneth P. Mortimer announced May 5 he would retire within a year, prompting speculation on who would succeed him. Cayetano said he wants someone from outside Hawaii to aggressively move the university forward.
"We should search hard and long, and we should not be penny-wise and pound-foolish in terms of compensation, but we should also get someone who is aggressive and who will be able to move that university," he said.
For his part, Mortimer, like other agency heads, has had to struggle with state budget cuts over the years, which has hampered his ability to do more things, the governor said. With the economy moving into a new phase, he said, Mortimer's successor will not have that problem.
Water meters at issue in Upcountry Maui
WAILUKU -- Maui Board of Water Supply members are conducting a study to develop a policy for issuing new water meters along the slopes of Haleakala from Kanaio to Haiku.Meanwhile, the board has imposed a ban on issuing new water meters in Upcountry Maui.
Board Chairman Elmer Carvalho said the moratorium will remain in effect until Dec. 31, when the study is expected to be finished. Carvalho said the decision Thursday stemmed from complaints by some residents who say the meters are being issued to people who have waited a shorter time than them.
County Water Director David Craddick said the only water meters being issued are to those who have provided their own source of water.
Correction
An email address to reach International Hospitality Center representative Barbara Bancel, who helps bring foreign exchange students to Hawaii, was incorrect in Thursday's paper. Contact Bancel at babancel@cs.com.
Police, Fire, Courts
By Star-Bulletin staffHonolulu Police Department Crimestoppers
Man, 26, is third fatality from Thursday car wreck
A third man is dead as a result of a one-car crash in Chinatown early Thursday.The 26-year-old, who died yesterday at 1:46 p.m. at Queen's Hospital, is Oahu's 28th traffic fatality this year compared with 18 for the same time last year.
The man was a rear-seat passenger in the four-door Pontiac LeMans sedan that crashed at North King and Kekaulike streets, killing the driver and one of his three passengers, police said.
The fourth man was released from the hospital yesterday, Queen's reported.
Witnesses said the car was traveling at 90 miles per hour east on North King Street when it hit a fire hydrant and utility pole near the Oahu Market, continued spinning out of control and struck a sign post and building pillar at 1:39 a.m., according to police.
None of the passengers was reported wearing a seat belt. Police said alcohol was a factor in the crash.
Maui bicyclist was killed in fall, not hit-and-run
WAILUKU -- Maui police say preliminary results of an autopsy indicate the man who was found dead near a bicycle along Haleakala Highway suffered head injuries in a fall and was not struck by a vehicle.Police Lt. Milton Matsuoka said detectives believe Brandon Maunakea, 21, was traveling up the highway before the accident.
Police received an anonymous call at 3:40 a.m. Tuesday, saying a man was sleeping on the side of the highway near a bicycle.
A police patrol officer found the man was dead.
