Kokua Line
Kokua Line
Question: I went to the Kapolei Satellite City Hall recently to renew my annual vehicle registration and was surprised when the manager informed me that they did not accept any credit cards as a form of payment. The city's driver's licensing bureau just steps away accepted credit cards for driver's licensing fees, and the city accepts credit cards for vehicle registration renewal on its Web site. Why is it different at the satellite city halls? If satellite city halls were created for customer convenience, will Mayor Harris make it convenient and consistent by accepting credit cards at our satellites, too? Not all city agencies can
take credit card paymentsAnswer: The discrepancy in the city's acceptance of credit cards is particularly noticeable in Kapolei because it's the only location where the satellite city hall and driver licensing office is side-by-side.
The fact is that not all city agencies are authorized or equipped to handle credit card payments. The Harris administration is looking into the possibility of expanding credit card use to satellite offices, as well as other areas of city operations, said Carol Costa, director of the city Department of Customer Services.
It recently began accepting credit cards at all municipal golf courses, the Blaisdell Center Box Office and the Honolulu Zoo.
Driver licensing previously fell under the Department of Finance, which first began accepting credit card payments under a special deal in which it did not have to pay any transaction or line fees. That deal no longer is in effect, Costa said.
Some background: When the city administration was reorganized in 1999, a new office, the Department of Customer Services, was created. The DCS absorbed the driver licensing operations, as well as satellite city halls, among other responsibilities.
Q: What is wrong with the street lights on the makai side of Kalanianaole Highway, roughly between Ainakoa Avenue and Wailupe Circle? The lights have been out for some time, creating a safety hazard. If the lights are out due to the construction work on the highway, does this mean the lights will be out until the work is done? If so, that's unacceptable.
A: Except for one burnt-out bulb, the lights were back on last Friday, said Martin Okabe, chief of the Oahu District Office for the state Department of Transportation's Highways Division. A final check was done Monday night to make sure the system was up and running.
The three-week outage had nothing to do with the current Kalanianaole Highway resurfacing project, Okabe said. The problem was caused by a high-voltage fuse switch burning out. It took so long to repair because the lights are "part of our old electrical system done in the 1950s," making it difficult to find a replacement part, Okabe said.
Portions of that dated electrical system can be found throughout Oahu, all of which are slated for an eventual "redo," he said.
Okabe said each light is controlled by a photo cell, which can only be checked at night. "It's not simply turning on a fuse or pulling a switch or something like that" to restore the system, he said. "We're actually going to have to test it at night."
Correction
The correct number to call if you suspect a city housing code violation is 527-6308. The wrong number was published in Monday's Kokua Line in response to a complaint about a car-detailing business.
Got a question or complaint?
Call 529-4773, fax 529-4750, or write to Kokua Line,
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210,
Honolulu 96813. As many as possible will be answered.
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