Vision teams Vision team members have mixed feelings about Mayor Jeremy Harris' suggestion to reduce the amount of money given annually to each of the 19 groups to $1 million from $2 million.
weigh in on Harris’
proposed budget cuts
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
gpang@starbulletin.comDuring a workshop yesterday, vision team members also made it clear that they would like more responsiveness and cooperation with the different parties involved in the four-year-old, community-based program.
Harris, after the meeting, said his staff will look at the written recommendations made by vision team members at yesterday's two-hour workshop before deciding whether to formally propose the slash in funding as part of the fiscal 2004 budget he will submit to the City Council in early March.
"It looks like it's mixed," Harris said, noting that he only had heard the opinions of a small percentage of the approximately 300 participants.
Some vision team members think the reduced funding is a done deal and that yesterday's workshop should have focused on how the vision process can be more focused.
"Don't try to ask us a question about something that is going to happen," said Tesha Malama of Ewa Beach, adding that she is resigned to seeing reduced funding. "We'll use whatever they give us."
Mary Jane Lee of Wahiawa said she wants to make certain that there are legitimate financial reasons for less funding, not just political motivation. Said Lee: "We will tell (the Council) we want $2 million and if there are no tax dollars, we will be reasonable and go for less."
Harris also asked that the teams be more focused on completing one or two projects already underway instead of dividing their energies, funding and other resources, a suggestion many attending yesterday agreed to try.
The program also met with some criticism. Scott Foster from the urban Honolulu region was among several vision team members who said he was frustrated when he attempted to find out the status of projects with which he was involved. "Communication is key," he said. "We have to know what's going on or there's confusion and upset."
Harris later said his staff would work on being more responsive.
Michael Golojuch Jr. of Makakilo said that too much money is going into duplicative functions, noting that there is no need to continue spending money on new skateboard park designs when several designs are already available.
Harris said that while he shared Golojuch's frustration, unique circumstances such as terrain, accessibility and other factors often make "design and build" projects difficult.
Harris also responded to criticism about the slow progress of the projects. The city has calculated that of 368 projects that have been proposed, 44 are done and only another 95 have begun construction.
"The reality is it takes time," he said, before proceeding to describe the complicated process of taking a project from inception to completion.
"Democracy is messy, no question about that," Harris said. However, he said, the strength of the vision team process is in its grass-roots approach. "I don't think we should sacrifice that for efficiency."
Vision team members appeared split on the idea of working more closely with neighborhood boards. The boards began receiving $1 million annually this year for their own projects although the administration has suggested reducing their funding to $500,000. Mike Abe of Kaimuki said vision teams and neighborhood boards should be coordinated into the same process. But Ron Jones of Moanalua said he believes creative ideas get stymied in the neighborhood board process.
City & County of Honolulu
