The chairwoman of the City Council's Budget Committee plans to hold a hearing next month on the tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and volunteer work the city receives each year, saying the administration has not been forthcoming about the donations. Councilwoman calls for a hearing
to investigate city gifts
By Rick Daysog
rdaysog@starbulletin.comCity Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi said the hearing will examine pro bono work that local architecture and engineering firms conducted on city vision team projects.
The committee also wants to look at gifts to outside organizations like the Waikiki Improvement Association, which organizes the popular Brunch on the Beach events with the city.
By law, gifts to the city require the approval of the City Council, Kobayashi said.
"We want to know more about the gifts that have been made without Council approval," said Kobayashi, a critic of the Harris administration's fiscal policies.
"The city hasn't been forthcoming about what gifts it receives, and that's why we have to take it upon ourselves to discuss it."
Carol Costa, a city spokeswoman, said the city is concerned that the hearing would discourage the hundreds of private citizens and businesses who volunteer their services each year.
At a time of budget constraints, the city does not want to drive away volunteers, Costa said.
Harris' attorney William McCorriston said he believes the hearing is politically motivated. He said it's "schizophrenic" of Kobayashi to criticize the city for spending too much money and then criticize it for seeking volunteers to help.
"While other municipalities have private foundations that participate in city projects, only in Hawaii do we make it hard for foundations and private individuals to participate in city projects," McCorriston said.
Kobayashi said the Harris administration has not asked the City Council to approve any of the gifts it has received during the last several months. She added that Council members recently requested documentation on donations to the Sunset on the Beach events, but city officials have not turned over the records.
Kobayashi said the committee plans to speak with local architect John Tatom, who testified last month before an Oahu grand jury investigating the city's awarding of nonbid contracts to political donors.
Tatom said he volunteered roughly $100,000 in planning work on the $23 million Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park, the $45 million Central Oahu park and other city projects during the past decade.
The Budget Committee also wants to scrutinize organizations like the Environmental Foundation, which helped the city organize the Mayor's Asia-Pacific Environmental Summit in 1999 and 2001, Kobayashi said.
The Star-Bulletin previously reported that city contractors contributed about $170,000 to the nonprofit Environmental Foundation during the past four years.
City & County of Honolulu
