Counties spend $397K on disabled placards

It cost the four counties about $397,000 to issue 30,176 disabled parking windshield placards during the fiscal year ending last June 30, according to the office of the state auditor.

Despite complaints from motor vehicle administrators and County Council officials in Maui County, the auditor's report found the $12-per-placard reimbursement rate the state pays the counties to be reasonable.

The rate was set under a law enacted last year that also called for the auditor's office to conduct a study to determine a reasonable basis for reimbursement.

The study found the costs varied by county, ranging from $11.54 a placard on Oahu to $12.47 on Kauai, $13.65 on the Big Island and $28.33 for Maui.

Maui County officials had estimated the cost at $11.59 in the previous fiscal year before a consultant came up with the higher figure, the auditor's office said in its report issued last week.

While the counties differed in their approach in determining actual costs and on what costs are actually involved, an average of 63 percent was attributed to fringe benefits, such as retirement, workers' compensation, unemployment compensation and health insurance, the office said.

The placards are issued to people with disabilities to identify their need for preferential parking, in compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.