The City Council's Transportation Committee has approved the use of up to $8,000 in city transit funds to pay for four Council members to visit Washington, D.C., next month on a fact-finding mission on Honolulu's rail transit project.

Council Members Todd Apo, Ikaika Anderson, Romy Cachola and Ann Kobayashi plan to travel March 6-10 to meet with officials from the Federal Transit Administration.

The trip comes after Apo and Anderson say Gov. Linda Lingle denied their request to accompany her when she travels to Washington for a similar update with FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff. The Governor's Office said the Council members should have asked to be included in Mayor Mufi Hannemann's meetings with FTA officials in January.

Council members say they want answers because of conflicting statements by the political leaders over federal backing of the $5.5 billion rail project.

Lingle says federal officials are wary of the financial plan for Oahu's proposed rail system, while Mayor Mufi Hannemann says it is on track.

“;This is a very, very important endeavor, and I think it's one that needs to take place,”; Anderson said. “;This expenditure will prove to be very well spent.”;

Resolution 10-37 advanced by the Transportation Committee approves the use of funds from $50,000 set aside in the Council's budget for hiring a transit analyst. Each Council member would be limited to $2,000 for airfare, meals, transportation and up to two nights of hotel accommodations.

Councilman Charles Djou objected to the use of using city transit funds for what he called a “;junket to D.C.”;

“;Any member of this Council can go up and investigate what's going on with this rail project on their own,”; Djou said, adding that members should instead use funds from the $16,000 budgeted to each for miscellaneous expenses.

Cachola took issue with Djou's characterization of the trip.

“;Our trip is not a junket,”; he said. “;I want to hear from FTA how we can possibly do it without further burdening our taxpayers.”;

The resolution still must be approved by the full Council, likely at its Feb. 24 meeting.