Mayor Kirk Caldwell laid his plans for the City & County of Honolulu is his annual state of the city address. At the top of his wish list is a request for $834M in capital improvement funds for road repairs, sewer upgrades and park improvements. He also asked for more transparency and accountability to address the rising cost of rail construction, proposed to house 346 chronically homeless people through Housing First, double the number housed during the current fiscal year, and planned for $490M in sewer-capacity improvements, more than double the current year’s $213M.
Read more: Mayor Identifies Priorities in State of City Address
The Honolulu Charter Commission is an appointed board that meets every ten years to study and review city government operations in the City Charter, the Constitution of the City & County of Honolulu. The board has been meeting the past 6 months to discuss proposals submitted by city departments and the public. For the first 6 months of 2016, they will begin public hearings to better select ballot questions for the November election.
Approximately 295,000 real property assessments for 2016 should have been received in the mail by property owners. The total assessed valuation of all taxable real property on Oahu has increased from $214.89B to $227.9B, an overall increase of 6.1 percent.
Council Member Ann Kobayashi co-authored Bill 77 to ensure homeowners who leave Oahu for sabbaticals or temporary work assignments can still retain their real property tax exemption; the bill is currently being heard in the City Council Budget Committee.
Read more: Bill Would Allow Homeowners to Retain Property Tax Exemption During Special Circumstances
The city and the Michaels Development Company have completed negotiations on the terms and conditions of a development agreement and form of lease for the affordable senior rental project and community center, Halewai‘olu Senior Residences, on River Street in Chinatown. The agreement now goes to the city council for review and approval.
Read more: Chinatown Affordable Senior Rentals to Move Ahead
