Climate Change Office’s budget cut

The city’s nascent Office of Climate Change, Sustainability and Resiliency is on the chopping block pending the state’s approval of additional rail funding.

Councilwoman Kymberly Pine said Tuesday the new office would be cut if the city doesn’t get its funding for rail. In November, 59 percent of Oahu voters approved a measure to create the Office of Climate Change to oversee and coordinate citywide efforts to reduce and fight the effects of climate change.

“Your department is going to be the first to lose its funding because it doesn’t have funding at all,” Pine said to representatives of the mayor who are working to staff the Office of Climate Change.

“We’re eight years short of the funding that we need to fully build a (rail) system. … We need to just start looking at reality right now. And the reality is that your department and every single department in the City and County of Honolulu is going to receive drastic cuts if we don’t get the full funding.”

Pine spoke during a City Council special meeting at Honolulu Hale, during which Council members cut the budget for the Office of Climate Change’s salaries.

Across Punchbowl Street at the state Capitol, a bill aimed at providing more funds for the Oahu rail system — which is short about $3 billion — easily cleared a critical House floor vote Tuesday, with 41 of 51 representatives voting for the measure. The bill, Senate Bill 1183, now goes to a House-Senate conference committee.

“I just wanted to warn you of what could be coming if we don’t get the full funding agreement requested of the 10 years that we made to the Legislature,” Pine said.

The Council approved a $134,694 reduction to the Climate Change Office’s original $404,388 proposed budget to pay its seven staff members.

Council Budget Committee Chairman Joey Manahan called the decrease a “happy medium,” as a number of Council members proposed reductions ranging from $54,000 to $269,388.

Justin Gruenstein, an executive assistant in the city managing director’s office, said the loss of funds will prevent the office from quickly adding staff.

Gruenstein said the mayor’s office is committed to filling the staff positions shortly after July 1 and have the executive director on board May 1.

The executive director, also known as the “chief resilience officer,” will be paid $135,000 in each of the first two years of operations via a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.

Councilman Brandon Elefante said the office needs to come up with a plan, voicing concern about what will happen when the Rockefeller grant runs out.

“I don’t feel (that) entirely funding the positions is appropriate at this time,” he said.

Positions that would be affected are the deputy chief resilience officer, the secretary, the energy program manger and the coast zones and wastewater program manager.

Gruenstein said that after the first two years the executive director would either be paid through general funds or grants. He said the city may be able to get more funding from the Rockefeller Foundation.

“We were sent notice by the Rockefeller Foundation of two grants that, if we had this position or this office in place, we could have pursued,” he said. “We’re very likely to be in the position to capture grants to the cover that salary.”

Pine suggested Gruenstein begin reaching out to the University of Hawaii or the Hawaii Community Foundation to help fill some roles, if the budget is cut.

“It’s just good to start now, because I know the people of Honolulu supported your department overwhelmingly,” Pine said. “I just want to deliver a department that they want to see start.”

The Council received approximately 70 submissions of public support urging the Council to approve the funding for the staff’s salaries and increase the budget by $250,000 for two studies to be taken up by the office.

“This is a smart way to invest city taxpayer’s money,” said Kaimuki resident Vincent Collins in provided testimony. “As an island community, we must prioritize funding to mitigate and adapt to climate change, encourage conservation jobs, and protect our shared resources for future generations.”

The Council approved adding $100,000 of funding for a study that would model the future impacts of sea-level rise along the Oahu coastline. The Council also set aside $150,000 for a visitor census and carrying capacity study for high-­demand areas such as Waimanalo and Kailua.