A Maui County Council committee Monday approved a $604 million fiscal 2015 budget for Maui County, $18.5 million lower than the one Mayor Alan Ara-kawa proposed.

The budget would reduce real property taxes by 3.1 percent, the Budget and Finance Committee says.

Arakawa said his administration would work within the budget, but raised questions about cuts:

>> Capital improvement proj-ects in need of upgrades — such as the district park systems — were significantly reduced. Capital improvement items such as the Public Works Baseyard improvements in Maka-wao and Lahaina as well as planning and design for the consolidated base yard and future regional park in Central Maui were eliminated.

>> The operating budget cuts were mostly in areas mandated for expansion by 2012 County Charter amendments or proposed for expansion by the administration to serve the community.