9/11 memorial today

A Sept. 11 remembrance ceremony will be held from noon to 12:15 p.m. today at Tamarind Park at Bishop Square. The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, BAE Systems and the city will host a brief ceremony and Navy bugler Christine Snitzer will play taps. For details, call Bryna Stankiewicz at 545-4300, ext. 340.

State issues contract to review rail

The state has begun a financial review of the Honolulu rail project that could take three months to complete.

Gov. Linda Lingle called for the review in March, but it was delayed due to problems with the contract. The city’s planned $5.5 billion elevated rail line cannot break ground until the governor signs off on it, and Lingle has said she won’t do that without a financial analysis.

The state Department of Transportation said yesterday it has awarded a $300,000 contract to Infrastructure Management Group to perform the economic analysis, financial assessment and evaluation of the transit project.

The contract requires IMG to provide its analysis within a three-month period, but that deadline depends on the accessibility and availability of information from the city.

Lingle has asked the city to provide IMG with an updated financial plan for the project. The last such report was published in August 2009.

Lingle has acknowledged that the financial analysis may not be completed before she leaves office Dec. 6 and that it may be more appropriate for her successor to decide whether to approve the project.

Plan raises cost of Kauai trash pickup

LIHUE » Kauai households would face a new tax assessment for trash collection under a measure approved by a Kauai County committee.

The Garden Island newspaper said the measure would have each household pay a base rate of $6 per month, plus another $6 for a 96-gallon container for areas with automated trash collections.

Residents in other areas would be allowed up to three 32-gallon trash containers. A second 96-gallon container would cost an extra $12 per month.

In addition, charges would go up for commercial customers, which currently pay $11 for one trash can, plus $6 for each additional can.

They would be charged $84 for up to three 32-gallon containers, plus $84 for each additional increment of up to three 32-gallon containers.