A Honolulu City Council member says it’s time for the board overseeing the largest public works project in Hawaii’s history to air its meetings on television.
Councilman Trevor Ozawa said the enormous scope and significance of the city’s $6 billion rail project make it important for the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation’s board of directors to be as transparent as possible in its actions.
Ozawa introduced Resolution 15-80, which urges HART to broadcast its meetings.
"The City Council finds that the size, expense and importance of the Honolulu Rail Transit project merits the televising of HART’s board and committee meetings so that government transparency can be achieved and public trust in the project can be gained by informing Honolulu residents of the issues, discussions and plans surrounding the project," according to the resolution, which will be heard Tuesday by the Council Executive Matters and Legal Affairs Committee.
The public should be able to view the HART board’s meetings at locations and times when they are accessible and convenient, especially because "over the years, major issues have arisen regarding the project, including contract cost overruns, core systems contractor viability, and significant projected financial deficits and project delays, which have potential impacts on the public," the resolution said.
Ozawa wants HART to use Olelo, the community access television network on Oahu. Olelo’s programs are shown over Oceanic Time Warner Cable and the Internet.
Nearly all City Council meetings are broadcast live, while key meetings of the state Legislature are also broadcast on Olelo.
The city Neighborhood Commission, with an annual budget of under $1 million, also makes video recording available to the island’s neighborhood boards. Of 33 neighborhood boards, 24 take advantage of the service and have their monthly meetings shown on Olelo on a delayed basis.
The issue of televising the meetings for the HART board hasn’t come up in the group’s discussions, HART Board Chairman Ivan Lui-Kwan said.
"It’s never been raised to me as board chair," Lui-Kwan said Friday. "It’s just never been an issue, (so) I’ve never really considered it … "
There’s been extensive media coverage of those meetings so "I didn’t see a compelling need to have televised meetings," Lui-Kwan added.
However, he said, he’s open to the idea of televising the sessions.
"Anything that advances and enhances transparency … the board would certainly consider it."
Any such move to televise would come as HART is simultaneously being urged to cut and to contain costs where it can. HART representatives said they haven’t looked into the costs of televising, but if the board does opt to proceed with the idea they would aim to work with Olelo at minimal cost.
Two neighborhood board leaders who have their meetings broadcast over Olelo each month said they like the idea of HART broadcasting its board meetings.
"The public has a right to hear the truth," said Ewa Neighborhood Board Chairman Kevin Rathbun, a rail supporter. "That’s taxpayer money that’s funding the project. There shouldn’t be any clandestine things going on."
Evelyn Souza, chairwoman of the Makakilo/ Kapolei/Honokai Hale Neighborhood Board, said that HART leaders have spoken a lot about wanting to be transparent and should be embracing the idea of having their meetings broadcast.
"If the HART people say they have nothing to hide, then do it," Souza said.
