Members of the Honolulu City Council’s Budget Committee got an earful from supporters and opponents of the city’s $6.57 billion rail project during an evening meeting at Kapolei Hale on Thursday.
Supporters of the project said they’re frustrated with the daily traffic headache of traveling between West Oahu and Honolulu.
Opponents said the project has been based on inaccurate cost and ridership estimates.
The committee is weighing the merits of Bill 23, which would extend by five years, to Dec. 31, 2027, the 0.5 percent surcharge Oahu consumers pay on the general excise tax.
Rail opponent John Brizdle said not enough people will ride the rail line to justify the costs while “there is no benefit to consumers in terms of travel time.”
The Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit’s website “is full of misinformation, and nobody here (with the City Council) has any oversight,” Brizdle said.
Those comments drew a sharp rebuke from West Oahu Councilwoman Kymberly Pine, who said the 42 minutes to ride the line from East Kapolei to Ala Moana Center is far better than the two-hour commute she has endured on some days in recent weeks.
“I know people will ride because we just can’t take it anymore,” she said.
Supporters of the project urged Council members not to insert language that would cap the amount of tax dollars going to the project at $4.58 billion. A separate but related resolution asks the state Legislature to allow the city to use the remaining surcharge dollars to go toward affordable housing.
Rail supporter Michael Golojuch said, “You need to remove this cap; this is not your money to play with.”
Both HART Executive Director Dan Grabauskas and city Managing Director Roy Amemiya also urged not including a cap to allow for flexibility.
About 75 people attended the meeting, and roughly half testified.
Another public hearing on the bill will be held at the Washington Middle School cafeteria at 5:30 p.m. Monday.
Budget Committee Chairwoman Ann Kobayashi said her panel will likely not make a decision on the bill until its next meeting, on Nov. 17.
Despite Pine’s impassioned support for the project, Council Chairman Ernie Martin and Kobayashi expressed reservations about extending the surcharge and urged Grabauskas and the HART board to explore other options.
