BY HONOLULU CITY COUNCIL MEMBER TOM BERG – I have two resolutions being heard in the City and County of Honolulu’s Committee on Budget this Wednesday, September 28, 2011.
If you cannot come in person, please see the BUDGET AGENDA on how you can submit testimony by email. Your support for these measures would be greatly appreciated.
SOLID WASTE TECHNOLOGY LIAISON POSITION
Requesting the Mayor to create and fund a Solid Waste Technology Liaison position to expedite the implementation of new solid waste disposal and recycling technologies. This is one of my solutions to counter keeping the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill open and rather making it obsolete by deploying recycling endeavors that are in practice all over the world here on Oahu. The permitting of new technologies takes anywhere from six or more years to approve and having a specialist at the helm to expedite the permitting process is sorely needed. See RESOLUTION 11-260.
THE CORE SYSTEMS CONTRACT FOR THE CITY’S RAIL PROJECT
We are getting ripped off by about $250 million unnecessarily to build the rail cars and this resolution if passed will save us money in the long run and could provide an immediate infusion of 150 local jobs. See RESOLUTION 11-248.
DEDICATED FUNDING FOR ROADS AND BIKEWAYS
My third resolution will be heard in the Committee on Transportation see TRANS AGENDA. Resolution 11-249 urges the Legislature and the Governor to pass and approve legislation that would authorize the counties to enact a county surcharge of a half percent to the State General Excise Tax to be used for highway and bikeway construction.
In closing, on Hawaii News Now tonight, they are covering my RESOLUTION 11-263 to explore placing a public firing range in Kalaeloa. Please consider watching the news tonight on this story and for more on this, please go to my website: www.councilmanberg.com