• County’s big budget led to tax hikes • Bus shelters are long overdue County’s big budget led to tax hikes April 24, from Business Wire, Kauai general obligation bonds of $188 million go from AA to AA-. However, the County Council keeps calling the
• County’s big budget led to tax hikes • Bus shelters are long overdue
County’s big budget led to tax hikes
April 24, from Business Wire, Kauai general obligation bonds of $188 million go from AA to AA-.
However, the County Council keeps calling the bond fund a reserve and has spent all of this money in six years. You wonder why your taxes continue to rise, it’s because the council borrowed the money and floated (a bank made a great sum of money in the millions for the issuance of the bonds ) bonds that are “absolute and unconditional general obligations, supported by the full faith and credit of the county, and an unlimited pledge of the ad valorem property tax.”
The operating imbalance continues and “fund balances fell more than half between 2010 and 2013 from 62 percent to 27 percent.” In other words, the county is or will be bankrupt without massive tax increases due to spending.
To review county government massive spending budget go to http://www.kauai.gov. For a number of property taxpayers, your bills did not increase. Could it be because it is an election year?
Ben Franklin once said, “We must all hang together or assuredly we will all hang separately.” In my opinion, the council has lied about the financial stability of the county by calling a loan a reserve, and still there is no discussion of reducing frivolous spending.
The only councilmember who did not sign the current budget is Kagawa. Use your vote properly, and vote.
Gary Pierce, Kilauea
Bus shelters are long overdue
This is my third letter to Celia Mahikoa, executive on transportation, county of Kauai. I have yet to notice a bus shelter being erected on our island.
Your response to my previous two letters and I will quote exactly what your response was word for word: “In October or November 2013 of this year construction will begin on the first eight of 46 bus locations. We look forward to seeing bus shelters coming up all over our island before year’s end.”
Excuse me. This is October 2014 and nothing yet. One year later. Please, for the sake of our people, especially our kupunas waiting at bus stops in the rain and heat with no where to sit. Make this happen. We deserve your cooperation.
Jerry Kailoa, Kapaa
