SHAUN WHITE
TAKES BACK
HALFPIPE THRONE
INSIDE | SPORTS, 1B
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018 WESTHAWAIITODAY.COM 75¢
‘I want to see it to the penny’
RESIDENTS CHIME IN ON PROPOSED GET INCREASE
Mayor Harry Kim fields questions from residents at a community
meeting on the proposed GET increase held Tuesday at the West Hawai
Civic Center. Below: Kona Councilmembers Dru Kanuha and Karen Eoff
open the meeting. PHOTOS BY LAURA RUMINSKI/WEST HAWAII TODAY
MEETING ATTENDEES REMAIN
UNDECIDED ON TAX HIKE
BY MAX DIBLE
WEST HAWAII TODAY
mdible@westhawaiitoday.com
KAILUA-KONA —
Hawaii County Mayor
Harry Kim and Finance
Director Deanna Sako
fielded questions and heard
statements Tuesday night
from West Hawaii residents
sharing their voices on a
proposal to raise the county’s
general excise tax by
one-half percent.
The questions coming
from the audience inside the
County Council Chambers
at the West Hawaii Civic
Center, which were about
County Council scheduled
to hear bill next week
BY NANCY COOK LAUER
WEST HAWAII TODAY
ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com
HILO — With a do-or-die hearing of a bill
raising the general excise tax scheduled for next
week, the administration and County Council
are holding a bevy of last-minute community
meetings to get feedback and explain their
budget straits.
The bill puts a one-half percent local surcharge
— a half-penny on the dollar — on
the state general excise tax, which is currently
4 percent. The county has until March 31 to
approve the tax, under the state law.
“When people want to have
more police, more firefighters
and more services, we need to
have revenues for that,” said
Managing Director Wil Okabe.
“This is the last resort. … If
that doesn’t pass, the administration
will have to look at
Okabe
expenses,” Okabe said. ”But, it’s
going to come down to services.
… As long as people understand, no revenue,
the services are not going to be same old, same
old. There are going to be cuts.”
Okabe said the county has already cut hours
at some county pools, and days when transfer
stations are open, as cost-saving measures.
Most council members are still dubious. The
Finance Committee, comprising all nine council
members, voted 3-6 against Bill 102 last
week. Only Hilo Councilman Aaron Chung,
Hilo Councilwoman Sue Lee Loy and Puna
Councilwoman Eileen O’Hara voted for it.
The bill gets its first reading at the council
level Feb. 21, where it needs five “yes” votes to
pass. If it’s voted down, the council can’t bring
it back until next year, under council rules. If it
passes, it goes for a second reading.
In Hilo on Tuesday, most of the two dozen
or so in the crowd politely offered suggestions
SEE GET HIKE PAGE 8A
Signs of a
slush fund
AUDITOR SAYS OFFICE
OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS
FUNDS PET PROJECTS
BY AUDREY MCAVOY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
HONOLULU — The state agency responsible
for improving the well-being of Native
Hawaiians spent nearly double the amount on
pet projects than on competitive grants, the
state auditor said in a report released Tuesday.
Office of Hawaiian Affairs discretionary
spending included $1,900 to send someone to
WA I KO LOA B E A CH R E S O R T
Join Cupid at
Queens’ MarketPlace
for Valentine’s Day!
Center Hours Daily 9:30am–9:30pm
Restaurant and Food Court Hours may vary.
Located 20 minutes North of Kona International Airport on Waikoloa Beach Drive
886-8822 | www.QueensMarketPlace.net
SEE AUDIT PAGE 5A
SEE VOICES PAGE 8A
Long, long lasting love
STORIES CELEBRATE 121 YEARS OF MARRIAGE ON VALENTINE’S DAY
BY KIRSTEN JOHNSON
HAWAII TRIBUNE-HERALD
Editor’s note: To celebrate
Valentine’s Day, the Hawaii Tribune-
Herald is featuring two Hilo couples
who have been married 121 years
combined.
Richard and Masue Uejo
Coffee and sugar.
For Richard and Masue Uejo,
those two simple ingredients have
nurtured a marriage more than
seven decades strong: The Hilo couple
celebrated their 71st wedding
anniversary in January.
SEE LOVE PAGE 7A
Richard
and
Masue
Uejo
have
been
married
for 71
years.
HOLLYN
JOHNSON/
HAWAII
TRIBUNEHERALD
Annie’s Mailbox . . . . . . 4B Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6B Comics INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5B Nation & World . . . . . . . . .3A Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4A Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1B
HI 84 LO 71 WEATHER, PAGE 6A
VOL. 50, NO. 45 16 PAGES
YOUR BUSINESS INTERNET AND PHONE COMPANY
“These phones can do aNyThINg!”
- Judi, hawaii Ocean Sports
808-443-5680 • sales@redroad.com • locally owned and operated • SINCE 2007