Great. Now the state wants to raid Honolulu's rail fund to balance its budget.

[KamaAina]

Watch out for this sort of thing wherever you might be that may be planning to build transit!

http://www.starbulletin.com/news/hawaiinews/20090123_Use_of_rail_fund_worth_a_look_Hanabusa_says.html

An idea to redirect funds for Honolulu's rail transit system to help the state make up its multimillion-dollar deficit might have a slim chance of passing, but lawmakers should at least entertain the proposal, Senate President Colleen Hanabusa (D-But Carries Water For Repuke Gov -Ed.) said yesterday....

"It's ill conceived," said Kirk Caldwell, the city's managing director-designate. "You have some people at the Legislature and the executive branch reaching across the street into the pockets of the City and County of Honolulu, saying we want to use that to help balance the budget and not make the difficult decisions that need to be made. The voters have spoken, and they want to move forward with rail, not backwards. Here's another attempt to revisit the issue once again."

Hanabusa has long criticized Mayor Mufi Hannemann's planned elevated system from Kapolei to Ala Moana. She said she is not looking to stop the project, but to find revenue to help balance the state's budget deficit of $315 million this coming fiscal year from July to June 2010.

"I don't understand why there is such an uproar about entertaining it, especially if that means we can get over some of these major humps and we can keep our employees employed with their benefits," said Hanabusa (D, Nanakuli-Makua).

The basic problem here is that it was easier to just tack the additional excise tax onto the existing state tax, rather than authorize the City & County to collect it separately. That worked fine and dandy, while the state was running a surplus... :eyes:

edit: spelling