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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFY 2026 (Office of the Mayor) OFFICE OF THE MAYOR FY 2026 BUDGET AND OPERATIONS SYNOPSIS Derek S.K. Kawakami Mayor Reiko Matsuyama Managing Director 1 Department: MAYOR’S OFFICE Fund: GENERAL FUND 1. FY 2025 to FY 2026 BUDGET COMPARSION 2 2. MAJOR CHANGES AND/OR VARIANCES IN OPERATIONS BUDGET Salary and Wages – Decrease of $16K or -0.9%: Despite the decrease, there are notable changes to the Mayor’s Office organization chart this year. The primary reason for the decrease is that we moved the Film Commissioner from the Mayor’s Office budget to the Office of Economic Development and renamed the position to an Economic Development Specialist III to provide for expanded duties and scope. Offsetting that decrease, we are proposing to add an Early Childhood Coordinator position to effectively manage the Piikoi operation as well as handle all collaboration with childcare partners across the island. Lastly, we moved a CIP Coordinator that is funded via other sources to be housed, more appropriately, in the Mayor’s Office budget. This position is directed by the Mayor’s Office to work on specific projects prioritized by the administration. Benefits – Increase of $93,467 or 8.6%. To ensure we are adequately positioned to meet future obligations, we have made a strategic decision to increase the allocation of our Other Post- Employment Benefits account across the board. This will provide for flexibility in addressing any potential increases. Operations – Increase of $116K or 11.8% is explained in further detail below. Administration • 001-0101-512.36-00 (Grant in Aid): The GIA budget in the Mayor’s Office has not increased in many years, yet we are experiencing greater need across the County. We are requesting to double the prior budget of $100,000 to expand support for underserved communities and boost local initiatives that lack the necessary funding. • 001-0101-512.35-00 (Special Projects): Increase of $10K represents an increase to the Employee Council’s budget. With their newly generated monthly newsletter, they have experienced an increase in event participation and plan to offer a wider variety of experiences for our associates. Boards & Commissions • 001-0104-512.55-00 (Advertising): The decrease of $35K is due to a non-election year status. Funding is not needed for advertising charter amendment proposals. • 001-0104-512.67-01 (Boards & Commission Exp.): The decrease of $22K is due to the account being previously overfunded. • 001-0104-512.30-00 (Other Services): Using some of the advertising and miscellaneous expenses above, we increased the contested case hearings budget by $47K. While this account received a significant amount of funding in the prior year, the amounts needed on an annual basis will fluctuate. The Office of Boards & Commissions is responsible for all contested case hearings to include transcribing minutes, maintaining official records, and issuing correspondence. 3. OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES FROM FY2025 With the uncertainty surrounding the priorities of the Federal Government, we need to ensure that we are resilient and flexible so we can navigate changes in funding sources and policies. Distance is not going to shelter us from the consequences of their actions. These issues are top of mind for our administration as we leverage our resources and potentially take new directions on 3 certain initiatives. Recently, our Communications Officer left the Office of the Mayor and took with her eight years of experience and institutional knowledge. Thankfully, the remaining Public Information Officer (PIO) was willing to step into that role to lead the county’s communications team and we were fortunate to hire a new PIO role to fill that vacancy. This new team has hit the ground running, managing the county’s media inquiries, press releases, social media accounts, and community outreach. Additionally, our PIO team stands ready to assist at any time for urgent weather incidents or other disasters. With Mayor Kawakami’s term ending at the end of next calendar year, we do anticipate more turnover in the Director positions. The recent retirements of our Elderly Affairs Executive and Parks Deputy Director have caused temporary disruptions and a need for more oversight and assistance from our office. The Office of Boards and Commissions will also face challenging recruitment efforts in the coming months as they search for a new Police Chief and Liquor Control Director. Both commissions are initiating an executive search for their new leaders. 4. OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS FROM FY 2025 With the assistance of many hands across the County, we successfully cleared Ninini Point and the area behind the Līhu‘e airport, which had become a large dumping ground for derelict vehicles and other large debris. Nearly 200 vehicles, 2,000 tires, and over 200 dump truck loads of trash and metal were removed from the site. The Roads crew also laid gravel for road that is useful for first responders. We are working towards figuring out a process to open the gates to the public while ensuring the area is kept clean. We took drastic strides to move the issue of COVID19 temporary hazard pay behind us. With the help of Human Resources, Office of the County Attorney, and Finance, we reached settlement agreements with both UPW, HGEA, and most recently, SHOPO. The UPW payout was completed in mid-February and the HGEA payout is expected in late March. The SHOPO money bill is being drafted and will be presented to Council soon. We are cognizant that these payouts will put our General Fund Reserve below our policy level limit and will need to be replenished in the near term. The Charter Commission placed five questions on the ballot in 2024 and all were successfully adopted by the electorate. The Cost Control Commission has been operationalized and is meeting monthly. Lastly, the Salary Commission has successfully completed a salary resolution to be adopted on July 1, 2025. Their intention is to continue meeting to address other outstanding issues that could not reach consensus by the March 15 deadline. As for our volunteer commissioners, 21 vacancies were created due to resignations or term limits. Boards & Commissions staff filled all 21 vacancies and 15 reappointments.