Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 2, 1 February 1995 — Budget shenanigans? [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Budget shenanigans?

by Rowena Akana Trustee-at-Large One of the most important initiatives undertaken by any large organization is consideration of their budget. In efforts to reach consensus about such matters, the existing relationships between those involved in

the dehberations are often thrown mto sharper relief. And so it was with the | recent recommittal of the hiennium budget of 1995-1997 from the Board of f Trustees back to Trustee Aiona's j Budget, Finance and Policy I Committee. The budget shenanigans of the December 29 joint meeting of the Budget, Finance and Policy and j Legislative Review Committees and ; the January 3 meeting of the Board of Trustees is a perfect example of everything that is wrong with how aelion items pass through committees under

the Cla>lon Hee regime. Needless to say, a hiennium budget is an item of major importance. The trustees carefully scrutinized the administrative budget request, one volume of whieh was as thick as a phone book. Although we thought these encyclopedias were what the administration intended to take to the Legislature, we were informed at the Dec. 29 meeting that the entire thick budget was null and void, discarded in favor of a eonsiderably thinner six-page action item (whieh theoretically didn't reflect any of the increases of the larger, original documents). Although the action item purported to describe a no-growth budget, growth nevertheless did occur to the tune of $688,124 - a totally unjustifiable sum in this era of fiscal restraint. New expenses of $974,867 were offset by budget cuts of nearly $300,000, obtained primarily by slashing proven, valuable programs of the Land and Sovereignty Committee. The lion's share of these new increases is dedicated to positions intended to serve the chair, including a new, second deputy administrator position ($128,886 for

two positions), a "board liaison" position ($123,563 for a job listed in the budget twice, with no clear description of either duties or qualifications) and the promotion of Clayton Hee's aide from part-time to full-time (a position paying $16.45 an hour, plus an additional $1 1,000 in fringe benefits). This action item didn't pass, however. It even

encountered strong opposition from Trustee DeSoto (chair of the Legislative Review Committee and one of Trustee Hee's closest allies on the board), who spoke in favor of a real nogrowth budget. one with no program cuts and no new positions. Trustee DeSoto's motion passed un;mimously. So, imagine thc surprise of the trustees when that clear, concrete statement of the fiscal philosophy of all seven trustees in attendance was later ignored. As usual, information about

extremely important agenda items (like the budget) was distributed at the meeting itself, allowing the trustees no time to review the material. To the eonstemation of the assembled trustees, the new aelion item was exactly the same as the one voted down just a few days before. With his customary dance, Chairman Hee managed to temporarily avoid mutiny in his ranks by convincing enough trustees to recommit the budget to the C'ommittee on Budget, Finance and Policy, giving him more time to massage his allies and regain their votes. While trustee concerns about the budget and the means of its passage through committee will likely be callously steamrolled or nimbly evaded in the usual manner, the ongoing abuse of power by the chair necessitating such vigilance will eonhnue unabated. Clayton Hee"s attempt to juggle budget numbers to shore up his fiefdom by creating positions beho!den and answerable to him is typical: another case of business as usuai at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.