Trash and sewer fee increases, immediate funding for a new roundabout in Kahului and partial funding for the Wailuku civic complex are included in the Maui County Council’s version of the fiscal 2019 budget.

On May 18, the full council passed the budget on first reading. Second-and-final reading is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday in Council Chambers, with testimony taken at the beginning of the meeting.

The council’s version of the budget is around $758 million, down $62 million from Mayor Alan Arakawa’s proposed $820 million budget.

By law, the council has until June 10 to take action on the budget; otherwise, the mayor’s budget becomes law. The budget goes into effect July 1.

Property tax rates have already been set via resolution approved by the council. (See budget highlights listing for more details on Page A4.)

Some of the council-backed increases also were included in Arakawa’s budget. These include increasing residential refuse collection rates from $27 to $32 per month on Maui and Molokai, and from $14 to $16 on Lanai. And, landfill commercial tipping fees would climb from $90 to $97 per ton under the current budget draft.

There also would be a 3 percent sewer fee increase. Now, the maximum sewer fee for residents is $66.26 per month. With the increase, it would be $68.48.

The council is seeking to appropriate around $44 million for the Wailuku civic complex. Arakawa had proposed budgeting $81 million, but the Budget and Finance Committee noted in a committee report that “it would be fiscally prudent to fund the project in phases because the project cannot be completed in a single fiscal year.”

Since fiscal 2016, $15.6 million has been appropriated for the project for planning, design and land acquisition. The civic complex would include multilevel parking, along with county office space, public conference capabilities, community reception space, an outdoor event deck, infrastructure upgrades and pedestrian connectivity. It would take the place of the Wailuku municipal parking lot.

The project aims to be a catalyst to revitalize the Wailuku Redevelopment Area. It’s anticipated to generate an estimated $700 million in private investment over the life of the general obligation bond, the committee report said.

Among numerous proposed amendments heard by council members May 18, one came from Budget Committee Chairman Riki Hokama to double grants for visitor education from $100,000 to $200,000. His proposal came after Council Member Elle Cochran called for more funding for visitor education.

A provision tied to the appropriation requires the money to be used in campaigns targeted at visitors to mitigate their impacts on infrastructure and the environment. Initiatives could include education about sunscreen and its adverse impact on reefs; ocean and hiking safety; the respectful treatment of culture and the environment; and information about identifying illegal vacation rentals and their impact on residential housing.

Cochran proposed the provision.

The additional $100,000 would come from the grants and disbursements for water and environmental resource protection and conservation.

Other budget amendments include:

• Authorizing $2.85 million in bond funding for a traffic roundabout project at the often-congested intersection of Maui Lani Parkway and Kamehameha Avenue in Kahului.

• Adding $5.9 million for the Kihei Wastewater Reclamation Facility grit system replacement.

• Reinstating the senior citizen paratransit monthly passes. (The cost of bus passes would rise from $30 to $45 per month.)

For more information, go the mauicounty.us/agendas/ and view the council’s Tuesday agenda. It has links to current budget bills set for final action. If passed, the measures would advance to the mayor for approval, veto or allowing the budget to be enacted without his signature.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.

Fiscal 2019 Budget Highlights

The following are various rate and fee increases, funding for new and existing programs and capital improvement projects currently in the fiscal 2019 budget. It is set for final council approval on Tuesday morning.

• A 3 percent increase to sewer fees from $66.26 to $68.48 per month.

• A $20 increase in permit fees for rental of county parks facilities and equipment.

• Establishing a Maui Interscholastic League Fees Fund to help high school athletes with travel costs. Fees collected from high school athletic events would go into the fund.

• $200,000 for an assistance program, to be administered by Maui Economic Opportunity Inc.’s Molokai Division, to help displaced Mycogen Seeds’ employees.

• $2 million for the county’s First-time Homebuyers program.

• $6.26 million for countywide road resurfacing and pavement preservation projects.

• $12.5 million for source, transmission and storage expansion for the Upcountry water system.

The full council via resolution, approved the property tax rate structure for fiscal 2019 earlier this month.

Rates are per $1,000 of assessed value. New rates for next year are followed by current rates. The short-term rental rate is a new category.

• Homeowner, $2.85, down from $2.86.

• Commercialized residential, $4.55, down from $4.56.

• Residential, $5.52, down from $5.54.

• Agricultural, $6, down from $6.01.

• Apartment, $6.31, down from $6.32.

• Conservation, $6.35, down from $6.37.

• Commercial, $7.25, down from $7.28.

• Industrial, $7.45, down from $7.49.

• Short-term rental, $9.28.

• Hotel and resort, $9.37, no change.

• Timeshare, $15.41, down from $15.43.