State accidentally overpays workers
HONOLULU - State officials say Hawaii has accidentally overpaid employees $2 million.
Acting State Comptroller Dean Seki told Hawaii News Now a lot of the overpayments happen because Hawaii's state workers still use paper forms for sick or vacation leave and that the process is not computerized.
He said if an employee takes time off at the end of a pay period, the paycheck has already been issued and officials have to collect the overpayment from the worker.
According to the state, Hawaii overpaid employees $2 million as of the end of last year and the state recovered $470,000 of that. More than $1.5 million is still owed to the state.
But state officials said many of the employees have since retired or died.
State Sen. Donna Kim wants an investigation.
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Families to help build their homes
WAIANAE, Oahu - More than 70 Oahu families are getting the chance to become homeowners by helping build their own houses.
A self-help housing subdivision in Waianae is making homeownership possible for low-income residents with help from a nonprofit developer and government agencies.
The homes are being built on 5,000-square-foot lots to be sold for $256,000 to $276,000. The median price for an Oahu home last year was $575,000.
Families are saving about $100,000 by contributing about 65 percent of the labor, working 32 hours a week. Seven teams of about 10 family members will be led by a construction supervisor.
Self-Help Housing Executive Director Claudia Shay said the sweat equity is treated as a substitute for a down payment. A federal program is providing low-interest loans.
