If you can attend the City Council meeting on Wednesday (May 11) please do so and plan to testify. We need everyone possible to be there! We expect the portion where the discussion and vote on floating of bonds for the rail project to begin at 2:30 at Honolulu Hale and could go on for many hours. We need to put as much pressure as possible on our council members to vote no on bill 40. If you cannot attend, please see the phone and fax information provided below. The bottom line is that without a Full Funding Grand Agreement from the federal government it is HIGHLY RISKY to borrow more money to spend on this project. See more details in red below.
a. Attend meeting starting at 2:30 on Wednesday.
b. If you cannot go, fax testimony to 768-3827
c. go to http://www.honolulu.gov/council/emailttp.htm to e‑mail your written testimony.
d. Call your council member numbers here http://www1.honolulu.gov/council/ccl.htm
Mahalo for all that you do, and send this message on to anyone who might care.
To City Council Members: Rail Bond Float? PLEASE DO NOT!
It appears that several of you are misinformed about the status of the rail project. Here is a five line update:
1. The city does not yet have FTA approval to enter Final Design.
2. The City has not completed Final Design. It is still collecting the necessary samples.
3. Only after Final Design is completed, the city can enter into a Full Funding Grant Agreement with the FTA.
4. Only then the actual dollar commitment of the feds will be set in terms of monies and year of expenditure.
5. At that point Congress has the prerogative to cut the funding, reduce the funding or grant it as stated.
See for yourself: http://www.apta.com/gap/legupdatealert/2011/Pages/2011April20.aspx
- Congress cut FTA's New Starts by a whopping 20% for 2011.
- The 2011 New Starts funds for the whole nation is $1.59 Billion and Honolulu is asking for $1.55 Billion!
Replies