HILO — Mayor Billy Kenoi is adding 14 new positions to the county budget.
But even that wasn’t enough for most County Council members, who on Wednesday added one more.
At the request of Puna Councilman Greggor Ilagan, the council voted 7-2 to add the position of county arborist to the Department of Public Works, with an annual salary of $80,000. The budget will also provide another $40,000 for equipment.
Ilagan said the arborist would be invaluable not only helping the county get a handle on its hazardous tree program, but also to help curb the spread of rapid ohia death, a fungus that is threatening the endemic trees on the island.
The money for the fiscal year starting July 1 will come from a current fund for removal of albizia and other hazardous trees that has so far not been used. It’s likely that money will be needed in future years, however, forcing the county to find another funding source later.
That’s one reason Hilo Councilmen Dennis “Fresh” Onishi and Aaron Chung voted no. They also questioned what they saw as a high salary and wondered if contracting arborists would be a better way to go.
“This is a big ticket position,” Chung said. “An $80,000 salary is an awful lot of money.”
But the majority of the council believed the position is worthwhile, not only to know which trees to cut, but equally as important, which trees to leave alone.
The council’s decision to add an arborist followed another outpouring of community opposition to the removal of a dozen trees from Kamehameha Park in North Kohala. More than 60 of the parkgoers had filled the videoconference site at the park during the first reading of the budget in May, and a dozen or so were also at Wednesday’s hearing.
Kohala Councilwoman Margaret Wille said the county has agreed not to cut any more trees at the park.
“Certainly my constituents are very concerned about overcutting,” Wille said.
It was the only change the council made before unanimously putting its final stamp of approval on the $462.9 million spending plan Kenoi submitted earlier this year.
North Kona Councilwoman Karen Eoff, chairwoman of the council’s Finance Committee, said she was impressed with the responsiveness of the administration to concerns voiced by the council and the public.
“This moves the county forward in a way the community can feel they’ve actually been a part of it,” Eoff said.
The budget, which is about $25 million, or 5.5 percent higher than this year, doesn’t increase property taxes or fees.
But individual property owners may pay more taxes because of higher property values. The county is collecting $1.5 million more, bringing the total to $265 million, in property taxes countywide, thanks to higher assessments.
“I thank Chairman (Dru) Kanuha and the County Council for asking really great questions through the budget process,” Kenoi, who wasn’t at the council meeting, said after the vote. “A 9-0 unanimous vote shows the cooperation and collaboration that goes into a long process.”
Kenoi’s budget includes eight new parks caretakers and recreation personnel to help care for the many new parks under Kenoi’s tenure. There are also new planners and a land use checker in the Planning Department and two Housing and Community Development specialists, as well as an account clerk for Mass Transit.
Human Resources Director Sharon Toriano said the administration doesn’t like to come before the council asking for more positions, but sometimes they are needed.
“It’s not something we take lightly,” Toriano said.
The 15 new positions represent a small fraction of the 2,800 people already employed by the county. The county is the second-largest employer on the island, behind state government and just ahead of U.S. government.
“Our position count is less than the positions when we took office,” Kenoi said. “We are fulfilling the needs of a growing community. The additional positions provide services our community needs.”
The county’s own comprehensive annual financial report, the official report complying with the accounting requirements promulgated by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, shows there were 2,538 employees in 2008, when Kenoi took office.
Kenoi has previously said the CAFR, as it is called, reflects total vacant and filled positions, compared to actual number of “warm bodies,” where positions are filled with actual employees.