HONOLULU — Nearly one-third of Hawaii families don’t meet self-sufficiency income levels, according to a state report.
A family of four needs to bring in nearly $78,000 on Oahu to be self-sufficient — or able to cover expenses without government or other outside help, Hawaii News Now reported Wednesday. That’s up from $74,940 in 2014 and is $22,000 more than what the same family would have needed a decade ago.
The report looked at the costs of housing, food, transportation, child care and taxes.
It found that families on the Big Island needed the lowest self-sufficiency income to make ends meet, while some of the highest incomes needed were seen on Kauai and Maui.
The biennial self-sufficiency study was aimed at gauging how the state’s cost of living affects families.
For a single adult, the self-sufficiency income in Hawaii was at nearly $33,000.
A single parent with two children needs to bring in at least $69,000 in Hawaii to be self-sufficient.
For a family of four on Oahu, the report put the total cost of basic needs at $6,497 a month. That includes $1,787 for housing, $1,131 for child care and $1,260 for food.
Hawaii lawmaker calls on state agency to enforce beach rules
WAILUKU, Hawaii — A Hawaii lawmaker is calling for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources to enforce rules that prevent resorts and vendors from reserving space on public beaches.
State Rep. Angus McKelvey sent a letter to department officials on Wednesday after reports surfaced that documented unused chairs, umbrellas and other gear placed along Kaanapali Beach on western Maui.
“Our public beaches are legally protected and the public’s access should be unfettered,” McKelvey said in the letter. “Attempts of this nature to reserve beach space disallow the general public’s use and enjoyment of that space and is unacceptable.”
Kaanapali Beach is in an ocean recreation management area. The rules allow the renting of beach equipment, but the items are not permitted to be set up until the guest is present. If the guest leaves the item unattended for more than an hour, it must be removed.
Maui resident Kai Nishiki said she has filed several complaints to the department after observing several resorts and vendors violate the rules. She said sometimes the beach chairs will stay in place all day and overnight.
“Resorts are selling space on our public beaches and completely blocking the entire coast in front of their hotels with hundreds of cabanas/chairs/umbrellas daily,” Nishiki told The Maui News.
In a recent statement, department officials said the rules are periodically enforced, but the department does not have enough personnel to enforce the rules daily.
McKelvey said he plans to help secure more funding for conservation officers, but the department is still obligated to ensure the rules are enforced.
Audit: Hawaii energy office’s mission, priorities unclear
HONOLULU — A state auditor could not figure out the Hawaii State Energy Office’s purpose or how well it does its job, he said in a report.
The energy office could not tell State Auditor Les Kondo how it has directly or indirectly contributed to the state’s clean energy goals, he said.
The state Energy Office is tasked with weaning Hawaii off fossil fuels by 2045.
While progress on this goal is being made, Kondo said he is unsure if any of the credit can go to the office.
The office provided documentation of its contributions to the state auditor that was not acknowledged in the report, Mary Alice Evans, deputy director for the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, said in a reply to the audit.
The audit released Wednesday had other findings:
The office awarded a $250,000 contract to plan for a “state-of-the-art” energy innovation center seven months before asking a consultant to determine whether the center was needed.
It also found that personnel costs make up 90 percent of the office’s expenses, according to the audit.
The office is “spending $600,000 more than their current revenues,” Kondo said. “At their current level of spending they will eat through the energy security fund, which is their primary source of funding, by fiscal year 2019.”
The office has cut back its costs by delaying hiring, closing out contracts and limiting travel and training among other steps, Evans said.
From wire sources