City Council Hearing On HART

A City Council meeting to discuss Resolution 1259, a measure to repeal the Honolulu Authority For Rail Transportation (HART), will begin at 10 a.m. March 21 at Honolulu Hale.

If the measure passes through the council, it will be placed on the ballot in November, giving voters an opportunity to vote on whether HART should be dissolved.

“By repealing HART, it would not kill the rail project,” explained City Councilman Tom Berg. “Instead, it would allow a mayor who is opposed to rail, to actually withhold funding for the rail project, and in essence, providing the mayor with the tools to kill it.”

“We are so deeply divided on this rail project that moving forward on it without another vote to solidify its viability will rob us of our chances to heal our differences and promote a greater degree of cohesion,” added Berg, who sponsored the measure.

The March 21 hearing is the first of three readings that will take place.

For Resolution 12-59 to pass, it will need a two-thirds vote in the affirmative for each of the three readings in order to be placed on the general election ballot.

“Let the people decide to amend the City Charter and dissolve HART if they wish.

“This is the right thing to do at this stage,” he stated.