Another day, another pay raise: You may have missed the buzz coming out of Honolulu Hale on Friday, what with all the last-minute horse-trading at the Legislature.

But a memo landing in staff inboxes announced that salaries are going up again for City Council members, the mayor, the county prosecutor, the fire chief, the police chief and dozens of other top city officials. The raises add another 4% to the pay scale and are effective July 1, when the new fiscal year begins.

The memo is dated April 23 but was just sent out on Friday.

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That means City Council members will now make $122,064 a year — up from the $113,000 they were granted by the Honolulu Salary Commission in 2023. Much ado about that 64% pay bump, of course.

Mayor Rick Blangiardi will see his pay increase to $226,080, Prosecutor Steve Alm will be at $214,272 and, The Blog’s favorite, the Honolulu Band director goes up to $191,060.

So much has been written lately about pay raises for public officials — state legislators, the governor, state judges and of course Maui County officials, some of whom who will apparently now be among the highest paid government employees in Hawaiʻi. It’s giving The Blog a big headache so we’ll let you read the memo for yourself.

Meanwhile, here’s a screen shot of the executive salary page:

The council members salaries are a done deal, thanks to a ballot measure approved by voters last year limiting their pay increases going forward. And still no prohibition against side gigs, despite the much-ballyhooed proposal to do that since they’re getting a full-time salary now.

But the City Council could still reject the executive branch raises before July 1 if they can get a three-fourths majority to back that politically hot play.

Legal pursuit: Anyone who just watched the political mess that is the Hawaiʻi Legislature during conference committee should applaud the effort a group of citizens is making on behalf of us all.

Led by attorney Lance Collins, they sued the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives earlier this year challenging the secrecy that continues to shroud the committee process like a moldy old cloak that should have gone to Goodwill a long time ago.

The lawsuit contends legislators violate Article III of the state constitution by making decisions in private that should be made in public. “Every meeting of a committee in either house or of a committee comprised of a member or members from both houses held for the purpose of making decision on matters referred to the committee shall be open to the public,” according to the constitution.

Now the case is finally getting a hearing, this one very much public, and the citizens’ group is urging other citizens to show up in force.

It is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday in First Circuit Court, Kaʻahumanu Hale at 777 Punchbowl St., before Judge Shirley Kawamura.

The lawsuit was triggered when the House Rules Committee, which had vowed to do things in the open at the beginning of session, proved to be another empty promise. Former state Sen. Laura Acasio, one of the plaintiffs, says the closed-door decision-making by House Rules is just one example of unconstitutional conduct.

“We are hopeful the courts will affirm that the framers of our Constitution envisioned a government that is transparent, participatory, and accountable to the people it serves,” she said in an email Friday.

“This lawsuit is about opening up our legislative process, living by the rule of law, and strengthening our faith in our democratic institutions,” another plaintiff, Sergio Alcubilla, told The Blog in a separate email.

House Communications Director Cathy Lee said House leadership had no comment “at the moment” because the litigation is pending.

The Blog is rooting for you, folks. Our “Let The Sunshine In” project has been focusing on transparency and accountability at the Legislature for nearly three years now and the lack of both elements is truly stunning and disheartening. Legislative leadership needs a solid legal kick in the okole if anything is ever going to change.

Kauhales ‘r us: Now that the paperwork is finally landing on the bills that went down to the wire last week we’re learning more about just how serious lawmakers took concerns raised by housing experts and homeless advocates over Gov. Josh Green’s kauhale initiative.

Late Friday, Rep. Lisa Marten noted some changes from the original bill to increase accountability when she announced the conference committee had reached a deal. Those included requirements for an audit and regular reports on expenditures.

But the measure goes much further than Marten described. And many of the changes reflect concerns expressed by the state’s former homelessness coordinator.

It turns out the bill also requires at least two bidders for the construction and development of any kauhale costing more than $1 million. Currently an emergency proclamation on homelessness allows no-bid contracts. That work has gone primarily to HomeAid Hawaiʻi, a nonprofit.

Green’s former homelessness coordinator, John Mizuno, had urged a two-bid requirement before he stepped aside, let’s just say, earlier this year. His successor testified against requiring two bidders.

Mizuno also was critical of off-grid kauhale villages without connections to electric, water and sewer systems even though they are in densely developed urban areas. Lawmakers went with him on that one, too, and will now require any kauhale developed with public money to be on the grid.

In addition, the bill puts the director of the Department of Human Services, Ryan Yamane, in charge. Previously, the program had been overseen by Joseph Campos, a deputy director. Now the state homelessness coordinator will report directly to Yamane.

Finally, the neighbors will have some say before kauhale pop up in their neighborhoods. The bill the homelessness office to “conduct and complete a community consultation process” before developing a village.

Surfs up and other notable events: And speaking of the flurry of deal-making and bill-killing last week as the Legislature closed out its conference committee period, here are a few more things of note, all of which still need to get through floor votes this week before everyone goes home on Friday.

Lawmakers came to an agreement on House Bill 133, which marks a major step toward funding competitive high school surfing teams in public schools.

Surfing was officially sanctioned as a high school sport by the Department of Education and approved by the Board of Education in 2016, but only one of the five local athletic leagues has sponsored it. Funding and logistical challenges have prevented the sport from spreading.

The measure seeks to change that. HB 133 would allocate $685,000 in each of the next two years to support surfing as a high school sport.

House Bill 212 would have made a program to fly homeless people back to the mainland permanent. But it was killed on Friday after a series of delayed hearings and major disagreement between the House and Senate.

Started in 2023, the pilot program sends out-of-state houseless people voluntarily back to the state that they came from.

It was intended so that state resources would be more focused toward the local homeless population. Rep. Lisa Marten, chair of the House Human Services and Homelessness Committee, suggested that those working with the program create a statewide plan and to come back during the next legislative session for more funding. 

Lawmakers agreed to make the Women’s Court Pilot Program a permanent fixture. The program focuses on helping non-violent female offenders in prisons and jails. House Bill 727 makes the program permanent on Oʻahu and provides a possible extension to Kona.

House Bill 957 would make the first Friday of May “Laulau Day” in honor of the ono traditional Hawaiian meal of pork or fish wrapped in ti leaves.

It’s something to look forward to as we head into the hot summer season. However, as the bill says, it won’t be a state holiday. But eh, fire up the steamer if you got ’em.

Capitol improvement: The Big Square Building on Beretania can be a cold and drab place. Sure, the unique architecture honors island art, history, culture and aloha, but when’s the last time anyone saw the reflecting pools, which symbolize the Pacific Ocean? The building has been an active construction site for years now.

That’s why The Blog is happy that the Department of Accounting and General Services accepts applications for permits to display art on the chamber level. It’s a nice little pick-me-up for visitors and Capitol employees.