Hawaii's Restored Budget Starts System Back on Track

http://www.ala.org/ala/alonline/currentnews/newsarchive/2003/aloct03/hawaiisrestred.cfm

$node.absurl

$node.contribution("Title")

$node.absurl

Posted October 13, 2003.

Hawaii’s Restored Budget Starts System Back on Track

Hawaii’s public library system can begin filling 86 jobs and work toward returning to a full schedule after an increase in projected state tax revenues allowed Gov. Linda Lingle to give all state departments $450 million in previously allocated money. In March, the system cut hours to five days a week and eliminated four bookmobiles to offset a $500,000 budget reduction.

Keith Fujio, state library system administrative services director, said the library has begun recruiting for a number of critical positions, but that not all vacancies will be filled this year, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin reported October 3.

Fujio said the system’s priority is getting the new Kapolei branch—which has sat empty since its completion last spring—up and running. While Kapolei has filled three of five staff positions so far, it won’t receive the funds to become fully staffed until FY 2004–2005.

“I wouldn’t want to promise anything,” Fujio said, “but maybe on a limited basis we could probably look at [opening] it at the earliest in January.”

Posted October 13, 2003.