Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 17, Number 9, 1 September 2000 — Givp us your mana'o on OHA's budget and priorities [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Givp us your mana'o on OHA's budget and priorities

Edito> s note: The following article was submitted by Trustees Machado and Apolwnu It is continued in the space nor mally allocated to Trustee Apoliona. KE AlOHA nui kākou, e nā 'ōiwi Hawai'i. In this 44th article in a series of 46, Trustee Machado and art ombining our space to extend oui KWO August message on OHA's reorgamzation and the budget process (eo authored by Trustees Cataluna. DeSoto Machadr and Apoliona). The article noted the Budget and Finance Committee pro posed tc 'he board an improved program maūe svsiem. the OHA Kauhale. to bettei serve thi needs of beneficiaries for 200 1 The OHA Kauhale. sought to create six culturall\ appropriate clusters of OHA programs to increase direct service to oui beneficianes: housing and eeonomie development; education, health, and human services and grants; land and natural resources, government affairs and community ouūeaeh; culture and histont preservation; administrative services, ano the board of trustees. Eaeh cluster represented a special community need and focus The housing and eeonomie devel opment cluster would provide housing

services and opportunities for ineome generation by beneficiaries. Staff skilled in these areas woule implement policy and programs to benefii Hawaiian people. Eaeh of the remaining program clusters woula have a particulai- kuleana with staff skilled at implementing programs in that kuleana. yet eaeh of the six clusters would collaborate and work interdependently,

making for a cooperative unit in the OHA Kauhale in 2001. This OHA Kauhale 2001 approach would help OHA rise above pohūeal gamesmanship, and be less intrusive and more facilitative in building a foundation for our people and empowering our beneficiaries. However, as we said, 'To the dismay of many beneficiaries and the majority of the B&F Committee the board wavered in its support. The result is OHA will continue to crawl along with little improvement in direct beneficiary services. Mueh of the current system that eame under tremendous scmtiny by tmstees is unchanged. Staffing now appears to consist more and more of patronage positions." Although we anticipate slower results in OHA's output. the future in not entirely lost because the OHA hiennium organization and budgetary future are now before us. The 2001 to 2003 hiennium program and budget plans are being developed at OHA in September and October with board action slated for November. OHA is poised to be an advocate for Hawaiian people in the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government. OHA is poised to be a serious contributor to the

social, eeonomie, spiritual and cultural well being of our Hawaiian people. In an Aug. 1 memorandum to the Administrator, Tmstee Apoliona and Tmstee Hao, chair and vice-chair, respectively, of the Committee on Budget and Finance, stated that a "primary goal of OHA from 2001 to 2003 should be one of 'beneficiary focus'" and further, "the OHA 2001-2003 fiscal hiennium (hiennial and supplemental) general fund/public land trast match ,budget should seek to improve beneficiary service delivery and advocacy by: 1) enhancing and expanding current OHA programs pursuant to favorable evaluations; and 2) identifying BY-200 1-2003 priorities in the areas of culture; eeonomie development; education; health and human services; land and natural resources; eommunity liaison; public information; planning, evaluation and research; government affairs; housing; the office of the Administrator; and administrative services, consistent with OHA's existing master plan and 'I Luna A'e.'" Tmstees Apoliona and Hao reminded See BUDGET on page 7

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the administration of the necessity and importance of community participation in the development of the OHA 2001-2003 fiscal hiennium general fund/public land tmst fund match budget as stated at Section 10- 14.5(b) of the Hawai'i Revised Statutes: "the board shall provide opportunities for beneficiaries in every county to participate in the preparation of eaeh biennial and supplemental budget of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. These opportunities shall include an accounting by tmstees of the funds expended and of the effectiveness of programs undertaken." Beneficiaries need to advise OHA on what's important for 2001, 2002 and 2003, and what programs will heal the needs. The shaded box compares expenditures for fiscal year 2000, through May 31, one month before the end of the fiscal year, as reflected in OHA's May variance report. (The year-end variance report, covering the entire year from July 1999 to June 2000, will be available by August 31.) Currently OHA's Master Plan identifies the following priorities for funding: • Culture • Eeonomie Development

• Education • Health and Human Services • Land & Natural Resources • Community Liaison Offices • Public Information • Planning, Evaluation & Research • Government Affairs • Housing • Office of the Administrator • Administrative Services As a beneficiary, what's your opinion on how OHA budgets and spends to improve conditions of Hawaiians? □ What should OHA spend money for in fiscal hiennium 2001-2003? □ Whieh of these areas should be top priorities for OHA budget and appropriations for FB 2001-2003?

□ Of the areas you feel are priorities, what kinds of programs should OHA spend money to maintain, develop or expand, directly or through grants and contracts? □ For what reasons should OHA eontract legal services? □ What ean OHA do to increase opportunities and improve conditions for Hawaiians? □ What else should we consider as we review OHA's 2001-2003 hiennium? Before the end of September, fax your comments to OHA's Administrator at 5941865 (or your island OHA haison ean send your fax). Or write to him at 7 1 1 Kapi'olani Blvd., Ste. 500, Honolulu, HI 96813. You may also want to talk with, fax or

write the Budget and Finance Committee (Tmstees Apoliona, Cataluna, DeSoto, Hao, Machado, Springer and Trask). We will meet with beneficiaries and service providers on OHA's hiennium budget for 2001-2003. Please participate. For the meeting schedule, eall OHA's administration at 594-1892; email oha@aloha.net; or log onto www.oha.org. The kauhale is but one approach. If the OHA board continues to falter in its duty to improve the system that services you, then your support will be lacking, whieh will adversely impact future generations. ■

BUDGETED EXPENDED AS OF MAY 31 Policy and Administration $ 3,256,995 $2,498,464 Administrative Services $2,703,360 $1,726,663 Puhlie Information Office $ 826,700 $ 754,505 Health and Human Services $ 684,613 $ 500,178 Planning, Research and Evaluation $ 937,065 $ 532,940 Culture $ 261,026 $ 213,227 ' Government Affairs $ 214,805 $ 179,071 Land and Natural Resources $1,605,604 $1,130,729 Eeonomie Development $ 1,596,750 $ 705,294 Education $ 1,234„489 $ 590,762 Housing $ 1,650,384 $ 158,670 TOTAL $14,971,791 $ 8,990,501

BUDGET Continued from page 6

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