Council approves reduced HPD patrol transfer after officials report evolving overtime shortfall

The Honolulu City Council amended and adopted a transfer to support the Honolulu Police Department’s patrol activity after HPD confirmed updated projections for fiscal-year overtime and payroll shortfalls.

Council moved to adopt an initial transfer resolution that would have provided $13.5 million from general-fund vacancy savings to patrol; after HPD finance reported updated payroll projections that reduced the shortfall to approximately $7.75 million, members negotiated a lower, hand-carried FD1 and ultimately approved transfer language providing $8.5 million. The FD1 reduced the requested transfer and the portion taken from the Administrative Services (patrol) allotment accordingly.

Major Ryan Hiranaka of HPD’s Finance Division explained the department’s internal allotment practice: overtime spikes in earlier quarters were balanced by drawing on funds allocated to later quarters, leaving the fourth quarter with a projected deficit. Hiranaka said initial projections were conservative and that the most recent payroll data lowered the expected remaining shortfall to roughly $7.75 million. He said the transfer would offset the projected deficit and is not intended to be a year-end spending spree.

Council members raised recurring concerns about HPD transfers and lapses. Councilmember Tupelo and others asked why the department had recurring transfers despite large prior-year lapses; HPD finance said lapses reflected timing, the recruit-training pool, and shifting allotments across activities. Director Kawano noted that lapsed vacancy savings have historically been used to fund other council priorities and warned that replacing funds requires identifying offsetting cuts elsewhere.

Some council members proposed alternative approaches: moving vacancy savings into overtime budgets at the start of the fiscal year, or structuring patrol funding to make overtime and staffing needs clearer up front. Councilmember Tupelo asked HPD to provide more precise overtime forecasts and suggested a smaller buffer; HPD supported a friendly amendment to reduce the transfer request to $8.5 million.

The council adopted the FD1 amendment (reducing the transfer) and noted members’ concerns about recurring transfers, recruitment capacity, and how vacancy savings are used. The resolution included an administrative expectation that unspent funds would lapse back to the general fund and directed departments and Budget & Fiscal Services to improve transparency of payroll and vacancy reporting.