Budget‑execution bill spurs debate over council access to live financial systems; data officer proposes read‑only datamart

Vice Chair Nishimoto and Councilmember Dos Santos Tam introduced Bill 77 to give councilmembers more tools to oversee budget execution, including controlled access to expenditure data. The bill prompted a lengthy exchange about system boundaries, confidentiality, and the council’s role in preparing and amending the budget.

BFS Director Andy Kawano said the city’s budget platform is distinct from the enterprise financial system (FIN) that holds expenditure data; he opposed granting live access to FIN because of internal control, confidentiality and separation‑of‑powers risks during the mayoral budget preparation process. "We're really concerned about confidentiality and privacy," Kawano said, adding that system access must follow the same controls used for city staff and flagged internal‑control findings the department is actively addressing.

Vice Chair Nishimoto argued the council’s constitutional role in adopting and amending the budget warrants stronger tools and access; the chair and sponsors emphasized they do not intend to change numbers in the system but instead to obtain read‑only visibility for oversight. Chief data officer Kira Shushom explained a datamart approach can provide read‑only access tailored to legislative needs without logging into live operational systems. The committee agreed to continue refining the bill with BFS and the data office and to report it out for second reading with reservations.