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Environmental services presents FY27 budget; launches island compost pilot and low‑income sewer credit
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Summary
Department of Environmental Services director Roger Babcock told the Budget Committee that DES’s FY27 operating budget is $464.9 million and described new programs including a curbside food-waste pilot (GROW) starting April 1, a CARES sewer-bill credit program launching in May, and a $1.5M EV refuse‑truck pilot.
The Department of Environmental Services outlined its FY27 operating and capital priorities on March 12, saying the department’s proposed operating budget totals $464,900,000 and that the CIP will fund dozens of solid-waste and wastewater projects islandwide.
“Rain or shine, 24/7, 365, we take care of the city and county’s waste,” Director Roger Babcock said, summarizing DES operations and the department’s infrastructure footprint, which includes nine treatment plants, roughly 2,000 miles of pipelines and 71 pump stations. He told the committee the department treats about 100,000,000 gallons of sewage per day and handles millions of tons of refuse annually.
Babcock described several near-term and pilot programs that staff said they expect to launch in FY27. The GROW pilot, a curbside program to collect food waste in green compost carts, is slated to begin April 1 in five communities and expand toward islandwide curbside service around October. DES said the program aims to divert a large share of food waste from the residual stream—Babcock cited 60,000 tons as the target portion of an estimated 90,000 total food-waste tons in the waste stream. The presentation called the pilot “required by ordinance” for curbside food‑waste collection.
DES is also readying the CARES (Customer Assistance for Residential Environmental Services) low‑income sewer‑bill credit, which Babcock said will open for applications in May. Households at or below 80% of area median income will be eligible for a $20 monthly credit (implemented as a single $240 annual credit on the sewer bill) after staff verify eligibility, including recent tax documentation.
On fleet electrification, DES proposed a $1,500,000 pilot to lease five electric side‑loader refuse trucks and associated charging infrastructure. The trucks will be provided under a lease-with-infrastructure arrangement, DES said; the vendor would install and maintain chargers while the city tests routes and charging requirements. Babcock said the pilot will help the city comply with a directive to convert light‑duty fleet vehicles to zero‑emission by 2035 and to study heavy‑duty options.
The presentation also reviewed recent capital milestones: an $11,000,000 Kailua UV disinfection upgrade and the completion of phase 1 of a Sand Island Wastewater Treatment Plant secondary upgrade (a membrane bioreactor) that DES said is now in start‑up and carries a construction price tag cited at $461,000,000.
Council members pressed DES for measurement plans and follow-up. Council member Cordero asked DES to quantify savings from the appointment‑based bulky item collection; Babcock agreed to provide hard numbers. Vice chair Tupala sought specific metrics for the GROW pilot (participation counts, tons collected, contamination rates, ROI) and was told DES will monitor compliance, inspect carts and report findings during and after the pilot. On CARES, DES said the program will accept applications between May and October and will require recent tax returns to verify income.
DES also reported workforce numbers and cost drivers: a vacancy snapshot showed roughly 292 vacancies earlier in the year (about 25%), with plans to reduce that figure through active hiring; DES reported a budgeted overtime level of about $13.7 million (roughly 12% of salary costs), concentrated in refuse operations. Babcock said federal and state financing (including SRF loans for wastewater projects) remain important capital sources; he cited an outstanding SRF loan balance near $376,000,000 and described SRF terms as effectively low interest when forgiveness and fees are considered.
Next steps and follow-ups recorded in the hearing: DES will provide detailed savings data on the bulky‑item appointment system, a timeline and metrics for the GROW pilot evaluation, exact launch dates and outreach plans for CARES, and an update on the Sand Island upgrade’s percent complete. The committee did not take votes on these items during the March 12 hearing.
