HILO — A mainland applicant has accepted an offer to become the county’s mass transit administrator.
County officials were tight-lipped about the process Friday, saying the paperwork has not yet been completed to bring the applicant on board. That’s expected to happen by Monday.
“This afternoon, we just sent this person the final documents for the job,” county Managing Director Wil Okabe said Friday.
The county had settled on a candidate last month, but the candidate declined the offer, saying the $67,728 annual salary wasn’t high enough to justify a move from the mainland.
The job posting required a “combination of education and experience substantially equivalent to … four years of professional work experience in planning and coordinating activities for a mass transit program, of which one year shall have been in an administrative or supervisory capacity,” along with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, public administration, economics or a related field.
The county re-advertised the position at $69,084-$127,284 annually, and about five qualified applicants responded.
The winning candidate will have a big job to do.
Neither former transit consultant Curt Sharp, nor acting Administrator Tiffany Kai were considered for the position.
Sharp completed the two 89-day contracts allowed by law before leaving the office last month. He was paid $9,584 monthly.
Sharp, 72, claimed 45 years experience in transportation networks and logistics, including overseeing more than 500 vehicles and 1,000 staff. But the Department of Human Resources disagreed that was “substantially equivalent” to mass transit.
Kai stepped down as transit administrator after newspaper articles depicted a Hele-On bus system in shambles, with a full 25 of the 55-bus fleet out of commission because of maintenance problems, a trashed and unsafe baseyard, frequent breakdowns leaving buses on roadsides and up to $10,000 extra being spent daily to rent tour company buses to fill in the gaps.
Bus ridership has dropped by almost a third over the past few years, a consultant said.
Meanwhile, a new bus baseyard is about a year behind schedule.
The approximately $11.3 million facility near the Hilo landfill will combine administrative offices with maintenance operations and includes several bays for mechanics to work.
Kai said construction is complete but the county is going through “punch list” items to make sure it’s ready for occupancy.
So far, floor paint was found peeling and will need to be redone, she said.
Administration might move in next month, with mechanics settling in to their new facility in January, Kai estimated.
The County Council this year budgeted $14 million this year for transit operations and improvements, up slightly from last year. Half of the money comes from the general fund, which comes primarily from property taxes, and half comes from the highway fund, collected from gas taxes and franchise fees to utilities.
Federal grants account for just $1.2 million of the budget, and with fares accounting for $960,000, the county pays an average $11.77 per rider. Riders pay $1-$2 fares, depending on their age and whether they have disabilities.
Hawaii Tribune-Herald reporter Tom Callis contributed to this report.
