A resolution calling on city Auditor Edwin Young to conduct an economy and efficiency audit of Honolulu’s troubled rail project is to be taken up during a special meeting of the City Council Budget Committee at 9 a.m. today.

Resolution 17-199 was introduced by Councilman Trevor Ozawa, who maintains previous audits did not adequately identify costs for the project’s overruns or whether the Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transportation complied with applicable laws and regulations.

That Ozawa is the one calling for the audit is notable because the East Honolulu Council member was one of six votes necessary for a critical bond approval, after he initially had voted against it.

The cost of the 20-mile line from East Kapolei to Ala Moana Center is now estimated to be between $8 billion and $10 billion, depending on various financing alternatives, up from the $5.26 billion price tag given in December 2014. The project’s timeline has also been pushed back by six years, to 2025.

In June the HART board voted not to proceed with a forensic audit as members had discussed previously. Those supporting the deferral pointed out that an independent firm audits rail finances annually.

They also noted that Young’s agency produced a critical audit on rail last year, while a peer review by transit experts with the American Public Transportation Association offered recommendations to better manage the project and contain its costs.

At the state Legislature, lawmakers will convene a special session Aug. 28 to discuss ways to provide more funding to complete the entire project. The Federal Transit Administration has set a Sept. 15 deadline for the city to come up with a plan to solve the project’s financial woes.