Question: I missed the community meeting about Koko Crater Stables. Is it too late to speak up?
Answer: No. “Anyone who has proposals, comments or ideas for Koko Crater Stables is asked to author an email to the Department of Parks and Recreation at parks@honolulu.gov,” said Andrew Pereira, a spokesman for the city.
The city’s plan to shut down the East Oahu equestrian center by June 30 caught many people by surprise, according to state Rep. Gene Ward, a Republican who highlighted the issue in his May newsletter and urged constituents to turn out for the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board meeting on May 31.
Ward’s district encompasses Hawaii Kai, Kalama Valley and the Ka Iwi Coast, and includes the area where the stable is located, adjacent to the city’s Koko Crater Botanical Garden.
“It appears that the Botanical Gardens is prepared to absorb the 12-acre parcel that for 55 years has been an invaluable asset to our Hawaii Kai community and the last remnant of paniolo culture in East Honolulu,” Ward said in the newsletter. He encouraged both those committed to keeping the stables and those happy to close them and expand the garden to attend the neighborhood board meeting.
About 80 to 100 people turned out, according to a staff member from Ward’s office. Attendees heard from city department representatives about the plans and also had a chance to voice their opinions. Some urged the city to keep the stables and to open up the Botanical Garden’s trails to horseback riding (a prohibition that has stymied past stable operations), while others supported expanding the garden.
Q: I read Monday’s column (808ne.ws/214pR7I) about an uncashed paper check for quarterly estimated payments. My check has not been cashed since April 20. How does one set up “electronic transfer” with DOTAX? …
A: Kokua Line received similar responses from several other readers, all taxpayers who affirmed that the federal government cashes their quarterly estimated payments much more quickly than the state does. They also asked for more information on how to make electronic payments, which a spokeswoman for the state Department of Taxation said are processed more swiftly than paper checks.
Individuals and businesses can file certain state tax forms online, and pay via electronic transfer (e-check) or credit card, as long as their personal computers (or their tax preparer’s computer system) meet certain specifications and they register for the e-filing service, known as ELF.
There is no fee to file a tax form this way (rather than mailing it in), but there is a fee for an electronic payment. The fee is $1 per e-check transaction, deducted from the taxpayer’s bank account, but higher for credit card payments. It is possible to pay electronically without e-filing the whole tax return, and vice versa, according to the Taxation Department.
You can find precise instructions at the E-Services section of the department’s website, 808ne.ws/25ILBJz, which includes a list of the forms available on ELF, instructions on how to register and other information, including about cybersecurity. Read the FAQs before you register.
If you have problems registering, contact the department’s Electronic Processing Section by email at tax.efile@hawaii.gov or by phone at 587-1740.
Mahalo
We recently flew to the mainland for our daughter’s college graduation. On the way home she was seated separately near the window. The gentleman in the aisle preferred the window seat, so he asked to trade. They apparently struck up a conversation during which she mentioned that she had just graduated and was going home. A flight attendant came by and told the gentleman that because of his miles, he could be upgraded to first class. He told my daughter to go in place of him since he flies a lot anyway. What a great graduation present from a complete stranger! — Mahalo from grateful parents
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Write to “Kokua Line” at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
