Lee Miller is often reminded of employee furloughs when finding a state office closed, and now she is preparing to bring her own garbage bags and toilet paper to the Waipio soccer complex when furloughs for city workers begin next Friday.

As a board member of the Oahu League of the Hawaii Youth Soccer Association, Miller is preparing for a new round of reductions in service, including at the popular Waipio soccer complex, where her 13-year-old daughter, Kapua, regularly plays.

Miller is planning to collect her own garbage at Kapua’s soccer matches because "we’ve been given a heads-up that services were going to be cut back and to be prepared," she said. "When they told us to bring our own toilet paper, I was taken aback."

City furloughs will compound service cuts already under way with state furloughs and will affect an even wider array of life on Oahu, from driver’s license processing at satellite city halls to closures of city swimming pools and more pressure on maintenance at city parks.

City officials will save $18 million through mandatory furloughs of city employees, which will result in closures of Honolulu Hale, satellite city halls and other city offices and operations across Oahu two Fridays per month.

The first Furlough Friday even means that people wanting fireworks permits for Fourth of July will have to plan ahead since city offices will be closed next Friday, city spokesman Bill Brennan said.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann has promised that critical services will continue without interruption. They include police, firefighter, paramedic and lifeguard operations; garbage pickups and curbside recycling; and TheBus and TheHandi-Van.

Hannemann told city department heads to make cuts as painless and invisible as possible to Oahu residents and visitors, said Les Chang, director of the city Department of Parks and Recreation.

Normal working hours will be maintained at places such as the popular Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, which will remain open six days a week despite the furloughs, Chang said.

"But it was difficult," Chang said. "We had to make significant adjustments to everyone’s schedules, and we’ll have to go with minimum staffing to be sure to meet the public’s expectations."

Lots of little details still need to be worked out.

At Kailua District Park, Armand Pelletier doesn’t know where he’ll hold his adult aerobics class when the park’s pool and classrooms will be shuttered on Furlough Fridays. Or whether he’ll be allowed to run his classes at all on Fridays.

"We used to hold classes in the gym, but that’s been closed for a long time for repairs," Pelletier said. "Now I don’t know what they’re going to tell me, for sure. I don’t know if they’re going to cancel our (Friday) classes."

Janie Gueso, whose husband owns Solid Towing in Ewa Beach, already faces delays when trying to reach the owners of towed vehicles.

Tow companies are required to send certified letters to the registered owners of vehicles they tow and store within 15 days, but first need the owners’ information from the city Division of Motor Vehicles, Licensing and Permits.

"The owner may have no idea their vehicle was towed," Gueso said. "Even without the furloughs, sometimes it takes the city 20 days before they send me back the letter. So we’re already past the deadline. Our hands are completely tied. It’s only going to get worse."

Some building contractors worry that delays in city permits could result in project slowdowns.

"But what can you do?" architect Gregory A. Quinn asked this week outside the Frank F. Fasi Municipal Building, which will be closed on Furlough Fridays.

While applying for her own building permit, Cheryl Kunimoto took a moment to reflect on the state furloughs that already have led to a host of inconveniences for her and her two children — from teacher furloughs that kept her kids out of school to closures of state libraries.

"Whenever we really have the desire to go (to the library), it’s closed," Kunimoto said.

She believes both state and city furloughs could have been avoided with better budget planning in fatter fiscal times. So Kunimoto is disappointed that state and city officials turned to furloughs to help balance their budgets.

"I’m accountable for my budget," Kunimoto said. "I think they are not holding themselves accountable."

While bracing for the effects of city furloughs to settle in, several Oahu residents said they support the concept because furloughs prevent layoffs and preserve jobs.

Suzanne Shedletsky of Kailua does not see any other good alternative to furloughs.

"We’re obviously in debt," Shedletsky said, "so we need them."