Mayor Peter Carlisle said he is working with the city Ethics Commission to resolve a recommendation that he reimburse the city $3,300 to cover the cost of his wife’s trip to China in June, when she accompanied him as part of a city delegation traveling to strengthen cultural and economic ties.

Carlisle, who had until Thursday to respond or take corrective action, disagreed with the recommendation and said he sent a letter toChuck Totto, the executive director of the city’s ethics commission.

"Is that something I’m going to roll over and play dead on? No," he told reporters Thursday.

"Frankly, I got a nice call from Gov. (Neil) Abercrombie, who said certain things about Chuck Totto’s reasoning, and I happen to agree with him — suggesting that the reasoning was not sound."

In a Feb. 9 advisory opinion, the commission said Judy Carlisle’s presence on the trip did not serve a public purpose, and therefore her travel should not have been paid for by city funds — even funds that were donated as a gift to the city by Chinese government agencies and earmarked for her travel.

Carlisle said he disagreed because the money was a gift from foreign government agencies, and he was being told to repay the money to the city, not the agencies that expended the money.

Totto had said once a gift is accepted by the Council, it becomes a public resource that may be expended only for legitimate government purposes.