Question: Is there really an annual fee of $100 to have a burglar alarm in Honolulu? I think I might have gotten a scam bill. The house already had this security system when we moved in.
Answer: No, but there is a fine in that amount for failing to have a permit, which may explain the notice you received. The City and County of Honolulu False Alarm Reduction Program requires property owners with alarm systems that summon police to register the systems and renew the permits annually, according to the program’s website, 808ne.ws/falsealarm.
The registration fee for a residential or commercial location is $15, the annual renewal fee is $5, and the fine for failing to obtain a permit is $100, it says. There’s also a fine of $50 per false alarm, after the third occurrence in a 12-month period. The city program is administered by a vendor, the PM AM Corp. For more information, see the website or call 877-624-4992.
You can also reach the website through the Honolulu Police Department’s website, at honolulupd.org/faq/. Click on the link about “Alarm Tracking and Billing Outsourcing.”
Q: I received a text message on my cellphone to participate in a Census survey and also got a couple of reminder text messages. The number on the text is a five-digit number. I have been deleting the texts as I thought the Census bureau either sends a letter or calls you directly. Are the texts valid and do I have to participate?
A: If the texts are from 39242* then yes, they would be from the U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey, which is collecting data through Monday for the latest phase of a continuing online survey “studying how the coronavirus pandemic is impacting households across the country from a social and economic perspective,” according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This survey is voluntary; recipients may reply “stop” to opt out of text reminders.
Participants for the Household Pulse Survey receive a text message from 39242* or an email from COVID.survey@ census.gov, with a link to complete the survey, according to the U.S. Census website, census.gov.
Q: Just wondering if the Department of Health has an estimated number of eligible residents who are not vaccinated against COVID-19?
A: Yes, see health. hawaii.gov/coronavirus disease2019/, where the vaccine data summary showed Friday that among Hawaii’s total population of about 1.4 million people, an estimated 312,013 never received any COVID-19 vaccine, a number that dropped to 303,225 if only those eligible for vaccination were counted. The primary COVID-19 vaccine series is available to people ages 6 months and older, while those 5 years and older also are eligible for a bivalent booster shot if it’s been at least two months since they completed their primary series or received a monovalent booster, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Q: Is it too late to sign up for student loan forgiveness?
A: Applications for one-time federal student loan relief have been suspended for now. A notice posted on the U.S. Department of Education website says: “Courts have issued orders blocking our student debt relief program. As a result, at this time, we are not accepting applications. We are seeking to overturn those orders. If you’ve already applied, we’ll hold your application. … We will post information as soon as further updates are available.” Go to studentaid.gov for more information.
More than 16 million applications have already been approved and sent to loan servicers to be discharged if the Biden administration prevails against the legal challenges, federal officials said. Another 10 million have been submitted but not processed.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
