Question: If I buy a car from an active- duty military member who is exempt from Hawaii vehicle weight taxes, will I have to pay those registration fees when I transfer the title? I’m not in the military.
Answer: Yes, on a prorated basis. “If the buyer does not qualify for the military registration exemption, they are required to pay the difference in registration fees for the remaining amount of the registration period during the transfer process,” according to Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services.
For details on how to transfer a vehicle title on Oahu, go to www8.honolulu.gov/csd and click on “Vehicle Registration, Title and Services.”
On the topic of vehicle registration, we heard from a reader worried that their renewal transaction was not completed online Thursday. They blamed gusty wind for a spotty home internet connection that may have disrupted the task.
That reader can email the Motor Vehicle Registration Branch at MVINFO@honolulu.gov to confirm the status of their payment.
Q: Regarding the Ala Wai Pedestrian Bridge project, I live by the proposed bridge, and I am a firm proponent. Unfortunately, I will be out of town for the two public workshops coming up. Is there somewhere I can voice my support?
A: Yes, you can email completestreets@honolulu.gov, which is not limited to receiving expressions of support. “Those who cannot attend a charrette/ workshop should send a request for the results to completestreets@honolulu.gov. Once the charrettes are complete, DTS will email them the bridge designs presented and developed during the charrette such that those who cannot attend can provide their feedback on the bridge designs,” Travis Ota, spokesperson for Honolulu’s Department of Transportation Services, said in an email.
The public workshops are scheduled for 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 23 at Ala Wai Elementary School, 503 Kamoku St., which is adjacent to the proposed bridge. “During these workshops, the public will be presented with a variety of bridge types with the intent of soliciting feedback on the preferred form of the proposed bridge. Results from the workshops will be summarized for inclusion in the Design-Build Request for Proposal. The RFP is expected to be issued in 2025 and a contract awarded later that same year. Construction is expected to last three years,” a DTS news release said.
The proposed bridge, which is known as Ala Pono, would be for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the Ala Wai Canal.
Health insurance
The state urges Hawaii residents who don’t have health insurance through their employers to visit HealthCare.gov to compare plans available through the Health Insurance Marketplace. Open enrollment lasts through Jan. 15. Customers who enroll by Dec. 15 can obtain coverage that starts Jan. 1. “Over 20,000 Hawai‘i residents purchased plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace in 2024, and more than 17,000 received subsidies,” according to the Insurance Division of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.
Giving thanks
Kokua Line hopes to continue its tradition of publishing a special Mahalo column on Thanksgiving. Please submit short expressions of gratitude for people who share aloha in everyday life, going above and beyond to make others’ lives better, whether for a stranger or a friend. Kokua Line will be off next week, so we’re putting out the call now, hoping to collect a wide array of short “good news” items to celebrate the holiday. Use any of the submission methods listed at the end of the column, although email is preferred.
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.
