Hawaii island Mayor Billy Kenoi revealed Wednesday he has reimbursed the county for a total of $26,000 in charges and interest on a county credit card — roughly half of which went for personal purchases.

Kenoi said he thought it was OK to charge personal purchases on his county credit card — including an $892 tab at a Honolulu hostess bar, a $1,200 surfboard and a $1,900 bicycle — if he paid it back right away.

Of the $26,000 charged, starting with purchases in 2009, Kenoi said he paid $7,500 back on Tuesday after "a final review," and $19,100 prior to that was made monthly for personal purchases.

Under Hawaii County procedures, personal goods and services, liquor and entertainment are among the prohibited uses of the purchasing card.

The rest was for official county business such as tsunami cleanup and Hurricane Iselle workers, lei, omiyage, pizzas for volunteers, staff and festivals, the mayor said.

Kenoi’s unauthorized use of the purchasing card has come under scrutiny since news broke Sunday by West Hawaii Today that he reimbursed the county March 28, 2014, for 25 charges, including the December 2013 Club Evergreen tab.

In response to a request for comment from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Hawaii County Councilwoman Margaret Wille (North and South Kohala) said she is shocked that it was not an inadvertent error but rather a practice by the mayor.

"I don’t like it where there are different standards," she said. "The mayor’s not supposed to be above the law."

"I keep getting calls about it," she said, referring to the personal purchases. "People are concerned. That’s not how you encourage trust in the government."

Wille wants Kenoi to be held accountable, to make a public statement, not in Honolulu but before the County Council, and allow people on Hawaii island to view it on public access TV.

Kenoi said his punishment should simply be "not to use the credit card again, not to have access to it."

He contended he did not receive special treatment, nor do his actions warrant prosecution since there was "no intent to shift the burden to taxpayers."

"There’s no shifting of blame, no finger-pointing, no excuses," he said.

He said members of his administration were aware of the purchases and would flag expenses if they were for personal use, and that he flagged them himself and would make the reimbursements.

He said he also made periodic or annual reviews and paid back those purchases as well.

Kenoi said the county is responding to requests by the Star-Advertiser and other media for the credit card statements from 2008 to the present. West Hawaii Today’s requests were made since 2010. An April 21, 2014, clarification from the newspaper renewed the request and it was renewed again March 18, but it obtained the December 2013 statement showing the Club Evergreen charge from another source.

The county Finance Department provided the documents Wednesday to West Hawaii Today.

The Star-Advertiser requested information Tuesday from the Department of the Attorney General on oversight of government credit card use, but the agency has not yet responded.

Kenoi told reporters at the state Capitol, where he met with other county mayors and the governor Wednesday, that he wants to take full responsibility for the credit card issues.

"Any mistakes that were made are entirely my own," he said. "There’s no excuses and justification."

He offered an apology, saying: "I don’t expect people to forgive me. I have got to earn people’s trust back."

Kenoi, who took office in December 2008, said he has charged a total of $129,000 on the card. Of that $103,000 was used for travel expenses on official county business and was not for any personal or family travel.

Kenoi said he used the credit card because he didn’t have a personal credit card and was under the impression that if he made reimbursement it was OK.

Kenoi said he was on county business, attending a tea ceremony in Honolulu, on the day he went to Club Evergreen, but declined to say who he was with at the club and what was purchased since they are personal expenses.

Wille plans to question Kenoi at a previously scheduled April 22 Council meeting with the mayor’s office and county departments.

"The key is being accountable and being transparent," she said, adding that she would like to have a review of the Finance Department to see what changes need to be made.

Wille has been contemplating what the Council should do, but "others seem to be timid or deferential to the mayor," she said. "I represent the constituents."

Councilman Aaron Chung (East Waimea, Hilo, Keaau, Pahoa) said: "It’s not so much the impact on the county because it’s really no impact. We have far greater problems that the county has been dealing with."

He added: "This is something the mayor doesn’t feel too good about. I don’t want to make things worse. As far as I’m concerned, he paid it back. … I’m not taking it any further.

"I don’t know how things operate over there (in Honolulu), but we’re a small town," Chung said. "Things are a little bit different over here. There’s no question it’s a mistake. I’m willing to let him move on. The voters will ultimately decide integrity issues."