Honolulu Mayor Unveils $5.08B Budget for 2027

Budget focuses on public safety, affordable housing, and infrastructure upgrades

Published on Mar. 4, 2026

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Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi's administration has formally unveiled a proposed $5.08 billion budget package for the 2027 fiscal year, which includes a $3.97 billion executive operating budget and a $1.11 billion capital improvement program budget. The budget aims to bolster public safety, increase affordable housing, and upgrade public transportation and related infrastructure on Oahu.

Why it matters

Honolulu's budget is a key indicator of the city's priorities and how it plans to address pressing issues like the high cost of living, public safety concerns, and aging infrastructure. The budget reflects the mayor's vision and the tradeoffs the city must make amid economic challenges and constraints on revenue growth.

The details

The proposed budget includes $674.1 million for police, fire, EMS and ocean safety operations, $490 million for TheBus, TheHandi-Van and Skyline operations, and $34.7 million for new buses and TheHandi-Van vehicles. It also allocates $100 million for affordable housing mixed-use development, $26.8 million for low-income housing renovation and development, and more than $30 million for homeless services and related public health initiatives. To deal with diminished revenues and increasing costs, the city has reallocated a percentage of budgeted vacant city position dollars and restricted current expenses across the organization.

  • The 2027 fiscal year begins on July 1, 2026.
  • The Honolulu City Council is scheduled to start its months-long deliberations over next year's budget, holding initial hearings from March 6 to March 13, 2026.

The players

Rick Blangiardi

The mayor of Honolulu who unveiled the proposed $5.08 billion budget package for the 2027 fiscal year.

Andy Kawano

The director of the Honolulu Department of Budget and Fiscal Services, who presented details of the proposed budget.

Honolulu Police Department

The city's police department, which has faced staffing challenges due to officer retirements, resignations, and departures for mainland law enforcement jobs.

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What they’re saying

“We were really challenged this year to do this budget. Actually, this budget began even before we finished the (fiscal year 2026) budget, looking at the future.”

— Rick Blangiardi, Mayor of Honolulu (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

“We're in tough times right now. Many are feeling the pinch of the high cost of living in Hawaii, specifically on this island.”

— Andy Kawano, Director, Honolulu Department of Budget and Fiscal Services (Honolulu Star-Advertiser)

What’s next

The Honolulu City Council is scheduled to start its months-long deliberations over the proposed budget, holding initial hearings from March 6 to March 13, 2026.

The takeaway

Honolulu's proposed $5.08 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 reflects the mayor's priorities to address the city's pressing challenges, including public safety, affordable housing, and infrastructure upgrades, amid economic constraints and the high cost of living in Hawaii.