The Honolulu City Council's budget committee advanced two bills relating to fee changes for municipal golf courses and the Honolulu Zoo at Tuesday's meeting.
Bill 2 would create an identification card to confirm resident status at city golf courses. The card would cost $5 to activate, and $10 for replacements. The measure also proposes raising the green fee rate for residents without a golf ID card from $4 to $8.
Rates for residents to play an 18-hole round of golf at most city courses with an ID card are $32 on the weekend and $28 on weekdays. Without the card, the price significantly increases to $86.
Bill 7 would raise the admission rates for kamaʻāina adults and children at the Honolulu Zoo. The measure raises the admission from $8 to $10 for adults, and $4 to $6 for children between the ages of 4 and 12.
Jerry Pupillo, the Department of Enterprise Services director, told councilmembers the department looked at similar-sized zoos across the country to gauge admission rates.
He said the Honolulu Zoo was in the lower 10% of zoos receiving between $2 million and $7 million annually. The last time the zoo increased fees was in 2011.
"We compare that also with what our expenses have done since 2011. And I think that this modest increase of $2 for both the adult and child is a reasonable step," Pupillo said.
Both measures move to a third and final reading by the City Council. Its next meeting is scheduled for May 17.
