Hawaii mayors today sent the Lingle administration contract language in preparation for a final offer to the Hawaii Government Employees Association.

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann said mayors want the flexibility to order up to 18 furlough days for county workers this fiscal year and 24 furlough days next fiscal year.

Hannemann said the mayors have already approved balanced budgets for this fiscal year and would likely not need to order furloughs, but still wanted the option in case the economy worsens.

Counties would also continue to cover 60 percent of county worker health care costs this fiscal year and may enter into supplemental agreements with the union next year, depending on whether health care premium costs escalate.

The Lingle administration's position has been to freeze healthcare spending for state workers at last fiscal year's levels, so state workers have had to absorb a 23.4 percent increase in premiums since July.

Gov. Linda Lingle has said the final offer to HGEA has been delayed in part because a mayor has not signed off on the agreement. Under state labor law, at least one mayor must endorse the offer.

But Hannemann insisted that mayors needed the time to review contract language and were not obstacles to a deal.

He said the four mayors would vote unanimously for the offer if their contract language is accepted by the administration.

A spokesman for Lingle said he did not yet have an update on the status of the HGEA offer.