REP FC 051 2023/05/02 2022-2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

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FC-51 Page 3 May 2,2023 that applicants would no longer be eligible to apply for the Non-dedicated Ag Use program after Sept 1, 2024 but would be able to apply for the Community Food Sustainability Use program. Per Ms. Evans' question, Mr. Jo explained how the department obtains an Agricultural Use Value Assessment. Giving the example of a coffee farm on 20 acres of land, the assessor would look at the net income of a product, like coffee, and divide that product's net income amount by the number of acres; that total will give you the price per acre and essentially give you an assessment on how much the land could produce in income. Ms. Kagiwada asked Mr. Jo if the Long-Term Dedicated program was like the proposed Scenario C in his presentation regarding Agricultural Use Benefit, to which Mr. Jo explained the difference between the two and the benefits and disadvantages of the proposed scenario and of the existing Long-Term Dedicated program. Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder thanked Mr. Jo and Ms. Miura for this presentation and appreciated the work put into it for the public, adding that these definitions and scenarios can be difficult to understand while just discussing it but seeing it visual helps himself as well as the public in understanding how these benefits work. Mr. Jo continued his presentation by explaining the difference between Homeowner Exemption and Homeowner Tax Class, expressing clearly that those two are not the same, further explaining that you can receive a Homeowners Exemption based on your age and whether this is your primary residence. In contrast, the Homeowner Tax Class includes a three percent cap on the assessed value and the Homeowners Tax Rate of$6.15 per $1,000 net taxable value. Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder went through Agricultural Use Benefit Scenarios E to H, stating that after reviewing these scenarios, it seems that Bill 44 will be increasing taxes for the taxpayers, not the County, but with proposed Bill 28, which amends Chapter 19, Article 7, Section 19-53 and Article 10, Section 19-71, of the Hawaii County Code 1983 (2016 Edition, as amended), if adopted will create tax savings to the taxpayer instead to which Ms. Miura agreed. Ms. Evans asked if Ms. Kimball and Ms. Galimba felt this bill was accomplishing their intended purpose. Ms. Kimball responded by thanking Ms. Evans for eloquently stating what their intended purpose was and confirming that she thought that this measure did address that. Ms. Kimball addressed Mr. Kaneali`i-KI einfelder's previous statements and reiterated that the purpose of this measure is to create an incentive and encourage people to participate in the programs and contribute to the food sustainability efforts. Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder expressed concerns towards some proposed scenarios. Ms. Kimball offered to discuss the measure offline. Committee Member Ashley L. Kierkiewicz provided a comment in support of the intent of this bill and asked Ms. Miura and Mr. Jo if she could reach out to them and go over how these benefits will look for Council District 4. Ms. Miura confirmed they were available and established that these proposed scenarios would look different for Ms. Kierkiewicz and Mr. Kaneali`i-KI einfelder's district than Ms. Evans. FC Report No. 51