BIL 165 Draft 01 2024-2026 - Laserfiche WebLink

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MAY Os M �Ia COUNTY OF HAWAI`I STATE OF HAWAI`I TOi N► BILL NO. 165 ORDINANCE NO. AN ORDINANCE TO INITIATE AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE X OF THE CHARTER OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAI`I (2024 EDITION), RELATING TO PUBLIC ACCESS, OPEN SPACE, AND NATURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION. BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAI`I: SECTION 1. Findings and purpose. The Council finds that, since its establishment in 2012, the public access, open space, and natural resources preservation maintenance fund has played a vital role in the County's public land preservation program, commonly called the "PONC program". Specifically, the fund has supported and bolstered the ability of stewardship organizations and community volunteers to protect and maintain lands that have been acquired for the public's benefit through the PONC program. The purpose of this ordinance is to improve the long-term sustainability and effectiveness of the maintenance fund and the PONC program as a whole. In order to ensure sufficient resources are available for current and future stewardship responsibilities and opportunities, this ordinance proposes to increase the annual allocation dedicated to the maintenance fund from 0.25% to 0.5% of property tax revenue and to remove the $3 million accrual limit. The Council finds that expanding the fund's revenue source and making it more secure will improve the County's ability to improve and strengthen the PONC program. This ordinance also proposes to remove the itemized list of eligible expenses and non- profit grant award procedures from the Charter, in order to relocate them into the County Code. The Council finds that having a high degree of specificity in the Charter results in a more rigid and narrow administration of funding and program guidelines, which can hamper program effectiveness. In June of 2025, the Council formed an ad hoc committee to investigate the PONC program. One of the common themes identified in the ad hoc committee's final report was the need for the stewardship grant program, which is funded by the maintenance fund, to be updated and clarified. The Council finds that outlining allowable uses of the maintenance fund and other important details of the program in the County Code provides more flexibility to fulfill the original purpose of the fund, making it easier to amend and adapt program requirements and procedures as community needs, environmental conditions, and best practices change over time. Accordingly, the Council sees fit to propose the Charter amendment contained in this ordinance to the voters on the 2026 general election ballot.