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Testimony: August 3, 2004 . <br /> Hawaii County Council Heating r <br /> Lynn Nakkim nL'?<ri!msn.com County cound~~ t~c <br /> Regarding raising taxes on Agricultural Lands of MORE THAN 5 acres. <br /> I am a rancher with a 160 acre cattle and horse farm operation in Hamakua, <br /> near Waimea. I have been raising livestock on this island since 1987, when <br /> I moved my quarter horses over from Maui and Oahu. <br /> It is my intention to make money at this, but in a good year I barely break <br /> even, and that is not counting my 50 hours a week labor. There have been <br /> many bad years since 1991 where I did not break even. <br /> Your intentions to wring more tax money out of me sign and seal the deal. <br /> I will have to sell out and move on. <br /> I am already paying 40% more in taxes on the one rental property I have <br /> here because of your silly and totally unfair new calculations which require <br /> me to pay taxes on a fictitious half acre building site that I do not have an d <br /> cannot sell. I plan to divest myself of the rental property which will be a <br /> serious hardship on the working mother and her son who live there and pay <br /> $625 a month rent for their house right now close to her job in Waimea. <br /> We realize that the county wants more money. But your (the county's ) <br /> money management skills are too outrageously foolish right now. Earlier <br /> this year, At the same MOMENT that the council had before it a bill <br /> considering allocating 1% or 2% of land taxes to go for acquiring <br /> recreational open lands, your left hand cut and interesting deal which sold <br /> SIX HUNDRED AND SIXTY acres of prime agricultural land that was <br /> already HEAVILLY USED by THOUSANDS OF BIKE RIDERS, <br /> HIKERS< HUNTERS<, and Horseback riders to some developers for about <br /> (no one will tell us the real figure) $1,600,000. It doesn't take a rocket <br /> scientist to tell you that asthis land is located 6 miles wfrom where ONE <br /> ACRE sells for $335,000. Where 40 acres sells for $500,000. AND YOU <br /> SOLD 660 acres OUT FROM UNDER US FOR <br /> $1,600,OOOIlIlllllll(1I(!1l1+. <br /> So I am not in favor of giving you people more money to throw around <br /> foolishly while you sell off assets at a tiny fraction of their value. That <br /> <br /> recreational land on lower Mud Lane had NO amenities except the nice jeep <br /> Comm. No. <br /> Ref. To: <br /> Ref. Date <br /> <br />