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MTV o+N'•T, <br /> <br /> Harry Kim ~^%v Dixie Kaetsu <br /> Mayor Managing Director <br /> ' Barbara Kossow <br /> +t p~'N~'M' Deputy Managing Director <br /> HAWAII COUNTY PUBLIC ACCESS, OPEN <br /> SPACE AND NATURAL RESOURCES <br /> PRESERVATION COMMISSION <br /> C/O 101 Aupuni Stree[, Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720 <br /> Phone: 961-8304 Hxt. 106; hex: 961-8622 <br /> n <br /> c-+ <br /> June 1, 2006 <br /> ~ <br /> ~ <br /> y::" <br /> Stacy Higa, Chair and Members of the - c~ <br /> Hawaii County Council <br /> County ofHawai'i ~ <br /> 25 Aupuni Street c~ <br /> Hilo, Hawaii 96720 ' " <br /> Dear Chair Higa and Councilmembers: <br /> The Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission <br /> has taken its charge very seriously and worked hard over the past eight months since our <br /> creation by this Council's action to address the serious issue of reduced public access and <br /> the rapid loss of open space in Hawaii County. We remain committed to reaching out to <br /> our island community to identify those lands that are most treasured and recommending <br /> tools that can help protect them. <br /> It is with profound disappointment that we received notice that this Council has <br /> decided to eliminate funding proposed by Mayor Harry Kim in his FY 07 budget for the <br /> Public Access, Open Space, Natural Resources Preservation Fund. Our report clearly <br /> identified secure and predictable funding as an important goal to achieve if our County is <br /> to take the issue of land preservation seriously and our Commission is to be successful in <br /> our work. We believe that the cut in open space Funding is particularly troublesome given <br /> the past action by this Council that eliminated $10 million in bond funding that was <br /> intended to be allocated at the time of our Commission's formation to enable our work. <br /> The Mayor's budget has remained relatively unaltered save for the wholesale reductions <br /> to the Open Space and Rainy Day funds. This targeted elimination is opposed <br /> unanimously by our Commission and hamstrings this County's ability to protect our most <br /> precious resource. We note also that this is a year of strong budget surplus and our <br /> Commission unanimously calls for the immediate restoration by this Council of the <br /> original allocation to send the right message of support and honor the input of Big Island <br /> citizens to our Commission. A'~ ' O <br /> Comm. No. <br /> Ref. To: s t <br /> Reaf. Uata _ <br /> Hawaii County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer <br /> Commissioners: Kenneth Kaneshiro; Laura Schuster; Ruth Walker; Benedict Yung; <br /> Paul Campbell; John Replogle; Jocelyn Garovoy; Hannah Springer; E. Kalani Flores <br /> <br />