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Hawaii County Council January 18, 2007 Council Member: I write to you in opposition to Bill 345, regarding the amendment of the definition of "Family" to eight unrelated persons. The intention of this bill, as you are surely aware, is to allow any and all group homes on the island of Hawaii to expand their operations from the currently pennitted five unrelated persons. It may be, and probably is the case, that such homes, and such persons, would benefit from such expansion. However, based on the overwhelmingly negative experiences of the Kapehu Mauka neighborhood, and that of those living in Keaau Ag Lots, it may be that not all such operators should be so rewarded. The testimony of these Hawaii Island residents is a matter of public record, at both your previous meeting on this issue and those of the Planning Commission, to whom the originators of this bill first came. The noise, traffic, and late-night police visits are well-documented and need not be revisited here. What I will repeat is that many group homes appear to be well-managed and have the confidence and support of their neighbors, as is also a matter of testimony in the public record. The false assertion that some in our community are opposed to "those people" is one that has only been raised by supporters of this bill. "Those people" are already present among us and that cannot be changed by anyone. What we are opposed to is the irresponsible mismanagement of facilities that leads to noise, excessive traffic, late- night police visits, and, additionally, disturbingly high turnover of facility staff, even in management positions. [t is imperative to the peace and security of persons in their own homes and neighborhoods, as well as their confidence in those elected to act in their best interests, that any expansion of an existing group home be assessed upon the merits of its management and the competency of the organization responsible for it. A blanket expansion order such as this would merely allow the Planning Commission to avoid their responsibility to evaluate individual applications for Special Use Permits, and the responsibility for future, unexamined expansions and their repercussions would then fall upon those Council Members who supported it. I'm sorry to point it out, but when the next incident occurs (and it will) people will remember. Finally, I would like to address a peripheral subject in relation to Bill 345, that of the suggestion of "grandfathering" some operations at any proposed level of persons cohabitating a structure. The accepted meaning of the term is that an existing situation is allowed to continue at the level or in the manner legal at its inception. At the present time, existing operations may have up to five persons per structure. [f existing operations are "grandfathered," that would remain their maximum. If exemptions or special favors are granted, they should be so named. As I will be unable to attend the Meeeting of Friday, January 19, I wish you all well, and appreciate the opportunity to address you in absentia. Sincerely, Richard Walker President, Kapehu Mauka Neighborhood Association PO Box 45, Papa'aloa, HI 96780 Tel. 962-6239