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KEPOR~I' OF THF, COMMITTEE <br />ON PARKS 8r ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT' <br />DA'I'G: August 31, 2001 RE: Comm. No. 731Bi11 312 <br />PLACF,: Councilroom <br />"DIME: I:IS p.m. <br />Chair and Members <br />Hawaii County Council <br />I lilo. Ilawai'i 96720 <br />Your Committee on Pm~ks and Gnvironmenlal Management, to which was referred Communication No. 731. <br />fiom Barbara Bcll, Director of P,nvironmental Management, dated August 12, 2004, reports as follows: <br />Communication No. 731 transmitted Bill 312, which changes the responsibility for the payment of sewer <br />fees Irom the customer identified by the Deparunent of Water Supply (DWS) to the property owners. 'fhe <br />Lm ironmental Management Commission believes that this is a fairness issue as well as an attempt to address <br />the issue of collecting wastewater service fees. <br />l he problems related to delinquent accounts were discussed with Wastewater Division Chief Peter Boucher. <br />Mr. Boucher noted that the main intent ofthc bill is to separate wastewater billings from the DWS hillings. <br />Since vvastcvvater billings for residential users arc flat rate hillings ($54 bimonthly) he pointed out that there <br />is no need to wait fix DWS hillings to process wastewater billings. The current wastewater billing process <br />causes col Iection prohlems. Estimates placed the number of delinquent accounts at d35, about 50% of them <br />residential accounts, with a total value of $1.3 million. This is a longstanding problem because the <br />department doesn't have the necessary tools (leverage -- to turn off service) to make customers pay for the <br />services Ihey receive. Collection agencies. loo, have not been entirely successful since they keep 40% of the <br />lees the} collect and they have displayed at times a tendency to exert minimal eflort in collections. <br />Council member J. Curtis Tyler, III noted that there is a need to notify landowners that this bill is being <br />considered because of the significant impact that this bill might cause, especially the issue of beingjointh~ <br />and severally liable even when the landowners are not aware of any delinquency. He questioned the policy <br />that would hold a puhlic trust liable. He also noted that there was a similar bill in the past (Bill 25G); <br />however. Bill 2~6 was deferred in the Finance Conunittce. <br />PEMC REPORT NQ: 19 <br />