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REPORT OF THE <br /> COMMITTEE ON PLANNING <br /> <br /> DATE: June 2, 1998 Re: C-864%Bill No. 255 <br /> <br /> PLACE: Councilroom <br /> <br /> TIME: 1:37 p.m. <br /> Chair and Members <br /> Hawaii County Council <br /> Hilo, Hawaii 96720 <br /> Your Committee on Planning, to which was referred Bill No. 255, transmitted by Council <br /> Member Joe Reynolds per Communication No. 864, dated May 20, 1998, relating to the <br /> Planning Department, reports as follows: <br /> Bill No. 255 amends the Hawaii County Charter (1991) relating to the powers of the County by <br /> amending Article V, Chapter 4. Section 5-4.1 as follows: <br /> Section 5-4.1 Organization. There shall be a planning department consisting of a <br /> planning director, planning commission(s) and the necessary staff. The council by <br /> ordinance may create such plannine commissions within the County, assien them such <br /> powers and duties as aze appropriate and demazcate the geographical boundaries of such <br /> entities. <br /> Mr. Reynolds explained that we currently have a Planning Commission consisting of people who <br /> do not live in the "azea where they aze making major decisions" and "the next best thing to the <br /> people of West Hawaii in having their own government would be to at least have this kind of an <br /> opportunity where the people on the Planning Commission came from that area." <br /> Virginia Goldstein mentioned that Maui County has three commissions, one for each island, and <br /> she is awaze of the difficulty in running and monitoring the commissions. She also mentioned <br /> that the Planning Commission will discuss this issue at their June 19, 1998 meeting, because <br /> some of the commissioners want to comment on this proposed amendment. <br /> A committee member mentioned that there are a lot of well organized and educated community <br /> associations out there who aze taking an active role in government these days. These <br /> organizations provide feedback to the councilmembers who then know the needs of the <br /> individual communities. <br /> Your Committee also noted that there aze some technical concerns regazding this proposed <br /> amendment in relation to other sections of the Charter. If there are more planning commissions, <br /> as proposed in this bill, reference to the additional commissions must be made in the subsequent <br /> sections of the charter, as in Section 5-4.3, etc. Also additional language would have to be <br /> included to determine which geographical azeas the commissions aze representing. <br /> PC Report 121 <br /> <br />