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COUNTY OF HAWAII STATE OF HAWAII RESOLUTION NO. S9 09 A RESOLUTION URGING THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF HAWAII, AND STATE LEGISLATURE TO OPPOSE HOUSE BILL NO. 1744, WHICH TEMPORARILY SUSPENDS THE DISTRIBUTION OF TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS TAX REVENUES TO THE COUNTIES. WHEREAS, the County of Hawaii will receive approximately $18 million in revenue from the Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT) in Fiscal Year 2009 - 2010; and WHEREAS, the money helps supports essential services such as police, fire rescue, lifeguards and solid waste management, loss of which will threaten the public health, safety and welfare of our community; and WHEREAS, the County of Hawaii has already imposed a temporary suspension of hiring, excluding only essential public safety personnel, and imposed 5 percent budget reductions in an effort to reduce costs in the current budget year; and WHEREAS, the County of Hawaii, in developing the budget for next year, when the primary source of revenue, real property taxes, will be significantly reduced, is making substantial cuts throughout the budget, taking reserve funds, un-funding vacant positions and other actions to balance the general fund budget; and WHEREAS, the County government incurs enormous costs in providing services to the visitors to our island, both directly in the form of services and indirectly in the form of support for cultural events and programs; now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII, that the Governor of the State of Hawaii and the State Legislature are urged to recognize not only the potentially dire consequences, but also the basic fairness involved and oppose House Bill No. 1744; and