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Honorable Members of the Hawaii County Council <br /> February 28, 2014 <br /> Page 3 <br /> new Kali District Gym & Shelter. We renovated popular recreational facilities such as the <br /> Waiakea Recreation Center, Edith Kanaka`ole Stadium, Laupahoehoe Pool, Keokea Beach Park, <br /> and Pahoa Pool. We will soon make the largest investment in recreation in the history of the <br /> county by constructing district parks in Pahoa, Waimea and Kona. <br /> Despite the budget challenges of recent years, we continue to invest in alternative energy and <br /> agriculture because we understand those sectors are essential for a sustainable economy. We <br /> installed solar arrays on county buildings to reduce oil consumption and utility costs, and will <br /> use wind power at Lalamilo to provide clean energy to supply water to our communities. We are <br /> encouraging growth in agriculture by investing in training and support for farmers, and provided <br /> 1,739 acres of county-owned lands for ranching and community-based agriculture at the <br /> Kapulena Agricultural Park. We joined in a public-private partnership to upgrade the Pa'auilo <br /> Slaughterhouse and provide a new rendering facility to support our grass-fed beef industry. <br /> At the same time, we have preserved funding for public safety and essential core services. We <br /> funded additional police officers for the Puna and Kali communities, and opened the new <br /> Makalei Fire Station. We protected funding for nutrition, recreation and other services for <br /> seniors, and preserved and expanded programs for our children and youth. We maintained <br /> county funding to non-profit organizations serving the people most in need in our communities. <br /> Employee Count <br /> 2,800 <br /> 2,750 <br /> 2,700 <br /> 2,650 <br /> 2,600 1 "b' <br /> 2,550 <br /> 11/30/08 11/30/09 11/30/10 11/30/11 11/30/12 11/30/13 <br /> Fewer Employees, Growing Costs <br /> We want to thank our county workers for their efforts during the Great Recession, which was a <br /> time when people across our island made sacrifices. Many of our employees accepted furloughs <br /> even as overtime was cut and staffing levels in county agencies were reduced because of hiring <br /> restrictions. County employees' workloads increased, but their hard work and dedication allowed <br /> us to continue to deliver essential county services and protect public safety. <br /> During these many challenging budget years, the size of the county workforce declined from <br /> 2,787 in November 2008, to a total of 2,628 five years later. <br />