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Honorable Members of the Hawai`i County Council May 5, 2014 Page 3 Waiakea Recreation Center, Edith Kanaka`ole Stadium, Laupahoehoe Pool, Keokea Beach Park, and Pahoa Pool. We will soon make the largest investment in recreation in the history of the county by constructing district parks in Pahoa, Waimea and Kona. Despite the budget challenges of recent years, we continue to invest in alternative energy and agriculture because we understand those sectors are essential for a sustainable economy. We installed solar arrays on county buildings to reduce oil consumption and utility costs, and will use wind power at Lalamilo to provide clean energy to supply water to our communities. We are encouraging growth in agriculture by investing in training and support for farmers, and provided 1,739 acres of county-owned lands for ranching and community-based agriculture at the Kapulena Agricultural Park. We joined in a public-private partnership to upgrade the Pa`auilo Slaughterhouse and provide a new rendering facility to support our grass-fed beef industry. At the same time, we have preserved funding for public safety and essential core services. We funded additional police officers for the Puna and Ka`u communities, and opened the new Makalei Fire Station. We protected funding for nutrition, recreation and other services for seniors, and preserved and expanded programs for our children and youth. We maintained county funding to non-profit organizations serving the people most in need in our communities. Employee Count 2,800 i 2,750 2,700 f �.. 2,650 — i 2,550 - -._-. T- --- -r r - . _ , o�O o�of) o�oc) '6\No ~o ti�10 ti\ti� tip~~ 1,\„2 �, ti\s b \3 �� c,\� 2\2 ^\� ti2�� \3 do\� 4 ,\� �� Fewer Employees, Growing Costs We want to thank our county workers for their efforts during the Great Recession, which was a time when people across our island made sacrifices. Many of our employees accepted furloughs even as overtime was cut and staffing levels in county agencies were reduced because of hiring restrictions. County employees' workloads increased, but their hard work and dedication allowed us to continue to deliver essential county services and protect public safety. During these many challenging budget years, the size of the county workforce declined from 2,787 in November 2008, to a total of 2,632 more than five years later.