MIN CHARTER 2019-04-01 (2018-2020) - Public Hearing

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Hawai`i County Charter Commission — Public Hearing April 1, 2019 transferred to the Department of Finance. I wanted to point out that for example, one PONC organization, I mean one PONC non-profit aid organization is you know, required the need of... required the use of a chipper which PONC funds purchased and Department of Parks and Recreation, sorry I must be really nervous tonight... denied that organization the opportunity to use the chipper because they said it was being used by another PONC activity, but we have never been able to figure out what other PONC activity, so I am wondering whether it is just being used for Parks and Rec or why a non-profit would be denied the use of a chipper that was purchased by PONC. So, I encourage you to put the PONC administration under the Department of Finance and also the ability if it is written into the business plan and into the proposal of the non-profit, to be able to pay someone to do specific work that that work be able to be paid for and if it happens to be a member of that non-profit, but it is written in and approved and there is initial oversight and final oversight. I see no reason why we shouldn't be paying for some of those services. On CA -17, I strongly recommend that you do the Disaster and Emergency Fund. I think it makes a lot of sense. We have all been through a lot this last year and obviously we have you know, raided the PONC before and built such things as the park that is supposed to be used as a soccer field and a baseball field and so forth. It is not even being used. It was never functional. It never probably will be and raiding the PONC fund to put in 75 parking spaces on the Mauna Kea County Park, you know and building a non-functional park that isn't even going to be used in Hilo, didn't serve us well. We want to be able to use the PONC to acquire land that needs to be protected. And finally, on CA -27, sorry I didn't write any of this out, but on CA -27 acquisitions of easements is already being used when it is necessary but the acquisition of the easement is not the same as acquiring the parcel and so this emphasis on the acquisition of easements may not actually serve the PONC situation very well. And to speak to something that Ms. Siracusa mentioned with regard to Mayors filling positions, the Puna rep who was Ms. Siracusa termed out last year and that position here it is April... that position has not been filled. I applied for that position and several other people did, but we have never even been contacted by the Mayor's office, so I also concur with her, that filling those kinds of positions is important because Puna is not represented at this point and there are people willing to fill those positions that aren't even being looked at or discussed, so I highly recommend that you give that some thought and thank you so much for your time and for coming tonight. CHR. ADAMS: Thank you. Mr. Sparks. STEVE SPARKS: Proposal No. CA -9, CA22, and CA -27 commenting and Proposal No. CA -8 in opposition. Page 10