MIN CHARTER 2019-04-25 (2018-2020)

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Hawai`i County Charter Commission -10 April 25, 2019 umbrella shall receive a salary or payment for labor or receive any reimbursement for the stewardship work on the project, and then we added "unless they are paid for specific duties that are approved as part of their business plan." So that is all that we are asking for. Remember, the business plan goes to the Department of Finance and PONC as it is now written in CA -18. So we learn from feedback from the non -profits who applied for grant funding, is that the volunteer workforce is inconsistent. Every 2% Land Fund property needs help from people who are committed to care for the land. Volunteers are very important and the core of every program but they burn out and leave because of responsibilities to work or family. All of the stewardship groups requested that they be able to pay people to work on the land. As programs grow, volunteer coordinators could be paid to maximize the land, stewardship groups, create school education programs... the ability to pay dedicated workers would help create jobs in rural economically depressed areas of the island and minimize volunteer burnout. Please remember that only nine percent of all the monies deposited in the Maintenance Fund since 2013 has been granted to the stewardship non -profits. That was not our intent when Brenda Ford and I wrote that. On CA -27, conservation easements, please vote no. The Trust for Public Land wrote you a great letter. Lea Hong who is the attorney and the TPL's Executive Director, she said the words "practicable" and "shall" may make the preference for conservation easements mandatory and may conflict with community or County needs to acquire land in fee simple. I think she is right. This could limit the negotiating powers of the person hired to work only on the 2% Land Fund Program. Please vote no. So on Boards and Commissions, CA -31, I sent you an email yesterday on the Boards and Commissions and I did a little bit of research. Do you know that there are 37 active Boards and Commissions on our island right now? So let's say there are two vacancies each year, that means the Mayor has to find 74 people every year. I mean is that the best use of the Mayor's time? I think that it would be best to have... to flip it so that the Council members nominate people from their districts. They know their districts better than the Mayor can and then it could be... they could be vetted and approved or disapproved by the Mayor. I think that would serve the people of the island better and then you also heard, I was reading your minutes... Rene' Siracusa from Puna said that a lot of times with the vacancies on the Boards, that they don't have quorum in order to get business done. So I think the Council members should nominate and the Mayor should approve. And I think that that will help to represent the people of the island better. Mahalo for all of your hard work and diligence. Thank you. CHR. ADAMS: Thank you very much. If I could ask Koohan Paik-Mander please to come to the table. Thank you. Ms. Ward. Page 11