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Hawai`i County Charter Commission -10 April 25, 2019 <br />In general I really want to thank you all for the work that you do. I mean it is <br />tireless. You have been dealing with all of these issues. I am kind of a one issue <br />person here obviously. I want strength for PONC, we voted over and over and I <br />will talk to young people all over this island that are unbelieving that we were... <br />that we are actually doing this for their future and, but at the same time I know <br />how much work you guys do on all these other subjects so I just want to thank <br />you very much for your time. Thank you. <br />CHR. ADAMS: Thank you. Ms. Begier. <br />MARY BEGIER: Proposal No. CA -18 opposition. <br />MS. BEGIIHR: Good morning. Thank you all for being here and all that you do. <br />I am not going to win a popularity contest here but I think that I am speaking for a <br />number of people on this island. Particularly business people. It is ten thirty, <br />eleven o'clock on a Thursday morning. Most people have to be at work for their <br />jobs. They don't have the flexibility that I happen to have. I am specifically <br />speaking on the PONC subject and so, that is like 18, 27, I am sorry I am not <br />really good at figuring out all of the numbers here. The... when PONC was first <br />proposed it came from many groups of people saying "Gosh, we are seeing areas <br />of our island being developed." Particularly post sugar. There were things <br />happening prior to sugar but we didn't have as people, we didn't really have as <br />much to say about it. Post sugar we had a little more to say about it. And so there <br />were people that were wanting to develop certain tracts of land and many people <br />came out and said "but that is where we have surfed" or "that's where we have <br />hiked", or "that's where we always had our kid's fishing expeditions." And the <br />private landowner said "okay, I don't have to build this here. I don't have to <br />develop this here, but I do have private property rights, so I should be <br />compensated." And that was really the grassroots beginning of what we now call <br />PONC. I am not saying that what PONC does isn't good. Gosh you know if it <br />was up to me and I wish I was independently wealthy so I didn't have to think <br />about the job I am being flexible from, so I could have a checkbook to write for <br />all of these fabulous causes and we could make a park out of all of this great land. <br />We could have restrooms, we could have paid staff on site at these properties, but <br />we can't. That is not who Hawai`i Island is and when we make decisions about <br />what we want Hawai`i Island to be, it not only includes preserving our land and <br />conserving certain areas, but it is at what cost. We are struggling to have enough <br />property taxes to... that's the only revenue source the County has. The rest of it <br />is begging at the State Legislature and any Council person can tell you how much <br />fun that is. So I won't go down that road. Getting back to what I am talking <br />about, is we went... we have got a whole two percent of our gross collections of <br />property taxes going in to this fund. I think we need to slow down. We need to <br />take a step back and look at when we are talking about conserving certain lands, is <br />that conservation really necessary right now. Maybe it is. Maybe some invasive <br />species is going to take over if we don't do something, but possibly, Mother <br />Page 21 <br />