Comm No 0035.43 - Testimony - CA-18 - PONC Maintenance fund

Home

• BY ALLOWING THE STEWARDSHIP GROUPS TO PAY PEOPLE TO WORK ON THE LAND. There were 371 people that sent in email testimony on CA -7, CA -8, CA -13 and CA -27. I counted each communication. There were at least 20 people that took time out of their days to attend each of the 10 charter commission meetings and testify in person that is 200 people. These people represent the 63% of the voting public that voted 3 times to support the Land fund Program. Just like you, they are taking the time to represent the people of Hawaii Island. We have come before you at every meeting of the Charter commission since October of 2018. We have asked you over and over again to improve and empower the 2% Land Fund by hiring just one person to work full time on the land fund and to be paid out of the Land Fund monies. We have asked over and over again to allow the stewardship groups to pay people to work on the Land. Now we have to go to the County Council and ask them to help. How does this serve the people of this island? ON CA -9 WE REQUESTED THAT YOU USE THE CLARIFYING LANGUAGE SO THAT ONLY ONE PERSON IS HIRED TO WORK FULL TIME ON THE LAND FUND. WE WILL RUN A "JUST SAY NO CAMPAIGN" BECAUSE WE DON'T WANT THE LAND FUND TO BE DEPLETED OF PURCHASING POWER BY SALARIES WAGES AND BENEFITS BY MORE THAN ONE STAFF PERSON. The Save our Land's Citizen's Committee has proposed since October that the Department of Finance use part of the 2% Land Fund money to pay ONE person to work ONLY On the Land Fund because more than one salary wages and benefits for a highly qualified person with law or real estate conservation experience would equal $100,000. This is in addition to the staff provided by the Hawaii County Code to assist the PONC commission. We thought this was a compromise to free up a salary staff position in the Department of Finance instead we ended up with open ended language. Our preferred language is underlined in red: (3) "Pay for the salary, wages and benefits of one full -ti ler➢ . fa .r"r➢ep2t .ar .alar➢fgl.oy .a , t yJJ2a Department of Finance dedicated only to advancing administering the activities contained within this section and Section 10-16 of this charter lhfi in a,idditi�. n_tr. a _,Ufa°off_ . er5�. Ir➢_ f rovi ,ledl,for ilr➢ the tgl/Y1➢1! � a: ! he Public Access, -42 a: ➢'➢ :1 Natural 59111: 2§, We have an opportunity to strengthen the 2% Land Fund Program IF there is someone doing the work. An real estate person or attorney qualified in conservation land acquisitions would be able to negotiation more land purchases, acquire more matching funds and help the stewardship non- profit groups obtain more grant funding CA -18- should ALLOW NON -PROFITS TO PAY PEOPLE TO WORK ON THE LAND. PLEASE DO NOT CONFUSE THIS LANGUAGE TO ALLOW BOARD MEMBERS TO BE PAID! 2