Comm No 0035.44 - Testimony - CA-18 - PONC Maintenance fund

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• BY ALLOWING THE STEWARDSHIP GROUPS TO PAY PEOPLE TO WORK ON THE LAND. Since October the Save our Land's Citizen's Committee has proposed 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. See the 2 staff positions that are necessary to run the 2% land Fund Program. 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. This from the County of Hawaii HR department for the 2 staff positions that are necessary. The first would be paid by the 2% Land Fund and the second is already paid to support the PONC commission as per the County Code. Property Management Specialist 2.200 $59,616.00 - $88,248.00 Annually Plans, develops, and directs the, management, control, and disposition of County -owed real o' d personal property; v es if e regol at ons e' d leas ' g of real property; establisf d maintains a system of central inventory 'eco dkr epi g and yr (cations and performs other related tlr t e; a4u'rad. Property Management Technician 1.824 $38.220.00 - $58,824.00 Annually Independently performs a variety of administrative andtechnical support services for the Property M agennen[D'vs .. . as the principal clerical support for a papery management co" '" ti - records and transcribes i tes ofmeetings and hearings; ves as the commission's correct ponitio'i for l to nat o' and request... • Real estate deals are time sensitive, they are deadlines for appraisals, endangered species studies, historical research, title searches and land surveys. It takes time to research available matching funds and write the grants to gain these funds. • Conservation land deals require willing sellers. Willing sellers want to be paid as soon as possible because the taxes keep accruing and they may have a use for the money. • •A full time staff person can assist the non -profits with getting the funding they need to care for the 2% Lands. The Maintenance Fund grants have been granted to only 6 organizations in the 6 -year existence of the fund. The stewardship non-profit groups have received only 9% of all the money deposited in the Maintenance Fund from 2013. Stewardship groups say the process has been very difficult and they have had to apply several times before receiving funding. CA -18- should ALLOW NON -PROFITS TO PAY PEOPLE TO WORK ON THE LAND. (This does not mean we pay board members for being board members) • ALL OF THE NON -PROFITS TESTIFIED THAT THEY NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO PAY PEOPLE TO WORK ON THE LAND. ONLY 6 GROUPS HAVE RECEIVED A MERE 9% OF THE MONEY DEPOSITED IN THE FUND SINCE 2013. The County has used the rest. • There is a safety, a check and balance built into this system. THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND THE Public access, open space and natural resources commission HAVE TO APPROVE THEIR STEWARDSHIP GRANT PROPOSAL. IF THEY VIOLATE THIS THEY WILL NEVER BE ALLOWED TO APPLY FOR GRANTS IN THE FUTURE. 2