Comm No 0035.45 - Testimony - CA-18 - PONC Maintenance fund

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It sounds good but the word "staff" is ambiguous, would the 2% Land Fund pay for only one position or 3 or 5 or more? The 2% Land Fund could end up funding multiple staff positions, which will reduce the purchasing power of the 2% Land Fund. This is NOT what we voted for. Remember, 2% of our property taxes are only $5 million per year, which is 1.5% of the income into the county and it adjusts according to property values in times of recession. $5 million per year can only buy one or two properties. THE LAND FUND IS NOT WORKING AS WELL AS IT SHOULD and WHY we need ONE full time person to work ONLY on the Land Fund Program: 1. There is $22 million sitting in the fund, no land has been purchased since May 2018 2. There have been almost 200 properties proposed by citizens for purchase. 3. Only 14 properties have been acquired in 14 years. 4. Only 1/3 of the money spent to purchase land has been in matching funds at least 50% should be in matching funds to maximize the most important potential of an existing land fund. 5. Only 9% of the money deposited in the Maintenance Fund has been received by the non- profits 6. HOW CAN WE DO BETTER? • BY HIRING ONE FULL TIME PERSON TO WORK ONLY ON THE 2% LAND FUND PROGRAM and • 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. • 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 2