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It sounds good but the word "staff" is ambiguous, would the 2% Land Fund pay for only one <br />position or 3 or 5 or more? The 2% Land Fund could end up funding multiple staff positions, which <br />will reduce the purchasing power of the 2% Land Fund. This is NOT what we voted for. Remember, <br />2% of our property taxes are only $5 million per year, which is 1.5% of the income into the county and <br />it adjusts according to property values in times of recession. $5 million per year can only buy one <br />or two properties. <br />THE LAND FUND IS NOT WORKING AS WELL AS IT SHOULD and WHY we need ONE full time <br />person to work ONLY on the Land Fund Program: <br />1. There is $22 million sitting in the fund, no land has been purchased since May 2018 <br />2. There have been almost 200 properties proposed by citizens for purchase. <br />3. Only 14 properties have been acquired in 14 years. <br />4. Only 1/3 of the money spent to purchase land has been in matching funds at least 50% should <br />be in matching funds to maximize the most important potential of an existing land fund. <br />5. Only 9% of the money deposited in the Maintenance Fund has been received by the non- <br />profits <br />6. HOW CAN WE DO BETTER? <br />• BY HIRING ONE FULL TIME PERSON TO WORK ONLY ON THE 2% LAND FUND <br />PROGRAM and <br />• BY ALLOWING THE STEWARDSHIP GROUPS TO PAY PEOPLE TO WORK ON <br />THE LAND. <br />Since October the Save our Land's Citizen's Committee has proposed that the Department of <br />Finance use part of the 2% Land Fund money to pay ONE person to work ONLY On the Land Fund <br />because more than one salary wages and benefits for a highly qualified person with law or real estate <br />conservation experience would equal $100,000. This is in addition to the staff provided by the Hawaii <br />County Code to assist the PONC commission. See the 2 staff positions that are necessary to run the <br />2% land Fund Program. We have an opportunity to strengthen the 2% Land Fund Program IF there <br />is someone doing the work. An real estate person or attorney qualified in conservation land <br />acquisitions would be able to negotiation more land purchases, acquire more matching funds and <br />help the stewardship non- profit groups obtain more grant funding. This from the County of Hawaii <br />HR department for the 2 staff positions that are necessary. The first would be paid by the 2% Land <br />Fund and the second is already paid to support the PONC commission as per the County Code. <br />2 <br />