2007-01-05 tclark - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

IWASHITA: I guess, I’ll just make a comment. And that is, you know, based on what Mr. Hayashi presented it sounds like that’s right to him, I didn’t really know. But the fees that are charged by the Water Department, we have infrastructure problems, not only with our roads, but with water, right, water facilities. And it seems like, you know, if we allow developers to come in and we place these conditions and the payments, I guess Mr. Lim says most times they don’t get paid. You know, the developers are speculators basically. And people come in and get the entitlement, don’t make the payment, right, and sell the property at the enhanced value based on the zoning change and, you know, we end up with just one water commitment instead of in this case had Mr. Kodama paid the fee as he should have, period, right, the Water Department would have had that fee. You know, and if he never did the development within the appropriate time period, the Water Department would be entitled to collect another fee. But that money I’m sure the Water Department can use to enhance our infrastructure. And if those fee aren’t being paid as a matter of course, I think that’s something we need to address, because that’s money that the County is by law entitled to receive and is not receiving. And then we’re just saying no, never mind, we’ll just forget about it, and we don’t need that money. But, as a matter of fact, we’re saying we don’t need that money to develop the infrastructure; and I think obviously we do. So to me, yes, this is one matter. And Mr. Lim is, I guess the way the fees are usually assessed I suppose it does provide some problems. But, you know, that’s for the applicant to deal with and that’s for the applicant -. The developers need to know that as part of their due diligence in buying these property that they need to make sure these payments are made; if not, they’re going to be asked to make the payment. Somebody has got to make the payment; and I don’t think we really should ignore it, you know. Because in the end we’re talking about, in mind, I guess if Mr. Lim is correct and these conditions aren’t met as a regular course, to me, it’s thousands and thousands of dollars that the Water Department can use to develop our infrastructure. So that’s my comment. I move to add another condition that would require the applicant to work with the Water Department and come to an agreement on what the fee that Mr. Kodama should have paid was and to make that payment as an additional condition. GRAHAM: Do we have a second to that motion? I think the motion dies for lack of a second. Commissioner Siracusa? SIRACUSA: Yes. I don’t understand why you think that this is for us to deal with rather than something that’s between the Water Department and Mr. Kodama. Mr. Kodama got a lot of money from selling this parcel and it was his commitment. IWASHITA: And none of it went to the Water Department. SIRACUSA: And to me -. IWASHITA: You know, the Water -. GRAHAM: Let’s talk one at a time. EXHIBIT A 12