1999-12-04 Charter Commission Minutes

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minutes 12-04-99Page 20 of 39 HIGASHI: I think within a month, they said, they’d have an agreement. RAY: But my understanding was we were not in favor of moving the Wastewater Division under Department of Water Supply. MARTIN: Correct. HIGASHI: I’m still open minded. HERKES: I’m still open minded. BESS: I am too. IRVINE: Yes, something needs to be done between wastewater, solid waste and water. RAY: I’ve got a communication from Laurel Decker who was running Recycle Hawaii. I think she’s gone now. And I asked her to get together with John because he’s been serving on one of the committees with her, in regard to the possibility of creating either a new committee, or even a Commission, that would be involved. John, why don’t you. SANTANGELO: Well, the whole thing with dealing with just the whole solid waste issue, and then dealing with wastewater, and I agree that some other department, but the scope of the discussion with Laurel had nothing to do with the department. But it did deal with a committee that could very easily be a Commission, and the reason for the Commission would be like an Environmental Commission, or a Waste Stream Commission, but it would deal with setting fees, in terms of if we ever had pay-as-you- throw for solid waste, who would set that fee. For sewers, who sets that fee. And we found that in the instances of setting fees for this, and the political process, it’s been almost impossible because, again, like in sewers, where the Federal Government’s mandated it be self sufficient, and yet, because one Council or two Council members represent those districts, and everybody else doesn’t. So, it was an idea of could a Commission be formed that deals with our waste stream, and would set fees in anything that came along that required fees, and also, work, then, as the fee structures, as the anchor, that they would be involved in advising the County and the Council on matters of environmental issues, and help focus attention, and be that public arm, that helps focus attention on specific issues and problems in terms of alternatives in rubbish, or in terms of littering, in terms of recycling. And, just be that, kind of, public liaison in dealing with predominantly solid waste, but also our wastewater. And my advice was to look at it as a Commission because as a committee, we really do abuse committees, and they really don’t need to be listened to, but if the Commission was able to take on the fee structure, then the Department of Public Works would be then forced, in a lot of ways, to work with the committee side of it in terms of the advisory side because they would have to be involved in getting information for the fees. They’d have an agenda that they’d want to get cooperation from this Commission. It would be, again, appointed by the Mayor, approved by the County Council, in the same format as everything else. But it would be like an Environmental Commission. RAY: Sue. IRVINE: I attended some of these hearings that Recycle Hawaii had, and I know they’re really big on charging us to dump our garbage. I don’t think that they were really listening to the people at that hearing, who were saying, if you start charging us, we’re going to throw it in the gullies, and to set up a Commission, if it’s just to set fees because our politicians don’t want to, I think is not realistic. I think the Commission should be advisory on environmental matters like how are we really going to solve solid waste and, maybe, wastewater. SANTANGELO: That’s right. Sue, we have this solid waste management plan and there’s nobody that’s held accountable or holds anybody accountable with that, or to implement, or to update it, or any of that things and this Commission could do that, and we already have fees. The pay-as-you-throw thing is something that’s out there that has to go through the political process, and that’s a whole other matter. I wouldn’t hold this one hostage to that, but in terms of sewer fees, we already have that. The only thing with the fee structure was with John and I both seeing problems in that politically, and where do we start focusing public attention on the environmental issues, and as long as Public Works deals with this, then if they have, at least, that responsibility, and it’s my political opinion that they do a better job, this Commission, than what the process is now, and then it would also focus the attention on accountability with Public Works, and have a liaison between the public and Public Works. But, keep that aside from pay-as-you-throw because that shouldn’t be the issue here. That’s going to be way down the line. RAY: Marni. file://\\coh01\cohweb\council\charter_commission\minutes\minutes 12-04-99.html7/1/2011