|
minutes 04-01-00Page 21 of 22
<br />working for the small owner subdivisions because we are being blocked access to Federal funds because, for instance,
<br />plantation camps in North Hilo can get access, 300 families, to $3 million Federal funds to improve their water systems
<br />because the County politically agreed to back them up. Okay. Oceanview, which has also been approved to get Federal
<br />money for developing water systems - they’re the highest priority to get water development money from the Feds, can’t get it
<br />because the County won’t back them up. The Department of Water Supply passes the buck to the County. The County passes
<br />the buck back to the Department of Water Supply. So, what he was talking about is the kind of Improvement Districts they
<br />have on the mainland where a group of people can get together and set up their own district with their own government, their
<br />own governance, their own Commission, and agree to tax themselves. Then, they themselves, as an Improvement District,
<br />have the power to go to the Federal Government and apply for Federal funds as a community. And that’s the problem we’re
<br />talking about is that they, themselves, have the power then. Right now, these subdivisions cannot, themselves, apply for those
<br />Federal funds that are supposed to be there for them. Okay.
<br />RAY: And that empowerment would come from whom?
<br />GOODELL: I believe it could come at the County level. That’s the thing is I’m not really prepared with this because I’m not
<br />sure it’s a Commission issue or whether it’s just the County Council passing an ordinance saying they can do it. As far as I
<br />understand it, (indiscernible) just did some research on this, but we’re losing lots and lots of Federal money because of this.
<br />RAY: George, comment?
<br />MARTIN: Point of clarification on that water system. And it just so happens that I live in Ookala and I’m the President of the
<br />Association out there. And we, as a collective group of individuals, lobbied to get what grants we possibly could, and then
<br />our Association of approximately 52 people, floated a $125,000 loan that we are paying back. So, I mean, if you’re willing to
<br />partner with government, and that’s the partnership that we had to undertake to get what we wanted, to get ourselves off of a
<br />system that was dangerous because of the contaminants that was in it, especially for our older and younger people, then that’s
<br />what we decided to do. So, I understand what you’re saying, but sometimes you got to look at other avenues. Government
<br />didn’t come and offer this to us. We offered it to them.
<br />GOODELL: Right. I don’t think that changes, I mean, the issue of giving communities, because politics still entered into it.
<br />RAY: Sue Irvine.
<br />IRVINE: I guess you, sort of, asked my question, and this may be a Charter issue, but we don’t know and you don’t know. I
<br />guess we can ask our attorney. But if you have anything written down, just a paragraph like what you just said, or where we
<br />could put it in the Charter, what needs to be done, that would be good.
<br />GOODELL: I’ll mail it to you.
<br />IRVINE: Sooner rather than later since we’re just about through.
<br />RAY: To our staff.
<br />GOODELL: Do you have an e-mail address?
<br />IRVINE: Yes.
<br />RAY: You know, we’ve been going through this for 15 months. Okay? We’re nearing the end of the process to take on major
<br />- So, just understand that as well, right? And this is not the only way that this can happen. Your Council person, if that were
<br />to be the route, can be an advocate for this either through ordinance or through the Charter or through whatever.
<br />GOODELL: Right. No, I just wanted to clarify that there seemed to be a misunderstanding about what -
<br />RAY: Marni, did you have a comment?
<br />HERKES: Well, I’m confused. I don’t see where it goes under the Charter, but I also don’t see if Ookala, which is a much
<br />smaller community, can do this, why Oceanview can’t do this. I don’t see why they can’t take the same scenario that Ookala
<br />did and supplant it and do an Improvement District, and partner with Federal and County. And I don’t know where that is.
<br />file://\\coh01\cohweb\council\charter_commission\minutes\minutes 04-01-00.htm7/1/2011
<br />
<br />
|