MIN CHC PH 1999-07-07 - Laserfiche WebLink

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• know, Mr. Ray, that water has been my area of interest. I've appeared before the Water Commission at least a dozen times. I've been before the Planning Commission on certain projects as well. However, in looking at the Charter, one of the problems that I have and I believe that it would be more equitable if the members were either elected or appointed by the Council person from their district. However, I note here that in the Charter it says that Commission Members, this is Water Commission now, the Department of Water Supply. Commission Members shall be representative of the community RAY: Page 15. Sorry, I was just letting them know what page. BOYD: Oh, page 15, Article VIII. The county geographical areas of Puna, Ka'u, Kona, Kohala, Hamakua, and Hilo. Well, when you look at Ka'u, that's a huge county or, pardon me, a huge district, as is Kohala and I really believe that you need to get, instead of three at -large members as this calls for, I really believe you need to get more people on this Water Commission. For example, I would suggest that you had a representative from Waikaloa, one from Waimea and one from North Kohala because I think - RAY: How about just one from each single member district? From each Council district? BOYD: From each Council district? No, I just don't think - RAY: So you think there should be more than nine? BOYD: Yes I do and I think that Ka'u needs more. I think Oceanview Estates, I lived down in Ka'u in '70 and '71. Those people and their needs are entirely different than are the needs of the people in Pahala and Naalehu and so on. And I'm not familiar with Puna but I've talked with a couple of folks out there at Water Commission meetings and it's really, they feel sort of like we do out there, we really don't feel like, or at least myself, I'm speaking for myself and many others that I've talked to, that you really have any representation on the Commission. I wrote a letter to Mr. Pavao about this. Got a letter back from the Chairman at the time. I can't think of his name now. He's not with the Commission anymore but he said that district reps from the Water Commission, their loyalty has to be to the County as a whole as opposed to the district and I can understand that to a degree but I just don't think that that's really kosher or that that really floats. I think these Commissioners need to get feedback from people in North Kohala, Waikaloa and Waimea as well and I think our last Commissioner from up here, Fred Yamashiro, really didn't care much what we said out in North Kohala and I told him that. I'm not speaking behind his back. The same thing with the Planning Commission. I would note that, oh and by the way 10