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Then, I looked further at the Charter, and over the time that I have been involved in the <br />community, it always interests me when I go to testify in front of a board to see who sits on <br />the board and why they are there. I know the Open Space Commission has a short bio on <br />each of the commissioners, and I think that's very helpful. I think it's also helpful that the <br />community at large knows about what the criteria for selection is, whether that would be <br />suitable for them. I think those things should be posted on the internet. I think that's open <br />and transparent government. That would be a change to Article XIII, Section 13 -4, Boards <br />and Commissions. <br />I'm reading from my Communication 35 now. On Article XII, Chapter 2, Impeachment, I <br />think it is important to be consistent if you decide to adopt my recommendation on vacancies, <br />to also have an election to fill that impeached official. In Honolulu, interestingly enough, <br />they had a Charter Amendment to set aside 1% of property taxes each year and they created <br />the Clean Water and Natural Lands and Affordable Housing Fund. Half of the money that <br />goes into this fund goes into the Affordable Housing Fund, and half goes into the Clean <br />Water Fund. Taking that idea and applying it to Hawaii County, I think that a new Charter <br />Amendment to set aside 2% of property taxes each year that would create the Open Space <br />and Natural Resources Preservation Fund, should be a special fund, and that would be a new <br />Charter Amendment. Sixty -three percent of Big Island voters approved that in 2006. If we <br />put that as a Charter Amendment, we wouldn't have to go through the budget wrangling that <br />happens every year at budget time over that fund. I think it is important to respect voters' <br />wishes on that issue. <br />Right now, in front of the Council, the Legislative Auditor - -during budget wrangling again, <br />the Legislative Auditor's budget was - -well, they tried to gut it and take away her power. <br />Again, the voters voted in 2006 to support an independent Legislative Auditor. You cannot <br />be independent if somebody's got your purse strings in hand, so I think it's important to give <br />her the independence that was approved by voters and make her budget a percentage of the <br />total budget of the County. <br />Lastly - -and I'm sorry to run on and on - -when we looked at doing initiative petition drives on <br />some of these Charter Amendments, the area on Charter Amendment and Revision - -which <br />you probably know and could recite in your sleep at this point in time -- possibly could be <br />changed to implement the same changes that are in the Initiative Petition section of the <br />Charter that was sponsored by the League of Women Voters, and that I worked on with them <br />very hard, and was approved again in the polls in 2006. All these issues are really about <br />open and transparent government, and I think it's time we moved to that in Hawaii County, <br />and certainly if our Charter dictates that we can make a big difference in people's lives. <br />Again, thank you for serving, and thank you for listening. <br />CHR. HAITSUKA: Thank you, Ms. Hecht. Are there any questions for Ms. Hecht? Not at <br />this time, Ms. Hecht, thank you. <br />MS. HECHT: Thank you. <br />CHR. HAITSUKA: Next we have Margaret Wille. <br />3 <br />