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I 've got to tell you what is happening in Kona <br /> if you are not aware of it. Our house, we bought it for <br /> $42, 000 seven years ago. We have been offered $150,000 for it <br /> today. That is ridiculous. I wouldn ' t pay for that. But yet <br /> people are that much looking for housing right now. It has a <br /> good location and all that sort of thing. But that means that <br /> my assessed value of that land is going up even though I don ' t <br /> want it to. The people around me may sell and that is what it <br /> is going to be based on and it isn ' t fair. What about the <br /> little man who bought his property as an immigrant, who came <br /> here and bought maybe seven or eight acres--maybe he is on <br /> leased land you know they pay the taxes too--suddenly his land <br /> is valued at a half a million dollars--and that is true if you <br /> have five acres of land it could easily be a half a million <br /> dollars if it is zoned properly just the way they want it. If <br /> it is five acres up in Holualoa you can get about $185 ,000 for <br /> anund:ivide4--that is before it has been divided , no roads, no <br /> nothing in there, you are putting it in the pot and that is an <br /> actual fact. If it has already been divided,--the roads are in <br /> and there is electricity and water, it suddenly jumps to about <br /> a half a million dollars. Figure the taxes on that and how that <br /> affects the people. The local people cannot afford to live on <br /> this island. Especially in Kona. <br /> I suggested, at one time, that to show how many <br /> people are really struggling and having a terrible time just <br /> renting. . .'rents run, the minimum at $400 a month if you want a <br /> nice place. . .Everyone who is having a struggling time and.. wants <br /> to buy and cannot and cannot make ends meet, have a rally for <br /> one hour during a business day and see how the hotels cannot <br /> function without all those people. <br /> We have allowed hotels to be built without <br /> allowing for employee housing like Maui did. Sometimes I.: think <br /> we ought to get Elmer Carvalho over here just long enough to <br /> give us a few ideas of what he has done to help Maui develop. <br /> I , personally, don 't want to see it develop that much buthe has <br /> some very good ideas. And one of them is requiring employee <br /> housing of hotels. Now, whether that is a charter thing, I don't <br /> know. But I do know that we have got some serious problems with <br /> property tax. If your land is worth $200 thousand dollars next <br /> year, how do you intend to pay for your taxes? We are saying <br /> for the people who want to live on them, let them not be taxed <br /> to death. I find it almost a sin to take away the land of a <br /> person who lives on it but cannot afford to pay the taxes. <br /> Number 4, and there are only four things., We <br /> are not asking for the moon. We felt that if we limited our- <br /> selves to four, you would listen a little more carefully. ; The <br /> fourth one is we have a sick councilman. He was near death a <br /> few months ago. He has not been able to really truly function <br /> as a representative for us. The County Charter does not allow <br /> us to appoint anyonereally. They have to resign first. If it <br /> is a resignation; fine. Let ' s say this councilman feels he <br /> shouldn ' t resign because he can come back? Most of them do and <br /> ifthey couldn ' t feel that they probably wish they were dead. <br /> - 5 - <br />