CHC 1979-05-01 PH - Laserfiche WebLink

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compensation almost similar to that. I think we are spending too much money in the administration. The council, as you probably know from the charter as it reads they meet twice a month and it is a part time job. So I think we need the chairman full time. You can eliminate the county clerk and the deputy clerk and have a proper staff. I think we can have a better administration. This I find that is the most fair and efficient and economical . I don ' t think we, as the County of Hawaii should follow the other counties. Just because they have a strong form of a government doesn ' t mean we have to. I think we can go with any form that will be beneficial to ourselves the way our economy exists, and so-'" forth. I think the board of supervisors in many, many years prior to the Charter Commission had done a good job. We didn ' t have any bickering. They decided all the issues and I think it deserves consideration of this group here. I also believe strongly that the water board should be under the..=-if you are going to have a mayor type or the board of supervisors--be under the administration directly. The reason is this , the Hawaii County is so backward in our development that we haven ' t spread our tax base and this is the reason why we are paying such high taxes. Other counties are just spreading wide and broadening their tax base- so you and I don ' t have to pay high taxes. You know that we are paying one of the highest taxes in the State of Hawaii. That is because our island is so big. Two and a-._half times as big as all the islands combined. The island of Oahu can beFput in the District of Puna and they have 700 , 000 people to prorate the cost of running the government. We have two and a half times as large an area as all the others combined and we have only 78,000 people prorating the cost to run the government. Yet our citizens, you and I , are demanding equal services as the citizens in Oahu. How can we? We just can ' t do it. Unless we have a miracle. I think it is high time that we either broaden our tax base, raise more revenues to give the services or do something. But, as you probably know, in this County of Hawaii , the government has stymied the development with all rules and regulations, where 'the other counties the adminis- tration goes out and meets the people and try to help. I just can ' t see. It is my belief, also, all the time that I was in the government representing you that this island with the 78,000 people today we can accomodate 150, 000 people so that 150, 000 can prorate to run this government. Then we can pay a lesser tax. And the water board, I would also like to agree with the previous speakers, the water board and public works should be run by a business manager. I strongly urge that and the reason is this , why should you use an engineer with his good knowledge of public works and good knowledge of water system to be an administrator? It just doesn ' t make sense. We ought to have a good manager and use the other as an engineer because that is what they have gone to school and become educated on that particular subject. But today all those high priced engineers are doing administrative work and I have always called this to the attention of my fellow councilmen but I have had no result. -22-