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Hawai`i County Charter Commission -5 November 9, 2018 <br />MS. HECHT: Okay, and then the other is to not cap the land fund and <br />also to expand the use of the land fund to pay for staff which would save <br />money for the Department of Finance. Thank you. <br />CHR. ADAMS: Thank you. We have testimony from Hilo. <br />MS. MURAMOTO: Yes. Our next two testifiers are Deborah Ward and <br />Gary Harrold. <br />CHR. ADAMS: Yes, and if we could know the agenda items that they <br />will be speaking on please. <br />Deborah Ward: Communication No. 3.1.1, comment. <br />DEBORAH WARD: MS. WARD: My name is Deborah Ward. I will be speaking today about <br />the Public Land Fund, the two percent fund. <br />CHR. ADAMS: Thank you. <br />MS. WARD: I am Chair of Sierra Club and I am speaking on my own but <br />we together as Sierra Club members have worked for the last 12 years to <br />support the two percent land fund and collect signatures to help pass it. <br />We have worked at every opportunity to refresh and renew our <br />commitment to supporting the land fund and during the last six years <br />Sierra Club has worked with the Ka' CI community and the fishermen to <br />acquire the Kahuku property commonly known as Road to the Sea. We <br />have motivated community members eager to utilize the maintenance fund <br />to protect, educate, and preserve these important lands. It is a very slow <br />process. It did take at least six years and without the funds from the <br />County we never could have aligned with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service <br />and the Legacy Lands Commission. Both of whom contributed <br />significantly in order to make the purchase possible. <br />If we were to reduce the covenant so that the lands could be then resold, <br />we would open ourselves up to all kinds of litigation and I think it would <br />completely crash the idea that we have worked so hard to obtain. So why <br />am I here today? To ask you to strengthen the two percent land fund. <br />Don't reduce the amount and don't put a cap on it. Please strengthen it by <br />adding Hawai`i County senior staff that would concentrate on the <br />administration of the land fund and the quarter percent administration fund <br />and actually get that money spent. The salary could be paid out of the two <br />percent land fund and this would be an ideal situation where the finance <br />department within the County would not have to expend extra money to <br />pay for that staff position. That position would be paid for by the two <br />percent. <br />Page 8 <br />