MIN CHARTER 2018-12-14 (2018-2020)

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Hawai`i County Charter Commission -6 December 14, 2018 AARON CHUNG: you to leave the fund as it is and to in support of adding a dedicated person for management so that it is well managed and maintained. Thank you. CHR. ADAMS: Thank you for your testimony. If I could ask Nelson Ho to please come to the table. Proposal No. CA -7 in support and commenting. MR. CHUNG: Can you hear me? CHR. ADAMS: Mr. Chung. MR. CHUNG: Good afternoon and thank you all for your hard work. You know I had a nice discussion earlier before you convened. It was with Sammie Stansboro and Jon Olson, two people whom I have a great deal of respect for and it had to do with this matter. And you know, to be quite frank I wasn't really aware of the specifics of the proposal, I am talking about CA -7, and I am going to give you guys, first of all I just want to say I think most of you know I am on the Hawai`i County Council but I am not here as a Council person. I am just here as Joe Q. Public, a person also who has some experience though making decisions at the County Council level. You know, back in 2004, and that is right when Bobby Jean had just left the County Council, we took up the matter of the public lands two percent and I voted in favor of that, to send it to the County, to the voters as a Charter Amendment. However, the measure failed for lack of a super majority. It was a five to four vote but it didn't get sent to the voters at that time and then subsequent councils sent it up and it was later ratified by the voters. But over the years, having seen it in its application, I have come to reconsider my position. I am not saying that acquiring land, public lands is necessarily a bad thing, in fact it is a good thing. But when I look over this, and this is the first time I have seen this, you know there is a lot of talk about a cap, a one percent cap. When I read this, unless I am reading it wrong or the Exhibit A that I have is incorrect, it is not a cap, a one percent cap, it is a minimum. So it actually provides based on my reading, it could go two percent, three percent, or more based on the fiscal condition of the County. But there shall be a one percent minimum. I think this is a sensible compromise to our situation. No other program in the County of Hawai`i occupies this type of priority standing where you can take off right off from our total revenues a certain percentage to acquire certain things whether it be for Parks and Recreation, Police, Public Safety, nothing, only the acquisition of public lands. It is wreaking havoc on our County budget. Back then when I voted in favor of this provision, I said I am in support of it, I think it is a good thing but it will also at some point result in a tax increase. It has to and that is what is going to happen. It is happening right now. So if you like tax increases well then keep it at two percent, but I think we should Page 33