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

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Hawai`i County Charter Commission -6 December 14, 2018 CHR. ADAMS: Thank you for your testimony. We have additional testifiers in Kona? MR. RUEDY: Yeah, the next two testifiers are coming up. Kelly Pomeroy to speak on Communication 24 and to follow her is Kathleen McMiller in opposition of 290. Go ahead and state your name. KELLY POMEROY: Communication No. 24 in opposition. MS. POMEROY: Yes, I am Kelly Pomeroy. I am commenting on the land fund and I am really appalled. I couldn't believe it when I read this. Years ago when this thing was first being proposed, the two percent program was being proposed, I spent hours and hours and hours collecting thousands of signatures to get that thing passed and I was so pleased when it passed and so appalled when I read this about what is being proposed. My reaction was sort of equal parts incredulity and nausea. This does not look like something I would expect to be proposed in, I mean this is radical. I would not expect it to be proposed in Hawai`i. It sounds like to me like something that would have come out of the Trump administration. To say that not only do you not want to keep adding to the fund, you want to cap future increases, you want to take away protections that are already there? Where is this coming from? Obviously it is corning from development interests and I think that if you weigh development interests versus the private interest in Hawai`i and especially on the Big Island, I think you'll find that this proposal is definitely not popular and I hope that you will vote it down. Thank you. CHR. ADAMS: Thank you. Next testifier. KATHLEEN MCMILLEN: Proposal No. CA -7 in opposition. MS. MCMILLEN: Hello I am Kathleen McMillen. I am a resident of Kona and I have been here for 27 years and I am speaking for myself and I am speaking for Charter Amendment 9 and against Charter Amendment 7. I have grave concerns about the handling, the attitude of our County government with regard to the two percent land fund. The law has been in place since 2005 and yet the will to implement its intentions are constantly stymied. This forward thinking law was supported by a large majority, 63% of the voters several times, of the Big Island residents to assure our island does not suffer the over- crowding, horrible traffic etc. as on other islands in our state and to preserve open space and park lands for future generations. There's 16 million dollars in this fund because the County does not have the will to move forward and buy lands for preservation of our island's future. When I sent an email to the Mayor last year, his public relations agent told me there were other funding priorities, as if these monies were part of the general fund for the County. They are not. They have been earmarked only for open space Page 4