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

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Hawai `i County Charter Commission -6 December 14, 2018 principal of protecting public lands has always been there with or without the two percent just look at our record of how much property we bought. I am proud of Kohanaiki, `O`oma, Pohiki, Hakalau, Lehia, Honu'apo, Honl's, and others. All of that as purchased prior to mandating us to purchase it. Does that not elaborate quite clearly what this administration's priority is, establishing the protecting of lands. We didn't need a law to tell us this was important. The misconception here is not the principal of protecting the lands. I am here for the principal of who pays for it, how much, and that is what I am asking. Property tax is very limited. Expenses keep growing. This is very difficult. You see how many times we have had to raise the taxes and nobody wants to do that. I am asking you to review it. Keep the principal of we must do things to protect our lands, suggestions are lower the two percent to whatever, one percent like Maui, half percent like Kaua`i, that's your decision on what you recommend. Does it take away from protecting? I don't think so. Does it take away our job to seek federal fiends, state funds, private cooperation, to identify properties that should be, and we are doing it regardless of what you pass or don't pass, we will continue to do that as well as we did it before this was even a figment of anyone's imagination. I ask any and all of you to look at the records passed which is all public documents to see if anything I told you is of half-truth of any mistruth. Thank you very much for listening to me. CHR. ADAMS: Thank you Mr. Mayor. I would like to return to statements from the public. I understand that we still have a testifier in Kona. MR. RUEDY: Yes, good afternoon Chair, we do have one testifier. It looks like she is ready now. Brenda Ford. Go ahead and state your name for the record. BRENDA FORD: Communication Nos. 19 and 24 in support and Communication Nos. 21, 23, and 25 opposition. MS. FORD: Thank you. I am Brenda Ford, former Council Member and I am also a co-author of the PONC fund and the maintenance fund along with Debbie Hecht. For years we've had battles with the administration trying to get enough money to buy the treasured lands that we have been trying to protect. I would like to say one thing in the beginning regarding Mr. Kim's statements. Mr. Kim is just one Mayor. He may or may not support the PONC fund. That doesn't mean the next Mayor is going to do it. We have already had a problem with the previous Mayor stopping all funding of the PONC because it was in the Code. That's why we wrote it into the Charter, to prevent administration or County Council from stopping the will of the people. The people run this County. The job of the Mayor is to administer the laws and the work of the County employees except for the Council. The people make the laws through the County Council and through the ballot. We passed this law three times with over 60% each time. If you continue to do what you are doing, we are going to have to mount a massive expensive campaign to stop people from voting for your proposals. Page 8