MIN CHARTER 2019-01-25 (2018-2020)

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Hawaii County Charter Conunission-7 January 25, 2019 around the island and this is a compilation. It really does take an island to accomplish things. Brenda Ford and I wrote the original legislation. You will see how many people have been out to testify for the land fund. They are all in favor. So far I have only heard two people against the land fund and that is Mayor Kim and Council Chair, Aaron Chung. We oppose two Charter amendments. We oppose CA -7 which guts the land fund. It reduces the fund to point seven five or three quarters of a percent, which would be about 1.5 million, which would not be enough money to purchase coastal property or property really anywhere. It removes the maintenance fund from the Charter to the County Code where the Mayor and Council can cut it in the budget each year. Remember, that is why we put it in the Charter, because Mayor Kenoi cut it in 2006 as his first piece of legislation. CA -7 also removes the clause that protects the land in perpetuity. Two percent land should not be sold. This is such a long process to get property acquired. The matching funds, the suggestion, the people lobbying their Council members to do this, the money get... to get the money from the County to pay for it. Remember that this clause says "this property, this property, this property was acquired with money from the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Fund. It shall be held.." and this is what is important, "it shall be held in perpetuity forever for the use and enjoyment of the people of Hawaii County and may not be sold, mortgaged, traded or transferred in any way." It is purchased with our tax dollars. It should be there for our children and grandchildren in perpetuity. We oppose CA -13 which takes the fund to fund disaster relief This is an end run around the two percent fund. As far as I know and I hope somebody will ask Deanna Sako this question, how many funds would this affect? I believe there is four funds in the County of Hawaii. One is the maintenance fund, Two Percent Land Fund Maintenance Fund, the Two Percent Land Fund, the Disaster and Emergency Relief Fund, and the Budget Stabilization. The Budget Stabilization and the Disaster Relief Fund are regularly taken by the Mayor and Council to balance the budget. So really, this would only affect the two percent funds, the two two percent funds. Now it sounds good after this terrible disaster we have had, but really maybe the best things to do would be to bring forward a Charter amendment that makes sure that disaster relief fund always has five million dollars in it every single year. And if it is depleted it needs to be replenished. I mean especially on an island where we have a natural disaster a year and really that is the reason why CA -13 we so oppose, because every year the money would get taken out of that fund. That just wouldn't work. The matching funds would go away. CA -9 uses two percent land fund money to pay for a full-time staff person that would save the Department of Finance one staff salary and it is so important. The reason the money has built up in the fund is there is nobody doing the work. I Page 17