|
Hawaii County Charter Commission -7 January 25, 2019
<br />balance the budget. All of us try to balance our budgets, it's hard but states, many
<br />states are in trouble, but for the County if we could create a safety net with our
<br />emergency funds that are secure, then that will allow in an emergency to access
<br />other sources where we have already made a safety fund that is not, it can't be
<br />taken away for other things, and yet we support our land and our stewardship.
<br />Thank you so much for this opportunity.
<br />CHR. ADAMS: Thank you very much. If I could ask Mandy Johnson -Campbell
<br />please to come to the table. Ms. Rudolph, please.
<br />SHANNON
<br />RUDOLPH: Proposal No. CA -7, CA -8, and CA -13 in opposition and Proposal No. CA -9 in
<br />support.
<br />MS. RUDOLPH: Aloha, I am a 35 year Hawai`i resident and I think the idea of
<br />rank choice voting amendment would be awesome and you guys would be a huge
<br />hit with the public if you did that because that's the fair thing to do and it saves
<br />money. So I want to thank you all for driving over from Hilo and that just made
<br />me think of another thing, another amendment. In most places in the country they
<br />have, and not to take this personally folks, but a lot of other places in the country,
<br />they have elected Charter members. It seems to me that if our Mayor has been
<br />from Hilo year after year, after year, and the majority of the Charter members
<br />every ten years are also from that side of the island, it seems to me that it would
<br />be a great idea to have elected Charter members like a lot of other places in the
<br />country. That is how it was in my hometown 35 years ago. So, on some of these,
<br />couple of these amendments, I agree. I am angry too. I have spent many, many,
<br />many, many hours coming in to tell you, and we voted three times, that we do not
<br />want this fund reduced. It makes me angry that I have to come and tell you for
<br />the fourth time. Not you, but this takes a lot of time and I am not happy about it.
<br />Whoever keeps doing this over and over and trying to thwart our vote, please
<br />stop. Retire already. Okay, number seven, no. CA -7, no reduction to the land
<br />fund, no deletion of the perpetuity clause like you already heard today, if you take
<br />away the perpetuity clause you lose all your grant funding, you'd lose all your
<br />matching funds, that's ridiculous. Who even thought of that? What the hell?
<br />Number 8, that is a big no. Four-year terms, we already voted on this. We had
<br />four-year terms then we voted on two-year terms, and here I am again telling you
<br />again. Please, we voted on this, the people told you what they wanted, they want
<br />two-year terms. They want more control of their Council members and they want
<br />to be able to throw them out when they are screwing up.
<br />Number 9, yes, yes, yes. We need a staff position in Finance who is dedicated to
<br />the open space funding to find us more money, to find us matching grants, that
<br />has the time, that doesn't have to go out and chase cattle, that they can find
<br />matching funds, that they can find grants because no matter what, this island is
<br />going to grow and we are going to need the recreational areas for all of these
<br />Page 34
<br />
|