CA-0027 - Proposed Amendments to Section 10-15 RE PONC fund

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CA -27 PROPOSAL NO. (For Commission Use Only) 2018-2020 HAWAII COUNTY CHARTER COMMISSION CHARTER AMENDMENT PROPOSAL FORM 1. GENERAL INFORMATION Name of Commission Member: CHRISTOPHER J. I. ROEHRIG 2. If applicable, list the Section number(s) of the charter provision(s) to be deleted or amended: SECTION 10-15; PUBLIC ACCESS, OPEN SPACE, AND NATURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION FUND (hereinafter "PONC fund") 3. Provide a brief description of the purpose of the proposed charter amendment; include a description of the issue the proposal would address: The purpose of this proposal is to amend the PONC fund law so that there is an emphasis on purchasing PONC easements rather than entire parcels for the reasons described hereafter. The law presently allows for the purchase of easements but none have been purchased. Of the PONC properties that have been purchased seldom, if ever, is the entire PONC property useful for PONC purposes. Millions of dollars have been used to purchase old sugarcane lands. The useful portion of a property may be obtained for the public by buying easements over that portion of property. The cost to purchase an easement would be a fraction of purchasing the entire parcel. Therefore the PONC funds would go substantially further. Easements may need only be feet in width. There should be an examination and determination of a potential PONC property to determine what portion of the property is of PONC value, e.g. shoreline access, forest, cultural areas, etc. Then there should be an easement purchased over this area. The right of condemnation or eminent domain should be added. This will ensure the owner of a potential PONC property bargains in good faith or the situation where the County wants a certain parcel or easement and the owner is unwilling. Form CA -1 Revised 8/29/18 1 of 4