MIN CHARTER 2019-02-08 (2018-2020)

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Hawaii County Charter Commission -8 February 8, 2019 Public Open Space Natural Resource Conservation property at the Waipi`o lookout. So ours started in 2016 and we are continuing today. We are going on our third contract year, continuing on in the third year as well, but there has been some delays and overlaps and so just as a background, a lot of these amendments have kind of come from feedback from organization and so I just want to comment on each one. The first one is number seven, Communication, Item No. 7, which is the reduction and the suspension, and the removal of the perpetuity clause. Some comments on that. Of course from my understanding the maintenance fund wouldn't be affected by this amendment, the .25 percent would still be put into the maintenance fund and from what I have seen, the purchases average about, I think it is about six million or two million a year, I think it was, and the reduction you know, might affect the long-term, the viability of the program and that is something that I feel that the Department of Finance will be the best to give guidance on that as to what is the amount needed. The main two concerns on that one is the suspension and it could be a slippery slope, it could be you know, decided every year. Those kinds of things during tough financial times and locally and globally that could be a regular thing and so it could jeopardize the viability of the program. The perpetuity clause, I was reading through the Charter Commission's report on that, and I understand your guy's reasoning for removing the perpetuity clause, but I don't think it should be done just wholesale removal. It should be more of a nuance alteration if like you know, a very special you know, like reasons why and approval process, and not just a wholesale removal of the perpetuity clause. So, that is my comment on that because it is part of the intention of the program and to remove it completely without some nuance and honoring of that intention, without allowing flexibility, I think is not the right direction for that. Next commenting on the... number nine, which is the funding of the County PONC staff position, I think that one is a crucial one because our organization applied in August of 2014 and didn't get executed until January of 2016. A year and a half after our application. Matching funds aren't able to be secured with the delays, and basically it is hard to plan as an organization if you apply for things and such big delays, every, all three of our contracts have been delayed, probably just due to lack of staffing in the Parks and Rec (Recreation) Department, to be able to review applications, so this position whether it is in Department of Finance or Parks and Rec, or in some other department, is crucial to help this process along. There was two lapse periods where there was no stewardship of the property at the Waipi`o Valley Lookout and areas that we had previously cleared became overgrown because there was a lapse in stewardship so it required when we started back up to have conservation groups, youth groups, come help re -clear those areas that had been lapsed in maintenance, so this staff person would help to hopefully streamline that process and make stewardship grants consistently awarded and continually implemented. The next one is Communication No. 16, 1 think just a short comment on this is that number, Communication No. 18 is the preferable amendment regarding the Page 19