HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0926.045 2018-2020 I
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Mary
Begier '
REALTY
Hawaii County Council
25 Aupuni St. Hilo HI 96720
Dear Council Members,
Good Afternoon, these may be the toughest times to serve our county as a council person.
Thank you for doing so. However, it is also the toughest time to be unemployed, to have no
income, to have no clients, to not be allowed to rent your property that you just spent hours and I
anguish getting recognized as legit because you have always paid your TAT/CET in the past.
AND would love to be able to do so now.
I have come before you many times to talk about how this county budgets funds. We have
agreed to disagree in the past. I am here today with an important request. Please, do NOT
rush a policy decision over money. If there is a good public cause related to zoning or land use
that merits charging less than 1% of our property owners a property tax to punish them for
having more financial resources than you and I then so be it. However, I don't think there is.
Do you realize how much money those 900+ property owners' gift or donate to the "good
causes" of our community as individuals? Do you realize that Kukio, Waikoloa Beach Resort
owners, Mauna Kea Beach/Hapuna all have active foundations that are frequently the source of
last resort for many a grant writer in our community?! I've asked the directors of organizations
that benefit from these donations to testify here today. They individually but collectively all
expressed the same thing. Anxiety! Their agencies' all have policy that they not become
involved in a testifying situation such as this. Some fear it would jeopardize their non-profit tax
approvals for lobbying.
Thank you for listening. Please do not pass this bill in such a rush, it doesn't do justice to the
integrity of your other work.
With A ha,
Mary Begier;'Realtar
Referral&Relocation Certified/1998 Aloha Aina Realtors Choice Award
Certified Residential Specialist/Certified Residential Broker
2001 Realtor@ of the Year Hawaii Assoc.of RealtorsQD
2001 RealtorQD of the Year Hawaii Island Board of Realtors®
2002 RealtorV of the Year Honolulu Board of Realtors®
2003 President Honolulu Board of Realtors@
2006-2013 Hawaii Island Commissioner Hawaii State Foundation on Culture&the Arts
2007 President Hawaii Island Board of Realtors?
2008-09 President Rotary Club of Hilo Bay ° ���°
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2009-2010 President Hawaii Island Chamber of Commerce Comm. N /t��
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2010-2011 Chair Hawaii State Foundation on Culture&the Art Ref. fin, M WunU'
2013 Community Hero Award from Hawaii Invasive Species Council
2015 Hawaii Island Chamber Athena Award Recipient Ref. Date_42_0 2O2p
2016-17 OEQC Advisory Member Hawaii Island