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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0203.030 2024-2026From: Shale Madrona Sent: Tuesday, August 19, 2025 7:01 AM To: Council Testimony Subject: Testimony in Support of Bill 38- Council Member Matt Keanali'i-KleinfeldetA oC-) c o � --tz Testimony in Support of Bill38 Sha'le Madrona, Homeowner -Ainaloa Community Subdivision 3 August 2025 N 3 a Aloha, Chair and Council Members of the Committee, My name is Sha'le Madrona, and I am a homeowner and resident of the Ainaloa Community subdivision. I offer this testimony in strong and wholehearted support of Bill 38.1 pray my words offer light, heart, and understanding to the importance of this measure. As a homeowner, I pay road tax fees to our HOA. These fees are intended to maintain the roads in our community, but the burden of upkeep is unfairly falling on residents. The roads, though paid for by the homeowners, are publicly accessible and experience heavy traffic from construction trucks, bulldozers, tractors, and other industrial vehicles transporting large building materials. Our roads are not built to withstand this kind of weight. They are designed for normal residential and light commercial traffic —not for constant, heavy construction use. Over time, this use causes significant damage. Roads crack, deteriorate, and eventually require repair. And when that happens, it is we, the homeowners, who must shoulder the increased fees to cover repairs —despite the fact that the damage was not caused by us, but by outside construction activity. I attended the hearing on August 5th, 2025, and wanted to follow up with a real example. Just last week, right across the street from my home, construction began on an empty lot. A large bulldozer was hauled in by an overweight truck. After it was unloaded, work began immediately. Within days, the edge of our newly paved road cracked and collapsed —the same spot being driven over repeatedly by these heavy vehicles. '- I respectfully approached the construction lead and asked about their responsibility for road damage. He told me that their company pays state taxes to operate their machinery. That left me confused and frustrated. If they pay the state, but use our privately maintained roads, who is held accountable when those roads are damaged? It seems their taxes are treated like a free pass, while we are left to absorb the costs. This is why Bill38 makes sense. It provides a much -needed tax relief for homeowners like myself, who are unfairly burdened by the consequences of construction activity. It's notjust about fairness —it's about sustainability, accountability, and ensuring thatthose who use and wear down our roads help to maintain them. Comm. N yJ� P.O. Ref. Dafe nD In closing, I urge you to approve and pass Bill 38. This bill gives us —homeowners and taxpayers —some hope, some relief, and a sense that our voices are being heard. Thank you for allowing me to share my experience and support. Mahalo, Sha'le Madrona Homeowner—Ainaloa Community Subdivision