HomeMy WebLinkAboutGravel, Safia
Tsuneda, Kaci
From:Araceley, Relley
Sent:Wednesday, July 22, 2026 10:44 AM
To:Safia Gravel
Cc:Council Testimony
Subject:RE: Bill 165
Aloha,
Thank you for your testimony. I am copying our written testimony lead on this email so that your
testimony can be processed and filed correctly.
Mahalo,
Mr. Relley Araceley
Office of the County Clerk
County of Hawaii
25 Aupuni Street, Suite 1402
Hilo, HI 96720
(808) 961-8429
From: Safia Gravel <safia_gravel@hotmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2026 10:41 AM
To: Council Remote Testimony <councilremotetestimony@hawaiicounty.gov>
Subject: Bill 165
Aloha Council Members,
I would like to express my opposition to Bill 165, Draft 2 and urge you to vote against it.
Here are my reasons:
Bill 165, Draft 2 proposes to remove language from the County Charter that was overwhelmingly
adopted by county voters less than six years ago.
Bill 165 Draft 2 removes essential policies and procedures for the operation of the PONC without any
assurance that they will be effectively replaced by a future county ordinance.
Bill 165, Draft 2 also provides no assurance that the years of accumulated knowledge and experience
inherent within the current Charter language will be used to provide the appropriate context for
drafting any future county code.
There have been past attempts to undermine the PONC program when it only existed in the county
code. That’s why in 2020, Hawai’i County voters approved amending the County Charter to better
protect the PONC program from changes by successive county administrations. The Charter’s clear,
albeit not perfect, language detailing the process for administering the PONC maintenance fund made
the fund less vulnerable to mismanagement and abuse.
Mahalo nui for your consideration,
1
Safia Gravel
(Hilo/Mt.View)
2