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Home My WebLink AboutREP PC 028 06/19/2001 2000-2002 REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON PLANNING DATE: June 19, 2001 Re: C-232 PLACE: Councilroom TIME: 2:11 p.m. Chair and Members Hawaii County Council Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Your Committee on Planning, to which was referred Communication No. 232, transmitted by Mayor Harry Kim, dated May 16, 2001, reports as follows: Communication No. 232 recommends the appointment of the following individual to the Hawaii County Water Board (formerly known as the Water Commission) to serve a term ending on December 31, 2005: Ms. Sandra Wood Scarr, a Republican and four-year resident of Hawaii, will represent Council District 7, and replace George Harai whose term expired on December 31, 2000. She is a coffee farmer, and served as a Board member for the Kona Outdoor Circle, the Kona Orchid Society and CERG (Citizens for Equitable and Responsible Government). Pursuant to Section 8-2, Hawaii County Charter, the mayor shall appoint members to the Water Board to be confirmed by the Council. Committee Member Leningrad Elarionoff stated that he would be voting against the confirmation because he wishes she "had spent a little more time here to understand the full problem of the island'" because the water issue is really important to West Hawaii. Committee Member Gary Safarik was also concerned about Ms. Scarr's length of residency in Hawaii, but felt she would be able to grasp the issues quickly because of her background. He also noted that District 5 has not been represented on the Board since 1996, and that the water issue is of tremendous interest to the Puna residents because half of the population lives off water catchment. In response to Committee Member Dominic Yagong's question about the composition of the Board, Your Chair summarized that there are two members from District 9 and two members from District 6. Districts 8 and 5 are not represented and the remaining districts have one member each. Committee Member Curtis Tyler further expanded the response, by stating that there will be two vacancies from Districts 3 and 4 at the end of this year and two from District 6 next year. PC-28 PC_28 Page 2 June 19, 2001 Your Chair stated that she sees "these boards and commissions as citizen's boards and commissions and that they should reflect the cross-section of the community, rather than specialized backgrounds. While it would be nice to have people with the background in water, we have a Water Department that has hydrologists and engineers who can provide you with technical information". She further explained that as a member of the Board, Ms. Scarr would be voting on contracts and capital improvement districts, and discussing bonds, and water rates. Ms. Scarr explained that she has not had a chance to study the water issues in Puna or in Kohala but will do so. She also explained that she has to learn more about the water system and the role of the Water Board and the Water Department. She also stated that she "will look into the water issues in various areas of the County because"-"the Commission has to represent the interest of the County as a whole". Your Committee on Planning recommends the approval of the appointment of Ms. Sandra Wood Scarr to the Hawai` i County Water Board. AYES NOES A & E EX Lfal'HEAD= I ODD X TYLER X Respectfully submitted, ARAKAKI X COMMIT"1'F,E ON P N[N Cf IUNG X E~:LARIONOFF X C JACOBSON X BOB JEAN LEITHEAD-TODD. CHAIR PISICCIIIO X PC RGPOR"I' NO. PC-28 SAPARIK X 6 2001 YAGONG X ADOPTED: