HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0387.024 2000-2002 - • •
An easy analogy may be drawn fair share. Everybody, regardless of
between the Hawaii County the demand they place on guvern-
Rea'pportionment Commission's ment services, would pay equally.
gerrymandering and the county's ~ $~eed The existing multiple cxemp-
residential real property tax strut- f' lions for those fiU to 69 Yeats old of
tw~e, despite th^~ir apparent dissimi ~ ; ~l~e'~ n~er $80,000 and the multiple exe~np-
laxities. lion ol~ $100,000 for those over the
The presently favored reappor- age of 70 also translates into an
tiunment map is championed by unfair bias for East Hav~uii, where ~ ~
'Kona resident Mark Van Perpis, a services, despite the region's grow- if y ou axe old, chances are ~ni pay
Uemucritic Party faithful relcont- tng needs. eery little ur n~i tax. l n to find a
This is the realit and Qivcn a ~ t7
mended to the commission by y ~ residential pr~~p~rt~ ~n AV~,t Il.~~~aii o
I~emucratic Counciwulman Nancy history ut political and fiscal that Sells as cheaply as ..u tli=_ ~,ther ~ ~
Pisicchiu. Van Pernis, while claim- neglect, West Hawaii rightly side of the volcano. ~ t
ing to represent the interests of should be wary of this Berryman- Those well-heeled indi~~iduals o
~~'est Huwaii, is in effect more dering. who hug into Hukulia in South ~ Via'
The commission would argue the ~
rctl~rtin~a the interests of the ~rudi- K~~na ~,u~ i,~kr I~n~iric in the ~nilliuii~ -
uun~ti ~emOCI'atll' Party p~>wer reapportionment map at issue is they arc speudin~~ ~~n u~ri~
u~,us:
"flux.' keeping the district bound-
,trucuirc entrenched in Hil In and lot, but should ,land up n~ ~iet~i
fact. West Huwuii's gro ing Aries from dividing communities. attce at the Fact there .u~e only uvu j
Republican leanings would x Elect However, members argue Ch;~t is police oiticers why pauvl their dis- ~
that his allegiance to his po itical the reason they have chosen~o h-ict (from Honalo jwlction t~,
sit runs counter to the re Tonal reject or ignore a much more equi- Ocean View) un each sh=.ft.
P y table division of the island's voters
political tide l~~ claims to repr sent. Likeevise thu;e wh~~ ha~~e hi-lilt at
proposed by the Citizens for t,
~~'lta~ the commission now sup- Equilable and Resp~msil~~le 'Mauna Kea rul>euie:, ,h.nd~l
ports is a redistricting that puts a Government, a group whose nun- question where all th.it n~uuCy
maxiTnum of six of nine sets in partisan members have taken an ~'ues, because they ,ee little ,~i~ ;t
East Hawaii and a minima of returned in their disu-irt when the
active role in the public review
tive, either way, an East ~ wail ~ ~ state maintains the road:,, the ft:uks
process, despite a chilly reception
majority. The proposed sixt dis- from Van Pernis. maintained by the: cuuntti~ ,uc ~er~
trio is su contrived as to cont~ in an few, and police arc se~dunt seeu
the Hawaii Count
«rea ti~uiit Kelakekua Bay st e[ci'r y within the cun!~ines of th~_~n ,~u~,
Reuppurtionntent Cu~nmission is
ing w Keeau, joining voters who trolled uc~~s~ ~uri~munit_,
demonstrating the link between
have little in common beyon the politics and spending tax revenues, Yet because decisions <<r~: :uaiir
tact they are alive and situat d on however the disparity is also in Hilo, by East Hawaii-nutti~uted
the same island. ret7ected in the real property tax Politicians, it will not ~-hange.
`.Vhat drives the atmmissi ? to Htlo coon, ilwomun uncr sale ,h;
rates enacted by our heavily east-
t~~~ist the interest o1~ fair repre'~ ~nta- exit tilted County Council. The sim- ~~'uuld nut ~ ham~e the t~nL,~i:~u,:e~1
tier is simple: Getiyn~andcri tB in il~ity is amazing. 1`hc residential hunteuwners exrit,pli~ui ~Ic,;~ii~
the inteiest of the incumbent and hr~~,perty tax rate is like the it being the "fair" thine u~ d.~
status quo for Bast Ilawaii. The skewed reapportionment - because her voters, those v~ tu.~ pad
areas of voter strength for East ;~-guably fair. It allows everyone little and get lots, would kill her at
Hawaii incumbents has been •are- the same exemption, $40,000 fur the polls. It all boils dov.-n tt~ ~r.;li-
fuily carved into their pro osed IU)Ine~)lvners, tics. carceruts . <i~~nrtin at the
disu~icts and prutectcd• 1~ut in reality. this tax structure is expense ul~ that i, right. ~ai~ :ui~!
l"his keeps the D~mucrntic arty unfair, placing greater linaucial the ~.~~erill puhiie uiterr:.:- -'~n~'
utajurity intact and ensures a _ talus burden u? those in the niece expen- with the reapp,~rti~nn.~eut nu,
quo of the past two decades East live West Hawaii region than those Presently pending,. it ~~ill cu~tt~~,nue
Hawaii will determine the isl nd's who enjoy a lower cost of living in fur another decode.
i~uun-e fur yet another decade The the east. More residents in East Tits truth is thr euunt~ real
:,talus <iuv ensw-es that not only fiawaii Puy the minimum property property tax r:~te ur.i:u~ tlr~
"il! ,~,~,~•rnment amain the I'r~,est tai ~?5. yet ~h~°ir d~rnand un E~«iitiral stru~tt~r~ ,~ii~l .:u~~n;;~~ t.
enPlo~c~ fur flilu, but tha the ~_rn~ernment wrvices is us high ur rectisu-tet. ;And Illie u~uti~: n,.., .,e
e,tabiisitc;d in:luities of tax c floc- higher than those in West Hawaii. relan4e concept. C:u~ ue,~, anal e,ju~
lion and revenue disbursemen will What is fair, equitable and much ty are not.
contiituc to Cite disadvanta of more ethical, would be a home- There is no l:airnc.ss_i.tt.-_:Ela~y.ktii_ _
vh'es; Hawaii. The Kona ~ and owners tax rate structure that estab- County, our it ~thi~ ~~n.~ ,~t<<. _
Kuhala districts continue W av a fished a lower rate per one thou- prevails, uu~i ~~~iih -
ni:yority of the county's real ~ru4~~- laud dollars of assessed valuation in~~ th~~ t;~t ~u~t~
arty tars, yet bet b~ck a per •ent- un the actual assessed value of the 1~rhut Prices l-_~, t 1....
~~~;e tar, tar less rn ex enditure~ and property. Everyone would pay their East Huwaii happy. -
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