HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0118.016 2002-2004 1
W.H. SHIPMAN, LIMITED
KEAAU
HAWAII ISLAND
August 2, 2004
Aaron Chung, Chair, and members of the ~.::~..,_eY__
Committee on Finance nm. ~!!3(~y_---------°
County Council ~"^a ca.^~" /P- Fc
County of Hawaii
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo, HI 96720
Dear Chair Chun and members:
Re: Bill 49 Draft 2
There are a couple of "truths" that need to be said first. Of all the people
involved in the food chain....the farmer works the hardest, and makes the
least. They are subject to mother nature, various pests and disease and
theft. At the same time, they ask very little of County services. Generally,
there is not a house structure, many times no County water or electricity so
fire and police services are not used much. County roads probably are
used the most but they are funded by the fuel tax. At the same time,
County departments find themselves with fewer workers to do more work.
The final truth is that many laws are made in reaction to those of us who
spend their energy trying to doing bad things. The unfortunate result of this
is the good guys suffer because of the bad guys.
Next, the issue really is a fundamental, philosophical one. How important
is it to our citizens that we support local farmers and not ship in all the food
that we all consume? I think you would all agree that it is very important.
We all want to support and help farmers.
Having said that, why don't we work to come to a system that is simpler to
administer, and supports our farmers?
Comm. No. (I~
~~~I~
Ref. To:
Ref. Uate
1
P.O. Box 950 "A Kamaaina Company Contributing ta the Planned Growth of Hawaii" Phone: (806) 966-9325
Knau, Hawaii 96749 Established 1923 Fax: (808) 966-8522
We believe the old ag dedication method maybe outdated, considering the
realities of today's diversified ag. It is a pain to administer, both by the
County and by the dedicator and with only limited land being dedicated
because of our thrust to diversified ag. Many of our farmers don't want a
lease longer than five years.
If the goal truly is to encourage ag land used for ag...then why not simply
ask the landowner to certify that it is being used for ag and say what kind of
ag. And in the certification paper, warn the landowner that spot checks will
be made, and a false statement is found, make him pay a fine. Why is it
that we feel land "dedicated" to ag use for say, ten years is somehow better
than the same land used (but not dedicated) for ten years for ag use?
We have about seventy farm lessees on our land who lease land from one
acre to several hundred. There are many issues that would take time to
discuss...and perhaps a workshop would be most helpful to give us time to
discuss them with you and ferret out what is the best way to proceed.
In any event, thank you for the opportunity to comment and we look forward
to being able to discuss it further.
Sincerelyf~I_
~4~v
Robert E. Co/oper
President & CEO
2