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y' .i <br /> ~~A HAWAII DIVISION <br /> 495 Manono Street <br /> Hilo, Hawaii 96720-4422 Telephone: 808.935.6841 Hawaii Government Employees Association <br /> <br /> Working Together /or Hawaii www.hgea.org Facsimile: 808.961.2437 AFSCME Lo<a1162, AFL-CIO <br /> September 13, 2004 <br /> Honorable James Arakaki, Chairperson <br /> Hawaii County Council <br /> 25 Aupuni St. <br /> Hilo, HI 96720 <br /> Dear Councilman Arakaki: <br /> Regarding: Bill #174, Draft 2 [Real Property Tax exemptions] <br /> Bill #175, Draft 3 [Real Property Tax valuation] <br /> Bill # 176, Draft 2 [Real Property Tax dedication] <br /> I am writing to express concern over the above referenced Bills and their effect on the <br /> ability of the County to provide services to the residents of Hawaii County. <br /> It is my understanding that Bill #174 will reduce real property tax revenues by <br /> approximately $3.86 million in FY 2005-2006 and that Bill #175 will reduce real <br /> property tax revenues by approximately $2.5 million in FY 2005-2006. I was unable to <br /> obtain an estimate on the effect of Bill #176. Clearly, its passage would also reduce <br /> revenues. <br /> I applaud the Mayor's desire to provide tax relief for Hawaii County homeowners. Many <br /> of our members are homeowners who are feeling the sting of rising property values. <br /> Property values are cunently on the rise but they may go down in the future. This has <br /> happened before. The public demands for services are also high; the likelihood is those <br /> demands will not go down in the future. <br /> The Mayor and the Council need to look closely at the public's demand for services and <br /> how best to provide them. This peak in revenues presents an opportunity to improve <br /> services and the `infrastructure' needed to provide those services. This may well be the <br /> time to catch up on many years of neglect due to insufficient resources. Property tax <br /> relief for homeowners is a laudable goal but it should not be rushed into. It should not be <br /> pushed through at the expense of legitimate funding needs. <br /> As a representative of County of Hawaii employees, I am aware of many pressing needs <br /> that continue to go unfunded due to lack of revenues. Many of these items could be <br /> considered the `infrastructure' necessary to carry out the duties of County personnel. <br /> Other requirements, particularly in the Police and Fire Departments and in the Office of <br /> Comm. No 3 <br /> Ref. Topes <br /> Ref. Uate CCP i s Anne <br /> -o~.-~-a-=_--- <br /> <br />