HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0341.004 1996-1998
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HOUSE OF REPRFSENTATIVES ~
fiE NINETEENTH LEGISLATURE ~ ~ ' •
' STATE OP HAWAII
STATE CAPTrOL ~
17 June 1997 HONOLULU.HAWA11sK8U r.-. „ ~.,w.a~
TO: County Council Chairman James Arakaki
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FR: Representative s7avid Tarnae
District 6: North Kona, South Kohala ~'L2%~ f' • ~ - '
COUNT; !~;q~i?P,!I
RE: Resolution Calling for Special Legislative Session on Privatization Issue
Aloha.
As the state representative of North Kona and South Kohala, i have strongly
advocated for a special legislative session to deal with the privatization issue. I urge
you and your colleagues on the County Council to pass the resolution before you
which also calls for a special legislative session. As you know, in the wake of the
February 28 Supreme Court decision on the Puuanahulu landfill, county contracts
were suspended and the county has refused to pay on invoices for services conducted
.since then. This is resulting in a very significant economic disruption in this County.
Our community is already trying to cope with a depressed economy, high
unemployment, and heavy financial stress on our families. Now, because of the
privatization aontrover>ay, many small businesses are being foned t0 lay off
employees aad close their doors. We can not continue with this economic chaos. I
understand that there is great legal debate about whether the County should or
should not be suspending contracts. $ut rather than let this drag out in the courts,
the legislature can resolve this. The legislature has the responsibility to respond to
this crisis. We must do it as soon as possible. This resolution sends a clear message
that we at the legislators should resolve this issue in a special legislative session.
In addition to creating an economic crisis, the cancellation of county contracts has
created situations that threaten public health and safety. For example, the county is
currently in violation of state and federal environmental laws because the contracts
for monitoring the sewage treatment plants have been cancelled. The county can't
even bring the sewage sludge to the landfill, because it can't pay a private laboratory
to analyze it. The situation has gotten out of hand.
Please peas this resolution calling for a special session. Judging by the steady flood of
calls and letters I am receiving, many citizens around the ielaad feel the same way.
We neighbor islands may hurt the most now, but this is definitely estate-wide
economic and political crisis.
We must acknowledge the seriousness of the situation and respond to it quickly and
effectively. To delay action would be a betrayal of our responsibility to our
constituents. Surely, we members of the state legislature have the ability to
hammer out a compromise that will work. Let us provide government with the
flexibility to contract out for services if the contract meets certain criteria of
performance, price and public benefit. Let us resolve this issue and prevent this
crisis from undermining any hope for economic recovery in flue county and state.
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