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HomeMy WebLinkAboutREP FESC 005 06/17/2008 2006-2008 REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON FOOD AND ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY DATE: June 17, 2008 RE: Comm. 1277/Bill 314 PLACE: Councilroom Ben Franklin Building 333 Kilauea Avenue, 2°a Floor Hilo, Hawaii TIME: 11:15 a.m. Council Chair and Members Hawaii County Council Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Your Committee on Food and Energy Sustainability, to which was referred Bill 314, reports as follows: Bill 314, transmitted by Council Chair Pete Hoffmann via Communication 1277, dated June 3, 2008, amends Chapter 2 of the Hawaii County Code 1983 (2005 Edition, as amended), by amending Article 2 and adding a new article creating the Department of Energy Sustainability. This bill also creates new positions, which consists of an energy sustainability advisor who shall serve as the head of office, an energy policy analyst, a green building expert, a clerk, and other staff as needed. There was one testifier from Hilo, Tim Rees, who spoke in opposition to Bill 314. Michael Kramer, from Kona, and Elizabeth Cole, from Hilo, both testified in support of Bill 314. Council Chair Pete Hoffmann reminded Council Members that his proposed amendment to the Operating Budget that would have provided funding for these new positions had failed. For this reason, Bill 314 only creates the positions and does not fund them. These positions (energy sustainability advisor, energy policy analyst, and a green building expert) were recommended by the Hawaii County Sustainable Energy Plan, which was sponsored by the Department of Research and Development and approved by the Mayor. Mr. Hoffmann questioned as to why the County of Hawaii is the only county in the State that has not reviewed its Energy Code since 1989. He stated that the County does not have the resources available to move this initiative forward, which is why trained and qualified personnel are needed for the job. Council Member Donald Ikeda stated that he supports the creation of a new department, but is concerned about how it is being formed. He stated that a new department is usually created by a Charter amendment. He is also concerned that there is no funding in the budget for these positions. He recalled that Jane Testa, Director of the Department of Research and Development, did not think a new department was needed at this time because they already have a position in the department funded by the State. FESC Report No. 05 Comm. 1277/ Bill 314 June 17, 2008 Page 2 Council Member Stacy Higa also recalled Ms. Testa saying that a new department was not necessary as her department supports the Hawaii County Sustainable Energy Plan and is already working towards its implementation. Mr. Higa is concerned that a new department may cause more confusion if there is already a department actively working on this effort. Council Member Bob Jacobson stated that the County has already missed many opportunities to bring this forward and is upset that the Department of Research and Development, who is tasked with this, had not brought forward initiatives to make Hawaii County sustainable. He stated that several Council Members used their own Contingency Relief funds to develop the Hawaii County Sustainable Energy Plan, which should have been paid for by the Administration. A proposed floor amendment (Comm. 1277.1) to Bill 314 was submitted by Council Chair Pete Hoffmann, which replaces the word "department" with "office." The newly created department would now be called the Office of Energy Sustainability. Mr. Hoffmann clarified that although he did get an opinion from Corporation Counsel and was given the "green light" to establish a new department with an ordinance rather than a Charter amendment, he instead chose to amend Bill 314 to call the new department "office" in order to address the concerns of everyone. Mr. Hoffmann recalled that Ms. Testa stated that there should be some type of a consolidation of resources in the County's Administration regarding this effort. Mr. Hoffmann emphasized that the main concern is to consolidate this to one area or under one supervision in order to ensure the job is done effectively. Mr. Hoffmann proceeded to read into the record an email he received from Bob Arrigoni, the former Energy Coordinator for the County of Hawaii, which states his support for the creation of an energy department. Mr. Higa stated that he supports Mr. Hoffmann's amendment; however, should this bill pass, he questioned as to what the end result would be since there is no funding for the positions and the budget is already very tight. He thinks the idea sounds good, but until the County's finances are put in order, government should not be growing at this time. Mr. Higa pointed out that the Mayor could appoint one of his Executive Assistants to handle the County's energy sustainability since he already has the personnel. Although he supports the idea, Mr. Higa feels that this is the wrong time. Mr. Hoffmann responded that Bill 314 provides the framework so that the Mayor would be able to fund these positions as he sees fit and so that this effort could begin as quickly as possible. He also reminded the Council that the Mayor himself had signed and agreed to the Hawaii County Sustainable Energy Plan, and that the first recommendation in the Plan is to hire trained personnel to do the job. Mr. Hoffmann is hopeful and optimistic that the Mayor will support this effort. FESC Report No. 05 i Comm. 1277/ Bill 314 June 17, 2008 Page 3 Council Member Emily Naeole also expressed her support for Bill 314. Committee Chair J Yoshimoto stated that he would like to have further feedback from the Department of Research and Development in order to make sure that there is no miscommunication between them and the Council. He also asked Mr. Hoffmann to provide a cost analysis to get an idea of how much this would cost. He also asked Mr. Hoffmann if he would add some flexibility to the bill so that the department head would have the flexibility to determine what positions are needed. Mr. Yoshimoto expressed his support for the bill, but had some concerns about the positions. Your Committee on Food and Energy Sustainability is in accord with the purpose and intent of Bill 314, as amended to Draft 2, and recommends it pass first reading. dwe i i AYES NOES A&E EX Respectfully submitted, FORD X HIGA X COMMITTEE ON FOOD AND ENERGY HOFFMANN X SUSTAINABILITY IKEDA X JACOBSON X NAEOLE X PILAGO X J YOS OTO, IR YAGONG X FESC REPORT NO. 05 ' YOSHIMOTO X ADOPTED: OFFICE INFORMATION ONLY Meeting: July 2, 2008 - Council Meeting (41" Session) Action: Filed Bill 314, Draft 2, and FESC-5 FESC Report 5 transmitted the above bill for "approval." Re: BILL 314, DRAFT 2/C-1277.16/FESC-5