Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0333.006 1998-2000KA. LEO PO'E "VOICE OF THE PEOPLE - FOR A EOPLE"FORA BETTER HA WA I! 965-8891 965-8657L_J 965-7699 99 JUL 23 9 00 July 20, 1999 Mr. Curtis Tyler Councilman 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Dear Mr. Tyler; C COUNjY a- HA1,A/,Ali At the last Ka Leo Pote Council.meeting,on.July 11, 1999, your proposal to raise the minimum property tax:from $25.00 to $100.00 per year was discussed. Our coneensus..was..that all waste of taxpayers' money should be identified and stopped before any tax_incr.ease is proposed. There are almost daily reminders that this -has not been done. It was further agreed..that before increasing the minimum property taxes, the county should first..collect.the..property taxes from those who are not paying their fair share. What are the -efforts to collect past due taxes and how Effective are they? And finally, the. County shoulduse aerial studies and mapping of the locat- ion of permanent residences.so..,that.homes.built without building permits might be identified. .If homes:have not been permitted, they have not been assessed by -the County.. Those..people living in permanent residential structures without going.through the permit process not only defy our laws but fail to contribute.their fair share of annual property taxes based on the assessed value of -their home. It seems unfair to ask more of those already in compliance while those who willfully ignor our laws go without consequence. On the issue of the taxes .on lands overrun by lava, ;,erhaps the owners should have the option of .keeping their property and paying the tax or • ®® Comm. No. File No. j?ef. To: n n ioOQ 2. X C surrendering the property: to the<County and not paying tax. .If the property owners still find enough value in the land to want.to maintain ownership, then they should pay their taxes on it.. Thank you for your consideration.of'our positions on.these issues. If you have questions regardingthis. please contact us at your convenience. Sincerely, Velda Schierloh Ka Leo Pole, Council Member P.O. Box 1213 Pahoa, Hi. 96778 (808) 965-8657 cc: Mr. James`Arakaki, Chairperson Mr. Aaron Chung, Council Member Mr. Leningrad Elarionoff, Council Member Mrs. Julie Jacobson, Council Member Ms.Bobby Jean Leithead-Todd, Council Member Ms. Nancy Pisicchio, Council Member Mr. Al Smith, Vice Chairperson Mr. Dominic Yagong, Council Member "VOICE OF THE PEOPLE" MISSION STATEMENT Ka Leo Po'e is a non partisan organization established to facilitate communication between the people of Hawaii and their government. 1. To identify local, county, state, or federal issues which concern us as taxpayers and voters. 2. To locate areas of wasteful spending of the taxpayers money, and to identify the people responsible and see that they are held accountable. The above to accomplished by: A. Objective gathering of all relevant information available on the issues. B. The Council, composed of the Board and Precinct Leaders, considers the facts obtained and forms a majority opinion on the issue. C. The opinion is written in the form of a letter or petition, which is then circulated among the general membership and other interested members of the public for signatures. D. If a dissenting opinion exists, a separate petition reflecting that position is circulated at the same time. E. Signed petitions are then submitted to the appropriate officials) and/or agency(ies) to acquaint them with Ka Leo Do'e's position on the subject under consideration. There are no membership fees, dues or other obligations. Membership may submit to the Council in writing issues to be considered by the Council.