HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 857 Draft 01 1980-1984.. ~ ~. ' ( _r O O
County of Hawaii-State. of Hawaii
Resolution No. ss'~ s4
REQUESTING REJECTION, OR AT LEAST DEFERRED ACTION, ON ANY BILL TO
REPEAL STATE GRANTS-IN-AID TO COUNTIES UNDER HAWAII REVISED
STATUTES, SECTION 248-6.
WHEREAS, House Bill Nos. 1871 and 1929, if enacted, would repeal
vitally-needed State grants-in-aid to the County of Hawaii beginning
July 1, 1985, and, therefore, would undermine our already-strained
ability to provide residents with mere basic county services; and
WHEREAS, State grants-in-aid have traditionally been used to
compensate this county for local properties exempted by the
legislature from the tax rolls even though we continue to provide
basic services to such properties (i.e., police, fire, etc.); have
brought about equity in the sharing of public revenues among the
counties; have eased the property tax burdens of individuals; and/or
have provided funds for specific needs of statewide interest in this
county that cannot be funded alone by the county; and
WHEREAS, huge cutbacks in Federal aid to our county, the recent
recession, increased demands for public services, a bleak financial
future, and other events and conditions have unavoidably made State
grants an indispensable part of our limited county budgets for quite
some time; and
WHEREAS, the direct and almost certain result of enactment of
these bills would be the need to increase real property taxes or
substantially reduce "expected" county public services--a choice
which, sadly, would be forced upon this county and its taxpayers but
not for the purpose of attaining any new definable public good for
this county; and
WHEREAS, the real party-in-interest in this matter, our
citizens, will be hurt rather than benefitted by enactment of these
bills, for it is he/she, alone, who may have to accept the higher
local taxes or reduced local public services consequent to these
bills.
WHEREAS, the bills have demoralized this Council in view of its
good faith budgeting efforts to be consistent with the demand for
greater financial prudence and efficiency in government; and have
severely shaken this Council's confidence in our long-standing
fiscal partnership with the State to meet the needs of our common
constituents; and
WHEREAS, the bills, at best, are premature since the Legislative
Reference Bureau, in response to H. R. 41 and H. C. R. 9, and the
important works of the Tax Review Commission created by HRS,
Chapter 232E, and the Interim Legislative Committee being created by
HB 1958, HD 1, to study overlapping State and County functions, can
provide valuable information which need to be considered before any
- informed action to enact the bills is contemplated.
i E
O
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF
HAWAII that the Twelfth State Legislature, 1984, is hereby ,~
respectfully requested to reject enactment of HB 1871 and HB 1929 so
as to continue the present grants-in-aid to counties, or, at the
very least, to defer action thereon until it has fully considered
the findings and recommendations of the Tax Review Commission, the
Interim Legislative Committee on overlapping State and County
functions, and the Legislative Reference Bureau pursuant to H. R. 41
and H. C. R. 9.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the County of Hawaii
transmit a copy of this Resolution to the Governor, President of the
Senate, Speaker of the House, Chairmen of the Senate Ways and Means
Committee and House Finance Committee, and the Mayor of the County
of Hawaii.
Dated at Hilo, Hawaii, this 7th day of
INTRODUCED BY:
COUNTY COUNCIL
County of Hawaii
Hilo, Hawaii
~ ~~ ~
COUNCIL MEMBER; TY OF HAWAII
I hereby certify that the foregoing RESOLUTION was by the vote indicated to
the right hereof adopted by the COUNCIL of the County of Hawaii on
March 7, 1984
ATTEST:
L~ _ ~~ ~
COUNTY CLE K "
CHAIRMAN & PRESIDING OFFICER
O
N!arch 1984.
ROLL CALL VOTE
I IAYESI NOES1 A/E
Dahlberg X
De Luz, III X
Domingo X
Hale x
Kawahara X
Lai X
Schulte X
Chr. Yamashiro X
Reference:
M.B. No.
RESOLUTION N0.
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