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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0049.009 2018-2020 OF.. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz Office: (808)961-8265 Council Member Fax: (808)961-8912 District 4 Puna ashley.kierkiewicz(&,hawaiicounty.gov HAWAII COUNTY %COUNCIL Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street e Hilo,Hawaii 96720 "0 DATE: September 19, 2019 TO: Aaron S. Y. Chung, Council Chairperson And Members of the Hawaii County Council FROM: Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Council Member SUBJECT: Minutes of the Hawaii State Association of Counties Executive Committee Meeting held on July 29, 2019 Please find attached the minutes of the Hawaii State Association of Counties Executive Committee meeting that were held on July 29, 2019. Please place this matter on the agenda for the next available Governmental Relations and Economic Development Committee. AK/ck att. Comm. Serving the Interests of the People of Our Island Ref. To: Hawai'i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer Ref. Date SEP 1 9 2019 Hawai'i State Association of Counties (HSAC) Counties of Kauai, Maul, Hawaii and City & County of Honolulu � a MINUTES HSAC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING Monday, July 29, 2019 • 10:30 a.m. Honolulu Hale, Committee Meeting Room 530 South King Street . Honolulu, HI 96313 1. CALL TO ORDER The HSAC Executive Committee was called to order by HSAC President Joey Manahan at 10:30 a.m. The following members comprising a quorum were present: City and County of Honolulu: President Joey Manahan Council Member, City and County of Honolulu County of Kauai: Vice-President Ross Kagawa Council Member, County of Kauai County of Hawaii: Secretary Ashley Kierkiewicz Council Member, County of Hawaii County of Maui: Treasurer Tamara Paltin (Alternate) Council Member, County of Maui Others Present: Valerie Poindexter, Council Member Immediate Past President of HSAC, County of Hawaii Aida Kawamura, Legislative Assistant, Office of Council Services, County of Kauai Shelly Espeleta, Legislative Analyst, Office of Council Services, County of Maui Radiant Cordero, Chief of Staff, Office of Council Member Joey Manahan, City and County of Honolulu Robert Dylan Whitsell, Legislative Analyst, Office of Council Member Joey Manahan, City and County of Honolulu George White Office of Council Services, City and County of Honolulu Kamakana Watanabe Office of Council Services, City and County of Honolulu ASS'14 „ caur!�"e"'� I1® APPROVAL OF AGENDA Council Member Ross Kagawa moved to approve the agenda, with a second by Council Member Ashley Kierkiewicz. The motion carried unanimously. IIIL MINUTES Council Member Tamara Paltin moved to approve and file the revised minutes from the June 10, 2019 HSAC Executive Committee meeting. The motion was seconded by Council Member Ross Kagawa, and was carried unanimously. IV. REPORTS A. Treasurer's Report 1, Council Member Tamara Paltin moved to file the Treasurer's report, with a second by Council Member Ross Kagawa. The motion carried unanimously. 2. Council Member Paltin noted that HSAC's financial documents are in the process of being transferred to Maui County, so the Treasurer's Report she is presenting comes from the City and County of Honolulu. As of May 2019, the beginning balance for the HSAC general account was$208,009.59. Revenues totaled $3.46. Expenses totaled $11,361.09. Ending balance totaled $196,651,96. In June 2019, revenues totaled $3.18. Expenses totaled $6,670.04, with an ending balance of$189,985,10. 3. Council Member Manahan noted the HSAC Executive Committee did not approve the Treasurer's Report in May because the organization was waiting for invoices and want- ed to finalize before presenting and filing the report, 4. Council Member Paltin noted the Profit & Loss sheet is still being finalized, as there are three outstanding expenditures to resolve. B. County Reports 1. Council Member Ross Kagawa moved to file the county reports, with a second by Council Member Tamara Paltin. The motion carried unanimously, 2. City and County of Honolulu Report a) President Joey Manahan attended the recent NACo annual meeting. He shared that as President of the HSAC Executive Committee, it was an honor to be able to engage at the conference on this level, and cast votes for our State in a unique way. b) Honolulu's Planning and Permit Department started enforcing Bill 89 by sending out 4,000 letters, Several complaints were received. Letters were sent to vacation rental operators as well as people around vacation rentals, encouraging them to report illegal activity. Enforcing vacation rental rules is a first for the Department, so anticipating adjustments over time, c) Council Member Manahan introduced a bill to ban certain single-use plastic goods and plastic bags. Bill 40 is headed to the Council for First Reading, r 5�p9 EA 'y\ . County of Hawaii Report a) County Council passed a resolution to urge the Administration to acquire hydrogen buses to accelerate achievement of Hawaii's renewable energy goals. b) Hawaii Fire Department received a donation from the Sayre Foundation of a tanker truck, worth $301,000, to be used in the Kohala area, which is prone to wildfires. c) County Council passed a resolution urging Bank of America to make good on a mortgage loan commitment to the Native Hawaiian community, which was promised after BoA was found to be discriminatory towards Native Hawaiian and Filipino applicants. ) Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit established an ad hoc committee to to identify immediate and long-term solutions for zero emissions buses and to mar- ry these plans with implementation of the County's Dass Transit Master Plan. e) County Council passed a resolution urging DLNR-DOBOR to establish a working group with lawai a (fishermen/fisherwomen), individuals with familial and cultural ties to Puna, and the County of Hawaii to plan and develop a boat ramp for Puna, as they Pohoiki boat ramp was buried in sand as a result of the 2013 volcanic eruption events. f) A resolution supporting Senator Kai Kahele's request of the Governor to issue a 60- day moratorium on construction passed the County Council, 6-3. g) A revision to the 2016 ordinance banning polystyrene food containers passed the Council, with the support of community and industry. Recognizing that an industrial composting facility, which was noted in the original ordinance, was not developed, needed to ensure that ordinance language was clear in making the shift away from polystyrene and towards more environmentally friendly options. h) Lava recovery continues to be a focus of the County, with work happening on inter- im and comprehensive recovery plans. A case management system is being stood up to follow up with displaced and impacted residents to ensure they receive ap- propriate support around housing, business and recreation, if needed. i) The County's General Plan has been reviewed, and an islandwide speakers circuit will launch in September. The interactive, drop-in style event dubbed "SpeakOut" will allow residents to drop by and stay for as little or as long as they want, and learn as well as share many o on topics they are interested in. A pilot SpeakOut was hosted in Puna, with a focus on informing recovery efforts. 4. County of Kauai Report a) County Council passed a bill giving the Planning Department the authority to lien properties based on illegal buildings or illegal use. The primary targets are vacation rentals and B&Bs that are illegal. Current fines are significant, but do not provide enough ammo to deter illegal usage. While there is some gray area, Council feels confident in this new authority for Planning Department and their ability to stay within the boundaries articulated in the bill. Some cease and desist letters were sent to illegal operators a few years ago, but many have actually gone into busi- ness because they have attorneys who served in Planning and have knowledge to find loopholes in the system. b) Kauai has a massive parakeet problem, with more than 15,000 parakeets around the island. Many flew out of their cages during Hurricane Iniki, and over the last few decades, started to propagate in the wild and grew into a huge problem. Many lo- cal crops such as lycee, guava, and rambutan are doing poorly because of the parakeets. The State has been working on a pill to eliminate a parakeet's ability to breed, but it's been five years and can't keep waiting while the problem continues to grow. Even if the pill were developed and issued now, we would still need to wait Nil 4 Mo for the birds to die from the pill. And there is concern that birds other than para- keets will inadvertently consume the pill, The County is work with Kauai's Farm Bu- reau to oversee an eradication program where folks would grab birds via a bucket truck and kill; got clearance from Department of Agriculture to do this, and are hopeful they will fund. A local invasive pest control company headed by Kaniela Young, who worked on Kauai's wild chickens problem and tries to do in a sustain- able way was found. Just as Young's company kills chickens and for people to eat, exploring the same for parakeets (kill-to-eat program). Considering parakeets as a food source for the people. Whatever is decided, parakeet population must be curbed as farmers are suffering big losses. This is a drastic turn of events that re- quire drastic response. (1) Council Member Paltin asked if the birds could be caught and sell to pet stores. Council Member Kagawa explained it wasn't feasible to ship and sell (2) Council Member Manahan asked if the parakeets were in a specific area. Council Member Kagawa said the parakeets were all over the island, and that at night they would sleep in palm trees by the hundreds, with potentially more than 1,000 birds on a single tree. 5. County of Maui Report a) Maui hosted the 2019 HSAC conference, Hot Topics in Sustainability, June 9-12 at the Wailea Beach Resort - Marriott. There were 52 speakers in six tracks -Trans- portation, Sustainable Ag & Land Use, Water Resources, Housing, Climate Change, and Community Trends. There were 213 conference attendees including speakers. Total conference income was$115,768.15, with $57,000 coming from 19 sponsors. Conference expenses totaled $110,820.55, with a pending profit of$5,000. Con- ference entertainment was sponsored by Maui County Office of Economic Devel- opment. During the conference, Maui County took the opportunity to announce that it had joined The Climate Reality Project county coalition. b) A new focus is on tax policy reform for Maui County; a temporary investigative committee consisting of Council Members Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, Alice Lee, Tasha Kama, and Tamara Paltin to develop a recommendation report. The group's first meeting was July 17, with weekly meetings scheduled. Scope of investigation includes simplifying Chapter 3.48 Real Property Tax; streamlining tax classification and assessment methods; merging valuations; tiered rates; minimum tax adjust- ments and exemptions, among others. A report is due to the the Economic Devel- opment and Budget Committee on September 19. c) The 2019 NCCAE Fall Meeting is on Maui, October 21-25. More information avail- able at I i1 .". !/nr�n�Enr �� �.rr� a/r yfr n / 0 1 9_i cr, e ani du,ski rrr.��:.etC fig. It is the first time for our State to host this meeting for the National Council of County Association Executives. The NCCAE is a vehicle for members to improve the administration of various associations of counties and is a platform for members to meet and ex- change information of importance. d) The Council passed an $823 million budget on June 18. There were increases to all tax classes. Mayor vetoed 12 line items. The Council overrode his veto on nine items including a countywide master plan for shoreline retreat, Kihei-Makena sewer expansion project, Upcountry cesspool conversion, and relocation of Pukoo Fire Station. Three vetoes were left in place: homeless programs that collaborate with the community, a public transit rider fee study, and coqui frog eradication via Na- tional Guard. e) Maui County continues to pursue lawsuit against Bank of America. The Council is considering two resolutions - 1)to obtain special counsel, 2) directing the State At- [QHS auk torney General to employ special counsel. Chair of Governance, Ethics, and Trans- parency Committee to schedule the matter. f) Council will hear a presentation on OpenGov, an integrated budgeting, perfor- mance, communication, and reporting software. g) Movement on Waiale Elua workforce housing in Waikapu. The 500 acre project provides for 25% affordable housing, and applications are being accepted. h) A bill banning commercial activity at Hanakao`o Reach Park in Lahaina passed, a huge win for community to save the last beach after being pushed out of resort ar- eas. i) Maui Invasive Species Committee is developing a 5-10 year plan to mitigate inva- sive such as coqui frogs, miconia, and little fire ants. C. National Association of Counties (NACo) Report 1. Council Member Tamara Paltin moved to file the NACo report, with a second by Coun- cil Member Ashley Kierkiewicz. The motion carried unanimously. 2. Dylan Whitsell shared he worked with Sunshine Carter to submit NACo Steering Committee Applications for Felicia Cowden and Mason Chock. D. Western Interstate Region (WIR) Report 1. Council Member Ross Kagawa moved to file the WIR report, with a second by Council Member Tamara Paltin. The motion carried unanimously. 2. No report was provided. President Joey Manahan noted the matter would be postponed til August 26 meeting. BUSINESSV NEW A. 2020 Legislative Packet Timeline Overview: Sept. 11, 2019- Deadline for Counties to submit proposals to be included in 2020 HSAC Legislative Package. Sept. 20, 2019-Schedule HSAC Executive Committee meeting to discuss and act on all proposals submitted by the Counties. Approved proposals will be forwarded to each County for their consideration. Nov. 27, 2019- Deadline for Counties to approve the proposed 2020 HSAC Legislative Package. Dec. 11, 2019-Schedule HSAC Committee meeting to approve the 2020 HSAC Legisla- tive Package. 1. Council Member Val Poindexter noted that Recker Communication developed a more detailed calendar, with PR recommendations, and what should happen and when. She suggested having Scot Ishikawa at next meeting to weigh in on development of the legislative package and noted that he is paid based on when he is actually at HSAC meetings. 2. Council Member Tamara Paltin shared Maui's Governance, Ethics, Transparency Committee requested Council Members to submit legislative package proposals no later than August 5. She noted that Council Member Kelly King wanted to seek a co- hesive package that included invasive species, sewage, coastal erosion, affordable housing, and vacation rentals. Council Member Paltin shared how prevalent vacation rentals are on Maui, and that even with the proposed $20,000 fine, the Council still needed to accept this and have Planning &Permit Department implement. She won- ders if the body should seek a moratorium on issuing vacation rental permits. She said Maui has approached Representative Tulsi Gabbard and and Senator Mazie Hirono about these issues. . Council Member Ross Kagawa felt Scot Ishikawa's advice and support has not been helpful. He felt the body needed to put forward a better package that can't solely be money driven. He advocated for getting a new lobbyist on board earlier than the leg- islative session begins to start advocating. He encouraged the Executive Committee to start texting each other prior to the next meeting to get a sense of where each county stands on issues and priorities. 4. Council Member Ashley Kierkiewicz suggested that each delegate as their respective areas to solicit proposals, bring ideas back to the table in August, where the body would identify common themes and pick a potential top 3-5 items that are policy and home rule driven. She suggested an updated legislative package development sched- ule: August - Delegates solicit thoughts from colleagues; Executive Committee meets and does preliminary prioritization. September- Draft potential package; Present draft package to Counties. October- Each County introduces resolutions adopting the HSAC 2020 Legislative Package. She encouraged all to meet with legislature contacts ahead of time to get a sense of leadership policy direction and to get guidance around what they were willing to do, which would help HSAC position its requests accordingly. She also echoed the sentiments of Council Member Kagawa in crafting policy ideas beyond money asks, and that the package shouldn't ask for any money this time around. She felt asking for TAT was overplayed and off the table. 5. Council Member Val Poindexter shared that Senate President Ron Kouchi and Council Member Riki Hokama from Maui suggested working on cesspools. She provided dele- gates present with a copy of Legislative Package outreach and communication calen- dar as prescribed by Becker Communication. B. Discussion on Debit Card Procedures, Travel Reimbursement Procedures and Request Form 1. Council Member Tamara Paltin shared that former HSAC members have handed debit cards in, but if they didn't they would be automatically cancelled. Maui drafted three documents - Debit Card Procedures, Request for Travel Reimbursement Procedures, and Request for Travel Reimbursement template form - and distributed copies to dele- gates, requesting feedback. She noted that Maui was HSAC Treasurer in 2016 and 2019, and the desire to establish standard operating procedures and putting guidelines in place now, so they could be carried on into the future. She requested that the Committee Contact list be updated to reflect current leadership in various national boards and committees. She is pushing for consistency to make it easier for all to be compliant. 'e'Cp,TEA y'4. 2. All delegates are asked to provide comments on draft procedures and template form at the next HSAC Executive Committee meeting, August 26. C. Fiscal Year 2019-2020 Dues 1. Council Member Tamara Paltin distributed dues statements to each of the Counties. She noted that per HSAC bylaws, annual dues were to be paid in the first quarter of each fiscal year. 2. President Joey Manahan commented that how much HSAC pays in dues determines how many votes we get as a delegation at NACo conference. D. Authorization of Signatories for HSAC General Account 1. Council Member Tamara Paltin noted that Maui County does not have the books yet. She said the bank needs signatories in order to open, and that she brought forms to be signed. 2. Council Member Ashley Kierkiewicz suggested a motion to authorize new HSAC Exec- utive Committee members -Treasurer Kelly T. King and President Joey Manahan - to be added as signatories for the HSAC general bank account. Council Member Tamara Paltin made the official motion, with a second by Council Member Ashley Kierkiewicz. The motion carried unanimously. E. HSAC Website Design and Maintenance 1. Council Member Tamara Paltin said Maui needed access to the website in order to up- load information and videos from the 2019 HSAC conference. She shared not every- one was able to go to each breakout session and wanted to have that information available online. 2. Council Member Valerie Poindexter shared that the former HSAC website was hacked, and all prior information wiped, so she built the new HSAC website from scratch. She said the only way she will turn over access is by giving it to someone who knows how to handle WordPress. She's worried that if someone who is not familiar with the plat- form plays in the backend, they will inadvertently erase all of the hard work she put in to rebuild the website. She said she would check to see if it would be possible to de- velop multiple logins. 3. Council Member Ashley Kierkiewicz suggested the body engage a firm to handle web- site design and maintenance, and said the firm could also develop an editorial calen- dar with suggested content ideas to ensure the website always had relevant and timely content. F. Consideration of a contract extension for Becker Communications to provide public rela- tions and media services 1. Dylan Whitsell shared he reached out to Becker Communications to obtain a copy of their services contract with HSAC. He would provide a copy to the group upon receipt. ,r�NTEe 50\'. II � 8 rm uJ � 2. Council Member Ashley Kierkiewicz suggested now might be a good time to shop around and look at new firms. Other delegates nodded in agreement. She suggested all review the Recker Communications contract ahead of the August 26 meeting, and to use that executive committee convening to nail down a scope of work to possibly include website maintenance, or to potentially do a separate contract just for the web- site. VI. ANNOUNCEMENTS A. The next HSAC Executive Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 26, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. or soon thereafter, Honolulu Hale. VII® ADJOURNMENT Council Member Ashley Kierkiewicz motioned to adjourn the meeting, with a second by Council Member Ross Kagawa, The motion carried unanimously, President Manahan adjourned the meet- ing at 11:58 a.m. Council Member Ashley L. Kierkiewicz Secretary, Hawaii State Association of Counties