HomeMy WebLinkAboutComm No 0035.44 - Testimony - CA-18 - PONC Maintenance fundFrom: Patricia & Bud Boland <bpboland@hawaiiantel.net>
Sent: Sunday, June 30, 2019 1:45 PM
To: Chung, Aaron; Poindexter, Valerie; Kierkiewicz, Ashley; Lee Loy, Sue; Eoff, Karen; Kanealii-Kleinfelder,
Matt; David, Maile; Richards, Tim; Villegas, Rebecca; Charter Commission
Subject: 2% Land Fund
Dear County Council members:
The Charter Commission has helped to strengthen the 2% LAND FUND PROGRAM, but we
need your help with 2 things not yet accomplished to strengthen the 2% Land Fund Program:
1. Make changes to Charter Amendment -9 deals with ONE full time employee to work ONLY on
the 2% Land Fund Program.
2. Make changes to Charter Amendment 18- deals with the Maintenance Fund and allows the
non-profit stewardship groups to pay people who work on the land.
CA -9 ONE PERSON PAID FROM THE 2% LAND FUND TO WORK ONLY ON THE
LAND FUND.
Black print is what the Charter commission is proposing. The RED Additions are what we would like
to see included in the language:
CA -9: 3) "Pay for the salary, wages and benefits of one full--tirrr . n.rrrt .ar,, .arrrf loyra� btri .a
Department of Finance dedicated only to advancing administering the activities contained within this
section and Section 10-16a �1� a /
him �» r -. �.� .� � �» .: �� r�»�.��� �r�.��r��1 for i ,y tr 2
a I —
% u
he Public,'Access„
This seems like a simple matter. We are asking for the red clarifying language. Otherwise WE WILL
RUN A JUST SAY NO CAMPAIGN. WHY?
It sounds good but the word "staff" is ambiguous, would the 2% Land Fund pay for only one
position or 3 or 5 or more? The 2% Land Fund could end up funding multiple staff positions, which
will reduce the purchasing power of the 2% Land Fund. This is NOT what we voted for. Remember,
2% of our property taxes are only $5 million per year, which is 1.5% of the income into the county and
it adjusts according to property values in times of recession. $5 million per year can only buy one
or two properties.
THE LAND FUND IS NOT WORKING AS WELL AS IT SHOULD and WHY we need ONE full time
person to work ONLY on the Land Fund Program:
1. There is $22 million sitting in the fund, no land has been purchased since May 2018
2. There have been almost 200 properties proposed by citizens for purchase.
3. Only 14 properties have been acquired in 14 years.
4. Only 1/3 of the money spent to purchase land has been in matching funds at least 50% should
be in matching funds to maximize the most important potential of an existing land fund.
5. Only 9% of the money deposited in the Maintenance Fund has been received by the non-
profits
6. HOW CAN WE DO BETTER?
• BY HIRING ONE FULL TIME PERSON TO WORK ONLY ON THE 2% LAND FUND
PROGRAM and
1
Comm. No. 35.44
• BY ALLOWING THE STEWARDSHIP GROUPS TO PAY PEOPLE TO WORK ON
THE LAND.
Since October the Save our Land's Citizen's Committee has proposed that the Department of
Finance use part of the 2% Land Fund money to pay ONE person to work ONLY On the Land Fund
because more than one salary wages and benefits for a highly qualified person with law or real estate
conservation experience would equal $100,000. This is in addition to the staff provided by the Hawaii
County Code to assist the PONC commission. See the 2 staff positions that are necessary to run the
2% land Fund Program. We have an opportunity to strengthen the 2% Land Fund Program IF there
is someone doing the work. An real estate person or attorney qualified in conservation land
acquisitions would be able to negotiation more land purchases, acquire more matching funds and
help the stewardship non- profit groups obtain more grant funding. This from the County of Hawaii
HR department for the 2 staff positions that are necessary. The first would be paid by the 2% Land
Fund and the second is already paid to support the PONC commission as per the County Code.
Property Management Specialist
2.200
$59,616.00 - $88,248.00 Annually
Plans, develops, and directs the, management, control, and disposition of County -owed real o' d personal property; v es if e regol at ons e' d leas ' g of real
property; establisf d maintains a system of central inventory 'eco dkr epi g and yr (cations and performs other related tlr t e; a4u'rad.
Property Management Technician
1.824
$38.220.00 - $58,824.00 Annually
Independently performs a variety of administrative andtechnical support services for the Property M agennen[D'vs .. . as the principal clerical support
for a papery management co" '" ti - records and transcribes i tes ofmeetings and hearings; ves as the commission's correct ponitio'i for l to nat o' and request...
• Real estate deals are time sensitive, they are deadlines for appraisals, endangered species studies,
historical research, title searches and land surveys. It takes time to research available matching funds
and write the grants to gain these funds.
• Conservation land deals require willing sellers. Willing sellers want to be paid as soon as possible
because the taxes keep accruing and they may have a use for the money.
• •A full time staff person can assist the non -profits with getting the funding they need to care for the 2%
Lands. The Maintenance Fund grants have been granted to only 6 organizations in the 6 -year existence
of the fund. The stewardship non-profit groups have received only 9% of all the money deposited in
the Maintenance Fund from 2013. Stewardship groups say the process has been very difficult and they
have had to apply several times before receiving funding.
CA -18- should ALLOW NON -PROFITS TO PAY PEOPLE TO WORK ON
THE LAND.
(This does not mean we pay board members for being board members)
• ALL OF THE NON -PROFITS TESTIFIED THAT THEY NEEDED TO BE ABLE TO PAY PEOPLE TO WORK ON
THE LAND. ONLY 6 GROUPS HAVE RECEIVED A MERE 9% OF THE MONEY DEPOSITED IN THE FUND
SINCE 2013. The County has used the rest.
• There is a safety, a check and balance built into this system. THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND THE
Public access, open space and natural resources commission HAVE TO APPROVE THEIR STEWARDSHIP
GRANT PROPOSAL. IF THEY VIOLATE THIS THEY WILL NEVER BE ALLOWED TO APPLY FOR GRANTS IN
THE FUTURE.
2
HERE IS OUR PREFERRED LANGUAGE: black is what is proposed by the Charter
Commission, our proposed changes are in red:
[(5)]L6j No officer, board member, or employee of the 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization or
the organization that operates under the umbrella of a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization
shall receive a salary or payment for labor or receive any reimbursement for the
stewardship work on the project,r..1ll,.M.., b2y yr w iiii.'"i,iii..tu a ta.[h t ,i .:t.JIL iirt. tIh
i w IL rRy2. t� t2yoLli11 uii " ouLLi IL iii o i llll,. The 501(c)3 nonprofit shall sign an agreement
so stating these conditions and submit it with the application.
Thank you, Patricia Boland
3