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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-03-02 BOR MinutesCOUNTY OF HAWAII TAX BOARD OF REVIEW MEETING MINUTES — Organizational Meeting Wednesday, March 2, 2016 Real Property Tax Conference Room 101 Pauahi Street, Suite 4, Hilo, Hawaii CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Donald David called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. Present were: Board Members Donald David, Richard Dinges, Melvin Ventura and Wesley Takai; Belinda Castillo Hall, Deputy Corporation Counsel; Stanley Sitko, Real Property Tax Administrator, and Keita Jo, Acting Assistant Administrator. There was no one in attendance from the public. STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC: No statements were made. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Minutes from the appeals and complaint hearings held on November 17 and 18, 2015, were distributed to the Board Members prior to the meeting for their review. Mr. Takai moved to amend the Agenda to include the minutes of the November 17th meeting. Seconded by Mr. Dinges. A call for discussion was made. Motion passed by a vote of 4:0. No corrections of the November 17th and 18th minutes were noted. Mr. Dinges moved to accept the minutes as presented. Seconded by Mr. Takai. A call for discussion was made. Motion passed by a vote of 4:0. OLD BUSINESS: No old business discussed. NEW BUSINESS: • Welcome Any New Board Members. There were no new members to introduce. • Election of Officers. Mr. Takai nominated Mr. David as Chairman. Mr. David nominated Mr. Dinges as Chairman; Mr. Dinges respectfully declined. No other nominations were received. Mr. Takai moved to elect Mr. David as Chairman. Seconded by Mr. Dinges. A call for discussion was made. Motion passed by a vote of 4:0. Mr. Dinges nominated Mr. Takai as Vice -Chairman. No other nominations were received. Mr. Dinges moved to elect Mr. Takai as Vice -Chairman. Seconded by Mr. David. A call for discussion was made. Motion passed by a vote of 4:0. • Establishing Dates for 2015 Tax Appeal Case Hearings. A list of the tentative appeal hearing dates was distributed to the Members. The dates are as follows: Hilo: July 12, 13; August 16, 17; September 13, 14; October 11, 12; November 15, 16 Kona: July 19, 20; August 23, 24; September 20, 21; October 18, 19 November 29, 30; December 13, 14 Hilo hearings will be held at the Aupuni Center Conference Room in the Aupuni Center. Kona hearings will be held at the Department of Liquor Control Conference Room in the West Hawaii Civic Center. • Establishing Workshop Date, Place and Agenda. A discussion was held amongst the Members as to the date and place of the Annual Board of Review Workshop. Mr. Sitko stated that although they have a tentative agenda set for the workshop, he requested that the Members send in any requests that they may have as to programs, procedures, etc., that they would want to be informed on. Mr. Sitko informed the Members that the workshop will be held in Hilo at the Aupuni Center Conference Room on Thursday, June 23, and Friday, June 24, 2 2016. The Members suggested that the workshop be held on one day instead of the two-day period as in prior years due to their schedules and workshop material already provided to them through prior training sessions. • Discussion of Bills Relating to Assessments. Mr. Sitko informed the Members of a current bill that is attempting to reform the Non -Dedicated Agricultural Use program and create a new category titled Open Space. Administration remains neutral as to the non- dedicated portion of the bill, however, they are against the open space categorizing. • General Legal Discussion and Training. Ms. Hall stated that she would be discussing in detail the legal aspects, procedures, etc., of the Board at their June workshop. She also informed the Members that there were no changes made to the Sunshine Law. • Comments from Real Property Tax Administrator Mr. Sitko thanked the Members for their service as Board Members as it helps the division with structure and organization. The division has been continued to work on refining the Appraisers' presentations. They have also worked with Corporation Counsel on the presentations and uniformity. Mr. Jo stated that the Appraisers' presentation packets have also been worked on and a few revisions were made as to the overall content. The Appraisers' have a June 30th deadline as to the status of their assigned cases. Mr. Sitko also informed the Members that the State Board of Review Conference is currently scheduled to be held on Wednesday, May 25th, at the conference rooms located at the Honolulu International Airport. More information will be forthcoming. • Other Miscellaneous Reports and Comments Mr. Takai commented that the presentations and data that the County presents at the hearings have really improved over the years. Mr. Dinges stated that he felt that the staff was prepared for the hearings and have been impressed with their performance. Mr. Sitko informed the Members that the Appraisers will be introducing the electronic tablets this month into their field work. 3 ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Dinges moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Mr. Takai. A call for discussion was made. Motion to adjourn passed by a vote of 4:0. Meeting was adjourned at 10:50 a.m. Respectfully submitted, E. N bnal Swa i w Elizabeth (Nina) Swain Real Property Appeals Board Clerk 12