The various departments have done a rather impressive job at successfully procuring Federal monies. Kauai County Council can support this vision with adapting zoning ordinances to allow for the needed small, potentially moveable farm worker living units coupled with appropriate wastewater technology. I feel the following actions are very important and I would move to implement them right away: A.2, A.6, B.4, C.5, all action items outlined in Action D Community, E.1, E.4, F.1, G.2, G.4, H.1 and I.1. In fact, only a few weeks ago nearing the end of budgeting, Councilmembers Chock, Evslin & I voted to increase the Transient Vacation Rental tax rate to the same level as Resort. I have been working closely with our State and Federal counter parts. Maintain and improve visitor satisfaction of their experience on Kauai. QUESTION #12As a member of the County Council, what steps would you take to mitigate the impacts of climate change on Kaua`i? LIHU'E In a procedure unique among Hawai'i counties, Kaua'i County councilmembers unanimously voted Wednesday to approve raises that will likely affect some of their own salaries. Click here. We need to hear from our farmers and ranchers to develop best policies. We must change our thinking to locals first and make sure that the quality of life for our residents is not compromised for the safe of the tourist dollar. Staycation At The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Local Groups Sue County Over Poipu Beach Condominium Complex. Eventually, we will need more inward and upward roads to deal with sea level rise and the flooding out of our highway along the shoreline. We know that a lot of knaka iwi (Native Hawaiians) dont vote. I humbly ask for your vote, as an opportunity to give back to what has been given to me. Put these forces together an aging population, aging infrastructure, and slowing growth and were facing difficult fiscal times. The budget is our main responsibility and balancing and or cutting the budget to ensure all areas of our counties responsibilities are met. And a primary barrier for many businesses right now is attracting and retaining employees which stems at least partially from the high cost of housing. Regarding policies that I support in the DMAP, I will always go back to property taxes, fees, and zoning as the strongest tools that the County has the most discretion over. I am great with budgeting in my personal life and household and know how to live within our means. This power granted by the Kauai County Charter led to a last-minute surge in testimony from residents advocating for Fern nuenue Holland, a community organizer and leader against developers plans to build a hotel at the site of the former Coco Palms resort. Administration and Council will then need to secure funding through the budgeting process to qualify for additional funding to start and complete the proposed infrastructure projects. The problems we face are graver than ever, but I am confident that we have the tools as a county to reduce the cost of housing while transitioning to a zero carbon economy and to do it all while improving our quality of life and strengthening our communities. My top priorities are affordable housing, and recycling. I have a plan for this, and I dont want to reveal at this time because of known objections. If elected, I think education would help economic diversification. And we have enough land to support it all the issues are water infrastructure, high land costs, and low margins leading to a lack of willing farmers. Net working with the right people is very crucial. We absolutely need to do more to support agriculture not only for food and sustenance; for export of Kaua`i Grown products or Kaua`i made products with Kaua`i Grown ingredients; but, also to make use of, protect & preserve acres of idle lands that are becoming overgrown with invasive species and becoming more and more arid and depleted. While there is not clear research evidence showing or disproving the concept, I think its reasonable to assume that increased capacity will likely induce demand for traveling to Kauai or vice versa, that limiting capacity would limit arrivals. Make the rentals of bikes affordable to our visitors weekly rates. After the second presentation on May 17, I appreciate the 4 different alternatives for solutions to improving our Lhue Airport. The absence of the general public and business adding dimension to policy considerations can easily result in reckless policy development. 6. To start the county could start with preparing and feeding our soil to give agriculture ventures a boost when they are ready. Yes, I support establishing equitable property tax rates so that the services the county provides have the resources to execute fairly. 2) We need to put more money toward affordable housing to leverage private, state, and federal funds. QUESTION #11What is your solution to best manage solid waste on Kaua`i? All local sellers source from local vendors, thus fulfilling the circular economy. Supporting the maintenance of the old plantation irrigation systems. Delivering Core Services Efficiently Prioritizing the efficient delivery of Public Safety (Police, Fire & Rescue) and Public Works (Roads, Parks, Sewage Treatment, Solid Waste & Water) services. The County has our Economic Board that funds these projects through grants and other funding sources. Increases to the affordable housing inventory are desperately needed. I have worked on landfill monitoring projects before moving home and understand landfills and alternative waste treatment methods. There was a net increase of 133 TVRs on Kauai in 2022. The answer is diversion, diversion, diversion. But, rather than trying to micromanage the Administration, I spend the bulk of my time thinking about and working on policy that I do have discretion over. I meet organizations where they're at . In the tourism industry, we must continue to focus on regenerative and restorative visitor experiences that continue to empower our local businesses and organizations. Kauai County Council. impacts. I will be creating a 90 day 180 day plan to suggest we implement immediately. Im thrilled that we have the Kauai Destination Management Action Plan (DMAP) to help implement by working with our Mayor, our Office of Economic Development and Business, Community & Tourism Industry leaders. We need to improve our port security and get drugs off our streets while we work to address the issue holistically with counseling programs, on island detox and treatment centers and housing first solutions. Another key component of my plan is stress the importance of our game mammals here on State and private lands that these species are an important food source to many families and that word, eradicate should be banned from our food source management plan, we should create an Industry that incorporates wild meat into processed products like, sausage, jerky, burger, etc. Our Kauai community has much to be proud of and continue to strive for. As we push development into our agricultural areas, were forcing residents into longer and longer commutes. For many, the barrier to converting to an EV is access to charging stations. Our State and Federal partners need to recognize that the Hawaiian islands have unique characteristics different than a continent. Yes, we need to give incentives to individuals who see individuals breaking the law. I would like to hold a town hall meeting specifically for business owners and allow the people to voice their concerns, solutions and ideas to us so that we can go to work on what specifics our community needs. And lastly, I dont take any donations from anyone, so I can assure all of my voters, no one business, special interest group and or individuals control my decisions, Billy DeCosta, works for the people and all you need to donate to his campaign is your VOTE ! Of the following four areas of the plan. I have been supportive of this idea because of the need to encourage long term leases. In that same Tax Review commission memo, the chair of the commission writes that Adjusting RPT rates to capture more revenue from high-value houses and non-resident owners can produce tens of millions more dollars per year that counties can use for growing needs. Raising the vacation rental rate by $1 to equal the resort rate will raise $4.5M which can be used for much needed affordable housing projects in Waimea, Lima Ola, Kilauea, and elsewhere. Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island file Historic Kaua'i County Building. Another example is ina Hookupu o Klauea, Waip foundation, and Hui Makainana o Makana and the work they are doing on the north shore of the island. Rice Camp Senior Housing, Lihue, Kauai. Supporting our local working class now is essential. Out-smarting inflation is a big ask, especially when the main developer is the government through tax-payer funding. We need to expand composting capacity, create diversion incentives for generators of commercial green waste and food, and address residential green waste and food waste which make up 28% of landfilled waste. Offering a more permanent 2% revenue stream into the Housing Revolving Fund to the voters through a ballot initiative is an imperfect measure that I will support. Right now our countys vision is to, Increase agricultural income and opportunities on Kauai through working closely with farmer groups to assist them in obtaining resources and other assistance to solve industry problems or take advantage of opportunities. My vision would to be to follow through with more programs focusing on educating the children and families in our community. The next step will be to develop measures that can be brought before the council as bills and resolutions that will help to facilitate the needs that are identified. Please let me know if there are any other questions you have and I look forward to hearing from you soon. I was a business computer programmer for the last 27 years and I had to work more efficiently all the time. This is an essential step to assist TVRs to return to a homestead tax class in the event of a sale. Funding the new facilities or repairing our aging infrastructure is the largest barrier often requiring council approval of grants or bonds. 3. We must continue to support these local programs, especially our sunshine markets that create better access to local ingredients. Sounds a lot like our Native Hawaiian values of aloha `aina, kuleana, the kapu system and malama `aina. In the event of a hurricane, a war, a prolonged economic downturn, or another catastrophic lockdown, there is minimal impact on the full living units in the TVR category. The more we legitimately recycle the less will go into the landfill. The county also needs to immediately stop spraying weed killer chemicals in the areas they maintain. I am passionate about our county developing a flourishing agricultural industry that provides employment in food production, processing and distribution, and that pays living wages. Ive been a school teacher and I can teach students in all kind of subjects in school which they can use to go to college or find a job right out of high school. August 13, 2022 (Primary) Kauai. These would be areas that I would prioritize and immediately investigate how we are able to tap into the funds for these projects. We must continue to assist local businesses and community organizations as they pivot away from importing raw materials to sourcing local materials. My life long community and environmental advocacy has motivated me to run for public office. I would like to develop some ideas to create a more circular economy across the board. 2022 - 2024 Kauai County Councilmembers Kauai County Council 4396 Rice Street, Suite 209 Lihue, Hawaii 96766 Telephone: (808) 241-4188 Fax: (808) 241-6349 E-mail sent to all Councilmembers only: Councilmembers@kauai.gov E-mail sent directly to individual Councilmembers: Mel Rapozo, Council Chair KipuKai Kuali'i, Council Vice Chair Heres some of the specific tools and policies we are using, as well as what we need to use and will likely use. It may also serve as an invaluable stop-gap to help a resort faced with an uncontrollable crisis not collapse into full failure. work to move our Kaua`i Bus to fully electric and move the rest of the County fleet to electric as much as practicable. A retail shop designed as a membership where were able to provide support systems through workshops and collaboration. This is the first decade since statehood where home construction on Kauai has fallen far below our population growth and its this lack of homes that is the driver of our exploding costs. Shipping food in, rather than producing it here, is also a major factor in how we, in Hawaii, impact the climate. I do not support a Lhue Master Plan that does not consider the increased effects on our entire island infrastructure with increased capacity. We are out of time. I support the development of a dirty MRF that will help us divert waste from the landfill. We are wise to remember that these classes of properties have subsidized Kauais working resident-homeowners for decades. We must assist local businesses and community organizations that pivot away from hiring outside professionals to hiring local professionals. I agree it important to get everyones input, especially people who are working with community in the business world. Covid policies interrupted the regular attendance from strategic members of these organizations. There is little environmental impact or infrastructure burden. Regular updates from the Administration at Council meetings is one way to provide the public with an opportunity to be engaged in government operations. Since being elected in 2018, I have been reaching to collaborate with the various departments of the State of Hawaii, and Federal granting to identify pathways for hazard and flood mitigation. Maintaining functioning infrastructure is the core bread and butter of county responsibilities. What parts to you oppose? My sons are now young men able to help me, rather than needing my attention. Regardless of what happens with the Master Plan, its vital for us to work to reduce the number of visitor accommodations on Kauai as that is still the Countys best tool for managing the industry. I would investigate all options for funding under this measure for all the areas of the bill that funding is being provided for. Sweden came up with a way to turn their trash into power by burning it. I would continue to work with the State and Federal representatives to support options that will mitigate the impacts of climate change on Kauai. Holland also spoke on her own behalf before councilmembers ultimately chose Kagawa. However, we fell two votes short of the five votes needed. We must continue to support our local agriculture, local service providers, and local producers in order to establish a more resilient and sustainable community. This is a State issue, we need to comply on the length of the run way. We are maxed out with tourists and vehicles as it is, what we do need is a safe, fluid and comfortable airport. I believe that the aim of regenerative tourism as outlined in the DMAP, if harnessed properly, can assist with economic diversification and an expansion of eco-tourism, true cultural experiences and more revenue staying on Kauai. Preserving our open space, Forest areas to create a carbon to oxygen footprint. I agree with the level of the LIH to a minimum. The other area would be to secure a solid river and stream maintenance program. The Kauai Tourism Strategic Plan clearly outlines that our infrastructure only has the capacity for 25,000 daily visitors but that we are almost always above that. It is important to understand our community, and understand other communities around us. It will be sad, if a local family (2-3 generations) needs to sell their vacation home because they cannot afford the taxes. We can not keep asking our environment to give to us sustenance and for us not to give back. Thank you. We have implemented a shoreline set back already. Food and resource production to feed and support a resilient Kauai is the goal above revenue productivity. Recruiting and retaining qualified staffing is a continuous challenge. Government services and infrastructure are much cheaper to provide within our existing town cores than spread across our agricultural lands. Having good common sense in our decision-making process that not all council members have. Yes I do support his effort. We must also support our County working in partnership with private entities wherever possible and proposing new residential developments in Lihu`e in order to take advantage of that treatment plants significant excess capacity. I absolutely support what the people are calling for and that is a stop to unmanageable expansion that will likely only worsen the overtourism were already face. Expanding our local products and supporting their local consumption, as well as export markets, is key to growth for the agricultural sector. QUESTION #6If elected, what specific ideas do you have about economic diversification and how would you develop these areas? Joint-venture affordable housing project involving 36 multi-family units (AHE Group) and 32 single-family homes (Habitat for Humanity). And, of course, I really appreciate all of you being willing to engage with us when we reach out to you! We live on an island. Councilmember Decosta and I are currently working on some comprehensive changes to our agricultural dedication program along these lines. By streamlining permitting processes and reducing the cost of water and taxes to allow farmers the opportunity to continue to farm. With the proposed Maalo landfill site rejected by the state Department of Transportation because of concerns around the impact of birds on our airport, the county is beginning the process of siting a new landfill. Thats a 38% increase in nightly rates since before the pandemic. They are: Better management and enforcement of laws that protect Kauais natural resources Management of the number of visitors Education of visitors and residents Transportation issues and infrastructure Two-way communication and industry collaboration Support for local businesses. We need to continue to better manage and balance the number of visitors that come to our island. Legislative authority is vested in the seven-member County Council. We need to redefine the term affordable housing and focus on removing cost barriers for developers to be able to provide housing units that is truly affordable. C OUNTY C OUNCIL (7) (12-01-24) 808 -241 4188 Batteries and hydraulic fluid will be removed next and work will continue today, according to the Save Honolua Coalition, which is operated by John Carty and Maui County Council Member Tamara. The focus will be on efficiency and accountability, so that any new system that is created doesnt cost our community more than it should. 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