I will also support efforts to ensure TVRs are properly providing recycling and other ways we can work to limit the waste that ends up in our landfill. My concern is with the proposed forecast increase over the next few years. I am currently the Chair of Public Works, which is the largest division and handles all CIP assignments. We need more charging stations. The pandemic has made us realize how important these animals can play in our survival. Council is currently contemplating taxation policies that are punitive in nature. We must continue to support our local agriculture, local service providers, and local producers in order to establish a more resilient and sustainable community. Hawai`is native ancestors revered and lived fully the values of Aloha `Aina & Malama Aina. The focus is on stabilization, recovery, and rebuilding to the desired visitor industry for each island. From A to I, there are many quality and similar action steps. The restorative agricultural practices, community engagement, and land preservation is vital for a thriving agricultural sector. 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. they have 20 times more people on Oahu. I recognize that the Mayor took a number of hard steps through the pandemic to keep Kauai safe some of which included essentially shutting down the TVR industry. I was the spokes person for Honolulu Recovery systems/ Honolulu Disposals Recycling program, and have lived in a country where relying is something you just do everyday. From the 2008 report available online there are a handful of other suggestions and I need access to the assessments done to make a final decision. I have a degree in political science from the University of Hawaii. I support upgrades, maintenance and necessary safety changes. Yes, we need to give incentives to individuals who see individuals breaking the law. E-mail sent to all Councilmembers only: Supporting and growing our Kaua`i Made and Kaua`i Grown programs. To be a candidate for the Kaua'i County Council you must be a resident and a "qualified voter" for two years preceding the election. According to the Department of Business and Economic Development, the average daily rate for TVRs in 2022 is $386.74 compared to $279.70 in 2019. Our policies assist Habitat For Humanity and Permanent Affordable Living as two valued non-profit development partners of homes for purchase. Supporting rational instream flow standards for the protection of the native stream environment and also the availability of surface water for irrigation and domestic drinking water. 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. We have major road works happening over the next few years. We must support our County Planners engaging with Dept. We need to start the process to bring waste to energy technology to Kauai. The following came from KipuKai Kualii, candidate for Kauai County Council. 4. So must we! 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 Paltin, whose residency seat covers West Maui. Supporting our farmers markets and possibly expanding program. Yes we need to improve on eliminating illegal transient vacation rentals from operating on Kauai. From a zoning perspective, we need to ensure that were doing all we can to ensure that agricultural land is growing crops, not houses. Our keiki, sustainability and housing are where I plan to spend my time and climate change is not at the top of my list for a two year term. Efficiency is his byword. QUESTION #8What elements of the Lihue Airport Master Plan to do you support? I went to KCC and the University of Hawaii to receive my Political Science Degree. Housing is easily the biggest issue that we face on Kauai, and I believe that the county has to pursue an all-of-the-above strategy to help solve the crisis. I understand the major issues our community deals with related to drug abuse and addiction on Kauai. I am a neighborhood food producer at my home in Kilauea and a host of talk radio on KKCR. The seller gets his price, the buyer pays the discounted price and the county pays the difference out of the pool of taxes collected from out of state purchases. I would help with any kind of communication that I can do as a county council member. This is relatively close to DMAP policy A.2, the Universal Fee Model. I will be following this issue diligently and am interested in public opinion. I will be transparent, clear and thoughtful in the things I support and dont, with an explanation and an open door. This posting is for the County of Kaua'i, Office of the County Clerk Recruitment #: EXEMPT-2223-021 If you have any questions regarding this non-civil service exempt position, please contact the County of Kaua'i, Office of the County Clerk at (808)-241-4188 (Monday - Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. HST). We have a finite inventory of lands and we simply cannot rely on landfills for future generations. We allocate proper funding in our budget process to ensure all capital improvement projects are moving in a timely fashion. We need to assure that support funding is available, so we are able secure additional funding to complete these housing projects. Updating our Ag Dedication criteria will before council this week. In line with these five general principles, Ive introduced or co-introduced the following legislation over the last two years: Eliminate all fees for affordable accessory residential units (ARUs); Provide Kauai homeowners with free septic systems; Prohibit community covenants from restricting against additional units and long-term rentals; Allow the construction of ARUs in the Lihue town core; Reduce the building code requirements for tiny houses; Eliminate minimum lot size restrictions for multi-family homes; Allocate 2% of real property tax revenue annually toward affordable housing (still in process); Incentivize residential space on top of commercial space through tax exemptions; Create a tiered tax structure to allow us to increase tax rates on high-value vacant houses and vacation rentals to fund affordable housing and incentivize those units to convert to long-term rentals (still in process); Increase the vacation rental property tax rate to disincentivize vacation rentals and apply nearly all of the money raised to affordable housing (measure failed). Tourism remains a valued economic sector, as other sectors have emerged to offer greater stability and opportunity for the island. Policy D.4. This is an opportunity to put somebody like Fern on the Council to show other people that representation matters and that they should be able to feel like they can put their name in the ring and be given fair consideration.. Im committed to having an open- door policy and look forward to working with our businesses. I meet organizations where they're at . To create programs that serve our children also develop new food security industries within our private sector to ensure a more sustainable lifestyle here on Kauai. Weak enforcement of illegal transient accommodations allows for the destruction of residential neighborhoods. We absolutely must focus on maximizing waste diversion to address our landfill problem. QUESTION #6If elected, what specific ideas do you have about economic diversification and how would you develop these areas? We need to work with our Mayor and state delegation to work towards this. Solid waste is one of the largest issues we face right now. We need to burn all inflammable waste. Making sure our County Planners engage with Dept. Christopher Calio is the president and chief operating officer of Raytheon Technologies Corporation. I believe this would be a similar process that can be accomplished! I was unable to access the Airport Development Plan Chapter of the Lihue Airport Master Plan and the Implementation Plan Chapter, both I feel I need to better understand areas I may oppose. I am currently well engage in our business community and will continue to interact to ensure their interests are heard and acted upon. The following candidates ran in the primary for Kauai County Council on August 13, 2022. I have a plan for this, and I dont want to reveal at this time because of known objections. The focus will be on efficiency and accountability, so that any new system that is created doesnt cost our community more than it should. It may be appropriate to have some sort of sliding scale or tiered criteria for this. I appreciate the goal to rebuild, redefine and reset the direction of tourism over a three-year period. 3) Ensure that we are capturing adequate tax revenue from vacant homes and vacation rentals. I would like to see us growing the majority of food we consume on the island. If Im not mistaken, I believe this position of parity on real property taxes has been one supported by the Hawai`i Lodging & Tourism Association (HLTA) and Im thinking of the Kaua`i Chamber also. Making sure out County keeps us with proper maintenance of our four wastewater treatment plants which were built before 1980 and that we fund the necessary upgrades to our current systems; even if that means increasing sewer fees. In order for us to move forward, we have to do a combination of three things: 1) restore pre-existing agricultural systems 2) utilize innovative agricultural practices 3) help our community of consumers choose local produce first First, we must restore pre-existing agricultural systems by empowering local businesses and community organizations. If Oahu can do it so can we. As we successfully provide this item locally we could move toward exporting it and accomplish two goals with one project which is moving toward food sustainability and create income via an export. Theres a lot of great aspirational policies in the DMAP that require strong private, non-profit, and state partnerships. He also previously served for 8 years on the Kauai County Council and was Director of the Office of Environmental Quality Control for the State of Hawaii (2011/2012). Lastly, we must increase local demand for local ingredients so local production can be scaled. Secondly, I would consider the construction and development of a highly qualified and sought after school for science and technology or arts & music conservatory. As a council member, I will engage at all levels within the business community to assure that the relevant issues, concerns, and suggestions are heard and brought to the table for discussion. I have been supportive of this idea because of the need to encourage long term leases. We have had four years of additional emergency funding for either our 2018 flood event or the COVID pandemic. Kauai's newest County Council member is Ross Kagawa, a former councilman who was the first runner-up for a seat on the seven-member legislative body in the November election. A policy I wish to develop is the ability of a tax class to change in the middle of a budget year. My 10 years of involvement locally in State and County politics has led me to understanding that this is a way to make a difference for the betterment of Kauai and our people. I was the recipient of the congress Bundestag scholarship and lived in Germany for a year. We have pressing infrastructure needs, bridges and roads and wastewater to list just a few, and I believe these are priorities before we increase our visitor counts and flights. This is a State issue, we need to comply on the length of the run way. For this years budget, we have funded most of our long overdue deferred maintenance, we are making significant investments in capital improvement projects and we are replenishing our reserves which was absolutely critical during the worst parts of the COVID-19 pandemic. I will look at and instigate funding opportunities via the federal infrastructure bill. From a zoning perspective, we also need to reduce the demand for developing on agricultural land. I have tried to raise the vacation rental rate to equal the resort rate twice at budget (2019 and 2022). Kauai County Council. Resorts have a more enduring impact. I would look at what jobs are critical to the operation and safety of the island as top priority and then start moving money and making cuts that allow room for change to be made and new projects to be implemented. A 41-year-old Kauai man who agreed to run drugs and collect money for a drug trafficking organization headed by a former Kauai County Council member and supplied by Samoan gang members, was . Allowing rapid development of new visitor and investment luxury housing currently underway is in direct conflict with our priorities. I believe in accountability and transparency. There is no need to have a residential rate, then a vacation rental rate and then a hotel and resort rate. For this reason, I am unwilling to raise any Real Property Tax rates in the coming seasons as it is imperative to avoid collapsing our businesses and property owners that are unprotected by a valuation cap. More financial support and reduced taxes for food producing farmers. 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. Kagawa previously served on the Kauai County Council from 2012 until 2020, when he reached his positions consecutive term limit. I am impressed by the action plan and agree with the objectives. We must support our County properly maintaining our four wastewater treatment plants which were built before 1980 and fund the necessary upgrades to our current systems; even if that means increasing sewer fees. I have been blessed and honored to have served Kauai for 14 years. Point-source reduction is an area where the Chamber of Commerce could be a valuable partner in challenging their membership to reduce waste creation as each business best sees fit. One house on Kauapea Road pays roughly the same or more taxes as all the houses along the perpendicular village street of Kilauea Road on which I live. A retail shop designed as a membership where were able to provide support systems through workshops and collaboration. Our Kauai Climate Change Adaptation Plan will indeed include Managed Retreat, a difficult response to coastal erosion where oceanfront property structures are demolished and rebuilt inland. 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