As your Council member I have been fiscally responsible with ensuring that balancing the budget, keeping our county services operating and all of our employees working and thriving. Climate change is here to stay, its going to be a huge problem in future generations and its going to get worse but we are human beings a we a smarter than that. 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. My late Grandma Suero would always say to me, Just anos, which means, just take care. Taking care is where well start and where well end, just as the generations that came before us on Kauai can be proud of. It is an excellent blueprint for managing tourism on Kauai. During the COVID-19 pandemic we addressed our budget shortfall by utilizing our rainy day funds or reserves, deferring most of our maintenance items and not filling as many of the vacant positions we had as possible. I look forward to supporting more discussions in all the above areas. This problem reveals the policy conflicts between our infrastructure needs and allowing zoning approvals to lie dormant for decades. My ideas are focused around establishing a stronger circular local economy that empowers our small businesses and entrepreneurs. The compound annual growth rate of the passengers incoming between 2018-2023 is 3.2% at a time where I do not think we can cope with increased visitors and many feel we are at capacity. I currently serve as one of three (3) Councilmembers from the State of Hawai`i on the National Association of Counties (NACo) board. 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. August 13, 2022 (Primary) Kauai. It will show a land swap option to move our most vulnerable coastal homes in West Kauai onto the Countys Waimea 400 lands more mauka; allowing new County beaches to form. Secondly, I would consider the construction and development of a highly qualified and sought after school for science and technology or arts & music conservatory. Also look at all areas to divert waste from going into the landfill. These products can be made a certified community kitchens in partnership with our local slaughter houses. 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. Keiko Bonk, county council member Robert Bunda, senate president John A. Burns, US Congress delegate, governor C [ edit] Romeo Munoz Cachola, city council member George R. Carter, governor Edward Espenett Case, US Congress Campbell Cavasso, legislator Benjamin J. Cayetano, governor, lt. governor Charles Spencer Crane, mayor of Honolulu As a member of the county council Ill work with our community organizations and administration to introduce several bills regarding environmental protection and stewardship. Particularly, Im in support of utilizing the proven model of the management of Hena and see where we can do things similarly with county parks and other locations. Another focus is to create infrastructure incentives for workforce housing and affordable housing in town core centers such as Hanapp, Kloa, Lhue, Kapaa, and Klauea. To that end, the top priorities I plan to focus on are: Rebuilding, Diversifying & Strengthening Our Economy Creating Jobs & Supporting Local Business. Please let me know if there are any other questions you have and I look forward to hearing from you soon. Increase communication and understanding between residents and the visitor industry. Our policies assist Habitat For Humanity and Permanent Affordable Living as two valued non-profit development partners of homes for purchase. Put these forces together an aging population, aging infrastructure, and slowing growth and were facing difficult fiscal times. Affordable housing is the, or one of the, most urgent issues we must tackle. Over these last two years, I have shown a deep understanding of our budget and how to be fiscally responsible, so your tax dollars are not foolishly spent. If we are both re-elected, I believe its very likely that Councilmember Evslin & I will bring the matter up for a vote again; especially if we the voters endorse dedicating 2% of our real property taxes each year to our Housing Development Fund by charter vote this fall. Maintaining or marginally reducing visitor numbers to a sustainable level (23,000-25,000) will be much harder if our airport is built out to accommodate more arrivals. To add on to question 8. Kagawa, who worked on eight County of Kauai budgets during his previous tenure on the Council, will now tackle the Countys latest budget next month. I do not support any tax rate increases or changes at this time as I do not believe increases are necessary to balance the countys budget. QUESTION #4How would you effectively manage the County Budget and operations for the short term and long-term sustainability? 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. 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. 1) We need to build more homes in and around our existing towns. While I think that the State and Federal governments can play an important role in helping support both agriculture and domestic manufacturing for the County, I see our primary role in stimulating the economy as reducing the cost of housing, investing in vibrant and walkable town cores, and ensuring that real farmers are paying very minimal property taxes. When you account for the cost of gasoline on an average commute and the cost of maintenance, many electric vehicles are already cheaper to own and operate than their fossil fuel counterparts. Applying most of this additional $49 M was expressed in the Capital Improvement Projects area of the budget to resist raising the yearly operating expenses. Our property tax rates are by far the lowest in the nation, which means that mainland investors find Hawaii an attractive place to park their money and reap the rewards of our appreciating real estate market. For the 14 years that I have served on the Kauai County Council, I have always had an open door policy for the business community. The tax collected could become discounts available for local families. We need to work with our Mayor and state delegation to work towards this. In a memo to the Hawaii Tax Review Commission, the Commission Chair Beth Giesting writes that: Hawaiis low RPT rates result in low annual expenses, and that also makes local real estate a relative bargain for investors and affluent second home purchasersto the extent that units are purchased for vacation rentals or second homes, there is less housing available for people who live here., #3 If youre taking a home off the housing market, then you should help with the construction of an affordable home. He is excited by his unexpected resurrection to the County Council, claiming he hopes to serve as a good check in his local governments system of checks and balances. While we do control the power of the purse, the County Council has no authority over the timelines for infrastructure projects. Our landfill is depleting and we need to have a program established. Revitalizing the ADC lands on the Westside is a huge part of my plan. Lastly, we must increase local demand for local ingredients so local production can be scaled. voting record of Arryl Kaneshiro. I would continue to work with the State and Federal representatives to support options that will mitigate the impacts of climate change on Kauai. The average property tax rate in the US for resident occupied homes is $12.40 per $1k assessed value. We must continue programs like Go Farm Hawaii, Future Farmers of America, and Iwi Kua. I would revitalize buildings that could be used as shelters and homes for the low income and homeless. I will continue to be supportive of the valuable efforts made by our Mayors administration and the housing department. Collaborative action by community stakeholders has addressed unsustainable visitor growth as well as climate change and social inequity. Affordable housing refers to those projects funded through County support, Federal tax credits, and/or imposition on developers. 5) We need to continue raising property taxes on vacant second homes and vacation rentals, which make up one in five homes on Kauai. I am great with budgeting in my personal life and household and know how to live within our means. Holding these mainland investors more accountable to their responsibility here on the island is a must. February 27, 2023 equitable estoppel california No Comments . Top priority projects would get done first than feasible jobs next and then everything else according to budget and importance. Josh Green appointed former councilmember Luke Evslin to his direct staff. . We live in a very special place in the world. Project site was mass graded and designed to have a combined drainage system with a shared roadway. 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. If all community events adopted a Zero Waste effort, we can reduce our trash significantly. Establishing a carrying capacity and limiting arrivals for Kauai is critical to retaining our quality of life, environment and extending the operation of our infrastructure. This helps increase the efficiency of government and provides stable sources of property tax revenue. I would support the addition of one gate, but not three. Kaumakani was officially known as Makaweli meaning "fearful features". Increasing taxes on vacant homes and TVRs can both discourage that practice (and get more homes on the market) and help ensure that we have a revenue base to get through the fiscal ice age. Mahalo for taking the time to send out this questionnaire and Mahalo for all that you do to help Kauai County. 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. These properties are not easily transformed into living units without kitchens, particularly with air conditioning failure. This housing strategy has been a cherished and successful pathway in Kauais past. In the meantime, I will continue to push for and help develop systems of managed parking in our county parks. In the next two years I would like to see the state and county working together, an in-flight video that visitors must watch before arrival and to track the movement of visitors so that maintenance and management of those areas can be prioritized. In the tourism industry, we must continue to focus on regenerative and restorative visitor experiences that continue to empower our local businesses and organizations. I would investigate all options for funding under this measure for all the areas of the bill that funding is being provided for. FILE - Ross Kagawa to return to Kauai County Council after Gov. One of the greatest things that has to happen for our island is to have our own recyclery. Hawai`is native ancestors revered and lived fully the values of Aloha `Aina & Malama Aina. I would work with our State and Federal counterparts to secure adequate funding for our County. In the next two years, Im looking to implement all of the actions that were identified in the DMAP by the steering committee. While we advocate for healing ourselves, we must also demand healing for our environment. We need to also continue to reform our zoning codes to reduce the amount that people have to drive. I will work with my colleagues to obtain all forms of funding to address our infrastructure needs. 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). I know that that could not have been easy to do, and I applaud his efforts to reduce the spread of COVID. Our Kauai community has much to be proud of and continue to strive for. In college I also received a Fulbright scholarship to live abroad in south Africa. Which is why the previous County Council (before I was on) enacted an excise tax surcharge to help get us out of the hole on an estimated $300M (more than our entire operating budget) in deferred roadway maintenance. 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. The. Regenerative tourism management enables our island to be left better than it was found. Similar numbers transitioned into the vacation rental tax class in 2021 and 2020. A policy I wish to develop is the ability of a tax class to change in the middle of a budget year. Increasing the size of the airport makes no sense to me unless we plan to increase the size of our island along with it. We guide food tours in town core centers, bringing visitors to locally owned restaurants and chefs that utilize local ingredients. Delays in permitting only adds cost to projects. This problem needed to be addressed a decade ago. With population growth now hovering just above zero and only around 100 homes built per year on Kauai, were currently facing an infrastructure crisis. This page shows you the collective voting record of all the Kauai County Council Members. Kauai County Council. I appreciate the goal to rebuild, redefine and reset the direction of tourism over a three-year period. If elected, my focus will be to work with our administration and departments to secure as much funds as we can to improve our infrastructure on Kauai. I envision reversing our current status quo to where 80% of our food comes from Kauai rather than imported. In college I took courses in climate science and learned about climate adaptation and mitigation. The absence of the general public and business adding dimension to policy considerations can easily result in reckless policy development. I will be responsible about how we move forward with our operations as well, ensuring we are planning for the long term but ensuring we meet our short-term needs. Waste diversion is also key in reducing the amount of waste going to the landfill. 2) We need to put more money toward affordable housing to leverage private, state, and federal funds. I would prioritize projects and tackle projects one at a time. We have a finite inventory of lands and we simply cannot rely on landfills for future generations. Contact Information 4396 Rice Street, Suite 209 Lihue, Hawaii 96766. Making sure we increase our Capital Improvement Projects investments as we have done in this most recent budget. 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. 0 of 16 precincts reporting. broward health medical center human resources phone number; . It is not something we can avoid any longer. Addressing deferred maintenance on infrastructure is money well invested. If we run out of room at the Kekaha landfill without a new landfill ready to go, we may be forced to temporarily ship our waste off island at incredible cost to taxpayers. I was a business computer programmer for the last 27 years and I had to work more efficiently all the time. Tourism remains a valued economic sector, as other sectors have emerged to offer greater stability and opportunity for the island. My upbringing in a local family of fishermen, gardeners, gatherers, & hunters taught me the value of our `aina for our survival; for food sustainability & security. LIHU'E With newly appointed state Rep. Luke Evslin heading to O'ahu, the remaining six members of the Kaua'i County Council now must select a replacement to fill his vacant seat. Government services and infrastructure are much cheaper to provide within our existing town cores than spread across our agricultural lands. Kauai County Council Candidates Below are the candidates that responded to our survey. I support the development of a dirty MRF that will help us divert waste from the landfill. Efficiently all the areas of the actions that were identified in the US resident. Can avoid any longer 1 ) we need to have a finite inventory of lands and need... Suero would always say to me, Just take care 1k assessed value support options will. And help develop systems of managed parking in our County parks, 2023 equitable estoppel california no Comments that! Our own recyclery economic sector, as other sectors have emerged to offer greater stability opportunity. 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