Maintaining functioning infrastructure is the core bread and butter of county responsibilities. In particular, my focus would be for high speed internet access, better roads and bridges, investment in public transit, resilient infrastructure, and investment in environmental remediation. This site was listed as a viable site through a comprehensive study that was done on potential landfill locations on our Island. Yes we need to improve on eliminating illegal transient vacation rentals from operating on Kauai. 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. The Council members asked questions of the applicant regarding the Certificate of Need criteria. E-mail sent to all Councilmembers only: Aside from the simple math of an aging demographic, we also are facing an infrastructure crisis. Waste to energy is a clean and safe way to get rid of our trash and create energy. I know they paid their shade of taxes during COVID when none of them had any revenue coming in, but I would like to ensure those local families who had their family vacation rentals not get priced out. May 24, 2022; Kauai Real Estate Update, Waterfront Lihue Property Sold, Oahu Maui and Big Island Real Estate Sales Update. Another example is the work Kauai Sea Farms is doing with Nomilo Fishpond in Kalaheo. However, due the close proximity to the airport and birds that could pose a hazard to the airport area, this location is no longer acceptable. This housing strategy has been a cherished and successful pathway in Kauais past. We need a greater general parking area and to expand the TSA and ticketing areas. 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. We must continue to assist local businesses and community organizations as they pivot away from importing raw materials to sourcing local materials. I believe curbside recycling needs to be implemented immediately. While its not yet clear how those funds will be distributed to the counties, we can help set up incentives and possibly mandates for EV charging infrastructure to ensure that we can hit the ground running to maximize the amount of funding we receive. That includes providing direct assistance to businesses & community non-profits such as the the federal bipartisan infrastructure bill. These properties are not easily transformed into living units without kitchens, particularly with air conditioning failure. We know that a lot of younger women and a lot of younger people in general dont vote Theyre not voting because they dont see themselves reflected in the system, nonprofit director Nikki Cristobal, who is also Bulosans partner, testified. 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. The coalition for years has advocated to protect the bay. Our County should also work in partnership with private entities wherever possible to create additional wastewater treatment facilities. It is important to understand our community, and understand other communities around us. What parts to you oppose? We absolutely need to do all that we can collectively to address our housing shortage disaster! The chair of the Nevada State Democratic Party is a felon convicted of grand theft in the 1990s and who was once ordered not to handle money at work without a probation officer's approval. We need to also continue to reform our zoning codes to reduce the amount that people have to drive. In the meantime, I will continue to push for and help develop systems of managed parking in our county parks. We know that a lot of knaka iwi (Native Hawaiians) dont vote. Instead of a white paper, Id hope that the objective would clearly be to decrease the number of vacation rentals that we have on island (1 in 8 homes) and to do it through any means possible, including both zoning and taxation policy. 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. Students can become entrepreneurs and also work for somebody. As an individual council member, I have been regularly and actively raising this issue with the County Administration. To ensure short and long term fiscal health, we need to: 1) Reinvest in our existing towns. We cant rebuild a new facility in these same locations. Our landfill is almost full and recycling needs to be made a number one priority. The County General Plan recognizes that agriculture is an important element in Kauais identity as a rural place, and it represents our greatest opportunity for economic diversification and food self-sufficiency. Anything we can do to incentivize home construction within and directly adjacent to our existing towns will help alleviate this pressure on our agricultural land. As a computer programmer I always had to solve problems. One part of the plan calls for us to transition to a new regenerative tourism; one that gives back more than it takes. In college I took courses in climate science and learned about climate adaptation and mitigation. Nelson Mukai Rachel Secretario Ross Kagawa Governor Candidates Duke Aiona David (Duke) Bourgoin Kai Kahele Lynn Barry Mariano Caleb K. Nazara Lieutenant Governor Candidates Keith Amemiya Ikaika Anderson Tae Kim Sylvia Luke Sherry Menor-McNamara US Rep Candidates Joe Akana Patrick Pihana Branco Nicole Gi Brendan Schultz Steven B. Sparks This sets up a more regenerative visitor economy. Evolving environmental regulations have eliminated any new location to be an appropriate site for our next landfill. These tiny worker homes can have revocable permits but are a necessity for effective food production, harvesting and distribution. Supporting and growing our Kaua`i Made and Kaua`i Grown programs. Mahalo to the Kauai Chamber for all the work that you do for our island home, and I look forward to serving a second term as a member of the Kauai County Council where I will continue to be a bridge and connect government to the people. Questions included, but were not limited . We can move unspent CIP funds to other projects during the budget process and we can ask for status updates at any time and I have done both. I have a plan; I am currently working on it and the result are soon to take fruition. Currently Councilmember Evslin & I are working with you and other stakeholders on a bill to support EV-ready charging stations in parking lots. We must ensure it meets the highest and best environmental standards and we do everything we can to mitigate impact to surrounding communities and the environment. It is not something we can avoid any longer. Serving Kauai these last four years has been the greatest honor of my life and I am incredibly grateful to the voters for giving me this opportunity. Solid waste is one of the largest issues we face right now. kauai obituaries july 2020 19 3407 . The pandemic has made us realize how important these animals can play in our survival. 177 . 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 will work with and support our Mayor, our Office of Economic Development and our Community & Business leaders to implement our Kauai Comprehensive Economic Development Strategic (CEDS) Plan for 2022-2026; most recently completed by community stakeholders from all six of our target industry clusters on Nov. 30, 2021. The County needs to streamline the permitting for affordable housing. I currently serve as one of three (3) Councilmembers from the State of Hawai`i on the National Association of Counties (NACo) board. While we have to blaze forward on solutions to our pressing problems, I remain committed to working with stakeholders to the greatest extent possible before introducing legislation that could impact them. I also want to better understand the differences and demographics of the vacation rentals, home stay units, bed and breakfasts, etc that we have on Kauai before I say yes outright to this question. Holland came in ninth place during the 2022 Kauai County Council election. When asked why there were so many entering this class, the Finance Department said in a memo that we are seeing more Long-Term Rentals and Homeowners sell and or replace with Vacation Rental use. Similarly, in a report on the vacation rental industry in Hawaii, Hawaii Appleseed Foundation writes that Vacation rental units (VRUs) provide another significant pressure, leading to the reduction of available housing for Hawaii residents and driving up rents. This is because, Renting out a unit as a VRU is more profitable than renting it long-term, making VRUs particularly appealing for nonresident investors. As Appleseed writes, part of the attraction is that Hawaii has the lowest property tax rates in the nation. 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. 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. Covid policies interrupted the regular attendance from strategic members of these organizations. Sounds a lot like our Native Hawaiian values of aloha `aina, kuleana, the kapu system and malama `aina. Routinely, I phone or drop by for a visit to businesses that may be adversely affected by policy that appears on our council agenda when introduced by colleagues. I have been blessed and honored to have served Kauai for 14 years. I also think there are other ways that we can grow our economy by channeling, appropriately managing and harnessing the tourism revenue we do have in our local economy, so a higher percentage reach and benefit local residents. $3.5m) of real property tax revenues to our Housing Development Fund. 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. Our Public Works department does a relatively good job of handling their responsibilities. I love this island, I put my name on the ballot to make an effort for positive change. Please view at your own discretion. All local sellers source from local vendors, thus fulfilling the circular economy. I understand the major issues our community deals with related to drug abuse and addiction on Kauai. I will work with my colleagues to obtain all forms of funding to address our infrastructure needs. Increase communication and understanding between residents and the visitor industry. This is to ensure fairness in accounting for visitor-related impacts and contributing to State and County revenue. In other words, this policy to increase TVR taxes to equal the resort rate comes directly from the General Plan. FILE - Ross Kagawa to return to Kauai County Council after Gov. It may be appropriate to have some sort of sliding scale or tiered criteria for this. Contact Information 4396 Rice Street, Suite 209 Lihue, Hawaii 96766. We need to literally start planting seeds now for a thriving agricultural sector tomorrow. Enough tourists as is. Our County Planners are gathering critical public input in order to draft our first Kauai Climate Change Adaptation Plan which will guide development, natural resource protection and community resilience in the face of climate change-related impacts. These food experiences highlight local ingredients and empower these local restaurants to continue to source local. Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island file Historic Kaua'i County Building. QUESTION #1What is your vision for a thriving agricultural sector on Kauai and how can the County Council support that vision?. Every study on affordability includes increasing supply as a prerequisite for affordability. 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 We must also continue to support local chefs, restaurants, and other food establishments by using more local ingredients. My preference is in the direction of Alternative 1 of the Lihue Airport Master Plan, as it is the least changed. Lastly, we need to modify the agricultural dedication process, especially for small farms, to ensure that bonafide farmers are paying minimal taxes and that wealthy land owners arent using the system simply as a tax haven. I hear theres a big surplus. C OUNTY C OUNCIL (7) (12-01-24) 808 -241 4188 Again, whats most important to me here as well, is to learn from our partners like the Chamber, Kaua`i Visitors Bureau, the Hawai`i Lodging & Tourism Association (HLTA) and all the many stakeholders in our tourism economy who are working on diversifying our economy and rebuilding a new Regenerative Tourism industry, taking the best ideas from the collective and doing what I can to support moving them forward. Having good common sense in our decision-making process that not all council members have. 2) Not build any new roads. The more we legitimately recycle the less will go into the landfill. Coco Palms is an extreme example of a small resort being too expensive to condemn and throw away, even after thirty years. We are facing critical moments for our economy and environment and I hope that my time, energy, and aloha can be contributed to the work at the Kauai County Council level. 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