kauai county council members

As we saw in the wake of Hurricane Iniki, even COVID, these living units can quickly transform into needed housing. 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. Staycation At The Royal Hawaiian Hotel, Local Groups Sue County Over Poipu Beach Condominium Complex. Our policies assist Habitat For Humanity and Permanent Affordable Living as two valued non-profit development partners of homes for purchase. We must allocate a location and move into planning and development of the new landfill. I envision reversing our current status quo to where 80% of our food comes from Kauai rather than imported. Industrial food systems are energy-intensive and fossil-fuel based. I dont want more expansion for more flights. I have been blessed and honored to have served Kauai for 14 years. 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. Continue to work on our checks and balances system of government is working and not rubber stamping budget requests by the administration. Kauai Community College could be a valuable partner in this effort. Our departments are underfunded and staffed and I believe we can use the resources this would generate to address important things our community needs. how to get a legendary blook in blooket; 5 minute presentation about yourself In the meantime, I will continue to push for and help develop systems of managed parking in our county parks. 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. Affordable housing refers to those projects funded through County support, Federal tax credits, and/or imposition on developers. Hawai`is native ancestors revered and lived fully the values of Aloha `Aina & Malama Aina. If we are going to say we have a recycling program we really need to do it. In council, I do my best to offer these perspectives of balance in our conversations that most often do not make it into the articles of the reporters. To do this I will support efforts to expand local food production, processing facilities and infrastructure and work with community organizations to address needs to assist with marketing and distribution of local food while we also work to support current and next generation farmers. Our county has a affordable rental program that go we a property tax break for second home investors to rent to our local families under an affordable rental agreement. 808-245-7363 4268 H Rice Street, Lihue, HI 96766[emailprotected]. Food and resource production to feed and support a resilient Kauai is the goal above revenue productivity. And the motion failed both times. Reach out to connect with her on Kaua'i issues you care about to discuss and identify actionable solutions together. $3.5m) of real property tax revenues to our Housing Development Fund. The county recycling program needs to be refreshed as soon as possible. As long as we keep expanding, we can pay for the infrastructure. I am currently the Chair of Public Works, which is the largest division and handles all CIP assignments. A strong area of economic diversification that has rapidly and recently grown is residents who remote work or have other avenues of external income. I would like to develop some ideas to create a more circular economy across the board. The top two objectives that I work on daily are the focus on creating positive contributions to the quality of life for Kauai residents and supporting the maintenance, enhancement, and protection of Kauais natural resources. We must do everything we can to focus on waste reduction and diversion tactics. The Council members asked questions of the applicant regarding the Certificate of Need criteria. 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. And, of course, I really appreciate all of you being willing to engage with us when we reach out to you! If all community events adopted a Zero Waste effort, we can reduce our trash significantly. Along with Vice Chair Chock, I co-introduced the bill on Kauai to give the Parks Department the authority to charge tourists to park in beach parks. We also have a well-established grain growing company called Hartung who could and currently is growing grains that can finish our local beef into a well marblized product that could satisfy the non-grass fed consumers. Thats a 38% increase in nightly rates since before the pandemic. We need to address overcrowding and transportation options to our visitor destinations like the current Northshore shuttle program that is currently being discussed with the hope of implementation soon. As we increase demand, we must increase supply by supporting our local farmers and future farmers. As a small business owner, President of Rice Street Business Association, Board member of Lhue Business Association, and former board member of the Kauai Chamber of Commerce and Kauai Filipino Chamber of Commerce, I love working with our business community in solving our mutual challenges. My goal is to be proactive with our administration and work with each department to understand how we can create more efficiency in our systems. I hope to bring the consideration of our children back to the table when making decisions and provide a way where the voice of the people is heard by the council and mayor. Kauai County has a mayor-council form of municipal government. Read more Mahalo for reading. One important goal is to build, attract and retain a 21st century workforce with strategies of 1) providing our workforce with the skills they need to be gainfully employed, 2) assisting our schools in meeting college and career expectations; and 3) addressing talent gaps and brain drain by positioning Kauai as a desirable place for people to live and work. We must assist local businesses and community organizations that pivot away from hiring outside professionals to hiring local professionals. For many, the barrier to converting to an EV is access to charging stations. I support the development of a dirty MRF that will help us divert waste from the landfill. Working closely with our Federal, State and County delegation and our community to define our responsibility to prepare for this funding is imperative. Areas like our land fill operations, work force housing, transitional housing to assist our houseless community, our Kupuna services, our unions and its members are fairly negotiated, the responsibility goes on and on. Every time I go to these recycling locations I see trash bags and random items in the bins and my gut feeling is that no one is separating this at the main station so therefore it must be going to the landfill. And every new road is saddling the next generation with ever increasing amounts of infrastructure debt. Sweden came up with a way to turn their trash into power by burning it. If we could agree that the long-term goal is sustainability then we would need to work backwards to see how we can begin making moves in the short term to move us in that direction. 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. And, every year they come down in price. I have tried to raise the vacation rental rate to equal the resort rate twice at budget (2019 and 2022). Kagawa has spent the past two years as a COVID-19 specialist in the Kauai Emergency Management Agency. Construction of a materials recovery facility, curbside recycling, diverting commercial food waste to composting facilities, and a recycling facility for construction and demolition debris all of these need to simultaneously be pursued to extend the life of our landfill long enough to enable the siting and construction of a new facility. E-mail sent to all Councilmembers only: Continue to support the Mayor in this area. Keeping all taxpayers in mind when making decisions that uses everyones tax dollar. I believe that the first step in dealing with transient accommodations on Kauai is to enforce existing laws and eliminating all illegal transient vacation and short term rentals. We must support our County Planners engaging with Dept. The coalition for years has advocated to protect the bay. why did giacomo baessato leave hailey dean mysteries. Budgeting Responsibly & Limiting Taxes Budgeting Responsibly, Managing Costs and Limiting Taxes (Being Accountable Always). Harris debated alongside John D. Waihee III, future governor of Hawaii, as well as future legislative leaders Carol Fukunaga, Helene Hale, Les Ihara, Jr., Barbara Marumoto and Joseph M. Souki . I love this island, I put my name on the ballot to make an effort for positive change. High land costs require most owners to have employment or some other primary source of income. Recycling should is a must and something that we should already be doing. Addressing the lack of capacity at Kauais landfill is an urgent need. Along with the Mayor and our Office of Economic Development, our Council needs to support the vision of our thriving agricultural sector on Kaua`i by. Any additional density on agricultural land (like the constant push to allow ADUs on ag land) increases the value of agricultural land, increases the likelihood of non-farm development of that ag land, and makes it less likely that a farmer can pay off a loan or mortgage on the property. I feel like its a duty to be here today and to put my name forward as part of this position, she said before noting she will run in the next Council election in 2024. What qualifies me most is the genuine concern I have for Kaua`i and Ni`ihau and my commitment to making a difference! 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. Please feel welcome to call me if you need me. 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. Policy D.4. We cannot achieve economic diversification if the next generation cant afford to live here. 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. I have over thirty years experience working and volunteering in Government, Labor Unions, Non-Profits and Community Organizations. 2. Instagram. 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. Both our traditional Hawaiian people and later the plantations had strong, holistic (ahupua`a) land management practices that have been abandoned over the past 30-60 years. The restorative agricultural practices, community engagement, and land preservation is vital for a thriving agricultural sector. Advising nonprofits, campaigns, and mission-driven businesses on strategic communications, digital advocacy, cause marketing, and partnership development. To do this I will support efforts to expand local food production, processing facilities and infrastructure and work with community organizations to address needs to assist with marketing and distribution of local food while we also work to support current and next generation farmers. Reducing imports and expanding the agriculture sector, if done correctly can be a major step in addressing climate change. I need the assessments, ground water mapping, and rainfall data for these areas for the Puhi, Kalaheo/Eleele and Kaumakani/Pakalas locations. 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. Top priority projects would get done first than feasible jobs next and then everything else according to budget and importance. 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. Second, we must utilize innovative agricultural practices by empowering local businesses and community organizations. There are old cane haul roads that should be evaluated for best potential to create alternative routes. My first focus would be to help local working families by creating incentives and reducing the financial barriers for additional dwelling units and additional rental units. Creating a limit on the number of TVRs may be more effective in retaining houses for homes. 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. 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). In addition to working with the administration and the department of finance on budget options to build towards a structured balanced budget, as part of the Countys Long Term Financial plan, I would continue to support our countys reserve fund policy that was guided through the assistance of the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) and continue to seek similar opportunities for financial sustainability is all areas. Councils job is to approve their efforts and help to fine-tune project strategies through listening to constituents and asking relevant questions. 3) We need to continually strive to make it easier for families to add on additional units (ARUs or ADUs) for their parents, children or long-term renters. I would investigate all options for funding under this measure for all the areas of the bill that funding is being provided for. Out-smarting inflation is a big ask, especially when the main developer is the government through tax-payer funding. Incentivizing Private Developers & Infill Development in Town Cores Working with Council Chair Kaneshiro, Housing Director Roversi and Mayor Kawakami weve brought about critically needed improvements to our Housing Policy incentivizing private developers to build more units especially in our town core areas close to existing infrastructure where weve also created Special Management Areas encouraging higher density housing projects like four-plexes, townhomes and apartments. 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 commitment is to passionately advocating for our people and for our islands; using my experience and dedication to work on protecting and improving the quality of life for all our residents. The tax could be on a scale depending on location, the type of building being purchased and how many purchases this buyer has made. As they describe, the surge in retiring baby boomers at a time of slowing population growth means that the ratio of retirees to active workers continues to skew towards increasing numbers of retirees relative to active workers. We are only a few years away from our landfill life cycle. It may also serve as an invaluable stop-gap to help a resort faced with an uncontrollable crisis not collapse into full failure. And by doing so, we can also keep money in our local economy and save residents money. Covid policies interrupted the regular attendance from strategic members of these organizations. 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. However, its partly our job to help set the Administration up for success on this front. As a member of the county council Ill work with our community organizations and administration to introduce several bills regarding environmental protection and stewardship. I understand improvements for safety, convenience and comfort; however the people dont want more gates and more flights. He worked as an accountant before spending nearly 20 years as a teacher. Collaborative action by community stakeholders has addressed unsustainable visitor growth as well as climate change and social inequity. at a rate consistent with other resort uses. This is relatively close to DMAP policy A.2, the Universal Fee Model. First, I would aim to pick an agriculture item that we on Kauai want and need and do market research to see what other state or country has the same demand for. 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. If elected, my first priority is to help our council be part of the solution. We have a large population of people and businesses on Oahu that could be our exporting market. I lived in Germany as an exchange student where 20 years ago recycling is something everyone just does. I am impressed by the action plan and agree with the objectives. While I have an educational background in engineering, I strengthen my support and preparedness by listening to our site experts, visiting our facilities, requesting progress or status briefings and reviewing process materials. Legislative authority is vested in the seven-member County Council. Theres a lot of great aspirational policies in the DMAP that require strong private, non-profit, and state partnerships. Kauai Councilmember Luke Evslin to fill empty, Three from Kauai nominated to fill Hawaii House, Luke Evslin of Kauai sworn into Hawaii House of, No Changes to General Election Ballot Following, Public invited to attend inauguration of Kaua'i, who is now a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives, build a hotel at the site of the former Coco Palms resort. Mayor of Kauai In office July 17, 2008 - December 1, 2008 Preceded by Bryan Baptiste Gary Heu(acting) Succeeded by Bernard Carvalho Personal details Born 1930 or 1931 H'ena, Hawaii Spouse Patsy Asing Children 5 Residence Lihue Bill "Kaipo" Asing(born 1930 or 1931) is an American politicianin the US state of Hawaii. 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 ! There is a maze of changing regulations that are best served by following a quick timeline to avoid the next limitation. However, the process to site and build a new one is expected to take just as long or slightly longer than the lifespan of our existing landfill. We are out of time. 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. The 2022-2026 CEDS is designed to sustain and grow the progress from the previous CEDS; continue the ongoing efforts to mitigate the effects of COVID 19; and, create and achieve new goals that support the economic vision set forth in our Kauai General Plan. The county also needs to immediately stop spraying weed killer chemicals in the areas they maintain. Put these forces together an aging population, aging infrastructure, and slowing growth and were facing difficult fiscal times. I currently serve as one of three (3) Councilmembers from the State of Hawai`i on the National Association of Counties (NACo) board. This helps increase the efficiency of government and provides stable sources of property tax revenue. And, were currently working on even more improvements. 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. Its not a coincidence that KIUCs electricity rates are the lowest in the State AND that we have by far the most renewable energy on the grid. they have 20 times more people on Oahu. When it comes to accepting grants and opportunities for support I will absolutely accept and seek out federal and state support to plan for and mitigate expected impacts to our resources and communities. Diversification is a buzz word that to many political candidates toss around with no plan to back it up. We must also continue to support local chefs, restaurants, and other food establishments by using more local ingredients. We need to site a new landfill and move on it as soon as possible. The Kauai County Council is accepting applications from individuals to render services as County Auditor to conduct or cause to be conducted audits of all county funds, programs, and operations of any agency or operation of the county to include performance audits of funds and programs or operations as requested by Council by resolution, and to Those are immediate questions that we need to answer in the budget coming up., Facebook 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. This housing strategy has been a cherished and successful pathway in Kauais past. broward health medical center human resources phone number; . Students can become entrepreneurs and also work for somebody. 5. Kauai doesnt even need the climate to change to benefit by the Kauai Climate Adaptation Plans the county currently has underway. The bubble concept emerged initially on Kauai in August when an ad hoc community group of doctors and community leaders released a plan to reopen tourism by which visitors would be tested before they arrived on Kauai, then five or six days after arrival. FILE - Ross Kagawa to return to Kauai County Council after Gov. 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. Visitors learn about the inequities of our food systems and are encouraged to support local restaurants that use local ingredients. of Water to ensure water distribution expansion plans line up with plans for increased density and infill development within our town centers, as well as for other housing development in the larger town areas. Of those, 123 converted from residential or homestead use to TVR Thats 123 less homes available on Kauai last year alone and resulted in a net decline overall in the number of resident occupied homes on Kauai. We have to ensure that those that have dedicated their lives to the county are covered for their retirement and health care needs. I meet organizations where they're at . Kauai County Council. My vision includes a mix of diversified agriculture along with indigenous foods and agriculture practices. The Kauai County Code gives the County Council the exclusive authority to raise or lower property tax rates via resolution. work to move our Kaua`i Bus to fully electric and move the rest of the County fleet to electric as much as practicable. This will drastically reduce methane emissions at the landfill, it can save restaurant owners money by reducing their service levels for trash hauling, and it can help create a viable by product (compost) that can be used by farmers all of which helps keep money circulating on Kauai. Here is a direct excerpt (lightly edited for length) from the opening statement I made in May, 2022, on my rationale for increasing the vacation rental rate: I am proposing this increase and allocation for three reasons. 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. With my past and current experience with-in government and working closely with my fellow council members. Protecting Our `Aina & Sustenance Lifestyles Protecting our Natural Resources, Agriculture (farming & ranching) & Local Sustenance Lifestyles (gardening, gathering, hunting & fishing). One of my favorite quotes is, Life is in the follow-up. Ill work closely with our departments and do regular follow-ups to make sure things stay on a timeline. We have a finite inventory of lands and we simply cannot rely on landfills for future generations. Kauai, along with every other state and county in the country, is facing strong long-term fiscal headwinds from two sources: demographics and infrastructure. Housing for our people (and the landfill) is the most needed and hardest challenge in this questionnaire. I also have a solution in mind to fix the problem at the 56 and 51 HWY interchange. Project site was mass graded and designed to have a combined drainage system with a shared roadway. My top priorities are affordable housing, and recycling. Photo Courtesy: Ross Kagawa. I would refer to and continue to support the Kauai Comprehensive Economic Development Plan which provides a variety of strategies including affordable housing, providing better broadband access and the possibility of Kauai Innovation Center. Josh Green's appointment to fill an empty House seat that covers the island's east. These problems are going to escalate with the unchecked growth of the vegetation and greater concentrations of rainfall. Vacation rentals were grandfather in long before I became a council member and will be part of our taxable economy. Whats most important to me here is to learn from the many stakeholders in our economy who are working on diversifying our economy, taking the best ideas from the collective and doing what I can to support moving them forward. Josh Green appointed to represent House District 16 in the state House of Representatives earlier this month. 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. Our State and Federal partners need to recognize that the Hawaiian islands have unique characteristics different than a continent. The statewide funding of $600B for DHHL housing development for our Hawaiian Beneficiaries and $60M for Ohana Zone developments to assist our houseless population are more solution potential in the pipeline that I will support wherever needed. 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. Kagawa narrowly lost election to the Kaua'i County Council last November, when he finished eighth in a race with seven winners. Strengthen the economic contribution of Kauais visitor industry. I continue to support reduce, reuse, and recycling programs and the need for a Resource Recovery Park where we can create a solid recycling program for our island. I will also support efforts to restore our native ecosystems and indigenous land management practices that will give us more resilience to the predicted impacts of climate change. Kagawa replaces Luke Evslin, who Gov. Kauai County Council Candidates Below are the candidates that responded to our survey. As we push development into our agricultural areas, were forcing residents into longer and longer commutes. If elected, as the legislative body for our county, our impact on infrastructure projects is to make sure they are funded to be able to accomplish the job. I believe in accountability and transparency. Transient Vacation Units have more acute impacts on the neighborhoods in the surrounding areas on the quality of life and potential availability of housing. Private partnerships may be required, such as small scale anaerobic digesters under consideration. Our Public Works department does a relatively good job of handling their responsibilities. Less than 1% of Swedens trash is sent to landfills, and over 50% of Swedish household waste is converted into energy to heat their homes. With population growth now hovering just above zero and only around 100 homes built per year on Kauai, were currently facing an infrastructure crisis.

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