The development of a landfill will likely take longer than we currently have, before Kekaha expires in five years, and we will be shipping our waste off island at a huge cost to taxpayers. QUESTION #10How would you ensure that planned County infrastructure projects on Kauai move forward in a timely manner? To be clear, I am absolutely a strong supporter of recycling, the critical siting of our next landfill, source reduction and taking advantage of any innovations or new technologies that can help us find a sustainable and resilient way to address our solid waste challenges. I would use my management skills from working for Central Parking in Managing parking for Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, Halekulani Hotel, and Hawaii Prince Hotel managing 19 employees and a 2.5 million dollar budget. We absolutely need to do all that we can collectively to address our housing shortage disaster! There are old cane haul roads that should be evaluated for best potential to create alternative routes. I agree with the level of the LIH to a minimum. This middle-income housing shortage has festered for decades on Kauai but has escalated into a crisis with rapid inflation and a strong market demand from the pandemic-driven migrations to rural areas across the nation. 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. The more we legitimately recycle the less will go into the landfill. Which is why the plan says that it is clear that the status quo for Kauai tourism cannot continue. He oversees the company's four business units, as well as its functions for technology . 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). I want to thank all of our leaders in our community for the work you have done and keep doing. I am blessed with the ability to be your full-time council member without the competition of an outside job or a personal business to run. For the decades after World War II, both the US and Hawaiis population were exploding and along with it, so were our economies. QUESTION #9What would you do as an elected council member to ensure that Kauai receives significant funding from the federal bipartisan infrastructure bill? I look forward to supporting more discussions in all the above areas. Councilmember Carvalho has been my partner in this effort. 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 My vision includes a mix of diversified agriculture along with indigenous foods and agriculture practices. We have created a circular economy around retail. 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. Another important goal is to develop plans and continue to build capacity for economic development of the six target industry clusters with strategies of 1) increase collaboration, 2) support economic innovation and digitization for all businesses, 3) develop infrastructure; and, 4) support the development of new businesses and markets for a diversity of products derived from agricultural and technological activity. Kagawa previously served on the Kauai County Council from 2012 until 2020, when he reached his positions consecutive term limit. I will continue this practice if elected. Action items D, focus policies that address over-tourism by managing people while on Kauai and E, encourage low-impact green rides to improve the visitor experience, reduce island traffic, increase small business opportunities, and meet climate action goalsare among the more motivating for me. The mayors administration is responsible for applying for these typically competitive Federal grants. 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. Efficiency is his byword. 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 I support Policy D.4, in recognizing that zoning is a critical aspect of regulating vacation rentals, admittedly I wish there was a stronger policy on vacation rentals. When the Council on Wednesday chose Kagawa to replace former member Luke Evslin . We have a finite inventory of lands and we simply cannot rely on landfills for future generations. Im eager to help better the lives of our local community with sound decisions at the council level. 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. Housing development was booming (over 600 homes built per year on Kauai) and every new residential development landed a small windfall into government coffers which could fund increasing expansion. Acompanhe-nos: bonsall oaks development Facebook. We live on an island. Somehow, somewhere one or some of these regulations is going to have to relax. 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. 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. 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. 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. If elected, my focus will be on legislative bills that enable our local producers to be sustainable businesses and community organizations. 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. Councils job is to approve their efforts and help to fine-tune project strategies through listening to constituents and asking relevant questions. The Kauai County Code gives the County Council the exclusive authority to raise or lower property tax rates via resolution. Lihue Airport was built as an inter-island facility rather a trans-Pacific airport, so I accept that changes are needed for our aging airport to better manage even the volume we currently experience. To see each individuals voting record, be sure to click on their name in the drop down menu. LIHU'E In a Wednesday meeting, the new Kaua'i County Council tapped member-elect Mel Rapozo to serve as chair for the next two years. 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. 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. Another example is the work Kauai Sea Farms is doing with Nomilo Fishpond in Kalaheo. It may be appropriate to have some sort of sliding scale or tiered criteria for this. We need to help our community choose local first. We must support our County Planners engaging with Dept. This helps increase the efficiency of government and provides stable sources of property tax revenue. Past administrations and councils do not favor audits for reasons that I cannot comprehend. Our landfill is almost full and recycling needs to be made a number one priority. C OUNTY C OUNCIL (7) (12-01-24) 808 -241 4188 I support economic diversification and access to locally produced food by increasing the productivity and profitability of all forms of agriculture. 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. 9,622 votes 11.21% . These problems are going to escalate with the unchecked growth of the vegetation and greater concentrations of rainfall. Should a measure I am working on relate to the business community, or a specific industry, I will reach out to the chamber, business associations and those stakeholders to discuss the issue at the beginning of the drafting process. #2 Vacation rentals take away resident occupied housing and increase the cost of housing island wide. I see this as a way the wealthiest residents can give back and help assist those that are struggling with housing and being displaced. The following candidates ran in the primary for Kauai County Council on August 13, 2022. Expanding our local products and supporting their local consumption, as well as export markets, is key to growth for the agricultural sector. Preserving our open space, Forest areas to create a carbon to oxygen footprint. Here are some examples: We are currently doing some of this work through the Rice Street Business Association with our revitalization of Downtown Lhue. More County Funding In order to build our Housing Development Fund, Councilmembers Chock, Evslin & I recently voted to increase the Vacation Rental tax rate to the same level as Resort. 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. 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. Our food tours increase the demand for local ingredients in these restaurants, help maintain their commitment towards supporting local farmers, and raises awareness of fresh ingredients from the island. We need policies that limit these large developments until there is a solution planned for our landfill. I will work with our community organizations such as Kumano I Ke Ala, Waip Foundation, Mlama Hulia, Kauai Farm Bureau, Kekaha Agricultural Association, Kauai Cattlemens Association, Mlama Kauai and all other organizations to work on legislation that enables our farmers to meet the demand for local ingredients. Kauai County Council. We must continue to assist local businesses and community organizations as they pivot away from importing raw materials to sourcing local materials. impacts. 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. Providing land and sharing the cost of infrastructure is one way to lower costs. 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. 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. NACo is While I know the Administration already works with a lobbyist in Washington, DC who is tracking all opportunities for federal funding for our County, I will continue to bring back and share valuable information on federal resources available for our County from NACo conferences and other virtual meetings and workshops. Instagram. I would continue to work with the State and Federal representatives to support options that will mitigate the impacts of climate change on Kauai. 2. Giving friendly reminders that this is what these people are being paid to do. 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. I need more information about the Phase 2 and 3 land acquisitions and what the purpose and proposed use of that area is. ', Were either going to offer more service, improve areas that were failing at, or were going to cut the tax rate and give people a tax break, Kagawa concluded. Making sure our County works closely with the Dept. Most of our primary facilities were built in a different era, with different regulations with many too close to the shoreline. It is important to understand our community, and understand other communities around us. There are many ways that we can do this. I will focus on issues such as land use, housing, and financial barriers that make local food production cost prohibitive. Posted in . Continue to work on our checks and balances system of government is working and not rubber stamping budget requests by the administration. Josh Green appointed former councilmember Luke Evslin to his direct staff. If all community events adopted a Zero Waste effort, we can reduce our trash significantly. Please check out my website at www.lukeevslin.com to see a full list of policies that Ive worked on and a list of proposed policies for the future. I am passionate about developing a flourishing agricultural industry that provides employment in food production, processing and distribution, and that pays living wages. 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. 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. TVRs on Kauai are taxed at $9.85. As a member of the county council Ill work with our community organizations and administration to introduce several bills regarding environmental protection and stewardship. The weaknesses and challenges of our agriculture sector became even more evident during the worst parts of the COVID pandemic. The county also needs to immediately stop spraying weed killer chemicals in the areas they maintain. The technology is available and we need to get up to speed with what our options are. I understand improvements for safety, convenience and comfort; however the people dont want more gates and more flights. 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 will continue to have timely conversations with our Managing Director, the Mayor, our Housing Director and others in our County Administration leadership on federal funding opportunities to get a sense of their thinking and effort, as well as to learn of ways to be supportive; staying informed of our Administrations federal funding efforts could mean an easier, quicker vote of support on the Council when theyre trying to expedite a grant application that has to meet a quickly approaching deadline. QUESTION #8What elements of the Lihue Airport Master Plan to do you support? The work of going after grant funding falls mostly on County Department heads and they do a great job along those lines. Keeping all taxpayers in mind when making decisions that uses everyones tax dollar. I will continue to push for audits so we can identify areas that we can improve and sustain our services to the communities. While it may have been necessary to get us out of the deferred maintenance hole, the excise tax is a regressive tax that especially impacts low income folks. So must we! We must be cautious to not exhaust our landowners/homeowners ability to adapt to inflationary pressures that are likely to continue. Supporting the maintenance of the old plantation irrigation systems. I will attend events and meetings that help me better understand the needs of the business community and I will engage in ways that can support those needs wherever I can. Waimea Huakai and Habitat for Humanity Affordable Housing, Waimea, Kauai. As a Council Member I would be committed to addressing these things. Written by on 27 febrero, 2023. Vacation rentals were grandfather in long before I became a council member and will be part of our taxable economy. 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