The other area would be to secure a solid river and stream maintenance program. 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. 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. 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. Kauai County Councilmember Ross Kagawa. Lastly, we need to divert food waste from our landfill to composting facilities. COUNTY OF KAUAI https://kauai.gov . We fell two votes short. This is a state-wide effort that has and will defiantly make a difference for us all. 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. The consolidation of the ticket-lobby and baggage claim areas seems prudent. voting record of Arryl Kaneshiro. While I respect all of the work that went into the DMAP, I dont see that same clarity or bold language in terms of the island being over-capacity and the need to reduce visitor numbers to a more sustainable level. The tax collected could become discounts available for local families. I dont want more expansion for more flights. We have had four years of additional emergency funding for either our 2018 flood event or the COVID pandemic. 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. With population growth now hovering just above zero and only around 100 homes built per year on Kauai, were currently facing an infrastructure crisis. More County Housing Projects- We must push for more housing for local residents by supporting replicating successful projects like our 30-unit Kealaula transitional housing, our 53-unit Pua Loke affordable rentals and our multi-phase, multi-unit Lima Ola project in Ele`ele that includes senior, single family and affordable housing. I have a degree in political science from the University of Hawaii. I look forward to supporting more discussions in all the above areas. Food and resource production to feed and support a resilient Kauai is the goal above revenue productivity. Supporting and growing our Kaua`i Made and Kaua`i Grown programs. 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. I want to thank all of our leaders in our community for the work you have done and keep doing. 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. Top priority projects would get done first than feasible jobs next and then everything else according to budget and importance. 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). You cant take a risk on starting a business if you cant afford rent. Im committed to having an open- door policy and look forward to working with our businesses. I personally have lost faith in our recycling efforts. FILE - Ross Kagawa to return to Kauai County Council after Gov. We need to reestablish this pattern as it is essential to best governance. In my first four budget sessions, managing the county budget has been relatively comfortable working with the mayors office as they have presented a balanced budget with excess to return to our county reserve fund. I need more information about the Phase 2 and 3 land acquisitions and what the purpose and proposed use of that area is. references explore and understand land use, zoning, and permitting with the objective being to create a white paper. Kauai doesnt even need the climate to change to benefit by the Kauai Climate Adaptation Plans the county currently has underway. Yes, I support establishing equitable property tax rates so that the services the county provides have the resources to execute fairly. I will look at and instigate funding opportunities via the federal infrastructure bill. Regenerative tourism focuses on the supply-side, host communities and ecosystems, rather than just the visitors needs and wants of the market-demand approach. Making sure we increase our Capital Improvement Projects investments as we have done in this most recent budget. 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. To achieve agricultural self-sufficiency, the General Plan recommends the following relevant code changes: (1) Revise the agricultural property tax regime, including but not limited to the Agricultural Dedication program, to increase incentives to lease land for productive farms: (2) Increase incentives to lease land to small farmers through revisions to the agricultural property tax regime; (3) Expand commercial agriculture, attract new agricultural support and value-added industries, and promote locally-grown commodity sales; (4) Increase small-scale diversified farming, including, but not limited to, fruits and vegetables, building materials, medicinal plants, aquaculture, apiaries, flowers, and livestock; (5) Provide incentives and opportunities for agricultural housing, jobs, training, processing/ transport of goods, and other needs. LIHU'E In a procedure unique among Hawai'i counties, Kaua'i County councilmembers unanimously voted Wednesday to approve raises that will likely affect some of their own salaries. The safety features that include extension of the runway and realignment of the taxi-ways are important. Not everyone gets a second chance. My ideas are focused around establishing a stronger circular local economy that empowers our small businesses and entrepreneurs. The tax rate for the Vacation Rental class is the second highest tax rate in the county. While there is talk about airport expansions, tourism management and focusing on the right visitors, we fail to acknowledge the horrific impacts that tourism is having on our local residents. We would need to work together to look at giving incentives to property owners who rent out their home for a reasonable rate i.e. These properties are not easily transformed into living units without kitchens, particularly with air conditioning failure. Secondly, I would consider the construction and development of a highly qualified and sought after school for science and technology or arts & music conservatory. During the pandemic we saw planes, cars, and foot traffic come to a halt and with that pause, our environment took a huge breath of fresh air. The DMAP is a positive forward step in creating a better relationship with tourism that feels less extractive to local residents. All local sellers source from local vendors, thus fulfilling the circular economy. I have over thirty years experience working and volunteering in Government, Labor Unions, Non-Profits and Community Organizations. Thats a 38% increase in nightly rates since before the pandemic. Why? An over-arching action is greater collaboration between the State and County to offer a unified policy reshaping visitor activity to recognize they are visiting a unique culture rather arriving in a theme park to entertain themselves. Increases to the affordable housing inventory are desperately needed. I would oppose increasing the rental car stacked garage facility. The county recycling program needs to be refreshed as soon as possible. Meaning that you can own a lucrative TVR on Kauai and pay far less in property taxes than even for a resident occupied home on the mainland. QUESTION #2If elected to the Council, how would you engage with the business community early in the legislative process? 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. E-mail sent to all Councilmembers only: 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. But I would try and Increase agriculture. Sports tourism is a huge market that we should explore. 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. Maintaining functioning infrastructure is the core bread and butter of county responsibilities. ', 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. I have the time to attend boards and commission meetings, community events, and have on-site visits with constituents, neighborhoods and businesses for stronger understanding of their specific needs. Transient Vacation Units have more acute impacts on the neighborhoods in the surrounding areas on the quality of life and potential availability of housing. 3) Ensure that we are capturing adequate tax revenue from vacant homes and vacation rentals. With my experience as a small business owner and experience in managing budgets with several local nonprofits, my focus will be ensuring our taxpayer dollars are used effectively and efficiently. 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. Similarly, the Biden White House released a housing plan that Reward jurisdictions that have reformed zoning and land-use policies with higher scores in certain federal grant processes. Along these lines, its our job to help make these reforms in our zoning code to help set up our various Departments to maximize the chances of receiving grant money. This sets up a more regenerative visitor economy. The mayors administration is responsible for applying for these typically competitive Federal grants. My preference is in the direction of Alternative 1 of the Lihue Airport Master Plan, as it is the least changed. When the Council on Wednesday chose Kagawa to replace former member Luke Evslin . Regular updates from the Administration at Council meetings is one way to provide the public with an opportunity to be engaged in government operations. 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 must support our County Planners engaging with Dept. [I will try to] make sure our mayor and his administration are doing all they can in all areas and be supportive, Kagawa said. An Incinerator is needed in Kekaha. We need to ask how we can resolve parking issues, especially on the North Shore. I am committed to having discussions in the open so that the public is aware of what is happening. 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. I agree it important to get everyones input, especially people who are working with community in the business world. If elected it would be important to make sure that there is ample opportunity for the business community to give their input and by providing early evenings and Saturday meeting times. 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. 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. 3. It was I believe we must find ways to discourage off shore vacation rental home buying, which is playing a part in pushing local families out of the market. That we are talking to our Senators and House Representatives and making them accountable that we receive a piece of the pie that is equitable. Kauai County Council. In the next two years, Im looking to implement all of the actions that were identified in the DMAP by the steering committee. The larger property of pools, fountains, lobbies, landscaped grounds, restaurants, etc. 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. The following came from Ross Kagawa, candidate for Kauai County Council. Currently Councilmember Evslin & I are working with you and other stakeholders on a bill to support EV-ready charging stations in parking lots. I believe this is what sets me apart with most candidates as I am actively engaged in our small business community. Please include your views on recycling, landfill site, source reduction, and other strategies. Early engagement with stakeholder groups is step one of effective policy development, in my view. Kauai County Council. 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kauai county council members
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