kauai county council members
I will work with the Department of Public Works, and other departments, to understand the ways that the council can ensure funding and needs are met for planned infrastructure projects to move them forward in a timely manner. The rising seas and flooding require us to look at limiting and even restricting any further structures being built along our shorelines and along our rivers. Housing for our people (and the landfill) is the most needed and hardest challenge in this questionnaire. Another focus is on prioritizing workforce housing and affordable housing in county permitting processes so that these projects dont increase exorbitant costs because of timing. 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. Evolving environmental regulations have eliminated any new location to be an appropriate site for our next landfill. We must continue to assist local businesses and community organizations as they pivot away from importing raw materials to sourcing local materials. I went to KCC and the University of Hawaii to receive my Political Science Degree. As a Council Member I would be committed to addressing these things. Our Kauai Climate Change Adaptation Plan will indeed include Managed Retreat, a difficult response to coastal erosion where oceanfront property structures are demolished and rebuilt inland. I would help with any kind of communication that I can do as a county council member. broward health medical center human resources phone number; . Advocating for watershed protection for continued flow of water in wet seasons and dry. I want to thank all of our leaders in our community for the work you have done and keep doing. I will be following this issue diligently and am interested in public opinion. My lifelong experiences as a community organizer for economic and social justice has taught me how to work effectively with many different organizations and people. I will also work on efforts to reduce waste production, working with local businesses and importers to figure out where there are ways we can reduce our waste generation in other ways, particularly relating to plastic. Create positive contributions to the quality of life for Kauais residents. In college I took courses in climate science and learned about climate adaptation and mitigation. COUNTY OF KAUAI https://kauai.gov . QUESTION #1What is your vision for a thriving agricultural sector on Kauai and how can the County Council support that vision?. Vacation rentals were grandfather in long before I became a council member and will be part of our taxable economy. I Want to plant more fruits and vegetables that can be dried and sold. In the tourism industry, we must continue to focus on regenerative and restorative visitor experiences that continue to empower our local businesses and organizations. Profound events are far more challenging with resort properties. To ensure short and long term fiscal health, we need to: 1) Reinvest in our existing towns. These tiny worker homes can have revocable permits but are a necessity for effective food production, harvesting and distribution. This year we had close to 15 million in our housing fund per our county budget, state and federal grants that will be applied to Lima Oil work force housing development in Eleele, we also have our Waimea 400 project and our Kilauea housing project on the horizon. I support the intent of the plan which is focusing on short, intermediate, and long-term development needs of the Airport that meet aviation demands for potential environmental and socio-economic. If elected, my focus will be on legislative bills that enable our local producers to be sustainable businesses and community organizations. 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. Waimea Huakai and Habitat for Humanity Affordable Housing, Waimea, Kauai. Recruiting and retaining qualified staffing is a continuous challenge. Construction and Demolition is a large contributor to our landfill. My strength as a detailed, numbers guy fighting for our citizens hard-earned tax dollars is needed now more than ever. 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. The County needs to help fill this void by requiring that a certain percentage of parking stalls in new commercial and multi-family construction be EV-ready (meaning that it has the conduit and receptacle in place for an EV-charger, without having to rip up the parking lot in the future), we need to help reimburse property owners for installing EV chargers, and we need to facilitate access to the $16M in Federal EV infrastructure money getting funneled through the State. If elected to council I will be an open door and listening ear for the business community. These illegal units take away long term rentals. euclid city council election results. Executive authority is vested in the Mayor of Kauai, elected by the voters on a nonpartisan basis to a four-year term. 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 ! I would first have to hear what is required on our part if we receive this funding and I would make it known to the public what these infrastructure changes include and ask the people if we want what they are offering. 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. But I would try and Increase agriculture. Regardless of what happens with the Master Plan, its vital for us to work to reduce the number of visitor accommodations on Kauai as that is still the Countys best tool for managing the industry. Having good common sense in our decision-making process that not all council members have. We know that a lot of knaka iwi (Native Hawaiians) dont vote. LIHU'E A resolution set to go before County Council Wednesday would increase the maximum salaries of the mayor,. 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. Supporting efforts to expand local food production agriculture can reverse our 90% importation of food, but it must be a collaborative effort between all levels of government, community members, educators, nonprofits, farmers and consumers. Kauai, along with every other state and county in the country, is facing strong long-term fiscal headwinds from two sources: demographics and infrastructure. The need to be prepared for this stream of funding for our overall infrastructure needs is very important. Although many, including myself, had hoped for a Curbside Recycling Program by now, our Mayor and Administration has determined it isnt economically feasible because of the extreme cost and because it would only increase our diversion rate by 5%. These properties are not easily transformed into living units without kitchens, particularly with air conditioning failure. To that end, the top priorities I plan to focus on are: Rebuilding, Diversifying & Strengthening Our Economy Creating Jobs & Supporting Local Business. Our State and Federal partners need to recognize that the Hawaiian islands have unique characteristics different than a continent. To be a candidate for the Kaua'i County Council you must be a resident and a "qualified voter" for two years preceding the election. If the Master Plan does not contain an option for no-growth in arriving flights, I think its important for our State Legislators to commit to not fund improvements meant to expand capacity. The sites in dryer areas are ideal, but the Koloa location is too close to Waita Reservoir. There is no need to have a residential rate, then a vacation rental rate and then a hotel and resort rate. Kauai Community College could be a valuable partner in this effort. We are out of time. We also deferred a significant amount of road repairs and road resurfacing. I would continue to work with the State and Federal representatives to support options that will mitigate the impacts of climate change on Kauai. We cannot achieve economic diversification if the next generation cant afford to live here. We guide food tours in town core centers, bringing visitors to locally owned restaurants and chefs that utilize local ingredients. 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. My government experience is based on making sure that any infrastructure projects will need to be to be well planned out and supported at all levels of government with strong input from our community. Read more Mahalo for reading. Government services and infrastructure are much cheaper to provide within our existing town cores than spread across our agricultural lands. 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 A thriving agriculture sector includes small diversified farms, neighborhood food production, livestock, loi kalo, and export crops in which Kauai continues to be the Garden Island. Affordable housing refers to those projects funded through County support, Federal tax credits, and/or imposition on developers. Holland came in ninth place during the 2022 Kauai County Council election. We have successfully reduced all our major events from delivering hundreds of pounds of waste to our landfill. Leveling out the rates and getting more funding for our housing fund would ultimately mean we could provide more workforce housing for our hospitality workers, teachers, nurses and all our working families. The consolidation of the ticket-lobby and baggage claim areas seems prudent. 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. If re-elected, I will continue to work on policies like those outlined above to help reduce the cost of housing for Kauai residents. What parts to you oppose? August 13, 2022 (Primary) Kauai. Making sure our County works closely with the Dept. Working with the State to ensure irrigation water is available to all prime and potential agricultural lands. 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 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. If elected, I think education would help economic diversification. I will focus on issues such as land use, housing, and financial barriers that make local food production cost prohibitive. Putting this price tag of a MURF on our residence of Kauai will cripple their monthly budget. Click here and log in to view this story Start Free. I do not support a Lhue Master Plan that does not consider the increased effects on our entire island infrastructure with increased capacity. I would start by looking at these areas and figuring out where the County is best suited to be able to help and how. 3. The County needs to streamline the permitting for affordable housing. I will continue this practice if elected. We could be doing so much more for our island. The County is currently pursuing three large housing projects in Kilauea, Waimea and Eleele. Right now our countys vision is to, Increase agricultural income and opportunities on Kauai through working closely with farmer groups to assist them in obtaining resources and other assistance to solve industry problems or take advantage of opportunities. My vision would to be to follow through with more programs focusing on educating the children and families in our community. To add on to question 8. 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. We need to literally start planting seeds now for a thriving agricultural sector tomorrow. While Kauai County doesnt have an inventory of available lands, we must work with the State to allow the use of state lands for the purpose of developing truly affordable housing. Supporting the maintenance of the old plantation irrigation systems. FILE - Ross Kagawa to return to Kauai County Council after Gov. Holding these mainland investors more accountable to their responsibility here on the island is a must. Thank you. Mahalo for taking the time to send out this questionnaire and Mahalo for all that you do to help Kauai County. Supporting our farmers markets and possibly expanding program. These successes result from partnering with the State & developers, tax credits, fast-track permitting, a streamlined regulatory process and/or having available funding. Since being elected in 2018, I have been reaching to collaborate with the various departments of the State of Hawaii, and Federal granting to identify pathways for hazard and flood mitigation. Kauai doesnt even need the climate to change to benefit by the Kauai Climate Adaptation Plans the county currently has underway. But, the industry has more than recovered. I will be transparent, clear and thoughtful in the things I support and dont, with an explanation and an open door. 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. Our County should also work in partnership with private entities wherever possible to create additional wastewater treatment facilities. 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. There should be a pick up like we have for garbage for correctly separated and cleaned items. 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 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 would support the addition of one gate, but not three. This is a state-wide effort that has and will defiantly make a difference for us all. Private partnerships may be required, such as small scale anaerobic digesters under consideration. Expanding & Maximizing Existing Infrastructure Besides additional funding, we must support expanding and maximizing our existing infrastructure. We need policies that limit these large developments until there is a solution planned for our landfill. Second, we must utilize innovative agricultural practices by empowering local businesses and community organizations. 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. The Kauai General Plan says it best: 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. In my opinion, a thriving agricultural sector consists of both small and large farms producing food, lumber, and energy crops. 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. Offering a more permanent 2% revenue stream into the Housing Revolving Fund to the voters through a ballot initiative is an imperfect measure that I will support. I would prioritize projects and tackle projects one at a time. Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island file Historic Kaua'i County Building. Im eager to help better the lives of our local community with sound decisions at the council level. The county recycling program needs to be refreshed as soon as possible. Kagawa previously served on the Kauai County Council from 2012 until 2020, when he reached his positions consecutive term limit. A social worker, a fire commissioner and a couple of current or former County Council members are in the running to fill two vacant seats in Hawaii's Legislature. 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. A policy I wish to develop is the ability of a tax class to change in the middle of a budget year. There are old cane haul roads that should be evaluated for best potential to create alternative routes. We must also continue to support local chefs, restaurants, and other food establishments by using more local ingredients. 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. Explore FeliciaCowden.com for more info! We need to find county solutions to reduce the cost of housing. And, every year they come down in price. We are clearly over capacity for tourism and our General Plan contains bold language on the need to keep visitor arrivals at reasonable levels. My concern is with the proposed forecast increase over the next few years. 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). Once we have identified the actual number of legal accommodation units, we need to reassess their impacts to our communities and tax them accordingly. I am committed to addressing our drug problem in a meaningful way. So we really need to analyze, Well what do we do? Protecting Our `Aina & Sustenance Lifestyles Protecting our Natural Resources, Agriculture (farming & ranching) & Local Sustenance Lifestyles (gardening, gathering, hunting & fishing). I am a neighborhood food producer at my home in Kilauea and a host of talk radio on KKCR. 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kauai county council members