Kauai needs an accounting if what vehicle disposal costs are

For you hard working citizens out there who would like an accounting of where your tax dollars are going, please read this summation of the 11/29/00 county council meeting.

Bill #l959 relating to vehicle beautification fees was the bill our council passed by a 6 to l margin with only council member Hooser voting against it. The vote came after a very emotional and long 4 l/2 hour testimony from many wise and brilliant people on Kauai regarding our GPU and by the late hour Bill l959 came up, there were understandably very tired council members. Nonetheless, the taxpayers will now be paying another $3 on their vehicle registration fee PLUS some of our recently raised property tax will also be going towards wrecked car disposal so that this is not, as some claim, just a user fee. Councilman Hooser so well enumerated his reasons for voting against this new tax which were touched on in a previous letter so I wont repeat myself. If you have the chance to view it on Ho’ike, all of Mr.

Hooser’s testimony can be seen on the last half hour of the 5 hour program.

Then once you have had a chance to either see the program or read this testimony, it would be nice if you could phone the Garden Island (245 368l ext. 252) and tell our outstanding staff writer, Dennis Wilken, whether or not you approve of the passage of this bill. It may be a done deal, but people’s input can always help guide future policies that come before the council—or any of our elected officials for that matter.

There are definitely pros and cons on this issue and the 6 council members who voted for passage did vote their conscience. Especially Billy Swain who should be commended for the work he did at the legislative end trying to get something accomplished. However Gary’s major arguments against it was that before just throwing more money at the problem, let’s get an accounting of WHAT the car disposal cost really is; where so much money is being wasted making our car disposal fee far greater than any other Island; and making some kind of an exit plan to really solve the problem.

Glenn Mickens, Kapaa