• Ohana Kauai responds Ohana Kauai responds By Monroe Richman In The Garden Island issue of September 2 an article on the property tax task force amendments Eric Knutzen chose to offer comments as to the Ohana Kauai proposed Charter
• Ohana Kauai responds
Ohana Kauai responds
By Monroe Richman
In The Garden Island issue of September 2 an article on the property tax task force amendments Eric Knutzen chose to offer comments as to the Ohana Kauai proposed Charter amendment. These comments need correction.
Prior to Ohana Kauai seeking qualifying signatures for this measure to appear on the ballot, each Council member as well) as the Mayor had the opportunity to respond to the concern expressed by Ohana Kauai that we wished no bars to be done to the County. Their lack of comment was an affirmation to our willingness to place this issue before the voters.
Now, over a year later, Mr. Knutzen is saying that the proposed charter amendment will “hurt” the County. He says that this will occur because it only affects “one segment of the population”. No reason is given why aiding this “segment,” homes owned and occupied by County residents which covers the majority of the citizens of our island, can harm the County. He goes on rather lamely that the “revenue loss” he suggests of around $3 million in the initial year (incidentally this is down from an earlier estimate of $6 million. If he continues this decline he may be closer to the truth) will be transferred to other tax classes. It is true that the cost of benefits being provided for County residents may be “transferred” to others, but it remains unexplained why this shift “hurts” the County.
The County has the choice of a variety of ways it can offset the benefit to be given to County residents by the Ohana amendment. Increasing the tax bills of vacation rental and time share properties would be popular. Or, perish the thought, the County could rein in its spending. Interestingly, Mr. Knutzen is advocating the proposals made by the tax task force which include the repeal of the recently enacted circuit breaker and home dedication. These ordinances also have reduced tax burdens for County residents considerably more than $2 million this year. Talk of hurting the County, Eric, the people of Kaua‘i are the County.
Apparently it is the County government mentality that helping its citizens results in hurting the County. That is a view that Ohana Kauai does not understand. Nor should this view resonate with any voter who we know will reject this nonsensical argument in the November election by supporting the Ohana Charter amendment.
Monroe Richman is a resident of Po‘ipu and a member of Ohana Kauai
