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+--- Thread: Leilani residents give council an earful (/showthread.php?tid=20045)
Leilani residents give council an earful - Rob Tucker - 08-07-2018
I was at the council chambers this morning and Council member O'Hara had arrange for lower Puna residents to testify to council on the ongoing situation. Council got an earful. A lot of emotional testimony and none of it happy with Civil Defence and their handling of the lava situation. Some of it was tearful. A common theme was that a stressful situation was made worse by they was residents were treated and are still treated.
A new thread was an ask for the CoH to abate property taxes for Pahoa and Volcano Village businesses who are struggling to survive. A lot of residential properties are now valued at zero. A lot of Pahoa and Volcano Village businesses have business down 80% or more. Lack of lava viewing opportunities are to blame.
They were all grateful to Eileen O'Hara for the opportunity to vent. The council mostly seemed attentive and empathetic nut what comes of it will remain to be seen.
There was so much testimony I couldn't wait any loinger to see what happened with the Bill 160 (truth) vote... but Leilani folks were complaining about wrong and bad information being at the root of their complaints.
RE: Leilani residents give council an earful - kalakoa - 08-07-2018
... an ask for the CoH to abate property taxes for Pahoa and Volcano Village businesses ... Pahoa and Volcano Village businesses have business down 80% or more.
Not to sound insensitive, but: abating those property taxes creates a budgetary shortfall that must be made up by raising taxes elsewhere, effectively requiring "everyone else" to subsidize Pahoa/Volcano Village.
To the extent that this is theoretically an "investment" in "future tourism-based revenue opportunities" ... where was CoH when Pahoa needed a wastewater system? Where are Sal's permits to open Luquin's Cantina? How about that lava viewing area?
Leilani folks were complaining about wrong and bad information
Good thing this came up in time to revise Bill 160 with language about "except during a declared emergency".
RE: Leilani residents give council an earful - terracore - 08-07-2018
"A new thread was an ask for the CoH to abate property taxes for Pahoa and Volcano Village businesses who are struggling to survive."
This strikes a weird chord for me, because I am typically against taxes and bigger government. But I'm also pro-business and pro-market. In the end, the market drives business. Just using fake numbers for a town called Spewing Mountain (because I have no idea what the specifics are in Volcano), if the town supports 10 restaurants based on 50% of the business being from tourists, and the tourists stop coming, then the town can probably only support 5 restaurants. But some businesses (market forces) adapt. Maybe 5 of the 10 restaurants only served Bland Asian Food, but two of them switched to menus with flavor, so now the town can support 7 restaurants instead of 5.
Necessity is the mother of invention. Government welfare, not so much.
RE: Leilani residents give council an earful - Rob Tucker - 08-07-2018
Anybody want to guess who made the ask for abatement of business property taxes?
RE: Leilani residents give council an earful - kalakoa - 08-07-2018
if the town supports 10 restaurants based on 50% of the business being from tourists, and the tourists stop coming
Funny you should mention this: with the possible exception of the Lodge, restaurants in town have been declining in quality to the point that I don't bother going anymore.
It's almost as if they're catering to tourists -- because those tourists won't be back anyway.
In which case a "market-based correction" is the right answer.
RE: Leilani residents give council an earful - terracore - 08-07-2018
"Anybody want to guess who made the ask for abatement of business property taxes?"
At least give us a hint, were they from Pahoa or Volcano?
RE: Leilani residents give council an earful - Rob Tucker - 08-07-2018
Pahoa
RE: Leilani residents give council an earful - terracore - 08-07-2018
Rudderman?
RE: Leilani residents give council an earful - Rob Tucker - 08-07-2018
No.
RE: Leilani residents give council an earful - reni - 08-07-2018
"They were all grateful to Eileen O'Hara for the opportunity to vent. The council mostly seemed attentive and empathetic but what comes of it will remain to be seen."
This is exactly what many of us have been pondering with the fate of Na Hoa Holomoku. We too had our time with the Council today. our letters of support have been awesome! The low cost opportunity to sailing NHH has offered for over a decade is something worthy of preserving.
The question is............Does the Council have any power at all over the Civil Service of our County???????