City of Paradise Park?

[Beachboy]

quote:

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Originally posted by Greg

I have trouble with the concept that people that pay higher property taxes are entitled to better services. Does living in a million dollar home justify a person better police protection and roads than someone in a $400,000 home? Are a working couple in a $150,000 home entitled to any services?

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isn't that the whole idea behind a gated community?

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Let's get together and over grow the government!!!!

[Greg]

Quote:
"Why not? If the few are paying the lion's share, why shouldn't they expect more and better services?" - Bob
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I believe the child of a minimum wage earner in Pahoa is entitled to the same level of services as a dot com millionaire in Keahou.

I also feel that the individual counts as much as the dollar, and that as people become more prosporous, they have more of a responsibility to those less fortunate. Many wealthy people feel and act this way, while others hire attorneys trained in retaining wealth through loopholes. To each his own, but was it Marie Antoinette who said of the peasants starving; "let them eat cake".

[Sean]

So what does a township designation mean? Tonight it was on the HPP owner's association agenda, but the presenter was off island so it was postponed.

What does a township designation confer? The tax rates don't really have a listing for township http://www.hawaiipropertytax.com/template.asp?page=2003taxrates.htm&mnu=Home&submnu=CurTaxRate
unless it changes it from ag to residential. We already have fire and police, would we get our very own police substation?

Is Pahoa a "township" or Keaau or Hilo? My google searches have come up a little bit empty.

There's no town on the Big Island that has it's own police department, they're all part of one force. So I would guess you don't get your very own police force out of the deal.

Would a township designation get us our own post office? Heck, I'd be happy if the postal service put in more PO boxes (there are 2000 with 800 going to non-HPP folks). I can think of several towns in rural California with fewer than a 1000 people and each one of them had a post office.

I don't know about the HPP population, but at tonights meeting it was mentioned that there are 6000 homes in HPP. IF HPP was like the 4 homes in Waipio Valley that were evacuated who had 27 people living in them (per Tribune Herald) then HPP would have -drum roll please, 162,000 people. Hmmmm, 10,000 might not be so far off.

So, back to the main question, what does a township designation confer in Hawaii (not the mainland).

Cheers,

Sean

[Bob Orts]

quote:

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Originally posted by Sean

So what does a township designation mean?

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Nobody knows what it means as it will be the first "official" political sub-division of the County. So anything and everything is wide open and on the table. There are no rules on any books, which means everyone will be throwing in their thoughts, wants, wishes, desires on everything that might happen.

[macuu222]

"A civil township is a widely-used yet loose term applied to varying entities of local government, with and without municipal status. Though all townships are generally given names and abbreviated "Twp.," their function differs greatly from state to state. While cities, towns, boroughs, or villages are common terms for municipalities; townships, counties, and parishes are sometimes not considered to be municipalities. In many states, counties and townships are organized and operate under the authority of state statutes. In contrast, municipal corporations are often chartered entities with a degree of home rule. However, there are some exceptions. Most notably, in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, townships are a class of incorporation with fixed boundaries and equal standing to a village, town, borough or city, analogous to a New England town or towns in New York. "

[Bob Orts]

The proposal is a pilot program (guinea pig) to see how a municipal style local government would work outside of the County style island wide government structure. Because there are NO such entities on Hawaii, HPP was chosen (let's not experiment on the good places). What it entails is anyone’s guess. What style of self governing is anyone’s guess. What cost to the residents is anyone's guess. The proposal does include a town government with its own police and fires service, and probably its own parks and recreation, sanitation, administration, politicians, etc., etc. I’m sure they will look at mainland way of operating, but with so many different types, who knows what it will morph into. About the only thing that is known is that the process of designing a municipal government will take years and years.

[Seeb]

Hawaii is unique in that it has a very short history of democratic government ( 50 years ). and that many in power grew up during the territorial/ plantation years and still think in that unquestioned central authority state of mind (take what we give you and be thankful for it).
In the rest of the US there were towns and villages before they were states. in the northeast there were city's before there was a country.
None of that history was smooth sailing there was fighting and bickering,bribery,extortion,outrage and calls to action the whole way.
But thru it all, people took interest and had pride in were they lived. And didn't treat it like some 3rd world real estate investment. They tryed to make it BETTER for their kids and their kids kids

[Sean]

Bob, just curious, but where do you get your info? I'm interested in this proposal and I've been looking on line. All I can get is the West Hawaii Today blurb that states "...turning Hawaiian Paradise Park into its own township, complete with police and fire services." There's no mention there of municipal government, just police and fire (and we have fire already). So add a police substation and call us a township?

Cheers,

Sean