02-25-2011, 05:08 AM
Just what some of our lobbyist got during normal talks. In my new job, I sometimes get to ask them to let me know what they hear on issues outside of our needs and they usually will "overhear" something. This enables them to talk other issues so as to blend our issues into conversations. It was Tuesday that one told me that the general feeling was that State Legislators wasn't sure if it came to a full vote if they could vote for it because they don’t have anything of substance to base their vote on.
I got the feeling that it was a "cart before the horse" type of thinking. Yes, the sharing of County FTR to private non profit groups is probably something best decided by the County since they know best, but, if the state is providing their blessing in law that it can absolutely be done, they want to see something besides just a yeah or nay. Had Hawaii County had something that was a working guideline, it would have eased concerns. As it stands now, could Hawaii County give the money only to new private developments? The answer is yes because nothing exist that says they couldn’t or wouldn’t. Too many questions are unanswered. Hawaii County is known for trying to skirt the rules and that wasn’t sitting well at the capital. What Hawaii County is saying may not be what they end up doing.
I believe that once the Ad-Hoc committee prepares some working document that outlines how the program would work, who's eligible, how funding would be balanced between County roads and private roads, and what restriction would apply, it probably would be smooth sailing. I don’t think anyone is really against it, more like they are voting on something without knowing how and what it most likely be.
I got the feeling that it was a "cart before the horse" type of thinking. Yes, the sharing of County FTR to private non profit groups is probably something best decided by the County since they know best, but, if the state is providing their blessing in law that it can absolutely be done, they want to see something besides just a yeah or nay. Had Hawaii County had something that was a working guideline, it would have eased concerns. As it stands now, could Hawaii County give the money only to new private developments? The answer is yes because nothing exist that says they couldn’t or wouldn’t. Too many questions are unanswered. Hawaii County is known for trying to skirt the rules and that wasn’t sitting well at the capital. What Hawaii County is saying may not be what they end up doing.
I believe that once the Ad-Hoc committee prepares some working document that outlines how the program would work, who's eligible, how funding would be balanced between County roads and private roads, and what restriction would apply, it probably would be smooth sailing. I don’t think anyone is really against it, more like they are voting on something without knowing how and what it most likely be.