I debate about posting this for 2 days because I don't want to come across as an county apologist (and your welcome to start a thread and we can debate the evils of the county), but i made a challenge and it's only right to fulfill my end.
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Originally posted by kalakoa
Put up an actual idea or anything productive for once.
The biggest problem facing this County is that it's nearly impossible to retrofit a lack of civic planning.
Start with "one size does not fit all". When surveying the populace to determine "growth posture", determine that need/desire on subdivision boundaries if not smaller. Don't limit my subdivision to the choices made by another subdivision.
Agreed.
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When producing these endless studies and master plans, and putting issues up for vote by the public, clearly state the potential impact of alternatives. It's not enough to say "no development near my house", people must also agree that "we accept 2-hour drives to Hilo".
That's great in theory, but fails in practice. The most vocal people pushing the issues are those with free time and resources, while those mostly affected are stuck working or in traffic.
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Instead of a mass transit system that facilitates "going to Hilo", why not bring Hilo services to the people? Think "mobile tax office" making the rounds, like a bookmobile, stopping by the various subdivisions on a regular schedule.
So your answer to expensive bloated county government is to add more county employees and services? Realistically how many times a month do you drive to Hilo for county services (property tax/fire/water/police/civil defense/planning/prosecutor/dmv)? one? two? You can even do a lot of things via the mail or on-line and save yourself a job.
As for a bookmobile idea, the library system is run by the state, so by putting it in the county responsibility you open up a whole can of worms. What county agency will oversee it? How many more employees are needed to run the bookmobile, to purchase the books, do the maintenance and purchase the fuel.
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PMAR is only relevant as a means to "drive to Hilo for everything" -- which would be less important if we had the "neighborhood commercial" zoning suggested by the PCDP. (When the PCDP is viewed as "placating the public with the appearance of a decision" instead of an actual plan, the document makes more sense.)
I hate to break it to you, but people will always have to "drive to Hilo". 1) There isn't enough jobs in Pahoa to employ everyone 2) Unless you can convince the big stores to open up in Pahoa it will always be cheaper to drive to Hilo to buy things. 3) With so many people commuting to Hilo for work there won't be enough customers for the Walmart's and Targets to open a store in Pahoa.
Pahoa has a grocery store (2 if you count longs), a hardware store, pharmacies, restaurants and even an urgent care. In theory everything is there that you shouldn't need to drive to Hilo but in reality it will still be cheaper to drive to Hilo and buy things there.
As for medical, if Hilo (which is more populous and affluent) has problems recruiting doctors, what chance does Pahoa have? It's getting so bad that "drive to Hilo" is being replaced with "fly to Oahu" for certain specialists.
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If our elected "leaders" are unable/unwilling to make any substantive decision because this is political suicide ... then they're not qualified to hold office. I did not vote to have these people installed so they could further their poilitical careers; we need them to make actual decisions and address real problems.
Or they reflect the will of the voters that put them there. Have you considered that you are the outlier? It looks to me like the environmentalists that want to stop all development, the fixed income retirees, the NIMBY's and the jobless welfare recipients are the majority and they are vocal with lots of free time. Just look at what is happening with TMT.
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The "Mass Transit Master Plan" suggests that a GET increase would generate $20-30M in revenue that could be used to buy more buses and hire more staff and build a baseyard in Kona -- the idea being that maybe if we spend enough, we will lose less than $12 per passenger.
20-30 million islandwide(9 districts), 3.33 million per district, unless you plan on appropriating it all for punatics. Then you want to add more county positions (more bloat) more spending and further subsidized transportation so the hotels can keep paying for cheaper labor.
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The real problem is that mass transit only works well in high-density areas, which this county is not. Many people have to ride the bus from Puna (land of cheap housing) to Kona (good-paying hotel jobs), and I suspect that most of them would rather do something else for 4 hours a day. The resorts should be required to implement affordable worker housing, or they should be helping to directly subdidize the bus system rather than leave it to the taxpayers to cover the cost of long commutes for their workers.
Actually, the county should work with the hotels/resorts to implement a shuttle service. Less stops = shorter commute, and if the shuttle is late the employees won't get punished for being late for work.
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At a cost of $1M/lane-mile, $20-30M/year GET revenue would pay for more lanes on 130 pretty quick. Problem is, widening the highway isn't enough, traffic flow will still be choked at any intersection, even with more traffic lights. Maybe if people didn't have to drive to Hilo for everything...
Again, its 30 mil islandwide. Highway 130 is also a state right-of-way. The state has a history of taking the taxes from the neighbor islands and only providing the bare minimum. As the state can find millions for projects like the school of pharmacy or a turning lane for an agricultural facility, do you think throwing more county money will actually make a difference?
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If I were elected mayor, yes, I would force (both of) the PMAR issue without regard for the political consequences. While it is unlikely that either PMAR would actually be built, there might be some near-term concessions, maybe even enough to improve the quality of life.
It won't, it will cost millions and years to acquire the land, and by then you will have pissed off so many people you will be voted out before construction begins. Everyone likes the idea, no one wants it near them nor wants to pay for it.
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The job of a politician is politics, not productivity. Electing more politicians won't make any difference.
The problem with politicians is the voters and their short term thinking. No one gets elected on the platform of "I will keep the status quo and keep it affordable". Politicians get judged on "what did you do for me?" or "what did you get me?" so they choose the low hanging fruit of studies, master plans and parks.
