HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/05/2011 Public Hearing Transcript re: Bill #2412PUBLIC HEARING
OCTOBER 5, 2011
A public hearing of the Council of the County of Kauai was called to order by
Tim Bynum, Chair, Finance /Parks & Recreation /Public Works Programs
Committee, on Wednesday, October 5, 2011, at 2:05 p.m., at the Council Chambers,
4396 Rice Street, Suite 201, Lihu`e, Kauai, and the presence of the following was
noted:
Honorable Dickie Chang
Honorable Tim Bynum
Honorable KipuKai Kuali`i
Honorable Nadine K. Nakamura
Honorable Mel Rapozo
Honorable JoAnn A. Yukimura
Honorable Jay Furfaro, Council Chair
The Clerk read the notice of the public hearing on the following:
Bill No. 2412 - A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE TO ESTABLISH A
NEW ARTICLE 20, CHAPTER 22, KAUAI COUNTY CODE 1987, AS
AMENDED, RELATING TO UNLAWFUL CONSUMPTION, POSSESSION
OR CONTROL OF INTOXICATING LIQUOR WITHIN PARKING LOTS
AND GROUNDS ADJACENT TO THE HISTORIC COUNTY BUILDING,
COUNTY ANNEX AND LIHU`E CIVIC CENTER,
which was passed on first reading and ordered to print by the Council of the County
of Kauai on September 7, 2011, and published in The Garden Island newspaper on
September 21, 2011.
The following communication was received for the record:
• Glenn Mickens, dated October 4, 2011
The hearing proceeded as follows:
GLENN MICKENS: Good afternoon Tim. Excuse me for being
premature at my testimony but at your permission, Tim, I'd like to go over
twelve (12) and thirteen (13) at the same time, I think they're...
Committee Chair Bynum
Mr. Mickens:
testimony you can go along with me.
are interrelated. Their main purpose,
indigent people.
That'll be fine.
Thank you. You have a copy of my
First I believe that both Bill 2412 and 2413
in my opinion, is aimed at the homeless and
Bill 2412 is related to unlawful consumption, possession, or control of
intoxicating liquor within parking Iots and grounds adjacent to the Historical
County Building. Again, the primary targets of this bill are the indigent and the
homeless.
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PUBLIC HEARING
BILL NO. 2412
OCTOBER 5, 2011
I believe that Bill 2413, prohibiting urinating and defecating in public areas
adjacent to the Historic County Building Annex and Civic Center, is in fact already
a law. Having been a police officer, 1 am sure that Mel can correct me if I'm wrong,
but I believe that either of these two (2) actions are unlawful if performed in any
public area.
My point here is that we appear to be ignoring what all of us know is the real
problem, the homeless people on our island. We cannot keep hiding our heads in
the sand and pretending that these people do not exist. Last Wednesday Ken
Taylor and I were standing by our cars in the lot out front at Committee break time.
An obvious homeless person approached us asking for money. I told him that he
probably wanted food and could go to the Food Bank or to the Salvation Army for
help. He started screaming and cursing at us when we told him no hand out and
yelled that he didn't need a lecture. Obviously he just wanted money for booze and
drugs and went wild when we wouldn't give him any.
The tables and benches have been removed from this park area to make it
inconvenient for the homeless to be there though they still sit on the walls
surrounding the statues. Thus the public is denied tables and benches to sit or
picnic on and are also being penalized. This major problem must be addressed but
in my opinion neither of these two (2) Bills will solve anything. I believe we have
five hundred (500) or more homeless people on Kauai, and on a case by case basis
they need to have a shelter to live in. I say case by case basis because I know
there's a certain element of people they want to live like this, they want to live in a
park or car, on the beach or whatever. So I think on a case by case basis I think
you're going to have to take these people one (1) by one (1) and see what it is, is
wrong with them. It's going to take time and money to be able to do such a thing
and I know it. I see the large problem they've had on Oahu with the same thing
trying to move around but we do need a absolute type of a shelter with a fence
around for security purposes so these people can have some place to go if they are so
deserving it. Anyway that's my testimony.
Committee Chair Bynum: Thank you Glenn.
Mr. Mickens: Thank you Tim.
Committee Chair Bynum: Is there anyone else in the audience that
would like to testify on this matter. Seeing none, we'll move to the next agenda
item.
There being no further testimony on this matter, the public hearing adjourned at
2:11 p.m.
Re ctfully submitted,
.~
PETER A. NAKAMURA
County Clerk
/ds
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