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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/05/2010 Public Hearing Transcript re: BILLS#2358, 2359, 2360PUBLIC HEARING MAY 5, 2010 A public hearing of the Council of the County of Kauai was called to order by Daryl W. Kaneshiro, Chair, Budget & Finance Committee, on Wednesday, May 5, 2010, at 6:17 p.m. at the Council Chambers, 3371-A Wilcox Road, Lihu`e, Kauai, and the presence of the following was noted: Honorable Tim Bynum Honorable Dickie Chang Honorable Jay Furfaro Honorable Daryl W. Kaneshiro Honorable Lani T. Kawahara Honorable Derek S. K. Kawakami Honorable Bill "Kaipo" Asing, Council Chair The Clerk read the notice of the public hearing on the following: 1) BILL NO. 2358 - A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 23, KAUAI COUNTY CODE 1987, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO CONCESSIONS AT SPOUTING HORN, 2) BILL NO. 2359 - A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 17-1.1 OF THE KAUAI COUNTY CODE 1987, RELATING TO RENEWAL FEE FOR MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATOR'S LICENSE, 3) BILL NO. 2360 - A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE AMENDING SECTION 5-2.4 OF THE KAUAI COUNTY CODE 1987, RELATING TO MOTOR VEHICLE CERTIFICATE OF OWNERSHIP AND REGISTRATION FEES, which were passed on first reading and ordered to print by the Council of the County of Kauai on March 22, 2010, and published in The Garden Island newspaper on April 21, 2010. The hearing proceeded as follows: STEVE LAURYN: Good evening Councilmembers, my name is Steve Lauren. Thank you for this opportunity to speak to you tonight. I've been part of the Spouting Horn program for 13 consecutive years as a vendor. The merchants of Spouting Horn hope you'll find it refreshing that we are not here to ask for money, but to be allowed to continue contributing it. One of the opportunities Spouting 1 Horn affords you is the chance to meet and visit with hundreds of visitors each week and to hear about their experiences visiting our island. For what it's worth, over the years I found that that connection is really what makes Spouting Horn a special place, and I found in the past year or so while trying to explain to some of our repeat visitors who ask why we may be closing down that Spouting Horn is perhaps an attraction or cultural feature that helps to set Kauai apart from some of the other islands. The opportunity to browse and find goods and gifts offered in an informal setting by the ocean offered by folks just like themselves, to talk story, and maybe do some haggling and find some deals. This somehow seems a good fit with Kaua`i's reputation as an island where the people are friendly and welcoming and not too formal. I'd also like to point out that Spouting Horn keeps some 50 people working or in employment, and that that employee payroll falls somewhere between 400 and 500,000 per year. We also support local crafters, jewelry makers, and artisans. And my estimate of this support for just Kauai island alone is 350 to 400,000 per year based on and extrapolating from my own support of those businesses. Collectively, at the end of our current we will have paid around 80,000 in county property taxes, 850,000 in excise taxes to the State, and as you know, our rent contribution to the county is currently about 488,000 per year, or about 2.4 million for the duration of the contract. I would simply like to add my voice to Mayor Carvalho's and to those who feel that Spouting Horn is good to many of the people on Kauai, good for the county, and good for our visitors. Thank you very much for your time and consideration in this matter. Mr. Kaneshiro: Thank you. Any questions by committee members? Ms. Kawahara: Is that written testimony in our packets? Mr. Kaneshiro: Yeah. You have a written testimony that you want to submit to us also? We can make copies of it. Mr. Lauryn: It's a pretty rough copy. Ms. Kawahara: I like the numbers that you were giving us. Mr. Furfaro: You got 6 days. You can resubmit it if you want to clean it up. Mr. Lauryn: Can I do that, because I've got some chicken scratch... Mr. Kaneshiro: Okay. Absolutely. Mr. Lauryn: How do I get it to the... Mr. Furfaro: You can just get it down here to council office... 2 Mr. Kaneshiro: We'll have staff help you with that. Next speaker please. DALE SUTTON: Good evening Councilmembers, my name is Dale Sutton. I've been out at Spouting Horn for 25 years. It's a good place to have a business. It's wonderful to be part of all our visitors. Steve Lauren pretty much covered everything that I wish to speak on, especially the numbers. Because we have contracts with the county, our contribution is a given. Every month you are guaranteed that money will be coming in from us. The only other thing I really want to stress is please don't forget our families. Don't forget the people who rely on these businesses, and how far reaching that can be. And that's all. Thank you for your time. Mr. Kaneshiro: Thank you. Any questions? If not, thank you very much. Are there any other speakers in this chamber that wanted to speak on any of the notice of public hearing that was read by our clerk? If not, this public hearing is now adjourned. There being no further testimony on these matters, the public hearing adjourned at 6:24 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ~~-.._ta. ~- PETER A. NAKAMURA County Clerk 3