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HomeMy WebLinkAbout7-14-14 Minutes CCC(CZ)(tt)COUNTY OF KAUAI Minutes of Meeting OPEN SESSION Board /Committee: Cost Control Commission Meeting Date July 14, 2014 Location Mo'ikeha Building — Meeting Room 2A/B Start of Meeting: 1:30 p.m. End of Meeting: 2:03 p.m. Present Chair Arryl Kaneshiro; Vice -Chair Laurie Yoshida; Members: Dirk Apao and Glenn Takenouchi Also present: Board & Commissions Office Staff: Support Clerk Mercedes Youn Excused Commissioners Joanne Nakashima and Sandi Sterker Absent SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION Call To Order Chair Kaneshiro called the meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. with four (4) Commissioners present to ascertain a quorum. Approval of Regular Open Session Minutes of June 9, 2014. Commissioner Takenouchi moved to approve the Minutes minutes as circulated, Commissioner Apao seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0 Business CCC- Review and discuss the County of Kauai 2013 CAFR and the County's revenues — fees, rates, assessments and taxes for fiscal year 2014 -15. 2014 -09 Chair Kaneshiro stated given the extent of the information, he suggested that the Commission start first by reviewing either the 2013 CAFR Report or the County fees and rates for fiscal year 2014 -15. He questioned when the last time the County increased its fees and rates for various types of permits /licenses. Staff shared with the Commission that the County Council passed Ordinance 959 recommending that the County maintain a comprehensive log of all County charges and fees. Chair Kaneshiro asked if the Commission could get a copy of the ordinance for the next meeting to which Staff replied yes. Vice Chair Yoshida stated she would like to review the dollar permits because it is costing the County more to process the permit, which brings the question of whether the County should charge a fee. She noted that if Cost Control Commission Regular Open Session July 14, 2014 Page 2 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION the dollar fee is attached to a larger fee then it would benefit the County cost wise to process the permit. Commissioner Takenouchi asked if there is a mechanism in place which allows either the Finance Department or individual departments to review the fees on an annual basis, or is it left up to the Cost Control Commission to review. He asked whether it would be appropriate to invite Finance Director Steve Hunt to the next meeting to discuss the type of methodology /philosophy the County utilizes to determine its fees, rates, assessments, and taxes. Staff acknowledged the Commission's request and will send a memo to Mr. Hunt to invite him to the meeting in August. Chair Kaneshiro stated a while back the Commission met with Parks Director Lenny Rapozo to discuss the possibility of increasing the permit fees for park users; however, Mr. Rapozo informed the Commission that he was against increasing fees because he felt the park pavilions are the one place where local families can gather to spend time together. Chair Kaneshiro noted that if the Commission wants to recommend any fee increases it would have to justify the cost to provide the service versus what the County is actually taking in monetarily. Vice Chair Yoshida stated because the information in the County's revenues — fees, rates, assessment and taxes report - is compiled she suggested that the Commission get input from the Director of Finance to see what form of methodology the County uses to set, review, and adjust its fees. She also questioned whether the County is reimbursed a portion of the time its personnel spends on processing the Hawaii State drivers Cost Control Commission Regular Open Session July 14, 2014 Page 3 SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION licenses. Chair Kaneshiro noted that there are two sets of vehicle registration fees, one for the State and the other for the County, and whether or not the County gets reimbursed for time spent by personnel to process the State fees is a question for the Director of Finance to address. Vice Chair Yoshida questioned what type of fees are subsidized, or which fees the County determines it wants to subsidize versus the fees that can pay for itself. Chair Kaneshiro pointed out that some of the fees are so minor it may not be worth the time to recommend an increase. Vice Chair Yoshida noted because it would cost the County more to process such a small fee why not eliminate the dollar fee all together. Chair Kaneshiro explained it would set bad precedence because once you eliminate a fee (even if it just a dollar) it would be very difficult to bring it back versus leaving it as is and then later increase it. Announcements Next meeting August 11, 2014, at 1:30 p.m. at the Mo'ikeha Building in the Liquor Conference Room. Adjournment With no further business to discuss, Chair Kaneshiro called for a motion to At 2:03 p.m. Commissioner Takenouchi moved adjourn the meeting. to adjourn the meeting. Vice Chair Yoshida seconded the motion. Motion carried 4:0 Cost Control Commission Regular Open Session July 14, 2014 Submitted by: Mercedes Youn, Staff Support Clerk (x) Approved as circulated on: September 8, 2014 ( ) Approved as amended. See minutes of meeting. Page 4 Reviewed and Approved by: Arryl Kaneshiro, Chair