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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResponse Budget Review Follow-Up 04-06-2020 www.kauai.gov 4444 Rice Street Suite A473 • Līhu‘e, Hawai‘i 96766 • (808) 241-4050 (b) • (808) 241-6699 (f) An Equal Opportunity Employer DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING THE COUNTY OF KAUA‘I DEREK S. K. KAWAKAMI, MAYOR MICHAEL A. DAHILIG, MANAGING DIRECTOR KA̒ĀINA S. HULL DIRECTOR JODI A. HIGUCHI SAYEGUSA DEPUTY DIRECTOR MEMORANDUM TO: Arryl Kaneshiro, Committee of the Whole Chair FROM: Ka`aina S. Hull, Director of Planning VIA: Michael A. Dahilig, Managing Director DATE: April 9, 2020 RE: FISCAL YEAR 2020-2021 BUDGET FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS FOR APRIL 6, 2020 The following information is provided in response to the County Council April 6, 2020 Budget Follow-up questions for the Planning Department. #1 The Human Resource Vacancy Report will address all vacancy & recruitment questions #2 Anticipated revision in the May 8th Supplemental 1. Please confirm that you have three (3) current vacancies (Position Numbers 2008, 2001, and 2029) and respond to the following: a. Please confirm that there are no other vacancies. If there are any other vacancies or anticipated vacancies, please describe (in more than a few words) the planned recruitment effort for each, including the date you intend to initiate recruitment, how long you anticipate recruitment taking, and the earliest hire date and/or start date expected. Response: See item #1. b. For Number 2008, please confirm this position is dollar ($1)-funded for FY 2021 with no expectation of being filled. If otherwise, please explain. Response: See item #1. c. Please provide further detail than was provided in the HR Vacancy Report of March 15, 2020 for Position Numbers 2001 (“Recruiting”) and 2029 (“Continuous”), including when recruitment started, the current stage of recruitment, and the earliest hire date and/or start date expected for each. Response: See item #1. 2. For Position Number 9754, “PLANNER IV” (page 80), what is the “Other Source” that partially funds twenty percent (20%) of this position? Please describe the reliability of Ka`aina Hull (Apr 9, 2020) this other source for FY 2021 and beyond, and explain whether there could be a future need for additional General Fund moneys to cover that 20% portion. Response: The source that partially funds the Planner IV Position No. 9754 at twenty percent (20%) comes from the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Fund. In accordance with Chapter 6-14.2 of the Kaua‘i County Code (KCC), at any given time, no more than five (5%) of the Fund shall be used for administrative expenses by the Planning Department. In accordance with Chapter 6-14.1 of the KCC, each fiscal year’s budget, the Council appropriates a minimum of one-half of one percent (0.5%) of the certified real property tax revenues. The purpose of the Fund is to purchase or acquire property or land for the Open Space and Public Access program. Land purchase(s) or acquisitions which reduces or depletes the Fund, will affect the amount of moneys available for use to cover administrative expenses. 3. For Position Numbers 2021, “LAND USE PERMIT TECHNICIAN,” 2017, “ACCOUNT CLERK,” 2020, “CZM ENFORCEMENT OFFICER,” 2019, “PLANNER II,” and 10232, “PLANNING INSPECTOR III” (page 80), what are the “Other Source[(s)]” that fully fund these positions? Please describe the reliability of these other sources for FY 2021 and beyond, and explain whether there could be a future need for additional General Fund moneys to cover any portion of these positions. Response: Position Numbers 2021, “LAND USE PERMIT TECHNICIAN,” 2017, “ACCOUNT CLERK,” 2020, “CZM ENFORCEMENT OFFICER,” 2019, “PLANNER II,” are Grant Funded positions that are funded by the Federal Coastal Zone Management program. The Funding is from the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration that is managed by the State of Hawai‘i Office of Planning. This has been a reoccurring pass through grant that the County of Kaua‘i has received dating back to 1979. We are hopeful that the Federal Funding for the program will continue. Position No. 10232 (Planning Inspector III) is fully funded under the General Fund. 4. Under “CONSULTANT SERVICES” ($163,905 to $167,123) (page 81), please provide more detail on “UH SEA GRANT-GRANT SERVICES” ($167,122). Please also provide details on how this current fiscal year’s funds ($163,905) have been or are being expended. Response: The Funding under the “CONSULTANT SERVICES” account is used for the University of Hawai‘i Sea Grant Kaua‘i Coastal Process Extension Program. Through a Contract/Agreement between the County of Kaua‘i and the University of Hawai‘i the funding is used to provide the County of Kaua‘i with a UH Sea Grant Coastal Land Use Agent. The Kaua’i Coastal Processes and Land Use Extension Project contributes to improved protection of coastal resources and minimization of risks to human lives and safety by providing a Sea Grant liaison between scientists, managers, policy makers and the public to ensure the application of the best available coastal management practices. The program provides the County of Kaua’i and community stakeholders with support and expertise on critical coastal issues, including coastal hazard mitigation, coastal erosion and beach loss, water quality, watershed management, state and federal coastal zone management policy implementation, public trust issues, and public education. The proposed increase in the line item is for Collective Bargaining Increase with the University of Hawai‘i. For this current Fiscal Year, the UH Sea Grant Coastal Land Use Agent has provide and continues to provide advice on shoreline and coastal hazard mitigation for the Special Management Area Permits and Shoreline Setback requires for permits along the coastal area of Kaua‘i. The UH Sea Grant Agent has also provided similar advice on coastal hazard mitigation to other County Agencies, such as, the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Department of Public Works. In addition, the UH Land Use Agent continues to work with the Planning Department’s Long Range Planning Division staff and the community on a Sealevel Rise Community Vulnerability Assessment (CVA) for the West Kaua‘i Community Plan. The CVA are intended to implement pertinent actions of the Kauai General Plan and will incorporate new sea-level rise hazards exposure and vulnerability mapping information released in early 2018 by the Hawai’i Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission. 5. Thank you for sharing your encouraging successes in your Budget Narrative on “Enforcement Procedures Solidified and Implemented” about the emphasis and resources directed to transient vacation rental (TVR) enforcement. Please respond to the following: a. Please provide a brief, detailed summary report of all cases including the type and location of each violation. For each unresolved case, please include fines charged (if any), and for each resolved case, please include fines collected (if any). Response: There are several thousand cases that the Planning Department has opened over the past several years. To provide a detailed summary of each these cases will need additional time. Please see the attached Excel spreadsheet that does the requested case-by-case analysis for the 83 investigation cases our Enforcement Team has opened for the 2020 calendar year. If the Council would like for the Department to provide a detailed summary report for previous years, please let us know which specific years are being requested, and we can compile the data for those specific years and provide a report for each year. b. Because the Council has expressed this as an area of importance for quite some time, and because the Council currently in the budget process, now would be the appropriate time for you to request a new, second employee to complement the work of the existing Position Number 10231, “TVR PERMIT ENFORCEMENT RES SPEC.” Please explain whether: your Department could benefit from an additional position, the new position would also be funded by “Other Source,” and creating the new position would require Council support and/or action. Response: The Department appreciates the possibility of creating another position to complement our TVR Enforcement Specialist; however, given the current budget situation, we will not be seeking new positions at this time. Additionally, while we do have our Enforcement Fund as a possible fund source for a new position, it is the Department’s intention to reserve the rest of these funds for existing in house enforcement needs (ex. Host Compliance vendor contract) as well as to supplement litigation costs generated by due process appeals of our enforcement actions. FY20-21 Budget Follow-up Questions_04.06 PLN Final Audit Report 2020-04-11 Created:2020-04-10 By:Shelea Blackstad (sblackstad@kauai.gov) Status:Signed Transaction ID:CBJCHBCAABAA-rD6I8zBCVIYhaBc-sow91awbFtJ0yjt "FY20-21 Budget Follow-up Questions_04.06 PLN" History Document created by Shelea Blackstad (sblackstad@kauai.gov) 2020-04-10 - 6:25:30 AM GMT- IP address: 72.130.150.171 Document emailed to Ka`aina Hull (khull@kauai.gov) for signature 2020-04-10 - 6:26:05 AM GMT Email viewed by Ka`aina Hull (khull@kauai.gov) 2020-04-10 - 6:28:30 AM GMT- IP address: 72.130.84.211 Document e-signed by Ka`aina Hull (khull@kauai.gov) Signature Date: 2020-04-10 - 6:29:07 AM GMT - Time Source: server- IP address: 72.130.84.211 Document emailed to Michael Dahilig (mdahilig@kauai.gov) for signature 2020-04-10 - 6:29:08 AM GMT Email viewed by Michael Dahilig (mdahilig@kauai.gov) 2020-04-10 - 6:29:30 AM GMT- IP address: 72.130.159.16 Document e-signed by Michael Dahilig (mdahilig@kauai.gov) Signature Date: 2020-04-11 - 2:55:51 AM GMT - Time Source: server- IP address: 72.235.186.194 Signed document emailed to Ka`aina Hull (khull@kauai.gov), Michael Dahilig (mdahilig@kauai.gov) and SheleaBlackstad (sblackstad@kauai.gov) 2020-04-11 - 2:55:51 AM GMT