HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/06/2017 Public hearing minutes on BILL#2661 PUBLIC HEARING
SEPTEMBER 6, 2017
A public hearing of the Council of the County of Kaua`i was called to order by
Ross Kagawa, Chair, Public Works / Parks & Recreation Committee, on Wednesday,
September 6, 2017, at 1:30 p.m., at the Council Chambers, 4396 Rice Street,
Suite 201, Historic County Building, Lihu`e, and the presence of the following was
noted:
Honorable Mason K. Chock
Honorable Ross Kagawa
Honorable Arryl Kaneshiro
Honorable Mel Rapozo
Not Present: Honorable Arthur Brun
Honorable Derek S.K. Kawakami
Honorable JoAnn A. Yukimura
The Clerk read the notice of the public hearing on the following:
"Bill No. 2661 — A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND
CHAPTER 16 OF THE KAUAI COUNTY CODE 1987, AS AMENDED,
RELATING TO THE TRAFFIC CODE,"
which was ordered to print by the Council of the County of Kaua`i on August 9, 2017,
and published in The Garden Island newspaper on August 17, 2017.
SCOTT K. SATO, Deputy County Clerk: We received no written
testimony and have no registered speakers.
Committee Chair Kagawa: Is there anyone from the public wishing to
speak on this? Come forward. If you can just sit in the chair, press the button on the
microphone, state your name, and then you may begin.
JAMES KAUHI: My name is James Kauhi. I am the State
Director of Student Transportation Services for the Department of Education. I am
here to provide expert guidance on the measure itself if anyone on the Council has a
question to ask. Let me give you some background information on myself
professionally. I have been in and around school busses my entire adult life. I was
in the private industry for ten (10) years as the Operations Manager of a fleet of
forty (40) school busses on Maui. I started my public career in 1985, all of it with
Pupil Transportation, and I have been serving the last seven (7) years as State
Director. I, myself, approached Council Chair Rapozo about this particular measure.
I think it is a positive move forward, not just for Kaua`i County, but certainly for the
Department of Education. I can provide any responses to any questions that you
might have.
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BILL NO. 2661
Committee Chair Kagawa: Thank you. Are there any questions?
Council Chair Rapozo: No. I do not have any questions. Thank you
for coming.
Mr. Kauhi: My pleasure. The Department of Education
definitely supports this measure. It does help to sort of make our systems more
efficient. School bus stops tend to be transient; we move where children move.
Moving bus stops happens pretty regularly. We just wanted to avoid the formality
and sort of provide this service here on Kaua`i the same way we do in every other
County. We just take control of where those stop locations are based on demographics
and student need.
Committee Chair Kagawa: Thank you.
Mr. Kauhi: You are welcome.
Council Chair Rapozo: Thank you for doing this and approaching us.
I think it makes the State more efficient, but it definitely creates some efficiencies for
our County as well.
Mr. Kauhi: I appreciate the support.
Council Chair Rapozo: Thank you.
Mr. Kauhi: Thank you.
Committee Chair Kagawa: Thank you. I just want to note that if any
Members have questions or concerns at the next Committee Meeting, please have
staff call James and make sure that if he is not here next week, that he can provide
his Kaua`i coordinator—and what is her name?
Mr. Kauhi: Pualani Foster.
Committee Chair Kagawa: Pualani Foster can be here next week as well.
Can staff check with other Members? If not, we will not have them here because I
foresee no concerns, at least on my end. With that, is there anybody else wishing to
speak at this time on the bus stops? We are on the public hearing for school bus stops.
We are running a separate item first. We are almost done. Do you want to talk about
the bus stops? Come talk about the bus stops.
Council Chair Rapozo: Committee Chair Kagawa, real quick. We
will be reconvening the General Plan at 1:35 p.m. The public hearing was scheduled
for 1:30 p.m., so we are just getting that out of the way.
JEROME FREITAS: Are you folks talking about the school bus?
Wait, let me get myself straightened out here. If you go around the island on Kaua`i
and look at the bus stops, where is the money? There is nowhere to sit down at some
places when it rains. It is not only talking. Do their job, okay? Does that make
PUBLIC HEARING 3 SEPTEMBER 6, 2017
BILL NO. 2661
sense? There are plenty places around. People call me and say, "Jerome, when are
they going to put a bus stop there where I can sit down with a little shade like the
Kaua`i Bus?" Talk is easy, but doing it is really hard, right? I did not come here for
the bus stops, but since you are talking about it, maybe I can talk to the person in
charge about what areas I think they have to look at to get bus stops. That is what
it is. Do it like it is. Tell it like it is. That is all you have to do. Are they going to
have the one about the General Plan?
Committee Chair Kagawa: The General Plan will be discussed right after
this is completed.
Mr. Freitas: Okay. I will come back for the General Plan.
Committee Chair Kagawa: Thank you.
Mr. Freitas: Thank you very much.
Committee Chair Kagawa: Shadow, remember that this is the school bus
stops. This item right here is the school bus stops, not the County bus system.
Mr. Freitas: No. I am talking about the school ones.
Committee Chair Kagawa: Yes. Normally, we do not have shelters for the
school bus stops. There is normally just a sign because students do not stay there
really long.
Mr. Freitas: But there are some places on Hauaala Road.
They go all the away up in Wailua Homesteads. I went all around to check it out.
Committee Chair Kagawa: Alright.
Mr. Freitas: I have to do my homework first, right?
Committee Chair Kagawa: Yes. Thank you.
Mr. Freitas: But I will come back later.
Committee Chair Kagawa: Thank you, Shadow.
Mr. Freitas: Thank you very much.
Council Chair Rapozo: In a couple of weeks, it is going to be that
man's kuleana, right there, James. Sorry, James. You got to meet The Shadow.
Sorry.
Committee Chair Kagawa: Is there anyone else wishing to speak on this?
Seeing none, the public hearing is closed.
PUBLIC HEARING 4 SEPTEMBER 6, 2017
BILL NO. 2661
There being no further testimony, the public hearing adjourned at 1:36 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
lA'jjsi
SCOTT K. SATO
Deputy County Clerk
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