Leaders of the Kaua‘i Police Department’s officers’ union are urging voters to vote “no” on the proposed charter amendment to cap residential property taxes. The cap would mean millions of dollars less in property-tax revenues for the county, said Bryson
Leaders of the Kaua‘i Police Department’s officers’ union are urging voters to vote “no” on the proposed charter amendment to cap residential property taxes.
The cap would mean millions of dollars less in property-tax revenues for the county, said Bryson M. Ponce, chairman of the Kaua‘i board of directors of the State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO).
The erosion could lead to police layoffs, might make it more difficult to hire new officers, may lead to slower response times on emergency calls, and could affect how contract negotiations go in terms of raises won through collective bargaining, said Ponce and James Miller, Kaua‘i SHOPO board vice chairman.
“We don’t want this, definitely,” Ponce said of the proposed amendment placed on the Tuesday, Nov. 2 general-election ballot after citizens with the group Ohana Kauai gathered enough signatures of registered voters to put the matter before voters.
“We want the public to vote ‘no.’ Public safety is a priority,” and the Ohana Kauai proposal would erode county revenues, Ponce added.
The officers said other public-worker unions and private-sector groups are mobilizing against the charter question. Leaders of the Hawaii Government Employees Association and Kaua‘i Chamber of Commerce are urging their members to vote against the proposal.
County Councilmember JoAnn A. Yukimura, a Kalihiwai resident and former mayor of the County of Kaua‘i, has come out with a written statement of five reasons to vote “no” on the Ohana Kauai real property tax charter amendment, as it “could drastically and negatively affect our community,” erode county revenues to the tune of $9 million a year, and might adversely affect the county’s bond rating.
Yukimura also wrote that the council is working on an ordinance to provide long-term tax relief for residents, and feels it is much better to enact tax relief through ordinance rather than the charter-amendment route.
Backers of the Ohana Kauai proposal, including Walter Lewis of Princeville, argue that the county’s spending has been spiraling out of control for years, real-property-tax increases have fueled much of that spending, and that huge tax increases have put burdens on some homeowners that make it difficult for them to make those tax payments and remain in their homes.
Lewis has also written that Yukimura and others on the County Council oppose the Ohana Kauai amendment because the councilmembers did not propose the relief themselves.
Paul C. Curtis, associate editor, may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 224) or mailto:pcurtis@pulitzer.net.
