• Restore the property tax cap • Hokulea journey • Ode to the County Council Restore the property tax cap Thank you, Mr. Lewis, for such a clear and forceful argument (”A Better Kauai,” Sept. 13, 2014) in favor of Kauai County Council
• Restore the property tax cap • Hokulea journey • Ode to the County Council
Restore the property tax cap
Thank you, Mr. Lewis, for such a clear and forceful argument (”A Better Kauai,” Sept. 13, 2014) in favor of Kauai County Council Bill 2556, a bill that promises restoration of the recently eliminated cap on homestead property tax increases. As you wrote, the county council emphasized equity over security when it eliminated the cap for resident home owners. But I worry much less about how my property taxes compare to those of my neighbors than I do about the large and unpredictable property tax increases that I might face in the absence of a cap.
Even those resident homeowners for whom property taxes decreased this year should support Bill 2556 because removal of the cap leaves all resident homeowners unprotected “from the vagaries of the real estate market and the pressures presented by government spending.”
Newton Copp
Princeville
Hokulea journey
As Hokulea continues her quest around the world, deep within her hulls will lie handmade koa gifts from Kauai. These gifts will be presented to dignitaries at each of her stops during her upcoming fourth leg of the worldwide voyage. I would like to extend a big mahalo to John and his staff at Aloha Termite Kauai, Inc. and my appreciation for their support. Even while given such short notice, they were able to fumigate these gifts in order for them to meet a last-minute deadline. As these gifts make their way to Hokulea, it makes me appreciate time and time again what makes Kauai so special has always been and forever will be, her people.
Aloha Pauole,
From the crew of Hikianalia and Hokulea
Keala Kai
Kapaa
Ode to the County Council
It seems that the majority of our Kauai County Council members are living in some sort of fantasy world. They enact tax laws to pay for millions in raises, yet fail to investigate the impact of those laws. They then spend even more time fixing their mistakes. The few apparently sane members of the council find their voice of reason drowned out by the majority of members who fail to properly assess the long-term costs and consequences of the legislation they force down our throats.
Please forgive me, but they have forced me into sharing some pretty bad poetic opining.
Ode to the County Council
We threw our garbage on a pile
The pile attracted rats
Alas there’s nothing we can do
The county killed the cats
It seems our council spends its time
On all this silly stuff
But we can’t drive on half our roads
Because they are so rough
They raise our taxes, add more fees
Because their spending, they won’t freeze
They’ll wonder where the money went
When everything WE have is spent.
Election time is on us soon, Which leaves us with a quandary.
Do we maintain the status quo, Or clean our dirty laundry
Apologies to Dr. Suess, but citizens of Whoville — time to revolt.
Keep Ross Kawaga and Mel Rapozo — put the rest in the recycle bin
We need some serious, thoughtful change
Barry Dittler
Kapaa
