LIHUE —There are a few items on the agenda for Wednesday’s County Council meeting.
Two bills pertaining to “highway safety” will be presented for potential inclusion in the 2020 Hawaii State Association of Counties (HSAC) Legislative Package and the 2020 County of Kauai Legislative Package. These packages are two avenues in which the County Council can propose bills for an act at the Legislature.
The first bill for an act, presented by Councilmembers Mason Chock and Luke Evslin, would place the responsibility of the transfer of vehicle ownership on the seller rather than the buyer.
“So we can, in theory, find the registered owners of abandoned vehicles,” Evslin said.
Another bill for an act to be presented that is in regards to “highway safety,” also introduced by Chock and Evslin, pertains to adjusting the “beautification” fee that goes toward costs that include the removal of abandoned and derelict vehicles. Currently, the state authorizes the counties to charge residents up to $10 per year, a fee that’s incorporated into their annual vehicle registration dues. Rental car companies, however, can only be charged $1 per year per vehicle. This bill would remove that cap so that the fees would be equal.
Two more bills for potential inclusion in the 2020 HSAC Legislative Package that will be presented, introduced by Councilmembers Chock and Ross Kagawa, relate to county employee pensions and sick leave.
Finally, Bill No. 2756, proposed by Chock and Evslin, will undergo its second reading. If approved, the bill would allow family members to apply for real property tax exemptions based upon their own eligibility, as long as there is no living person on title.
An executive, closed-door session will follow in relation to the hiring of a county auditor.
The meeting begins at 8:30 a.m. at the Council Chambers in the Historic County Building.
A public hearing will commence afterward at 1:30 p.m. at the same location. The hearing will address Bill. No. 2757, which will potentially amend zoning maps and designations in the South Kauai Community Plan, including the Koloa Town Walkable Mixed-Use District and Kalaheo Town Walkable Mixed-Use District. The amendments, in short, would grant fewer restrictions and more opportunities for land use, including multi-family housing units rather than only single-family.
Visit kauai.gov for more information.
