My name is Denise Fleming. I stand before you to speak on behalf of my partner Randall Brady and myself. We live about a mile from the PGV boundary in a house we built, own free and clear, and have lived in since 2007.

Mahalo to Chairman Yagong and the Hawaii County Council members who insist on an override for making this hassle necessary, and a sincere mahalo to our fellow taxpayers who made this teleconference to voice our displeasure with the override effort possible.

WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO THE OFFICE HOLDERS WHO SUPPORT OVERRIDING THE VETOED BILLS 256 & 257 WATCHING THESE PROCEEDINGS:

If playing election year politics throughout your service in office were halted, Big Island residents could experience measurable improvements in their lives.

There are several obvious measures our elected officials could enact immediately to improve life for ALL Big Island residents. Instead, some council members devote their time, and measure their legislative success, by the number of bills they introduce and pass to create laws and regulations; prohibitions and mandates. This generally results in HIGHER costs and LOWER living standards and expectations, along with poorer services and restricted freedoms every time the Council takes a vote. 

Your time in office could be put to better use.

Example #1:
My partner and I built a house off Kapoho Road and moved into it in 2007. It took us nearly 4 frustrating years to get our road named (a requirement) and an official numbered address (also a requirement) …clearly a longstanding and ongoing potential health, safety and security concern for the numerous rural homeowners unaffiliated with homeowner associations and/or subdivisions island wide. Streamlining the lengthy process and clearing out the backlog of assigning house numbers for homes located on unnamed back roads would be a significant service to rural residents.

Example # 2:
Adopting a Big Island-appropriate common sense residential building code for Hawaii County residents, instead of adopting the budget-busting, unaffordable, one-size-fits-all approach from the wizards of smart at Command Central Planning in Washington, D.C. would also be a great improvement.

THIS brings us around to the vetoed Bills 256 & 257. Wisely allocated and carefully monitored, the geothermal asset funds could help to address issues unique to our Lower Puna ohana. This could include, (in ADDITION to relocation and monitoring air quality and health), community improvements, recreational facilities and evacuation sites in the event of fires, floods or other major natural disasters in our rural community.

Presenting residents with POSITIVE ALTERNATIVES, as opposed to designating a proposed 1- mile PGV buffer zone, resulting in downgrading our neighborhoods into a blighted wasteland and destroying property values and living standards WELL BEYOND the buffer zone would be vastly preferable to turning our entire community into a no-man’s-land.

An alternative plan..

OCCUPY THE BUFFER ZONE! 

Subsidized electric service, property taxes or other incentives that would encourage residents to choose to remain in the area and mitigate any nuisance involved with living near the geothermal plant would be using the geothermal relocation/community benefits fund for the positive purpose it was originally designed.

The geothermal asset funds are intended to BENEFIT the residents of Lower Puna… not to violate our rights, divide our community and erode our living standards and property values. It is wrong to use the funds for the exclusive advantage of one segment of the community which would result in the destruction of the entire community. It is an example of injustice, a violation of trust and an abuse of power. Shame on those who would would attempt to resurrect Bills 256 & 257. It would be an unwise choice to make for your future career advancement. 
It is not pono.

Mahalo for your attention.