Shine the light on squatting
Shine the light on squatting
Kona has a major squatting problem! How do I know? The house next door to us has had squatters for years. They operate under the radar and are organized and clever. They are not necessarily poor and they may be in your neighborhood. Five tips on how to identify them.
1. They are secretive.
2. They are unfriendly and don’t want contact with you.
3. Multiple cars come and go. Multiple people come and go.
4. They don’t take care of the property. The property next to ours has a wild pig living in the unkempt jungle of the back yard. No kidding!
5. They are bold and entitled. The eviction laws favor their rights. Just ask the police. They may have forged and fraudulent lease agreements.
The awareness level of all of us property owners needs to expand quickly. Squatters greatly impact property values. Las Vegas has a major problem with squatters. Kona squatters come from all over the country to paradise. Again, they are organized and often related. Some are criminals. I will be writing follow-up letters to keep this problem on the radar for Kona residents. I am also hoping the press will shine a bright light on this problem before it expands. The squatters will not like seeing this letter to the editor.
Dr. Patrick McCary
Kailua- Kona
GET raise is good
I support proposed Bill 165, which would increase the state general excise tax ½ percent in Hawaii County. This additional funding would be used to fund transportation projects on the Big Island. The county has limited means to finance new highway projects.
Federal Highway Administration funds and bond floats are the primary sources to pay for these projects. The state of Hawaii receives roughly $160 million dollars from the FHWA on a yearly basis. Hawaii County receives approximately 18 percent of this funding.
One highway project, such as Ane Keohokalole Highway phase three, will tie up the county’s share of FHWA funds for several years. This isn’t something prudent, as there are traffic hot spots all over Hawaii County. The other option to fund these highway projects is floating bonds. However, the county’s bonding capacity is rapidly reaching the recommended 15 percent budget ceiling. In other words, the county’s financial options to construct new roads is extremely limited at this point.
This proposed tax increase would address this problem. It gives Hawaii County additional financial leverage to match existing Federal Highway Administration funds, or other county monies to construct these highway projects in more areas of the Big Island where they’re needed.
I’ve heard the arguments against this proposed bill. It would unfairly put an economic burden on businesses, and the residents of this island. However, I look at the bigger picture and see things much differently. Yes, there will be an economic impact from this tax increase, but it will probably be less than the impact traffic congestion has had on our everyday lives.
Aaron Stene
Kailua-Kona