Aloha Friends and Neighbors:
Our State government is overcharging taxpayers by $300 million over the life of the rail surcharge to collect the rail transit tax. This political ploy to profiteer off of taxpayers will shortchange the rail project of $300 million needed for construction at a time when tax collections are down and federal funding for the rail project is less than assured.
We can address this looting of the public treasury. On March 28th, the City Council's intergovernmental affairs committee unanimously approved my resolution (read it HERE) to urge the State Legislature to stop making money off the rail project. I am pleased to report that THIS WEDNESDAY MORNING, APRIL 13TH, AT 8:30AM, the full City Council will be holding a special meeting to send a message to Democrat and Republican legislators that their scheme needs to end. Since 2007, $16 million per year has been skimmed off the top by our State Legislature, which has in turn been using the rail surcharge for neighbor island projects.
Please call or e-mail members of the City Council to help ensure passage of Resolution 11-91 CD1 at Wednesday's special meeting. Better yet, please be there to speak in favor of adoption of this important resolution. After Wednesday, we will turn our attention to influencing every member of the Legislature over the weeks ahead to ensure that this systematic money grab comes to an end.
For more details, please click HERE to read my op-ed intended for publication in next week's Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Click HERE for the Council's official hearing notice.
WAIANAE SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES PLAN
Please mark your calendar for April 20th at 1:30 p.m. This will be a continuation of a very important public hearing which began on February 16, 2011 at Kapolei Hale but ran out of time due to intense interest by residents of the Waianae Coast in the future of their community. Once again, this hearing will be held inside Conference Rooms A and B, at Kapolei Hale, located in downtown Kapolei at 1000 Uluohia Street. Click HERE to review the current draft. Click HERE for the meeting agenda and for information about how you can submit testimony in advance.
EWA DEVELOPMENT PLAN
It has been more than a decade since the residents of Ewa and Kapolei have been able to formally have their say about the planned future of our region, despite the City's mandatory process for reviewing the Ewa Development Plan every five years. I'm pleased to announce, at long last, that this process has now gotten underway. Comments on the 2008 Public Review Draft have been reviewed and incorporated into a Review Report and a final proposed revised plan which will be transmitted to the Planning Commission and City Council in the near future. An announcement of the availability of the Review Report and proposed Plan revision will be made here and mailed or e-mailed to those on the 'Ewa Development Plan Review mailing list. Click HERE for a copy of the current draft. To get on the list, click HERE to download a printable form which you'll need to mail to the City.
URGENT REPAIRS TO KOLEKOLE PASS EVACUATION ROUTE
This Saturday morning, I returned from a tour of Kolekole Pass Road, which was damaged during the same torrential rains in January which caused the disaster at Waimanalo Gulch Landfill. This crucial road is the only escape route for residents of the Waianae Coast in case of an emergency should Farrington Highway be unusable or backed up during an evacuation. My office is working very closely with the U.S. Military and with officials from City, State and Federal governments to expedite the repair of Kokekole Road before the next disaster threatens the tens of thousands of residents of Makaha, Waianae, Maili, and Nanakuli. Stay tuned for updates on restoring the emergency use of Kolekole Road. [PHOTO: Councilman Berg with Capt. Kitchens]
DISTRICT ONE -NEXT TOWN HALL MEETING: Ma'o Organic Farms
Please mark you calendars for Thursday, April 28th from 5pm to 9pm. If you haven't been to Ma'o Organic Farms in Waianae since their recent grand opening, now's your chance. I've chosen this unique and spacious location for my next town hall meeting in part because of our focus on agriculture and also for its remarkable view of Kolekole Pass. Please join us at 86-210 Puhawai Road in Waianae to discuss some of the biggest issues now facing the Waianae Coast:
Flooding During and After Storms
Truly Affordable One-Step Up Housing
Agriculture: Legislative Solutions to Challenges
Kolekole Pass: Emergency Access
The Future of Military Land on the Coast
Ordinance Removal and Cleanup
Pesticide Use and Public Safety
The Impacts of Radiation and RF
Open Discussion and Public Forum
Please click HERE to download the official event flyer. I'd appreciate any help you can give in getting the word out to your friends, family and neighbors.
Our most recent town hall meeting that took place on March 31st will soon be available for viewing on my official City website, along with the handouts from that meeting. Please visit our website online at www.CouncilmanBerg.com that will soon feature a video of the meeting and how our residents responded to the recent landfill disaster, the HECO outages, and much more.
Finally, I hope to see you this Wednesday morning at City Hall. Thanks for your help in making our island a better place to live. Till then, have a great weekend!
Mahalo,
