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Aloha,

This is a short update. Listen if you can, or check out the key points below:

Opportunity to Testify - One of my goals for the year is to inform the RAM community of more opportunities to testify on issues you may be interested in, even if RAM might not be taking a position on the issue. Increased civic engagement on the part of our members is the key to demonstrating RAM\\u2019s values, and enhancing our profile as an organization. With that in mind, I encourage you all to look at the agenda for the upcoming Governance, Ethics, and Transparency Committee meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 21st, at 9 a.m. In particular, there are a couple of proposed charter amendments that the committee will be considering. The first (GET-10(3)) would require an increase in the minimum required percentage of certified real property tax revenues deposited into the Affordable Housing Fund, and the second (GET-10(7)) would establish shorter lifetime term limits for council members of two four-year terms. Both of the proposed amendments would need to pass through committee and the full council, then be included on the general election ballot, prior to becoming law, but they are interesting ideas that are still worth examining and testifying on. If interested, you can send testimony by email to get.committee@mauicounty.us

West Maui Community Plan -  The West Maui Community Plan Advisory Committee has two meetings scheduled for next week. The first will be on Tuesday, January 21st at 5 p.m. in Keopuolani Hall at Waiola Church, and the second will be on Thursday, January 23rd at 5:30 p.m. at the Lahaina Civic Center Social Hall. Agendas have not been posted for either meeting yet, but last week the CPAC started on the Growth Framework portion of the West Maui Community Plan update and began examining alternative growth maps for West Maui (which are available on the CPAC Page at wearemaui.org). If you are interested in the future of West Maui, or you just want to learn more about the community plan process, please consider attending these meetings.

The County is Hiring: County Clerk and Deputy County Clerk - The County of Maui is recruiting for the full time positions of County Clerk and Deputy County Clerk. If interested, you can download the application at:  https://tinyurl.com/CountyClerkApp, and Submit your completed application, r\\xe9sum\\xe9, cover letter, and three professional references by email to recruitment@mauicounty.us by 4:30 p.m. HST on January 16, 2020. If you want more details regarding the functions of the job or required qualifications,  you can find links at mauicounty.us

Heads up on HAR Priority Bill - RAM and the Hawaii Association of Realtors are currently advocating for a bill that would streamline the land use process for affordable housing projects by allowing the counties to reclassify lands that are 15 to 100 acres, provided that 50% or more of the units are affordable at or below 140% of the Area Median Income. We believe this legislation will better empower the counties to meet their affordable housing needs while streamlining the regulatory process as it relates to district boundary amendments. The bill can largely be credited to RAM\\u2019s own Lawrence Carnicelli, and you can expect to hear more about it throughout the legislative session. The reason I bring this up is because I will be calling on everyone to provide testimony in support of this legislation over the coming months, and I don\\u2019t want it to be a surprise when I do. Please feel free to email me at jason@ramaui.com if you have any questions.