DeCosta is spearheading bills to streamline the farmland designation process

LIHU’E — Councilman Billy DeCosta introduced three bills last week that would end some farm tax relief programs, which he says are outdated and potentially disadvantageous to Kaua’i farmers.

DeCosta’s first measure, Bill 2845, would eliminate the county’s logging tax exemption, which was created in 1996 to encourage a projected hardwood industry that never materialized.

“It was a construction industry and we wanted to give them a chance to get going,” DeCosta said. “Now 25 years have passed and it’s time to let this industry down.”

Those who qualify for the logging exemption pay no property tax until a year after their first harvest, or no more than 25 years, depending on the council member.

Sixteen logging exemptions are active in the county, most of which relate to biomass-to-energy operations.

All 16 would retain their current exemptions under the proposed measure, which DeCosta has touted as a key to creating favorable conditions for farming on Kaua’i.

“Removing the exemption for logging operations helps create fairness and consistency across all other GA operations, and not give special treatment to arborists,” DeCosta said, explaining that logging operations forest lands are eligible for the county’s standard agricultural land allocation program.

“I believe that large landowners may prefer to have arborists on their land as opposed to true AG farmers because of the property tax savings they will receive,” he argued. “That means they’re displacing subsistence farmers, and that’s the opposite of the direction and the vision that I believe we want to follow.”

Bills 2846 and 2847 go in the same direction, ending the tax relief programs for unused wastelands and large-scale orchards.

All three measures have the support of the county finance department.

Board members greeted DeCosta’s presentations with a general sense of approval.

“I’m sure we’ll talk a lot more about it in committee. But I feel like I agree with the general principle of reducing layoffs here,” council member Luke Evslin said, appearing to sum up the sentiments of his colleagues.

Public hearings on the bills, which have been referred to the Council’s Finance and Economic Development Committee, will take place on March 23.

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Scott yunkerjournalist, can be reached at 245-0437 or [email protected]