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November 1995

President's Message: Initiative to Renew Democracy (Suzanne Meisenzahl)
Congratulations!
LWV Constitutional Convention Committee Begins Its Work
Membership Luncheon on UN Conference on Women
LWVUS Delegate Shares Beijing Experience (Terry McCoy)
Remarks for the UN 4th World Conference on Women (Hillary Clinton)
Enterprise Zones Designated by Council
Leaguers Not Happy with Suffrage Stamp
Violence Prevention Coordinating Council
Welcome
Hobron Lane DP Change Referred Back to Committee
Conference Announcement

Enterprise Zones Designated by Council

With only Councilmember Steve Holmes dissenting, the City Council on Sept. 20 adopted Resolution 292 calling for the establishment of a number of "Enterprise Zones" in Central Oahu, Ewa, Haleiwa, and other areas of the island. According to State law such zones may be set up in areas where it is desired to stimulate employment. The law permits exemptions from County planning, zoning, and construction regulations, as well as major tax concessions.

League has opposed enterprise zones in the past. Resolution 292 dealt only with tax concessions. Since it is the State which actually establishes the zones, the practical significance of the Council's action is unclear. Our testimony was:

We are gratified that this Resolution omits the exemptions from planning, zoning, and building Regulations which we found so objectionable in Bill 6 in 1988, and Bill 2 in 1994. There are however, other aspects of this Resolution with which we have serious concerns.

  1. Since establishment of specific Enterprise Zones is likely to involve planning and zoning issues as well as public discussion, and could be the basis for the State's establishing these zones, should not this Resolution call for consideration of establishing them rather than establishing them?

  2. We think the number of zones listed is too great, and the areas included, too broad. They include almost all the areas (outside the PUC) in which such uses are likely to develop.

  3. If all these areas were to become Enterprise Zones, the tax loss would be significant, particularly if existing enterprises moved from other areas into these zones in order to escape taxation.

  4. We think that such zones would unfairly compete with existing or future businesses located outside of them.

We think that this matter needs much more study before any action is taken.

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