MEDIA RELEASE

Mayor Billy Kenoi has informed the County Council he is allowing Bill 27 to become law without his signature.

He explained his reasoning in the following transmittal letter, which was forwarded to the council with the original bill:

May 27, 2011

The Honorable Dominic Yagong, Chairperson
and Members of the Hawaii County Council

Re: Bill 27 Draft 2, “AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 4, ARTICLE 4, DIVISION 2, SECTION 4-25 OF THE HAWAI‘I COUNTY CODE 1983 (2005 EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING TO NOISY DOG; PROCEDURE FOR ABATEMENT OF NUISANCE.

Dear Chairperson Yagong and Council Members:

I am returning to you Bill 27 Draft 2, which I am allowing to become law without my signature.

Bill 27 represents an attempt by the County Council and our community to provide a more effective process to resolve disputes over barking dogs. Section 4-24 is clearly flawed, and representatives of the Hawaii County Police Department, the Office of the Prosecutor and others have asked that Bill 27 be approved because it represents an incremental improvement over the existing ordinance.

However, I am concerned Bill 27 does not clearly assign responsibility for answering barking dog complaints to any specific entity.

I understand barking dogs can be a frustrating problem, and noisy dog complaints are one of the most common complaints to Hawaii County Police today. I encourage the council to continue its efforts to seek appropriate revisions to Section 4-24 to help our communities resolve barking dog disputes in a manner that balances the rights of the parties involved.

Thank you for the time and attention you have given to this important county issue. For the reasons stated above, I am allowing Bill 27 to become law without my signature.

Sincerely,
William P. Kenoi
Mayor