North Shore NewsIt was humbling to join so many in our community at the recent memorial service for Tamayo Perry, and I want to extend my condolences to his family and friends. Tamayo’s unwavering dedication to his ʻohana and his tireless service to our community stands as a beacon of inspiration for us all. His legacy of compassion, commitment, and aloha will continue to resonate in our hearts and guide us in our efforts to build a stronger, more connected community.
As the City moves forward with the historic step of creating an independent Ocean Safety Department, it was an honor to join Kurt Lager as he was sworn in to serve as the first Acting Director. This marks a significant milestone in the community’s advocacy for a standalone department, and I am grateful that Director Lager will be at the helm to help manage the transition. With nearly 19 years of experience as a lifeguard with the City and County of Honolulu, I look forward to working with him, and all of our public safety agencies, to ensure all of our first responders receive the resources they need to keep our community and themselves safe. As a reminder, after the passage of Resolution 24-40 earlier this year, the question of whether there should be an Ocean Safety Commission to oversee the new Department will be on the ballot in November and must be approved by voters to be created.
As we continue our discussion of potential amendments to the City’s Land Use Ordinance (LUO) through the currently pending Bill 64, I was grateful to attend the North Shore Neighborhood Board’s Agriculture Committee Meeting and appreciate everyone who has been attending our office’s virtual stakeholder meetings. As a reminder, the current introduced version is a template, so your input is vital to ensuring that the final version reflects the values and meets the needs of our community. Please email us if you would like to get involved or talk story about possible amendments.
I also want to remind everyone that the deadlines for property tax dedications, credits, and exemptions are approaching. September 1 is the deadline for filing dedication petitions, and September 30 is the deadline for filing credit and exemption forms. You can visit www.realpropertyhonolulu.com/ to check your property’s tax status. You only need to file your homeowner occupant exemption one time; however, the exemption does not automatically transfer to spouses or family members not initially listed on the form. As a reminder, in addition to increasing the homeowner occupant exemption last year, we also increased the threshold for the low-income real property tax credit. If you are a homeowner that makes $80,000 or less a year, you can also apply for this credit through the website.
As always, please feel free to contact my office at (808) 768-5002 or email me at mweyer@honolulu.gov with any questions or concerns you may have.