By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
WAILUKU, Maui — A Kahului man excused from paying more than $138,000 in fines for failing to respond to housing code violations over a three-year period said yesterday that Maui County did not treat him fairly in the matter.
Rogelio Evangelista said the county apparently failed to reinspect his Namau‘u Place properties after he let them know he had cleaned them within 30 days of a Feb. 8, 1999, violation notice.
Evangelista said he believed he had taken care of the problem and was shocked last month to receive a letter notifying him he owed the county $144,000 in accumulated fines.
After a meeting with county officials, Mayor James "Kimo" Apana waived all of the fines except for the original $400 citation and the $5,453 it cost to clear the properties in January.
Apana, who was not mayor at the time of the original enforcement action, said the citation apparently "got lost in the traffic," and that he decided to waive the fines, in part, to help Evangelista keep his properties in good shape.
But several neighbors said this week that the owner got off too easily. "There are laws on the books. We’re only asking to enforce the law. If there’s a fine, collect it," said Patty Domingo.
Domingo said Evangelista has done only superficial maintenance to the properties, and that the houses have only fallen into greater disrepair over the years.
Evangelista, chairman of the state Office of Veterans Services Advisory Board, said he has tried to keep the properties clean, but that several tenants have not been cooperative. He said he went to court to evict one tenant, and the proceeding took 10 months.
[back to top] |
