Get informed on charter amendments

Kaua‘i voters will have a chance to dramatically change the way the county government operates in the Nov. 7 general election.

It is a first in recent memory that so many charter amendments will be put to Kaua‘i voters. The 15 proposals indicate residents want far more accountability from their elected leaders.

Led by Koloa commnity leader Louis Abrams, the county Charter Commission received public comments and studied 50 charter amendment proposals.

But the commission whittled down the number this year, and came up with these recommendations:

• Change the title of the mayor’s administrative assistant to managing director.

The commissioners proposed the change because they felt the “administrative assistant” label is more closely linked to a clerical position than to an executive position. The administrative assistant or managing director would become the acting mayor when the mayor cannot fulfill his official duties.

• Create a county parks and recreation department to handle park and recreational matters with its own budget.

A county parks and recreational division currently operates under the county Offices of Community Assistance.

• Limit the terms of the Kaua‘i County Council members to four consecutive two-year terms, starting with the 2008 general election. Currently, no term limits exist.

Supporting the proposal opens the way for new leadership on the council.

Not supporting the proposed change means council members can serve as long as they are re-elected.

• Have three of the seven-member council elected by district, with one member living in, and elected from, each of the three districts that will be established by a government apportionment commission to be appointed in 2007. The other four council members would be elected at large.

At the moment, all seven council members are elected at large.

Supporting the proposal would allow representation among all districts. The commission members said some people might oppose the proposal if they feel Kaua‘i is small enough in area and population to maintain the “at-large” council representation.

• Have a charter commission in place between 2007 and 2017, and have the commission assemble each year after 2017.

The commission said supporting the proposal would mean the body would operate continuously and can propose charter amendments to voters every two years.

But the commission said voters may not support the proposal if they feel the county charter should not be changed frequently, as is the case with the federal and state constitutions.

• Have decisions by the Kaua‘i County Salary Commission on the salaries of council members, county officers and employees who are exempt from the civil service system stand, unless rejected in whole or part by five or more councilmembers.

The county currently has been unable to find people to sit on the commission. As a result, no salary raises can be considered.

Supporting the proposal would improve the county’s ability to attract qualified persons to public service, the commission said.

The commission said not supporting the proposal would diminish the authority of elected officials to set the salaries for elected officials and appointees.

• Have administrators and staff, if needed, to provide training, education, administrative and operational support to boards and commissions.

• Create seven-member boards and commissions.

The commission said supporting the proposal would increase the efficiency of the boards.

At the same time, supporting the proposal may increase the size and cost of government, the commission said.

• Have all board and commission members serve staggered terms of three years, including the county Cost Control and Salary commissions, whose members currently serve terms ending at the same time as that of the mayor. The next mayor can serve only until 2010.

• Have all board and commission members appointed by the mayor and approved by the council.

Currently, boards and commissions created by the county charter are appointed by the mayor and approved by the council, with the exception of the Salary and Cost Control commissions.

The two commissions consist of three members appointed by the mayor, three appointed by the council and a seventh board or commission member selected by the other six members.

Approving the change would standardize the appointment process.

The downside is the change would decrease the council’s ability to make appointments.

• Establish a county fire commission.

• Have initiative and referendum petitions signed by 5 percent of the voters in the last general election. The ceiling is now 20 percent.

Approval of the proposal would make it easier for citizens to enact or repeal county laws.

The downside is a smaller group of people who do not necessarily represent the views of the general public may influence county legislation.

• Have recall petitions signed by 5 percent of the people who voted in the last general election. The ceiling is 20 percent now.

The change makes it easier for the removal of non-responsive public officials.

Approval of the proposal, however, could give power to smaller groups of people who do not necessarily represent the views of the voting public and could trigger costly and time-consuming special elections.

• Have the county’s code of ethics prohibit council members from voting on matters in which they have a conflict of interest unless they are required for a quorum or a subsequent vote later.

Council members currently can vote after they have declared their conflicts of interest.

• Remove a requirement the county engineer be a registered engineer.

The requirement has severely limited the number of applicants who can be considered by a mayor.

Supporting the proposal would increase the number of applicants and expedite the filling of the position.

The downside of the change would be the person filling the job may not have enough technical knowledge for the job.

• Lester Chang, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or lchang@kauaipubco.com.