LIHUE — If those behind a charter amendment aimed at regulating the island’s agrochemical industry want it to appear on the ballot in November, they will have to start over. That means recollecting 2,037 voter signatures, this time by July 2.
LIHUE — If those behind a charter amendment aimed at regulating the island’s agrochemical industry want it to appear on the ballot in November, they will have to start over.
That means recollecting 2,037 voter signatures, this time by July 2.
Kauai County Clerk Ricky Watanabe rejected Kauai Rising’s petition, citing technical errors because the group failed to follow the proper format.
In a letter to petitioners, Watanabe wrote that his office began the petition verification process on May 29 and discovered the group did not use the suggested form provided to them back in March. As a result, the circulated petition did not include the names of authorized committee members in either the body or within the signature pages, as required by the Kauai County Charter.
“After consultation with the Office of the County Attorney, I regret to inform you that the failure to comply with the charter requirements renders the petition invalid and results in no valid signatures having been obtained,” Watanabe wrote.
To allow time for Kauai Rising to start over, the county will have to amend its petition timeline, including supplemental signature collection period should signatures be declared invalid, and the 30-day review period by the county attorney’s office.
Lara Lynne, a member of the Kauai Rising Charter Amendment Petitioner’s Committee, said that, although the news came a shock and disappointment, the group is ready to move forward.
“They were kind enough to allow us this extra month to adapt,” she said of the county. “And we are adapting, but we are not losing what we want to do.”
As a result of its error, Kauai Rising will have to start from scratch — this time with a condensed timeframe. However, if the required signatures are collected and verified, the measure could still be put to a vote in the coming election.
Those behind the proposed 18-page amendment say it is more comprehensive than County Ordinance 960 (formerly Bill 2491), passed in November and which calls for Kauai’s four biotech seed companies, as well as Kauai Coffee, to disclose their use of pesticides and genetically modified crops. And unlike 960, the amendment would shift the burden of proof, as well as regulation and monitoring costs, onto the industry, according to its drafters.
During a recent Kauai County Council meeting, council members discussed whether the proposal was in fact a charter amendment or rather a county ordinance. The main difference between the two types of citizen initiatives is the number of signatures required to put each one to a vote. While petitioning an amendment requires only 5 percent of registered voters, 20 percent must be gathered to put forth an ordinance or referendum.
• Chris D’Angelo, environment writer, can be reached at 245-0441 or cdangelo@thegardenisland.com.
