LIHU‘E — After meetings spanning several months, the county Charter Review Commission on Monday fine-tuned several questions to be placed on the ballot next election. On Nov. 2, aside from choosing their favorite candidates for several elected office positions like
LIHU‘E — After meetings spanning several months, the county Charter Review Commission on Monday fine-tuned several questions to be placed on the ballot next election.
On Nov. 2, aside from choosing their favorite candidates for several elected office positions like mayor and governor, voters will say “yes” or “no” to seven questions that could significantly alter the Kaua‘i County Charter.
From extending term limits for Kaua‘i County Council members to financial disclosures and ethical procedures, several proposed charter amendments made the commission’s list.
The questions that will appear on the ballot are:
• “Should the Kaua‘i County Charter be amended to allow councilmembers to serve two consecutive four-year terms?” (Council members currently serve two-year terms with no limit on how many terms they can serve if elected.)
• “Should the Kaua‘i County Charter be amended so that the Mayor’s Administrative Assistant, whose title shall be change to Managing Director, be required to have appropriate job qualifications and perform certain duties?”
• “Should the Kaua‘i County Charter be amended to change the existing County financial procedures regarding centralized purchasing and disposition of surplus property to conform to current State law?”
• “Should the Kaua‘i County Charter be amended to increase the dollar limit without competitive bidding for contracts with County Officers, employees or firms in which an officer or employer has a substantial interest from $500 to $1,000?”
• “Should the Kaua‘i County Charter be amended to extend from six months to one year the timeframe prohibiting the County from
entering into a contract with a former County employee or a firm that is represented by a former County employee, for those contracts where the former County employee participated in the subject matter while employed with the County?”
• “Should the Kaua‘i County Charter be amended to require that a disclosure statement be filled with the County Board of Ethics for any employee delegated to act on behalf of the Director or Deputy Director of Finance?”
• “Should the Kaua‘i County Charter be amended to extend the time in which the County Board of Ethics has to render advisory opinions from 30 days to 45 days, which opinions shall be binding on the Board, unless changed or revoked by the Board?”
The controversial county manager proposal did not make it to the commission’s final list of proposals. That proposal would let voters decide if they would like to keep the mayoral system of county governance or change it to a county manager appointed by council members.
It took several community meetings until the commission decided in late July not to include the proposal in the ballot.
Visit www.kauai.gov for more information.
• Léo Azambuja, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or lazambuja@kauaipubco.com.
