Council OKs 3 proposed county charter amendments for November general election ballot

One election has been decided but there’s still one more to go this year, and in just fewer than 3 months, Big Island voters will once again mail in their ballots or turn them in at county ballot boxes to make their voices be heard about who they think are the best people to lead them during the next few years at the local, state and federal government levels.

They’ll also have a say on some proposed changes to the document that outlines how government actually works on the Big Island.

It will be 5 more years until the next Hawai‘i County Charter Commission is appointed and meets to study and review the operation of Hawai‘i County Charter.

The commission — a board of 11 members who represent all of the island’s districts are appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the county council — has met every 10 years since 1989.

After reviewing the charter, the panel can propose amendments or even draft an entirely new document to dictate the inner workings of Hawai‘i County government, and it is required to submit a report about its activities within a year to the council.

Eventually, any approved proposed changes are put out to the county’s voters to decide in either a special election or during the next general election on the calendar.

But in the off years, when the commission doesn’t meet, there are two other ways amendments can be made to the document.

One is by petition, signed by at least 20% of the qualified voters in the last general election. The other is by ordinance adopted after three readings approved by two-thirds of the county council.

The council last week adopted resolutions for three proposed charter amendments that will appear on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.

They have to deal with vacancies on the council and in county department leadership as well as the terms for members of one of the county’s commissions.

Here is a look at the proposed amendments that will appear as ballot questions in the upcoming November election.

Resolution 563: Filling a vacancy on the county council

This proposed amendment would add an exception to the process of filling vacancies on the council by providing that a vacant council seat be filled by the person elected to serve the upcoming council term if the vacancy happens or exists after the incoming council member was elected. Filling the remainder of that term vacated also would not apply to term limits set forth in the county charter. In other circumstances, a vacancy would be filled by a person appointed by resolution approved by a majority of the remaining council members.

The ordinance for the proposed amendment was adopted last year in Bill 49. Resolution 563 was adopted by an 8-1 council vote, with Council Vice Chairman Holeka Inaba absent at the time of the vote.

Resolution 564: Term of office and appointment of county department chiefs

This proposed change would require the mayor to appoint department leaders within 30 days of taking office and within 60 days of any vacancy during his or her term of office. It would remove the existing language and replace it with the following three stipulations:

• The term of office of department heads shall be coterminous (having the same duration or ending) with that of the mayor; provided, that where a successor has not been appointed, sitting department heads may continue in office pending such appoitnment.
• The mayor shall appoint department heads within 30 days of taking office or within 60 days after any vacancy happens. If the county council does not confirm or reject such appointment within 60 days, he or she will be considered to be confirmed.
• Department chiefs will take office upon appointment but will not continue in office if the council denies confirmation.

The ordinance for this proposed amendment was adopted first by a vote of 8-1 earlier this year in Bill 109. The council then overrode a veto by Hawai‘i County Mayor Mitch Roth of the bill on April 3 by a vote of 8-1.

Resolution 577: Terms for members of the Hawai‘i County Cost of Government Commission

Right now, Hawai‘i County Cost of Government Commission members serve for 11-month terms and the panel submits its findings and recommendations every 11 months after they are appointed. The proposed amendment wants to up their terms to 22 months and the time they have to submit their findings and any suggestions to 20 months. It also wants members to start their terms 18 months after the beginning of a mayoral term instead of the year now laid out in the county charter.

The ordinance for this proposed amendment was adopted July 10 by a vote of 7-2 in Bill 168.

Among other business during its regular session meeting Aug. 7, the council:

• Adopted Resolution 561, which authorizes the county finance director to enter into negotiations to acquire 68.84 acres to protect and preserve cultural and natural resources and open certain areas of property in Hōlualoa for education, gathering and cultural practices using the Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Fund. The parcel is listed as the No. 8 priority in the 2022 Annual Report of the Hawai‘i County Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Peservation Committee.
• Adopted Resolution 565, which provides a $13,310 grant from the Council District 4 Contingency Relief account to the Hawaiian Paradise Park Neighborhood Watch to assist with its Puna Neighborhood Watch program.
• Adopted Resolution 566, which provides a $5,000 grant from the Council District 4 Contingency Relief account to Ku‘ikahi Mediation Center for its basic mediation training for volunteers.
• Adopted Resolutions 567 and 568, which provide a total of $8,000 in grant money from the Council District 4 and District 5 Contingency Relief accounts for expenses relating to the 2024 Hawai‘i Island All Nations Powwow.
• Adopted Resolutions 569 and 570, which provide a total of $6,000 in grant money from Council District 3 and District 1 Contingency Relief accounts for the 2024 Downtown Hilo Christmas Lights Parade.
• Adopted Resolution 575, which provides a donation of $17,370 for training and travel expenses for the Hawai‘i County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, being provided by the statewide Children’s Justice Act Grant Task Force, for “Protecting Children Online” training.