One proposed charter amendment was killed, a second barely squeaked through and two received unanimous endorsements recently, when the County Council took up six bills to consider putting on the Nov. 8 ballot.
The measures require a super-majority of at least six affirmative votes on three separate readings. Then they make it to the ballot, where a simple majority vote will enshrine them in the charter.
The council, on a 4-5 vote, rejected Bill 180, requiring the addition of a Department of Hawaiian Home Lands representative to the county Water Board as a nonvoting member, training in Native Hawaiian law for board members and administrative staff and annual reports from the Department of Water Supply to the council.
Supporters at the June 15 meeting included beneficiaries, homestead associations and others affiliated with the state Department of Hawaii an Home Lands. Opponents have included a member of the county Water Board and the manager/chief engineer of the Department of Water Supply.
“The reality is here in Hawaii, our Hawaiian homesteads face the reality that there is either no water, not enough water or no affordable water and for various reasons,” said bill sponsor Puna Councilman Matt Kanealii-Kleinfelder. “What has become very apparent to me, and the reason this bill was brought forward, is the need for more transparency and more communication between our respective departments.”
But Hilo Councilwoman Sue Lee Loy, who lives on Hawaiian homelands and is a former member on the Water Board, disagreed that the measure would help. It’s DHHL’s responsibility to provide infrastructure for water, she said.
“I really do appreciate (Kanealii-Kleinfelder) bringing this bill forward, however he couched so much of this in such a simplistic way and it’s a lot more complex than he described,” Lee Loy said. “I’m still trying to make that connection how a seat at the table translates into more water for them.”
The bill failed on a 4-5 vote, with Kanealii-Kleinfelder, North Kona Councilman Holeka Inaba, Kona Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas and council Chairwoman Maile David, representing South Kona and Ka‘u, voting yes.
Another controversial measure, Bill 174, survived its first reading on a 6-3 vote. It would create a new county department, a Building Department. Currently the county Building Division is a division under the Department of Public Works, overseen by the appointed Public Works director and managed by a building chief, a civil service administrator.
Puna Council-woman Ashley Kierkie-wicz, who sponsored the measure, said the new department is necessary because of the huge responsibility DPW has, from building permits to constructing and maintaining roads, to maintaining county buildings and vehicles.
County Managing Director Lee Lord said he supports the measure, but the administration does have some concern about costs in creating a new department.
“In spirit, we definitely support this. The Building Division is very large, as you may know,” Lord said, adding the transition, “would probably serve well to focus the jobs and allow that division to really fine-tune what they’re doing and follow that direction.”
Kanealii-Kleinfelder, Inaba and Villegas voted no.
Kanealii-Kleinfelder pointed to a recent report showing Hawaii County has the most obstacles to getting a building permit in the nation, as well as the abrupt departure of former Public Works Director Ikaika Rodenhurst.
“I’m concerned that this couldn’t come at a worse time,” Kanealii-Kleinfelder said.
Receiving unanimous votes in support were Bill 179, requiring midterm County Council reconfirmation of county department heads who are appointed by the mayor, and Bill 173, adding investigations of reports of fraud, waste and abuse within county operations as an authorized function of the county auditor.
“”I think the public wants more accountability,” said Hilo Council-man Aaron Chung, the measure’s sponsor. “This is the council’s chance to weigh in on whether they made the right decision two years before.”
The administration, as would be expected, opposes the idea but Chung said he’s heard from many in the rank-and-file who support it.
Bill 175, establishing a youth commission that would integrate its ideas and perspectives into county government, passed on am 8-1 vote, as did Bill 168, increasing the membership of the Board of Ethics from five to seven members.