About 65% of the county’s $590.8 million operating budget goes for salary and wages, a figure that could increase as government negotiators undertake what Human Resources Director William Brilhante calls “the perfect storm” of collective bargaining, with contracts for all 10 of the county’s bargaining units ending June 30.

The county’s finances are in a “precarious” position and the administration and County Council need to put aside “petty politics” and work together, Mayor Mitch Roth said Tuesday in his first budget presentation before the council’s Finance Committee.

It’s not a violation of the ethics code for a County Council member to serve as a reference for someone seeking a county job and then voting on that person’s confirmation, the Board of Ethics ruled Monday on a 3-1 vote.

It’s a week only number-crunchers truly love.

The County Council on Wednesday rejected a Mayor Mitch Roth appointee to the Leeward Planning Commission in what the mayor called “retaliation” over his attempt to have a commission member removed in an unrelated action.

Mark Van Pernis was called rude, crusty, insulting, confrontational and condescending, among other adjectives, during a grueling three-hour Tuesday evening session of a County Council panel that ended with a recommendation to not immediately remove him from the powerful Leeward Planning Commission.

As the county grapples with a pandemic economy, closure of the Hilo landfill and loss of overseas markets for recyclables, there are more general priorities than specific recommendations in a 395-page 10-year solid waste plan slated for consideration by the County Council.

A County Council subcommittee searching for a county auditor has narrowed the list to two mainland candidates.

Zendo Kern represented clients as a consultant before the Leeward Planning Commission on a rezoning application, and then as planning director, signed off on a plat map for the same project, records show.

A politically connected battalion chief with a degree in fire science rocketed past his more experienced colleagues to take the top position in the Fire Department, but questions have come up about how the vote was taken, so it may have to be redone.

The county has called a halt to filling citizen boards that advise the government on planning and design because the administration said it wants to take a hard look at how the boards can best be used.

A five-bedroom Alii Drive home a half mile south of Laaloa Beach Park won approval Thursday to become a bed and breakfast establishment, despite concerns about sea level rise and wastewater issues.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz on Wednesday described a shot in the arm for Hawaii County, both literally and figuratively.

Eleven Kailua-Kona locations are in the running for a centralized Hele-On bus hub, and the county wants to hear which one the public likes best, or if other sites would be better.

One councilman’s request for the others to prioritize the top five capital improvement projects for their districts turned into a discussion Tuesday about whether the nine council members should stay focused on their own districts or take a countywide perspective.