HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013_0128_AgendaPacket Jan TenBruggencate Members:
Chair Mary Lou Barela
Joel Guy
James Nishida, Jr.
Ed Justus Patrick Stack
Vice Chair Carol Suzawa
COUNTY OF KAUA'I CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION
NOTICE OF MEETING AND AGENDA
Monday, January 28, 2013
4: 00 p.m. or shortly thereafter
Mo'ikeha Building, Meeting Room 2A/B
4444 Rice Street, LIu'e, HI 96766
Oath of Office for Commission Members Jan TenBruggencate, Mary Lou Barela and Joel Guy
CALL TO ORDER
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Regular Open Session Minutes of November 26, 2012
COMMUNICATIONS
CRC 2013-01 Communication dated 12/4/12 from Ricky Watanabe, County Clerk, to the
Charter Review Commission regarding Certificate Of All Results, 2012 Charter
Amendments, County of Kauai
CRC 2013-02 Communication dated 12/4/12 from Ricky Watanabe, County Clerk, to Scott
Nago, Chief Election Officer, regarding Certificate Of Results, 2012 Charter
Amendments, County of Kauai
BUSINESS
CRC 2013-03 Proposed amendment creating a new Section 24.04, Kaua`i County Charter,
relating to non-substantive corrections and revisions as they relate to grammar,
spelling and formatting errors in the Charter and whether to consider budgeting
for an outside editor.
CRC 2013-04 Proposed amendment revising Section 24.03 , Kauai County Charter, relating to
establishing a permanent Charter Review Commission.
CRC 2013-05 Proposed amendment to Kaua'i County Charter § 8.03 regarding the
Qualifications for the County Attorney as provided for in Rule 4(b) of the Rules
of the Kauai County Charter Review.
CRC 2013 -06 Review and Approval of 2013 Meeting Schedule
An Equal Opportunity Employer
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Next Meeting: Monday, February 25, 2013 at 4:00 pm in the Mo 'ikeha Building, Meeting Room 2A/B
ADJOURNMENT
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Pursuant to Hawai`i Revised Statutes §92-7(a), the Commission may, when deemed necessary, hold an
executive session on any agenda item without written public notice if the executive session was not
anticipated in advance. Any such executive session shall be held pursuant to HRS §92-4 and shall be
limited to those items described in HRS §92-5(a). Discussions held in Executive Session are closed to
the public.
Cc: Deputy County Attorney Jennifer Winn
PUBLIC COMMENTS and TESTIMONY
Persons wishing to offer comments are encouraged to submit written testimony at least 24-hours prior
to the meeting indicating:
1 . Your name and if applicable, your position/title and organization you are representing;
2. The agenda item that you are providing comments on; and
3 . Whether you will be testifying in person or submitting written comments only; and
4. If you are unable to submit your testimony at least 24 hours prior to the meeting, please provide
10 copies of your written testimony at the meeting clearly indicating the name of the testifier;
and
5. If testimony is based on a proposed Charter amendment, list the applicable Charter provision.
While every effort will be made to copy, organize, and collate all testimony received, materials
received on the day of the meeting or improperly identified may be distributed to the members after the
meeting is concluded.
The Charter Commission rules limit the length of time allocated to persons wishing to present verbal
testimony to five (5) minutes. A speaker' s time may be limited to three (3) minutes if, in the discretion
of the chairperson or presiding member, such limitation is necessary to accommodate all persons
desiring to address the Commission at the meeting.
Send written testimony to:
Charter Review Commission
Attn: Barbara Davis
Office of Boards and Commissions
4444 Rice Street, Suite 150
Lu` e, HI 96766
E-mail :bdavis@kauai.gov
Phone: (808) 241 -4919 Fax: (808) 241 -5127
Charter Review Commission — January 28, 2013 2 I P a g e
SPECIAL ASSISTANCE
If you need an alternate format or an auxiliary aid to participate, please contact the Boards and
commissions Support Clerk at (808) 241 -4919 at least five (5) working days prior to the meeting.
Charter Review Commission — January 28, 2013 3 IP age
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COUNTY OF KAUAI ■ rdi pa pi, pi '1 f J
Minutes of Meeting
OPEN SESSION
Board/Committee: CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION Meeting Date I November 26, 2012
Location Mo 'ikeha Building, Meeting Room 2A/2B Start of Meeting: 4:03 p.m. I End of Meeting: 4:58 p.m.
Present Chair Patrick Stack; Vice-Chair Carol Suzawa. Members: Ed Justus; James Nishida; Jan TenBruggencate
Also : Deputy County Attorney Jennifer Winn; Boards & Commissions Office Staff: Support Clerk Barbara Davis; Administrator
Paula Morikami
Excused Member: Mary Lou Barela; Joel Guy
Absent
SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION
Call To Order Chair Stack called the meeting to order at 4:03
p.m. with 5 Commissioners present
Approval of Regular Open Session Minutes of October 22, 2012 Mr. TenBruggencate moved to approve the
Minutes minutes as circulated. Mr. Justus seconded the
motion. Motion carried 5 :0
Business CRC 2012- 13 Election of Chair and Vice-Chair for 2013 Ms. Suzawa nominated Jan TenBruggencate for
Chair. Mr. Nishida seconded the motion.
Motion carried 5 :0
Mr. TenBruggencate nominated Ed Justus for
Vice-Chair. Mr. Nishida seconded the motion.
Motion carried 5 :0
CRC 2012- 14 Review and discussion of the final results of the 2012 Charter
Amendments.
Mr. Justus thought the reason that the Ballot Question (eliminating the one
year wait period) for Section 23 .02 was defeated by a large margin is
because the public does not know that people who serve on boards and
Ncommissions are not paid. Most people probably assume that if someone
v� E works in the County, they get compensated. Mr. Nishida said he voted
N m
at-
Charter Review Commission
Open Session
November 26, 2012 Page 2
SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION
against the ballot question because he thought there should be more
turnover within the boards and commissions. Mr. Stack suggested that
maybe the Charter needs to be clearer by staling that commissioners are
volunteers and are not paid entities. Ms. Suzawa asked if the Commission
would be reintroducing this issue for the next election or just let it rest. Mr.
Justus suggested they defer further discussion until early 2014. Mr.
TenBruggencate said if this is a really important measure it will come up
again. This Commission' s job is to present something to the voters and the
voters said `not that one' . There is not that big a pool of people willing and
able to do the job and so you have to use the ones you have but it does make
a good argument to force the County to broaden its view and bring more
people through the process. If the Mayor comes to the Commission because
there are no candidates willing to serve and asks for the issue to be put back
on the ballot then it can be considered again.
Mr. Justus said the Ballot Question (to eliminate the waiting period for the
council ' s salary changes) for Section 29.05 was defeated because the public
did not know this was just to clarify the Charter. Mr. Justus suggested
reintroducing this issue but restating it. Attorney Winn stated that
amendment was not a clarification. It changes the Charter because there is
still a waiting period before the County Council receives salary changes.
Ms. Davis told the Commission that there were 2 articles in the newspaper
and that she had received calls from the public saying the Charter
Commission had not done an adequate job of explaining the charter
amendments. People still want to see a "pro" and a "con" but the thought
has been that if the Commission puts something forth it was because they
felt it was necessary or desirable so there is no reason to not vote for it and
therefore there is no "con". The language needs to be carefully worked on
over the next 2 years.
Charter Review Commission
Open Session
November 26, 2012 Page 3
SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION
Mr. TenBruggencate said he was heartened by the fact that the people
passed the initiative and referendum issues because clearly that issue could
have been confusing.
Chair Stack said he had complaints from the public about the Commission' s
failure to `degenderize' the document. Chair Stack asked if it were possible
to make non-substantive changes without going to the public for approval.
Attorney Winn reminded the Commission this subject is not on the agenda
and cannot be discussed. Mr. Justus moved to accept the communication
showing the final vote results of the 2012
Charter Amendments. Mr. TenBruggencate
seconded the motion. Motion carried 5 :0
CRC 2012- 11 Commissioner Justus' proposed new Article VIII to the
Charter creating a Commission to provide oversight of the County Attorney
(Deferred from 10/22/12)
Mr. Justus stated he thought it was still a good idea to ask the other
departments and agencies what they thought about creating this new
Commission, even if the Commission decides to take on a broader range
approach to discover how much power the mayor' s office should or should
not have. At the very least is this something the Commission wants to
discuss. Seeking opinions from the County Attorney' s Office, the Mayor' s
Office, and the County Council would give the Commission a good idea on
what they think and may even provide an idea that is better.
Attorney Winn said there are several legal issues in general that would need
to be reworked. The overall concern is that any sort of commission would
not necessarily be a client of the county attorney so a lot of subject matters
could not be discussed with the commission. If the commission is looking
Charter Review Commission
Open Session
November 26, 2012 Page 4
SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION
into the behavior of the County Attorney, they might not have access to a lot
of information that might help them make their determinations because of
privilege. As a practical issue, Kauai is a small legal system. The proposal
states that four of the commission members have to be attorneys and it may
be difficult to find attorneys who want to be on the commission because
there might be a conflict with their cases. They would not be able to sue the
County because they are part of the County. Section 33 .05 C which is
review the department 's operations, as deemed necessary, for the purpose
of recommending improvements to the County Attorney could pose another
problem as again they might not have access to information due to privilege.
Item E Hear complaints of citizens concerning the County Attorney, the
citizens are not the County Attorney' s clients so this item may need to be
reworded. Attorney Winn said these were areas she would like to look into
for the Commission and if the Commission believes this is a good idea she
could put it into a format where it is practical and the attorneys are not
violating their ethical rules.
Chair Stack noted the next meeting is 60 days away and asked Attorney
Winn if she could provide an opinion in January. Attorney Winn said she
could bring up the issues. Mr. Justus asked if Attorney Winn could make
some recommendations on what potentially could work since the
Commission does not know what the legal structure would be to make
something function. Attorney Winn said she would be happy to do a legal
opinion but as to policy that would be Attorney Castillo ' s role more than her
role.
Mr. TenBruggencate said before they burden the Deputy County Attorney
with the task of working on the minutia of this proposal the Commission
should fold this into a larger discussion next year on the structure of County
government, whether there should be a stronger mayor/weaker mayor
Charter Review Commission
Open Session
November 26, 2012 Page 5
SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION
system and whether some of the other department heads such as Planning,
Police, Fire, Civil Service and the County Attorney should be commission
appointed or mayor appointed. This Commission should look in a
comprehensive way at that question before working on Charter language for
just one piece of that.
Mr. Justus said perhaps they could do both. If the Commission starts a
discussion that addresses all of those things it would be helpful to have
additional information to provide a good solid discussion. Mr. •
TenBruggencate said if they decide that a couple of the department heads
should not be appointed by a commission but by the mayor and a couple of
others should be commission appointed that are not now, like the County
Attorney, the larger issue is making sure those different sections are
comparably drafted. It would be putting the cart before the horse to develop
language for just one piece of it.
Mr. Justus said his understanding from the Deputy Attorney is the way the
proposal is written now, the Commission cannot present this type of
language to any of the departments to get their ideas since it is not known if
it is even feasible. Mr. Justus said he would like to know if this system will
work before further developing something the Commission thinks will
work.
Mr. TenBruggencate did not think it was the Deputy Attorney' s job to tell
the Commission it is not going to work. But he does assume if the
Commission tells Attorney Winn to find a way to make it work she will give
the Commission a way that it works. Attorney Winn said she can make it
legal.
Mr. Nishida thought the larger question would be with the commission' s
Charter Review Commission
Open Session
November 26, 2012 Page 6
SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION
role, especially based on the public outcry with the Police Commission' s
role which clearly, according to the Charter, was not their role but the public
saw it differently. The key question is what is the role of the commission,
how do commissions function, and is that what is wanted?
Mr. Justus asked Mr. TenBruggencate how he saw it structured if the
Commission takes on the task in January. Mr. TenBruggencate said he
would not take it on in January because there already is a long agenda and
he would prefer to see it on the February agenda. Mr. TenBruggencate
suggested holding a series of meetings and said it would behoove the
Commission to make decisions early in 2013 about issues they want to talk
about and then take those issues into the community to hear a "frothy"
discussion of what the opinions are in the community. Out of that type of
discussion the Commission would be more likely to come up with items for
consideration. Mr. TenBruggencate proposed the Commission identify 3 or
4 major issues such as the structure of the leadership of the County, the
districting issue, and making non-substantive changes in the Charter and
take those items to the community for a series of meetings. Mr.
TenBruggencate suggested they not go to the community with firm ideas of
what the Commission wants to propose but rather with issues the
Commission is discussing and ask for community input. These meetings
could be scheduled sometime in the summer followed by a round-table
discussion with the elected officials in an open public forum. Mr. TenBruggencate moved to fold the discussion
of creating commission oversight of the county
attorney into a discussion of the structure of the
appointment of top level county management. Mr.
Asked about topics of previous community meetings, Mr. TenBruggencate Justus seconded the motion.
said those discussions were strongly and clearly "pro" keeping the mayor
form of government rather than going to a county manager system. It did
not speak to the powers of the mayor, districting for the county council and
Charter Review Commission
Open Session
November 26, 2012 Page 7
SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION
other issues the Commission might want to look at.
Mr. TenBruggencate restated that his motion is to fold this item into a
subset of a larger discussion of the strong mayor/weak mayor forms of
county government and which department heads should be commission
appointed and which should be mayor appointed and what other options
there might available. Motion carried 5 :0
CRC 2011 - 17 Proposed amendment from Commissioner Justus revising
Article III, County Council, Section 3 .02 Composition, Section 3 .03 Terms,
and Section 3 .04 Qualifications relating to Partial Districting (deferred from
6/25/12)
c. Special Committee proposed amendment for County Council Partial
Districting (Four District/Three At-Large)
d. Special Committee proposed amendment for County Council Districting
— Seven Districts, At-Large
Mr. TenBruggencate said based on the earlier discussion this is a discussion
that also should be held to get community input. If there is to be a
districting measure placed on the ballot it should be a single districting item
for clarity and therefore the Commission needs to decide what that system
should be. Mr. TenBruggencate suggested the Commission defer this issue
to the February meeting in preparation for taking it into the community
sometime in the summer.
Mr. Justus said the Commission only needs one meeting to figure what their
focus is going to be and he felt this issue could go to the community before
the summer.
Charter Review Commission
Open Session
November 26, 2012 . Page 8
SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION
Mr. TenBruggencate said if this is moved to February for discussion, the
Commission can invite the County Council to a meeting in March to
provide their input with public meetings to come thereafter. While Mr.
Justus did not think it mattered if the Councilmembers disagreed with the
issue of districting, Mr. TenBruggencate said elected county representatives
have not only a vested interest but one would hope the pulse of the
community; they should have thoughts on the issue that might help the
Commission make a decision between the options. Mr. Justus said he did
agree with Mr. TenBruggencate' s formula. Mr. TenBruggencate moved to defer discussion on
Districting to the February meeting. Mr. Justus
seconded the motion. Motion carried 5 :0
Mr. Justus asked if he could add a sub-agenda item to the Districting
proposal for the February agenda. Attorney Winn said yes if it related to the
item and Staff asked Mr. Justus to submit his proposal early to make the
agenda
CRC 2012-05 Proposed changes from Commissioner Ed Justus to Article
VIII, County Attorney, Sec 8.02, 8.03 and mediation (deferred from
8/27/12)
Mr. Justus thought Sections 8 .02 and 8.03 should be folded into the larger
discussion to include the county attorney oversight; the concept of
mediation is something the Commission needs to further discuss.
Mr. TenBruggencate said he hated to disagree with Mr. Justus but he did not
think a long discussion was needed because it made sense to him. Mr.
TenBruggencate said he did have two questions of Mr. Justus as the author
of the proposal. In § 8.02, what does a "full approval vote" mean? Mr.
Justus said he was not sure what term means the entire 7 members; would
that be super majority or unanimous? Mr. Justus thought it important that
the county council have some type of power just like the mayor does.
Charter Review Commission
Open Session
November 26, 2012 Page 9
SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION
Ms. Morikami advised Mr. Justus that super majority and unanimous are
two different things. Mr. Justus said he meant the term to be unanimous.
Mr. TenBruggencate addressed his second question to Chair Stack because
of the Chair's extensive experience with mediation and asked if it would be
preferable to change the term "shall" to "may" so the county attorney has
the option, if they feel it is in the County' s best interest, to mediate but
would not necessarily have to mediate.
Attorney Winn said it is difficult to make comments without exact
language. Attorney Winn said she was not sure if this section on Mediation
was actually Charter material in that it does not create the structure of
government; it is talking about how to do a lawsuit. Secondly this is an area
that would fall under general law. The State Legislature and particularly the
Judiciary have the power to run these things and there can't be a charter
provision that would conflict with general law. Attorney Winn said she has
reservations about such an amendment to the Charter. Creating an office of
a mediator is definitely a structural type of thing this body can propose but
they cannot require people to mediate. The Judiciary can require mediation
but not the Charter Commission. Also, if the mediator is a county employee
the other side would be using the people they are suing to mediate, which
would not be practical. Mr. TenBruggencate asked if was superfluous in
that the county attorney currently has the authority to choose to engage in
mediation. Attorney Winn answered yes. Mr. TenBruggencate noted the
proposal only mandated mediation. Mr. Justus said that was right but the
Attorney said the Commission does not have the authority to do that.
Chair Stack pointed out that the Kaua'i Supreme Court of the Hawai'i
Judiciary broadly supports mediation. Attorney Winn did not disagree.
Charter Review Commission
Open Session
November 26, 2012 Page 10
SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION
Chair Stack also pointed out whereas mediations are an interdependent
process, the judge can order parties in dispute to mediate. The judge cannot
decide what happens there but he/she can send them to mediation. Attorney
Winn stated she was not saying mediation was bad and the judge does have
those powers. Chair Stack understood Attorney Winn was saying this issue
was outside the scope of this Commission to restructure. Attorney Winn
said this body can restructure the government but the Commission cannot
tell someone how to run a lawsuit. Chair Stack said mediation is not a
lawsuit; it is a voluntary conversation between disputes. If mediation fails
the next logical step is a lawsuit. Attorney Winn said you cannot require
someone to do mediation first; you cannot take away their ability to go
straight to a lawsuit. Chair Stack said that a judge can and Attorney Winn
responded correct.
Mr. Justus said the County Attorney brought up an interesting idea with the
Office of Mediator and asked if the Commission could create such an office
to do that function. Attorney Winn said this body can create the structure of
government such as when the Department of Parks and Recreation was
placed on the ballot and a new department was created. While the Office of
Mediator can be created through the Charter you cannot require people to
use that office and opposing counsel will not want to use the County to
mediate when they are suing the County.
Mr. TenBruggencate said the Appointment and Removal section seems
confusing. Currently the mayor, we use the term appoint which is not an
accurate term, nominates and the county council confirms the appointment
of the county attorney. Section 8.02 the language suggests that the mayor
may appoint with a 2/3 ' s vote or 5 votes of the 7 council members or the
council may appoint. Mr. TenBruggencate asked who is the appointing
authority? Mr. Justus said the council can appoint but they need the
Charter Review Commission
Open Session
November 26, 2012 Page 11
SUBJECT DISCUSSION ACTION
approval of the mayor as well; it is the same situation. Since the county
attorney serves the entire County and not just one department in the
executive branch, both of the main active branches of the County
government should be able to equally participate in whoever they would like
to select. Scenarios were discussed where there could be a loggerhead with
no one being appointed to the position for months. Mr. TenBruggencate
said he would argue for making it simpler. Mr. Justus said his idea for an
attorney commission is there would not be a log jam effect because the
people on the commission who make the appointment would not be subject
to the same political ambitions you would find between the mayor and the
council. The whole idea is it would be an independent body that is equally
appointed by both sides but not directly involved. Mr. Justus said after
hearing the Commission' s concerns he proposed the attorney commission
idea. The issue (with the county attorney) comes up enough that it needs to
be addressed and fixed somehow. Mr. Justus said it would be great if both
branches of government would feel satisfied with the person or persons who
issue their legal opinions because whatever the County Attorney' s Office
says is what the County has to go by.
Attorney Winn explained that the County Attorney' s Office is not the
decision makers but rather the Office that gives advice.
Mr. TenBruggencate said he did not think the mediation discussion was
ready for prime time and clearly the appointment and removal section folds
into the other discussions. Mr. TenBruggencate said he did like Section
8 .03 , the recommendation to increase the requirement that an attorney
being considered to be the county attorney should have five years
experience practicing in the State of Hawai'i and recommends it go forward
as a proposal for a Charter amendment. Mr. TenBruggencate moved that Section 8 .03 ,
which would increase the required experience for
Charter Review Commission
Open Session
November 26, 2012 Page 12
SUBJECT DISCUSSION - ACTION
the County Attorney from three to five years
practicing in the State of Hawai'i, move forward
as a proposed Charter amendment. Mr. Nishida
seconded the motion.
Mr. Justus said he has heard from the public and people within the County
that maybe there should be a stipulation on what kind of law the county
attorney practices and should that stipulation be included? Chair Stack
thought that was placing unnecessary constraints on the selection of the
county attorney but he would agree in principle that the county attorney
should have a certain background. Mr. TenBruggencate added it was a
good point, but the most important function of the county attorney is to run
a major department of the County and managerial skills might be more
important than legal skills. You could have a tax lawyer who can run a
department like nobody and you could have an excellent trial attorney who
cannot get along with anyone. There tends to be a small pool of attorneys to
work with and you have to pick the best person you have. Should it be a
corporate or government attorney as opposed to the standard civil or Motion carried 5 :0
criminal attorney?
Mr. Justus moved to include Section 8 .02 in the
community discussions. Mr. Nishida seconded
the motion. Motion carried 5 :0
Announcements Next Meeting: Monday, January 28, 2013 at 4:00 pm
Adjournment Chair Stack adjourned the meeting at 4:58 p.m.
Submitted by: Reviewed and Approved by:
Barbara Davis, Support Clerk Patrick Stack, Chair
( ) Approved as is. ( ) Approved with amendments. See minutes of meeting.
COUNTY COUNCIL s40111lits.t:
� OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK
Jay Furfaro, Chair 4
Nadine K. Nakamura, Vice Chair „ U �� %� ;? Ricky Watanabe, County Clerk
Tim Bynum , 9 • Jade K. Fountain-Tanigawa, Deputy County Clerk
Gary L. Hooser s?, R 4,
Ross Kagawa �r?-,,,)-( 4-t Telephone (808) 241 -4188
Mel Rapozo of - Fax (808) 241 -6349
JoAnn A. Yukimura Email cokcouncil @kauai.gov
Council Services Division
4396 Rice Street, Suite 209
Lihu`e, Kauai, Hawaii 96766 3 u V 15? } t
December 4, 2012 J DEc 5 • L.)
BOARDS & COMMISSIONS
The Honorable Patrick Stack, Chair
& Members of the County of Kaua`i Charter Review Commission
c/o County of Kaua`i, Office of Boards and Commissions
4444 Rice Street, Suite 150
Lihu`e, Hawai`i 96766
Dear Chair Stack & Members of the Charter Review Commission:
RE: CERTIFICATE OF ALL RESULTS, 2012 CHARTER
AMENDMENTS, COUNTY OF KAUAI
Attached is the Certificate of All Results for the 2012 County of Kaua`i
Charter Amendments that were duly voted upon at the General Election held on
Tuesday, November 6, 2012, in the County of Kauai.
Please feel free to contact the Office of the County Clerk — Elections Division
at (808) 241 -4800, should you have any questions. Thank you for your attention to
this matter.
Sincerely,
RICKY WATANABE
County Clerk, County of Kaua`i
SS :lc/2012- 1576
Attachment
cc: Paula Morikami, Boards & Commissions Administrator
Office of the County Clerk — Elections Division
CRC 2013 -01
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
CERTIFICATE OF ALL RESULTS
2012 CHARTER AMENDMENTS
COUNTY OF KAUAI
I, Ricky Watanabe , County Clerk of the County of Kaua`i, do hereby certify that the
following Charter Amendments were duly voted upon at the General Election held
on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, in the County of Kauai:
RELATING TO THE MAYOR'S COMPENSATION:
"Should the Mayor's salary be established by the Salary Commission?"
YES : 17, 687
NO : 4, 570
RELATING TO COUNTY BOARD AND COMMISSION MEMBER TERMS:
"Should a county board or commission member whose term is ending be allowed to
serve on a different county board or commission without being required to wait one
year?"
YES : 8, 893
NO : 13, 244
RELATING TO THE ELECTION OF COUNTY OFFICERS:
"Should a candidate for County Council be required to run in the general election even
though the candidate received at least thirty percent of the votes cast in the primary
election?"
YES : 16, 401
NO : 5, 844
RELATING TO SUBMISSION _REQUIREMENTS FOR INITIATIVE AND
REFERENDUM PETITIONS:
"Should it be clarified that an initiative or referendum petition must be signed by
registered voters comprising the established percentage of the number of voters
registered in the last election?"
YES : 15, 463
NO : 4, 808
RELATING TO INITIATION OF CHARTER AMENDMENTS:
"Should it be clarified that a petition for a charter amendment must be signed by
registered voters comprising the established percentage of the number of voters
registered in the last election?"
YES : 16, 018
NO : 4, 294
RELATING TO SALARY COMMISSION AND TO GENERAL PROVISIONS:
"Should the Salary Commission establish maximum salaries for officers, which shall
include the Prosecuting Attorney and all deputies and allow for elected officers to
accept salaries lower than the maximum?"
YES : 17 ,925
NO : 3, 708
1' I
RELATING TO SALARY COMMISSION AND TO GENERAL PROVISIONS:
"Should the waiting period be eliminated before council's salary changes become
effective?"
YES : 7, 894
NO : 13, 754
• RELATING TO BUDGET PROCEDURES:
"Shall the provisions be deleted that allow the mayor, after submitting the proposed
annual budget, to submit suggested budget modifications before the council enacts
the annual budget?"
YES : 10, 578
NO : 10, 938
•
•
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the County
. of Kaua`i, State of Hawaii, to be affixed on this 27th day of November 2012 .
RICKY WATANABE
County Clerk, County of Kauai
•
•
COUNTY COUNCIL �� of
+j- ti OFFICE OF THE COUNTY CLERK
Jay Furfaro, Chair �
Nadine K. Nakamura, Vice Chair Yi Ricky Watanabe; County Clerk
Tim Bynum �00�^ ; . ; !i�= Jade K. Fountain-Tanigawa, Deputy County Clerk
Gary L. Hooser tt►a°'"C) trlt eof
Ross Kagawa '�•? � i s.O / Telephone (808) 241-4188
Mel Rapozo of t Fax (808) 241 -6349
JoAnn A. Yukimura Email cokcouncil @kauai.gov
Council Services Division
4396 Rice Street, Suite 209 r\-----CE —E-1 t, ;
Lihu e, Kauai, Hawaii 96766 ..
December 4, 2012 1� si b� ti
The Honorable Scott T. Nago BOARDS & COMMISSIONS
Chief Election Officer F E C E 0 V ( 1
State of Hawai`i, Office of Elections ' 1
802 Lehua Avenue
Pearl City, Hawaii 96782 R DEC 5 2012
,
Dear Mr. Nago: i BOARDS & COMMISSI :TIN I '
RE: CERTIFICATE OF RESULTS, 2012 CHARTER AMENDMENTS,
COUNTY OF KAUAI
Attached is the Certificate of Results for the 2012 Charter Amendments that
were duly adopted by a majority of votes cast at the General Election held on
Tuesday, November 6, 2012, in the County of Kauai.
Please feel free to contact the Office of the County Clerk — Elections Division
should you have any questions at (808) 241 -4800. Thank you for your attention to
this matter.
Sincerely,
RICKY WATANABE
County Clerk, County of Kaua`i
SS :aa
Attachment
cc: Office of the County Clerk — Elections Division
County of Kaua`i, Office of Boards and Commissions
CRC 2013 -02
A TT urn T A T nnnnn TT lit TU I ' Tn AnT ntr •n
CERTIFICATE OF RESULTS
2012 CHARTER AMENDMENTS
COUNTY OF KAUAI
I, Ricky Watanabe, County Clerk of the County of Kaua`i, do hereby certify that the
following Charter Amendments were duly adopted by a majority of votes cast on the
questions at the General Election held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, in the
County of Kaua`i:
RELATING TO THE MAYOR'S COMPENSATION:
"Should the Mayor's salary be established by the Salary Commission?"
Article VII, Section 7.03 of the Kauai County Charter shall be amended to
read as follows:
ARTICLE VII
MAYOR
"Section 7.03. Compensation. The salary of the mayor shall be [$ 19, 000.00 per annum
which shall be subject to change by the council. The salary of any incumbent shall be
reduced only in the event that a general reduction in salaries of all county officers and
employees is simultaneously effected] established in accordance with the provisions of
Article XXIX of this Charter."
Note: Charter material to be repealed is bracketed. New charter material is
underscored.
YES : 17, 687
NO: 4, 570
RELATING TO THE ELECTION OF COUNTY OFFICERS
"Should a candidate for County Council be required to run in the general election even
though the candidate received at least thirty percent of the votes cast in the primary
election?"
Article I, Section 1.03 of the Kauai County Charter shall be amended to read
as follows:
ARTICLE I
THE COUNTY AND ITS GOVERNMENT
"Section 1 . 03. County Elections.
[A. In general. County elections shall be conducted in accordance with the
election laws of the State insofar as applicable, but all elective officers shall be elected
by nonpartisan elections. Except as otherwise provided in this charter, such
nonpartisan elections shall be held in conjunction with the primary and general
elections of the applicable year in which the terms of the mayor, council members, or
prosecuting attorney, respectively, end.
B. First nonpartisan election. To the extent possible, the first nonpartisan
election shall be held in conjunction with the primary election of the applicable year.
1 . Offices of the Mayor, Prosecuting Attorney and Council members to be
elected by districts, if any. In the case of the offices of mayor, prosecuting attorney, or
any council members to be elected by districts, the names of the two candidates
receiving the highest number of votes for these offices in the first nonpartisan election
shall be placed on the ballot for the second nonpartisan election. However, if there is
only one candidate for each of said offices, such candidate shall be elected.
2. Office of At-Large Council Members. The candidates receiving the highest
number of votes shall be elected to fill each vacant at-large council office provided the
candidate or candidates receive at least thirty percent of all votes cast for all at-large
council offices. In the event of a tie for the last remaining at-large council office the
candidates receiving the same number of votes shall be placed on the ballot for the
second nonpartisan election.
C. Second nonpartisan election. To the extent possible, the second nonpartisan
election shall be held in conjunction with the general election for the applicable year.
1 . Offices of the Mayor, Prosecuting Attorney, and Council members to be
elected by districts, if any. Unless a candidate for mayor, prosecuting attorney, or
council members to be elected by district, if any, is elected in the first nonpartisan
election, the names of the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes for
these offices in the first nonpartisan election shall be placed on the ballot for the
second nonpartisan election. At the second nonpartisan election the candidates
receiving the highest number of votes for mayor, prosecuting attorney and district
council member, respectively, shall be elected.
2. Office of At-Large Council members.
a. If any at-large council office remains to be filled after the first nonpartisan
election, two candidates for each vacant at-large council office shall be placed on the
ballot. The names of the candidates receiving the highest number of votes cast in the
first nonpartisan election, other than the name of any candidate elected after the first
nonpartisan election, shall be placed on the ballot until a sufficient number of
candidates are on the ballot as provided in this subsection. At the second nonpartisan
election, the candidates receiving the highest number of votes for each vacant at-large
office shall be elected.
b. In the event of a tie vote in the second nonpartisan election, the winner shall
be determined by chance by a method chosen by the county clerk.
D . In any subsequent publication of the foregoing sections the term "first
nonpartisan election" and "second nonpartisan election" may be changed to "primary
election" and "general election", respectively.]
A. Nonpartisan Elections. County elections shall be conducted in accordance
with the election laws of the State insofar as applicable, but all elective county officers
shall be elected by nonpartisan elections.
B. Offices of the Mayor and Prosecuting Attorney.
1 . For the offices of mayor and prosecuting attorney, the names of the two
candidates receiving the highest number of votes for these offices in the primary
election shall be placed on the ballot for the general election. However, if there is only
one candidate for each of said offices, such candidate shall be elected in the primary
election.
2. At the general election, the candidates receiving the highest number of votes
for mayor and prosecuting attorney shall be elected.
3 . Tie votes. In the event of a tie vote for mayor and prosecuting attorney in the
primary or general election, the winner shall be determined by a method of chance as
determined by the county clerk.
C. Office of At-Large Council members.
1 . For at-large council offices, two candidates for each vacant at-large council
office receiving the highest number of votes in the primary election shall be placed on
the ballot for the general election.
2. At the general election, the candidates receiving the highest number of votes
for each vacant at-large council office shall be elected.
3. Tie votes. In the event of a tie vote for the last remaining at-large council
office in the primary election, the candidates receiving the same number of votes shall
be placed on the ballot for the general election.
In the event of a tie vote for the last remaining at-large council office in the
general election, the winner shall be determined by a method of chance as determined
by the county clerk."
Note: Charter material to be repealed is bracketed. New charter material is
underscored.
YES: 16, 401
NO: 5, 844
RELATING TO SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR INITIATIVE AND
REFERENDUM PETITIONS
"Should it be clarified that an initiative or referendum petition must be signed by
registered voters comprising the established percentage of the number of voters
registered in the last election?"
Article XXII, Section 22.03 of the Kauai County Charter shall be amended to
read as follows:
ARTICLE XXII
INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM
"Section 22.03 . Submission Requirement.
A. Voters seeking to propose an ordinance by initiative shall submit an
initiative petition addressed to the council and containing the full text of the proposed
ordinance. The initiative petition shall be filed with the clerk of the council at least
ninety-six (96) hours prior to any regular council committee meeting.
B. Voters seeking referendum of an ordinance shall submit a referendum
petition addressed to the council, identifying the particular ordinance and requesting
that it be either repealed or referred to the voters of the county.
C. Each initiative or each referendum petition must be signed by registered
voters comprising not less than twenty percent (20%) of the number of [eligible] voters
registered in the last [preceding] general election.
D. If an initiative or referendum measure is to be placed on the ballot in a
general election, the initiative and referendum petitions must be submitted not less
than one hundred twenty (120) calendar days prior to the day scheduled for the
general election in the county."
Note: Charter material to be repealed is bracketed. New charter material is
underscored.
YES: 15, 463
NO : 4, 808
RELATING TO INITIATION OF CHARTER AMENDMENTS
"Should it be clarified that a petition for a charter amendment must be signed by
registered voters comprising the established percentage of the number of voters
registered in the last election?"
Article XXIV, Section 24.01 of the Kauai County Charter shall be amended to
read as follows:
ARTICLE XXIV
CHARTER AMENDMENT
"Section 24.01 . Initiation of Amendments. Amendments to this charter may be
initiated only in the following manner:
A. By resolution of the council adopted after two readings on separate days and
passed by a vote of five or more members of the council.
B. By petition presented to the council, signed by registered voters comprising
not less than five percent (5%) of the number of voters registered in the last general
election, setting forth the proposed amendments. Such petitions shall designate and
authorize not less than three nor more than five of the signers thereto to approve any
alteration or change in the form or language or any restatement of the text of the
proposed amendments which may be made by the county attorney.
Upon filing of such petition with the council, the county clerk shall examine it to see
whether it contains a sufficient number of [apparently genuine] valid signatures of
registered voters."
Note : Charter material to be repealed is bracketed. New charter material is
underscored.
YES: 16, 018
NO : 4, 294
RELATING TO SALARY COMMISSION AND TO GENERAL PROVISIONS
"Should the Salary Commission establish maximum salaries for officers, which shall
include the Prosecuting Attorney and all deputies and allow for elected officers to
accept salaries lower than the maximum?"
Article XXIX, Section 29.01 and Article XXIII, Section 23.01 of the Kauai
County Charter are amended to read as follows:
ARTICLE XXIX
SALARY COMMISSION
"Section 29. 01 . Organization. There shall be a Salary Commission composed of seven
members to establish the maximum salaries of all [councilmembers and all officers
and employees included in Section 3-2. 1 of the Kauai County Code 1987, as amended]
elected and appointed officers as defined in Section 23. 01 D of this Charter.
Section 29.02. Policies. The commission shall adopt and, when it deems necessary,
may change the policies governing its salary-setting decisions.
Section 29.03. Resolution. The commission's salary findings shall be adopted by
resolution of the commission and forwarded to the mayor and the council on or before
March 15 of any calendar year. [Subject to Section 29.05, the] The resolution shall
take effect without the mayor's and council's concurrence sixty days after its adoption
by the commission unless rejected by a vote of not less than five members of the
council. The council may reject either the entire resolution or any portion of it. The
respective appointing authority may set the salary of an appointee at a figure lower
than the maximum figure established by [ordinance] the salary commission for the
position. Provided however, elected officers may voluntarily accept a salary lower
than the maximum figure established by the salary commission for their position, or
forego accepting a salary.
Section 29.04 Rules. The commission shall establish its rules of procedures and adopt
rules and regulations pursuant to law.
Section 29.05 Changes in Salary. No change in salary of councilmembers shall be
effective during the term in which a change is enacted or for twenty-four months after
a change is enacted, whichever is less.
Section 29.06 Administration and Operation. The mayor and council shall provide an
annual appropriation sufficient to enable the commission to secure clerical or
technical assistance and pay other operational costs in the performance of its duties."
ARTICLE XXIII
GENERAL PROVISIONS
"Section 23 .01 . Definitions.
D . The term "officer" shall include the following:
(1) Mayor, prosecuting attorney, and members of the council.
(2) Any person excluded from Chapter 76, HRS and the position
classification plan who is appointed as administrative head of any
department or agency of the county or as a member of any board or
commission.
(3) [The first deputy] Deputies appointed by the administrative head of any
department or agency of the county who are excluded from Chapter 76,
HRS and the position classification plan.
[(4) Deputies of the county attorney.]"
YES: 17, 925
NO : 3, 708
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the County
of Kauai, State of Hawai`i, to be affixed on this 27th day of November 2012.
RICKY WATANABE
County Clerk, County of Kaua`i
Proposing A New Section 24.04 Relating to Non-substantive Corrections and
Revisions.
Findings and Purpose.
The Commission finds that the County needs the ability to correct typographical and
grammatical errors and make non-substantive format changes to the Charter resulting
from clerical mistakes or newly adopted Charter amendments.
The purpose of this amendment is to allow the County Attorney/County Clerk to propose
corrections to errors in spelling, grammar, gender neutral language and other format
changes as well as insert omitted words, section references, Hawaiian language diacritical
marks and make other non-substantive revisions to the Charter.
The adoption of all non-substantive corrections or revisions proposed by the County
Attorney/County Clerk shall be by ordinance approved by a vote of five (5) or more
members of the County Council and only upon the conclusion of a duly noticed public
hearing.
Charter Amendment.
Article XXIV of the Kaua'i County Charter shall be amended by adding a new Section 24.04
to read as follows :
"ARTICLE XXIV
CHARTER AMENDMENT
Section 24.04. Non-substantive corrections and revisions.
A. The county attorney may propose non-substantive corrections and revisions to
the charter by ordinance .
B. In making non-substantive corrections and revisions the county attorney may:
1. Number and renumber articles, sections, and part of sections;
2 . Rearrange sections;
3 . Change reference numbers to be consistent with renumbered articles,
sections, and part of sections under either federal, state, or county law;
4. Substitute the proper article or section number for the terms "the preceding
Revised 5/23/11 (New Sec. 20.04 - Non-substantive Charter Corrections)
CRC 2013-03
section", "this article", and like termsi
5 . Delete figures where they are merely a repetition of written words;
6. Change capitalization for purposes of uniformity;
7. Correct clerical, typographical, or grammatical errors and insert omitted
words or Hawaiian language diacritical marksi
8. Change any male or female gender terms to a term which is neutral in gender
when it is clear that the provision is not applicable only to members of one sex and
without altering the sense, meaning, or effect of any charter provision;
9. Delete any provision pre-empted or superseded by either federal or state law
or any charter amendment; and
10. Incorporate other non-substantive changes as shall be necessary to provide a
uniform and consistent language style throughout the charter. In making such
revisions, the county attorney shall not alter the sense, meaning or effect of any
article or section .
C. Prior to adoption of the ordinance, the council shall conduct a public hearing on
all proposed non-substantive corrections or revisions under consideration . A notice of the
public hearing shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county at
least thirty (30) days prior to the date of the hearing. The public hearing shall be held not
earlier than seven (7) days prior to the final reading of the ordinance.
D. The ordinance shall be adopted by a vote of five (5) or more members of the
County Council ."
Note: New charter material is underscored .
Ballot Question .
Shall the County Attorney/County Clerk be allowed to propose an ordinance to correct
typographical, grammatical and other minor errors to the Charter that must be approved
by a vote of five (5 ) or more members of the County Council ?
Big Island: RELATING TO GRAMMAR, SPELLING, AND FORMATTING OF THE CHARTER: Shall the charter
of the County of Kaua'i be amended by correcting various grammatical, spelling, and formatting errors
throughout the charter?
Revised 5/23/11 (New Sec. 20.04 - Non-substantive Charter Corrections)
2 CRC 2013-03
An Amendment Relating to Establishing A Permanent Charter Review
Commission.
Charter Amendment.
Article XXIV, Section 24.03 of the Kaua 'i County Charter shall be amended to read as
follows :
"ARTICLE XXIV
CHARTER AMENDMENT
Section 24.03 . Charter Review. The mayor with the approval of the council shall
appoint, with appropriate staffing, a charter commission composed of seven
members who shall serve in accordance with Section 23 .02C of this Charter to study •
and review the operation of the county government under this charter [for a period
of ten years commencing in 2007. Thereafter, the mayor with the approval of the
council shall appoint a charter commission at ten year intervals] . In the event the
commission deems changes are necessary or desirable, the commission may
propose amendments to the existing charter or draft a new charter which shall be
submitted to the county clerk. The county clerk shall provide for the submission of
such amendments or new charter to the voters at any general or special election as
may be determined by the commission . The commission shall publish not less than
thirty (30) days before any election at least once in a newspaper of general
circulation within the county the entire text of the amendments or new charter.
A. Unless a new charter is submitted to the voters, each amendment to the
charter shall be voted on separately.
B. If a majority of the voters voting upon a charter amendment votes in favor
of it or a new charter, if a new charter is proposed, the amendment or new charter
shall become effective at the time fixed in the amendment or charter, or if no time
is fixed, thirty (30) days after its adoption by the voters. Any charter or amendment
shall be published in its entirety not more than thirty (30) days after its adoption .
Note : Charter material to be repealed is bracketed .
CRC 2013-04
Draft: 4-04-11 (Sec. 24.01 — Permanent Charter Commission)
An Amendment Relating to the Qualifications of the County Attorney
Charter Amendment.
Article VIII, Section 8.03 of the Kaua 'i County Charter shall be amended to read as
follows :
ARTICLE VIII
COUNTY ATTORNEY
Section 8.03 . Qualifications. The county attorney shall be an attorney licensed to
practice and in good standing before the supreme court of the State of Hawaii and
shall have engaged in the practice of law in the State of Hawaii for at least [three]
five years.
Note: Charter material to be repealed is bracketed . New charter material is •
underscored .
Proposed by Commissioner Ed Justus
11/26/12 — approved to move forward as a proposed Charter amendment
CRC 2013-05
•
• COUNTY OF KAUAI
CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION
2013 Meeting Schedule
4th Monday except as highlighted below, 4 :00 pm or shortly thereafter
January 28
February 25
March 25
April 22
May 20 (third Monday due to holiday)
June 24
July 22
August 26
September 23
October 28
• November 25
December 23
•
CRC 2013 -06
I
4444 Rice Street, Suite 150 • Lihu`e, Hawaii 96766 • (808) 241 -4919 • Fax (808) 241 -5127