KAILUA-KONA >> Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim has instituted a hiring freeze so that county departments can revamp their procedures for selecting job candidates.

West Hawaii Today reports that Kim said Wednesday that until each department’s process of hiring is approved by his office, they are not to proceed with hiring.

Kim, who took office Dec. 5 after previously serving as mayor from 2000 to 2008, said hiring policies and procedures changed considerably during his time out of the county government. After he left office in 2008, the county Human resources Department restructured and centralized procedures, giving committees and the mayor’s office final say on hiring.

Kim says he wants department heads to be able to hire without so much oversight from the HR Department.