In the Nov. 5 election, registered voters in the City and County of Honolulu will consider four proposed city charter amendments.
Honolulu ballot questions include one involving climate change and another on the reorganization of the city’s Department of Emergency Services. Oahu voters will also be asked if a commission should oversee the city’s newly formed Department of Ocean Safety, and whether the City Council should vote on its future pay increases.
As far as voter approval of the latest charter amendments for Oahu, Honolulu Election Administrator Rex Quidilla said, “they are ratified when the ‘yes’ votes outnumber the ‘no’ votes. Blanks and over-votes are not included in that part of the calculations.” The Honolulu ballot questions are:
>> Charter Question #1: “Shall the Revised City Charter be amended to require that the City Council appropriate, without having to simultaneously increase real property tax rates to fund the appropriation, one-half of one percent of the City’s estimated real property tax revenues in each fiscal year’s budget and capital program, to be deposited into a Climate Resiliency Fund, the purpose of which is to support initiatives and projects aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change, enhancing the resilience of the City’s infrastructure and communities, and promoting sustainable practices?”
>> Charter Question #2: “Shall the Revised City Charter be amended to establish the Department of Emergency Management as an independent agency of the City Executive Branch by assigning the Department of Emergency Management a separate chapter in the City Charter similar to the chapters assigned to all other City departments to provide that all Department of Emergency Management positions, including its Director and Deputy Director, are subject to the civil service laws; and to specify a minimum level of qualifications for the civil service position of the Director of Emergency Management, with additional minimum qualifications to be determined in accordance with civil service laws?”
>> Charter Question #3: “Shall the Revised City Charter be amended to establish an Ocean Safety Commission to review and make recommendations on certain activities of the Department of Ocean Safety and to appoint and remove the Chief of Ocean Safety?”
>> Charter Question #4: “Shall the Revised City Charter provisions relating to the salaries for Councilmembers be amended to cap any annual increase at no more than five percent, require that any changes be tied to the average annual salary changes of city employees in the City’s collective bargaining units, and remove the Council’s authority to vote on its own raises?”
Hawaii County
Hawaii County voters will be asked to decide on three charter amendment proposals this year.
They involve vacancies to the County Council, the mayoral appointments of county department heads and extending the terms of a county oversight commission.
According to Hawaii County Clerk Jon Henricks, the charter amendments say, “Blank votes and over-votes are not factored into the vote for approval of proposed charter amendments; only the ‘yes’ votes and ‘no’ votes are counted.” The charter amendments include:
>> Proposal No. 1, County Council Vacancy in Office: “Shall the Hawaii County Charter be amended to provide that any vacancy on the County Council that occurs or exists after a person was duly elected to fill that seat for the upcoming Council term shall be filled by that duly elected successor for the remainder of the unexpired term?”
>> Proposal No. 2, Mayoral Appointment of Department Heads: “Shall the Hawaii County Charter be amended to require the Mayor to appoint department heads within 30 days of the start of each mayoral term and within 60 days for any vacancy in office that occurs during the mayoral term?”
>> Proposal No. 3, Term of Office for the Cost of Government Commission: “Shall the Hawaii County Charter be amended to increase the term length for members of the Cost of Government Commission from eleven to twenty-two months and extend the deadline for the Commission to submit its report from eleven months after appointment to 20 months after appointment?”
Kauai County
In 2024, Kauai County voters will be asked to decide on five ballot questions.
A vote on a ballot question will not be counted if it is left blank, or if both “yes” and “no” are selected. The ballot questions are:
>> Police Commission Investigation: “Shall the Police Commission’s 90-day window for reporting written investigation results start when the Commission receives the investigation report?”
>> Cost Control Commission Report: “Shall the Cost Control Commission be authorized to recommend increased costs if they are expected to generate future cost savings or efficiencies?”
>> Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Fund: “Shall up to 5% of the County’s Open Space Fund be available for the maintenance of lands, property entitlements, or improvements that were paid for by the Fund?”
>> Surety Bonds: “Shall the Charter be amended to allow the use of insurance policies for certain or all employees to protect the County against financial loss?”
>> Ex-officio Youth Position on County Boards and Commissions: “Shall the Charter be amended to establish ex-officio positions for youth on Boards and Commissions to be filled by Kauai resident high school juniors or seniors?”
Maui County
The Maui County Council has proposed three voter-approved charter amendments.
They involve fully staffing the county’s ethics commission, amending the reappointment and terms of those serving on local boards and commissions, and aligning the county Salary Commission’s authority to the state constitution.
According to Deputy County Clerk Richelle Thomson, if a proposed charter amendment “receives a majority of ‘yes’ votes then it will become enacted. And then the blank and over-votes, which are just kind of the spoiled ballots, those are not counted.” The three charter amendments include:
>> “Proposing an amendment to Article 10 of the Revised Charter of the County of Maui (1983), as amended, to authorize full-time staff for the Maui County Board of Ethics.”
>> “Proposing an amendment to Articles 13 and 15 of the Revised Charter of the County of Maui (1983), as amended, to allow reappointment of members of boards and commissions to one successive term.”
>> “Proposing an amendment to Article 8 of the Revised Charter of the County of Maui (1983), as amended, to make the Salary Commission’s authority consistent with the constitution of the State of Hawaii.”
According to Thomson, as part of the 2024 general election cycle, the county has implemented a new website — MauiCountyVotes.com.
The site is where voters will find information, including the location of the official ballot drop boxes, in-person voter service centers and information on updating voter registrations or what to do if voters make a mistake on their ballots and need a replacement, Thomson said.
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