A charter amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot adding more transparency to how top county officials get raises took its first step forward Tuesday when the County Council Finance Committee voted 9-0 to advance the measure to the first of three council votes.
“It gives the checks and balances to the people to give meaningful comment to the Salary Commission, who will hopefully take those comments and readjust,” Lee Loy said. “They’re the ones who are going to pay the bills and they need a seat at the table.”
Lee Loy’s proposed amendment, Bill 98, slows down the approval process to provide safeguards for the public by requiring, at least 30 days prior to the approval of any salary adjustment, public notice of the proposals in at least two daily newspapers in the county, a public hearing videoconferenced so east and west Hawaii residents can participate and a “detailed report” about how the commission reached its recommendations, which would be open for public inspection.
In addition, any proposed increase or decrease of more than 10 percent would be subject to a two-thirds affirmative vote of the entire membership of the commission.
“There’s definitely no harm in putting this to the voters,” said Puna Councilwoman Jen Ruggles.
Council members were quick to assure the Salary Commission their vote was no reflection of the difficult work commissioners undertook.
“They did their job, they did it right, there’s no question about that,” said Puna Councilwoman Eileen O’Hara, who said she was “shocked” by the size of the raises and disappointed that there was no advance notice of the amount of the raises.
The commission in the past three months gave double-digit raises to top county administrators as well as the mayor and County Council members. It based decisions about raises as high as 40 percent on the length of time since the last raise, whether subordinates were making more than their bosses and by comparing salaries with Maui and Oahu.
Hilo Councilman Aaron Chung said he sympathized with the commission, but “if you could not operate in a vacuum,” it would make it easier for elected officials to set budgets. The commission didn’t take the county’s financial straits into account, after being told by Finance Director Deanna Sako that there was money in the budget for the raises.
With the council currently mulling a half-cent increase in the general excise tax, the public has been focusing on the latest round of raises, which add at least $1.3 million to the $491 annual operating budget.
“It couldn’t have come at a worse time,” Chung said, adding that he supports incremental raises more often, rather than coming more rarely in big chunks.
Salary Commission Chairman Hugh Ono said the county charter gives the commission the authority to set salaries.
“We don’t need anybody’s permission,” Ono said.
“Salary is an issue in finding people to fill these appointed positions,” he added. “The Salary Commission has resolved a long-standing problem.”
Ono, responding to what Chung called “eye-popping” raises, defended the decisions, saying the largest ones were given to officials who hadn’t had a raise in 10 years. He said a 40 percent raise throughout 10 years amounted to just 4 percent a year.
But, of the 36 positions whose salaries are controlled by the commission, 25 received mostly double-digit raises just four years ago.
One of the biggest raises this year went to Corporation Counsel Joe Kamelamela, whose salary went up by $42,982, or 39 percent, to $153,226. That position last received a raise in late 2013, when the salary went up 11.3 percent to $110,244.
County Council Chairwoman Valerie Poindexter got a 32.8 percent raise to $77,017, and other council members got 34.6 percent more, to $70,008. Council members last got a raise in 2014, with the council chairman getting an 11.5 percent raise to $58,008. Other council members got 8.3 percent raises, bringing their salaries to $52,008.
Mayor Harry Kim got a $30,581 raise, or 23.2 percent, to $162,581. In 2014, the mayor received a $22,848 raise, or 20.9 percent, bringing his salary to $132,000.
Email Nancy Cook Lauer at ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com.
Hugh Ono’s explanation and reasoning for the outrageous salary increases is proof we need better oversight. A rogue commission being advised by individuals who benefit from these raises, Sako and Self, and led by Ono who appears to think he can do whatever he wants when its not his money. Harry Kim or Billy Kenoi didn’t have problems finding people to fill those positions. Harry Kim has problem keeping it filled not because of the pay but because of Harry Kim’s dictatorship style!
The salaries were determined by “comparing salaries with Maui and Oahu.” What the salary commission failed to do was factor in Maui and Honolulu budgets: $690 million & 1.3 billion respectively to our $491 million. Not considering how it will be paid for is reckless! “Keeping up with the Jones” is an irresponsible manner to govern.
Demo rats routinely raping taxpayers and citing their phony excuses and ruses demonstrates the depth of corruption of the demo rat agenda as well as exposing how void of common sense demo rats whom voted to be raped over and over again really are. Those that voted for demo rat rapists deserve to be violently raped as the serial rapists are doing. The rest of us demo rat victims deserve justice.
Steve, which one is it? Must be one of the following:
1) You were energetically cuckolded by 1 or more registered democrats, maybe all at once, all your married life.
2) You are a Russian troll bot.
3) You have advanced mini-stroke dementia.
4) All of the above.
“We don’t need anybody’s permission,” Ono said.
Well, you should, and it needs to come from the taxpayers, who provide the money you are spending, as well as your own salary.
Being ripped off by our politicians. So much for when I get into office I’m gonna do this for you the people. Now it’s how can i best set up my retirement for me and my bozos. The rats have lost their minds with our money.
Vote them out, vote in politicians that promises real change and watch them, if they break their promise, vote them out and try again, repeat the process until there are no cons left in office.