The county Salary Commission stands by the big raises it doled out to county officials, and this week voted to oppose a charter amendment opening its process to greater public scrutiny.
Commissioner James Higgins called the measure, “the Sunshine Law on steroids.”
The commission, during a meeting Wednesday, voted unanimously to oppose the charter amendment, giving Chairman Hugh Ono authority to speak to the council on behalf of the commission.
Many commissioners seemed to take the proposal personally, asking what gives the council the right to oversee their work.
“Aren’t we here because they want to keep it out of the political realm?” asked Commissioner Thomas Fratinardo. “There’s no backroom deals going on. Our integrity is above reproach.”
Deputy Corporation Counsel Amy Self cautioned board members not to take Hilo Councilwoman Sue Lee Loy’s Bill 98 personally.
“It’s not something you did wrong. In fact, you should be applauded for doing your job,” Self said. “Everything was done in public view.”
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.
The raises, which including benefits added more than $1.3 million annually to the budget, have been met with public criticism, especially coming at the same time the mayor and council are mulling a half-cent surcharge on the general excise tax. Salaries come mostly from property tax revenue.
In response, Lee Loy offered the charter amendment that is scheduled to be discussed Tuesday. The council Finance Committee meets at 9 a.m. at the West Hawaii Civic Center, with videoconferencing to Hilo council chambers, the Pahoa and Waimea council offices, old Kohala courthouse and Naalehu state office building.
Lee Loy’s proposed amendment 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” of 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.
“The Salary Commission is the only commission that directly impacts the county’s operating budget,” Lee Loy said Friday. “This ballot initiative provides a framework for the public to engage with future salary commissions and provide them meaningful comments on increases, similar to the way the council makes adjustments to the real property tax or the fuel tax.”
If approved by the council in three hearings by at least a two-thirds vote of the membership, the measure would proceed to the general election ballot for a public vote.
“I’m looking forward to the discussion with Mr. Ono and other members of the commission, and I trust that whatever emerges can be placed on the ballot for the voters to decide,” Lee Loy added.
Salary Commission meetings are open to the public and notice of the meetings are posted on county bulletin boards and online. But, other than individuals lobbying for specific raises for various departments, there has been little public input in the process.
Recent raise proposals were provided at the commission meeting the same day as the vote, leaving little opportunity for advance notice to the public.
The Corporation Counsel, the top civil attorney, will see a $42,982 raise from $110,244 to $153,226 annually, a 39 percent increase. The prosecuting attorney, an elected position charged with enforcing state and local laws, will get a $39,646 raise from $113,580 to $153,226, a 35 percent increase.
The mayor’s salary increases by $33,000 — 25 percent — to $165,000.
The County Council chairman will get a 32.8 percent raise to $77,017, and other County Council members will get 34.6 percent more, to $70,008. The county clerk, legislative auditor and other positions also received raises.
The mayor and many top administrators last got raises in 2014, while others haven’t seen a raise in almost 10 years.
Email Nancy Cook Lauer at ncook-lauer@westhawaiitoday.com.
The Salary Commission must be abolished. There is no check on its power. There is no accountability to the public. Its existence is an affront to democracy. We just saw a small sample of what it can do and how it can abuse its power with absolute impunity. It needs to go. The politicians need to spine up, make the salary decisions, and be accountable to the electorate for those decisions. ABOLISH THE SALARY COMMISSION!!!
Only a foolish and corrupt demo rat would disagree for the profound need to kill the demo rat beast deader than hell.
Nobody is above reproach, nobody. The fact that you are so resistant to transparency and public input only reinforces the fact that we need it.
Nobody but corrupt demo rats gone wild.
Name me one appointed administrator who was in that same position 10 years ago and how can these idiots say Joe Kamelamela deserves a $42,982 raise in his first year on the job? Amy Self (herself) is in line for a huge raise now that Kamelamela got his…why isn’t that covered Nancy Cook Lauer? Do a complete story and tell the readers how much each County Attorney will make now and how much will it cost the county in totality! Hey Fratinardo who appointed you and who confirmed you? Thats called political.
So much noise about the previous mayor’s spending. That was manini compared to the current mayor’s spending AND raising taxes! Spending at the federal level by Republicans! Spending at the county level by Democrats! Politics dirty! If you don’t vote, don’t complain!
Scammed by scammers that only know how to scam. And we voted for these Bozos.
Obscene. The commission forgot to take into consideration the county budget, which is overwhelmingy already appropriated to paying wages, insurance, retirement and bennies for every person who ever worked for the county from the beginning of time. Did the salary commission not see the pie chart which shows the people only receive a miniscule percentage of that budget?
Obviously not, and that is why there needs to be transparancy. This is not the orange white house, stop sucking the life out of our county.
It’s called patronage. Politicians lock in votes from the largest employee pool on the island(county employees). Machine politics. Hawaii isn’t alone in this, but we’re probably the most blatant example in the US. The headline of this article says it all.
One thing is for sure, simply complaining about this sort of thing is going to accomplish nothing. There has to be a taxpayer revolt. Stop paying the taxes, and the politicians will not have the money to pull these stunts. Sue them in court. Gather together and have protests at county meetings by the citizens to let these people know that this is not going to fly. People need to get organized and look at legal avenues to roll back these raises, as well as abolish these unconstitutional commissions. It isn’t a Democrat or Republican issue, and no matter who people vote for, the same thing happens again and again and again no matter who wins the elections. Take the money away from them and take the power away too. Otherwise, get ready for more of the same and worse as people leave the island to live in a better political culture that gives them real representation. There is something fundamentally corrupt about the whole system.
God Bless you for the brains and courage to speak the truth. Further, the home of the brave is blessed and the coward’s lost. If not done by vote then history will repeat itself, Civil War.
Guess you missed the part where he says it’s not a partisan issue, the opposite of your endless childish drivel.
“Your Highness, the people are starving, they have no bread.”
Marie Antoinette: “No bread ? LET THEM EAT CAKE.”
The public gets a .0035% wage increase over the past 40years and these good for nothing politicians get double digit pay raises!! I want to see real results where our leaders actually listen to the people before they can even think about getting pay raises. This will be remembered when election time comes around.
Please vote wisely, you sound like a fellow patriot that understands who is failing us and why. It is called taxation without representation and it will get as bad as WE let it get.
More arrogant effrontery from so-called leaders, leading us to financial ruin. Consider yourselves reproached, Frat-Boy, “Mr Ono For Your Wallet”, the whole stinking commission and council.
This Charter amendment seems like a good fix to the current process of salary determination for executive and elected officials. The commission’s reaction seems to be driven by bruised egos. Commissioners: don’t take this amendment as judgement that any of you did something wrong. Remember guys and gal, you’re their to serve the people of Hawaii. If you can’t embrace this amendment, either make recommendations to improve the process or resign from the commission. Status quo is unacceptable.