A proposed amendment to the Hawaii County Charter that would broaden the qualifications for the director of Public Works is headed to the full County Council after receiving a favorable recommendation Tuesday from the Governmental Operations and External Affairs Committee.
The measure — Bill 64 — would remove the requirement that the director be a licensed engineer. Instead, the director would need a minimum of five years of administrative or managerial experience, with at least two years in public works, construction or a related field, and a bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline or a law degree from an accredited institution.
The bill also proposes the addition of a deputy director, who must be a licensed professional engineer and would assume responsibility over the department’s engineering functions if the director does not hold that credential.
During Tuesday’s meeting, Councilman Dennis Onishi reflected on his past experiences serving on the council, recalling that they had appointed an attorney for the Environmental Management Department. He also pointed out that while people often stress the need for a license in Public Works, they rarely mention Environmental Management. This led him to question whether Public Works holds greater responsibility for public health and safety.
Onishi also outlined potential amendments he plans to propose.
“I will be putting in the next one to remove the requirement for the deputy to be licensed, because it doesn’t make sense that if the director is going to be unlicensed, then to me the deputy director shouldn’t be required to be licensed. … Also I’ll be putting in the removal of the timeline that the administration has to appoint the director,” he said.
Other council members shared their perspectives on the department’s internal processes.
Councilwoman Rebecca Villegas commented on the structure of responsibilities within Public Works.
“It sounds like there are lots of stopgaps within the department that the director isn’t the final sign-off,” Villegas said.
Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz expressed surprise at the department’s progress despite licensing questions.
“I’m hearing more positive reviews than I’ve ever heard, ever, and the individual that’s leading the department right now … doesn’t have a licence. … It’s shocking to me that we’re here kind of debating whether or not the head or the deputy have a license, because by some miracle things are moving along, permits are being issued faster, I’m seeing more guys out paving roads,” Kierkiewicz said.
Kierkiewicz also brought up a specific infrastructure project to support her point.
“I want to bring up Kalanianaole Avenue … we had all kinds of professionally licensed engineers on top of that project that left the community of Keaukaha in quite a predicament, because there was partial closure of Kalanianaole Ave for five years. … Just because you’re a professional engineer doesn’t mean you’re going to get it right,” she said.
Some council members expressed concerns about possible risks related to the proposed changes.
Councilwoman Heather Kimball stressed the importance of engineering oversight.
“My main concern has been that the administrator should not have the ability to override an engineering decision. … There are examples of decisions that were made where an engineer’s recommendation wasn’t taken, and it ended up being costly or creating damage or even endangering folks,” Kimball said.
The committee voted 5-3 to move the bill to the full council with a favorable recommendation. Councilwomen Jennifer Kagiwada, Michelle Galimba and Kimball cast the dissenting votes.
If adopted by the full council, the charter amendment would be placed on the 2026 general election ballot for voter approval.
Email Daniel Farr dfarr@hawaiitribune-herald.com.