The bucks are back. At a meeting Dec. 14 at 2 p.m., the Kaua`i County Council will once again be discussing salary hikes for department heads and other appointed personnel. A bill proposing raises for the mayor, prosecuting attorney and
The bucks are back.
At a meeting Dec. 14 at 2 p.m., the Kaua`i County
Council will once again be discussing salary hikes for department heads and
other appointed personnel.
A bill proposing raises for the mayor,
prosecuting attorney and appointed non-union personnel was sidetracked by the
council a few weeks ago after acrimonious debates between the council and
certain members of the public.
Bill 1962 revisits the issue, but instead of
asking for money, the new proposal seeks to establish criteria for salary
hikes.
The bill, if approved, would provide specific factors for
considering raises, including:
l Years of service
l Performance, based
on supervisor evaluation.
l Cost of living.
l Prevailing rates of pay
in the community and other governmental jurisdictions in Hawai`i.
l The
county’s financial condition.
In addition, the bill would give the
prosecuting attorney the responsibility to approve salary levels of deputy
prosecutors.
The legislation would also protect a department head or deputy
from suffering a salary reduction because of reductions in the number of
employees supervised or responsibilities of the position, or because of
changes in special education or trade requirements of the
position.
Citizens can comment on the new proposals during the public
hearing Dec. 14 in the council chambers in Lihu’e.
The bill’s first reading
passed in November in a unanimous vote of six council members. Councilman Ron
Kouchi was excused and not voting.
Staff writer Dennis Wilken can be
reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and dwilken@pulitzer.net
