• Public workers pay Public workers pay By Walter Lewis The article by Councilmember JoAnn Yukimura in the May 23rd Forum on compensation of public workers is illustrative of her propensity to offer a multiplicity of views about her subject.
• Public workers pay
Public workers pay
By Walter Lewis
The article by Councilmember JoAnn Yukimura in the May 23rd Forum on compensation of public workers is illustrative of her propensity to offer a multiplicity of views about her subject. But then like a politician inclined to follow poll results rather than exercise leadership based on conviction she looks to her readers to provide the answers on the topic.
She opines that the issue is fair and equitable pay for public employees. This utopian goal is simplistic but unobjectionable. It is not the goal but the implementation of the goal that provides the problem.
County employees are part of the community, but they are not the community. Fairness and equity must be assured to others in the community as well. This allocation should be the responsibility of our elected officials.
Collective bargaining is a reasonable method to resolve working conditions for non-management County employees. But the Konno decision limiting the ability to manage the workforce and the mandated arbitrations have impeded the bargaining ability of our County. Both preclude meaningful negotiations. Until the Konno decision is reversed or modified and the mandated arbitration is ended the County is simply unable to manage its affairs and government costs will be out of control.
Frustrated with government costs soaring, the gracious Ms. Yukimura digresses from her theme on public workers and discusses County revenue adverting to the problem she has with the Ohana Kauai property tax charter amendment. She complains that “it seeks to put a cap on all spending rather than focus on wasteful or improper spending.” Apparently she is not familiar with this proposal. Under its terms a reduction in tax is provided for county residents who own and occupy their homes. The amendment contains no provision dealing with expenditure of county funds.
It appears that the real problem that Ms. Yukimura and perhaps other elected officials may have with the Ohana proposal is that they think that laws affecting our county should only originate with them. The framers of our County Charter thought otherwise and provided means for citizens measures to be on our ballots. The Ohana group early on presented their proposal to the Council and Administration but soon concluded that, if our resident property owners were to obtain the relief the measure gives, the only route by which it could be done is as a charter amendment voted on by the people.
The sponsors of the Charter amendment are encouraged by the 2500 supporting signatures on the petition for its inclusion on the November ballot and believe that rather than deferring to the hubris of some of our representatives, the voters of our County should be given the opportunity to decide the issue it presents.
If our resident homeowners are able to obtain stability in their property taxes and no longer have to be a source for revenue increases to fuel government spending, there should be an improved incentive for our government to seek better control over its costs.
Walter Lewis is a resident of Princeville
