The Kaua‘i Salary Commission has recommended salary increases for Kaua‘i County Council members that, if approved by the body, would put the legislators on par with the salaries of their counterparts with the Honolulu City Council and the Maui County
The Kaua‘i Salary Commission has recommended salary increases for Kaua‘i County Council members that, if approved by the body, would put the legislators on par with the salaries of their counterparts with the Honolulu City Council and the Maui County Council.
The chairman of the Kaua‘i County Council currently commands a yearly salary of $31,938, but the commission is recommending a salary range of $47,000 to $52,000, an increase between 32 and 38 percent.
Council members currently make $28,744 yearly, but the commission is proposing a range of $43,000 to $48,000, a boost of between 33 percent and 40 percent.
The salary commission wants public comment on the proposal, and has scheduled a meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 23 in the conference rooms of the Mo‘ikeha Building of the Lihu‘e Civic Center.
Members of the salary commission are recommending the increases because the importance of the council seems “to be ever-increasing,” because the complexity of issues and the speed of changes also seems to be growing, and because council members spend more and more time on the job.”
“It is almost like a full-time job,” said Mark Hubbard, Salary Commission chair, speaking of the job duties of the current council members.
During a time when the pace of life on Kaua‘i was slower, the jobs of the council members seemed to be more part-time in nature, he said.
Commission members said they also are recommending higher salaries as a way to “widen the pool of qualified applicants to run for office.”
The proposed salary increases came from one commissioner, Hubbard said, and the rest of the commission wants to know what the public thinks about the proposed increases.
The terms of the salary commissioners end Nov. 31, by which time the commissioners could either approve the proposed salary hikes or leave the salaries status quo, Hubbard said.
Hubbard said it was his impression a salary commission in 1995 set four-phased increases, but another salary commission reversed that decision.
Past salary commissioners used the mayor’s salary as a guideline for setting salaries for the council. Hubbard said the salary of the current chair is about 44 percent of the mayor’s current salary of $73,118.
Hubbard said it is his belief the salaries proposed by the commission this time around reflect a larger percentage increase than previous proposals.
The same commission recently recommended salary hikes for the mayor and at least 30 appointees or department heads.
Members of the Kaua‘i County Council have not approved the administrative salary increases, but have set aside $175,000 or so to cover the proposed salary increases in their $102.5-million county operating budget for the next fiscal year.
That budget and a $16.8 million capital improvement budget were sent to Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste for approval.
It is not known if county funds have been approved in the latest county operating budget to cover any salary increases for council members that might be approved by the salary commission.
Commission members set the salaries of council members, and their decision doesn’t require approval of the mayor or council.
Staff Writer Lester Chang may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) or lchang@pulitzer.net.
