LIHU‘E — Previously approved 7 percent salary increases for the county’s top appointed officials will be pushed back for one year under a proposal by the Carvalho Administration as a mitigation against a slowing economy and the county’s tight financial
LIHU‘E — Previously approved 7 percent salary increases for the county’s top appointed officials will be pushed back for one year under a proposal by the Carvalho Administration as a mitigation against a slowing economy and the county’s tight financial prospects that gained approval first from the Salary Commission last month and then from the Kaua‘i County Council Wednesday.
The freeze, which delays raises for two dozen county workers — the mayor, his department heads and their top deputies — from the scheduled date of Dec. 1, 2009, to the new date of Dec. 1, 2010, was received unanimously by the council.
The only snag may have been that some councilmembers feel the freeze doesn’t go far enough.
In a March letter to the Salary Commission, Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. asked that the county defer the increases for two years, until Dec. 1, 2011. In the letter, Carvalho said the freeze of the proposed future raise for himself and department heads should continue “until such time that economic conditions improve and the county’s financial forecast indicate signs of continued recovery and growth.
Council Vice Chair Jay Furfaro and others worried Wednesday that the county’s economic climate next year could be even worse than this year, especially with the looming possibility that the state Legislature could yank back the counties’ shares of the Transient Accommodation Tax, worth in the range of $11 or $12 million to Kaua‘i.
With that on the horizon and the worldwide recession still not lifting — keeping in mind that Hawai‘i often lags behind the rest of the United States when it comes to financial recovery due to the state’s reliance on tourism as its economic motor — Furfaro at first toyed with the idea of deferring the resolution.
The council did not have the legal authority to amend the resolution, and could only receive, reject or defer.
In the end, Furfaro joined other council members in voting for receiving — essentially approving — the Salary Commission’s resolution, but left open the possibility that he might soon testify before the commission or otherwise try to encourage further action.
Because the Salary Commission adopted the resolution on Aug. 25, it will be enacted 60 days later, toward the tail end of October, but further changes to the existing salary structure could be initiated thereafter.
Another change to Carvalho’s recommendations that was adopted by the Salary Commission was the removal of the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, the Office of the County Clerk, and the County Auditor from the pay freeze. Those officers are either elected independently or appointed by the County Council, and thus do not answer directly to the mayor.
The Prosecuting Attorney, as well as the first deputy and other deputies, as well as the County Clerk, Deputy County Clerk and County Auditor, will all receive their regularly scheduled 7 percent raises on Dec. 1. Council Chair Kaipo Asing and the other councilmembers will also get a 7 percent raise on that date.
John Isobe, county Boards and Commissions Office administrator, was in attendance at Wednesday’s council meeting, but declined to testify on the record and left quickly after the agenda item had been voted on.
Isobe spoke on the salary freeze via an e-mail issued by county spokeswoman Mary Daubert later Wednesday.
“The administration appreciates the work and support of the Salary Commission in deferring the proposed raises for the Mayor and Administrative Department Heads and Deputies for one year,” Isobe said in the statement. “The county, like everyone else, must make sacrifices and tighten its belt during these difficult economic times.
“Being that the County Council and Prosecuting Attorney are also elected independent operations separate from the Administration, we understand and respect the fact that the Salary Commission decided not to impose a similar wage freeze in these areas. However, the Commission’s Resolution allows each respective appointing authority to set the salary of any new or existing appointee at a figure lower than the figure established for the position,” Isobe said.
Position Current Salary Salary on Dec. 1, 2009
Mayor $114,490 $114,490
Administravie Assistant $110,197 $110,197
Department Head $107,335 $107,335
Prosecutor, Clerk, $107,335 $114,848
Auditor
Department Deputy $98,748 $98,748
Deputy Prosecutor, $98,748 $105,660
Deputy Clerk
Council Chair $59,699 $63,879
Councilmember $53,066 $56,781
Source: Salary Commission Resolution No. 2009-2
• Michael Levine, assistant news editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or mlevine@kauaipubco.com.
