LIHU‘E — Three proposed charter amendments are now one step closer to being on the ballot in 2010. Amendments that would streamline the county’s financial procedures, require disclosures by county employees authorized to spend public funds, and extend from 30
LIHU‘E — Three proposed charter amendments are now one step closer to being on the ballot in 2010.
Amendments that would streamline the county’s financial procedures, require disclosures by county employees authorized to spend public funds, and extend from 30 to 60 days the time in which the Board of Ethics must render a requested advisory opinion were moved forward unanimously by the four-member Charter Review Commission at its regular monthly meeting Monday at the Historic County Building.
Until new members are appointed and confirmed, the commission will need all four members to consent to any proposal for it to pass, as up to seven members can serve on the body.
The three proposals are the first three to reach this step, just one more vote shy of officially being added to the 2010 ballot, Office of Boards and Commissions Administrator John Isobe said.
The first proposed amendment would replace large swaths of Charter Section 19.19 — titled “Centralized Purchasing” — with the simple declaration that “All procurements shall be conducted pursuant to state law.”
It would also amend Section 19.20, which pertains to the disposition of surplus (formerly personal) property.
The second proposal would amend Section 20.04A, a portion of the Code of Ethics dealing with disclosures, to extend the list of people required to file a list of all real property
The amendment, if approved, would include “any employee delegated or authorized to act on behalf of the director of finance” as well as the mayor, council members, all department heads and deputies, members of boards and commissions, and the purchasing administrator.
The third proposal would amend Section 20.05D, a portion of the Code of Ethics pertaining to the Board of Ethics, to require the board to render advisory opinions within 60 days of receiving a filed request instead of 30 days.
Charter Commission members said there had originally been a possibility of removing the deadline altogether, but the Board of Ethics asked that it instead just be extended.
A proposed addition to 20.05D — which garnered some public testimony in opposition — would specify that opinions rendered by the board “shall be binding on the board in any subsequent charges concerning the officer or employee of the county until said opinion is amended or revoked by the board.”
A fourth amendment that would change the Code of Ethics to lengthen the time period for which a former county employee cannot enter into a contract with the county after his or her employment ends was deferred for further review.
• Michael Levine, assistant news editor, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or mlevine@kauaipubco.com.
