• County employees can’t reject pay raises • Kekaha shrimp farm good for Kaua‘i • We’re all sharing the same god • Cat overpopulation a huge problem County employees can’t reject pay raises Readers of Sunday’s front page story “Clerk
• County employees can’t reject pay raises •
Kekaha shrimp farm good for Kaua‘i • We’re
all sharing the same god • Cat overpopulation a
huge problem
County employees can’t reject pay raises
Readers of Sunday’s front page story “Clerk makes more than mayor” may be interested in a few facts that escaped the attention of the writer in connection with the unfounded accusation that the county clerk culpably accepted an illegal 7 percent raise in 2009.
Yes, the county clerk currently makes a few more dollars than the mayor, as do the auditor and prosecuting attorney, for example. The situation came about as follows:
In 2007 the Salary Commission established a package of pay raises consisting of a 25 percent raise effective 7/1/07 and three 7 percent raises effective 12/1/07, 12/1/08, and 12/1/09. Later the commission deferred the third 7 percent raise to 12/1/10 and then to 7/1/11 for administrative personnel only. It did not apply the deferral to council-connected personnel like the auditor and the county clerk or to the prosecutor’s office.
The 7 percent raise that was deferred for administrative personnel but not for the other personnel in 2009 was actually enacted in 2007, when both councilmembers who voted against reappointing Peter Nakamura last week were sitting on the Council and when the Council concurred in the decision of the Salary Commission by letting its salary resolution automatically take effect.
The responsibility for not deferring the final 7 percent pay raise for non-administrative personnel in 2009 rests entirely with the Salary Commission, again with the concurrence of the Council. It is misleading to imply that a raise was enacted for the clerk in 2009 when all that happened is that the Salary Commission did not defer a pre-established raise.
Finally, it is fatuous to blame the county clerk for accepting an allegedly illegal pay raise when (1) blame, if there is any, rests with the Salary Commission and the Council and (2) the clerk has no authority to reject a pay raise.
The Salary Commission has the authority to establish salaries, the Council has the authority to veto commission findings in whole or in part, and those who hold appointing authority have the authority to set a salary lower than the figure in the salary ordinance. But a county employee has no statutory authority to reject a pay raise.
Horace Stoessel, Kapa‘a
Kekaha shrimp farm good for Kaua‘i
Now that the public comment period is over on the shrimp farm NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permit, the Department of Health needs to move forward and grant the permit.
The farm has not discharged any effluent into the ocean for the past 6 years and they are not discharging any now. The DOH needs to ensure that if and when effluent is discharged, it is cleaned to the point of compliance with the federal Clean Water Act which is the basis for an NPDES permit.
If the effluent is in compliance, the farm can continue to operate. If not, they are fined, or worse. Simple as that.
I want to continue enjoying delicious Kaua‘i shrimp, but I also care deeply about our environment. If the right checks and balances are in place, the risk to our environment is minimal.
Although the letters to the editor are dominated by critics of the shrimp farm, I believe the silent majority of Kaua‘i takes a balanced view. The shrimp farm is good for Kaua‘i, good for our economy, and provides a local product we can be proud of.
Enrique Gomez, Princeville
We’re all sharing the same god
The letter “Understanding Christian beliefs” (Nov. 28) refers to the first law of the Ten Commandments. If one recalls, that law was given to Moses and the Jews.
The Ten Commandments are also accepted and regarded by Islam. Thus the God of the Ten Commandments is also the God of the Jews and the Muslims.
Eduardo Valenciana, Lihu‘e
Cat overpopulation a huge problem
Regarding the euthanasia of cats, the Humane Society tries to save as many cats as possible, but our problem on Kaua‘i is severe.
If you have ever walked around Kaua‘i High or the parking lot in back of the banks on Rice Street in the evening, you will see hundreds of cats. My friend was afraid to walk to her car because there were over 30 wild cats prowling around it.
These cats do not have enough food and no medical attention. To release them to that pitiful existence of suffering and starvation is heartless. Please have your animals fixed. One litter is too many. And let’s hope we as humans learn the lessons of overpopulation soon.
Linda Silva, Kalaheo
