LIHU‘E — An audit conducted by Spire Hawai‘i LLP reported that the county Department of Public Works Roads Division did not have “the necessary and qualified staff” to perform maintenance projects it is responsible for.
The report, discussed at the Kaua‘i County Council meeting Wednesday, was also critical of the division’s lack of standard operating procedures and measurable outcomes.
“I would portray this as ‘we’re winging it,’” Councilmember Felicia Cowden said. “The good news is, we’re winging it pretty well, but what makes me uncomfortable is how many other departments are we winging it in?”
The audit reported the division has 79 authorized positions — 20 supervisory and 59 non-supervisory. As of December 2020, it had eight vacancies.
Between 2019 and 2020, there were six positions tasked with engineering and construction oversight responsibilities, only two of which had engineering backgrounds, while two had project-management backgrounds and one position was vacant.
In 2021, both employees with an engineering background retired, and an employee with project-management background resigned.
“This leaves roads responsibilities in the hands of two employees — one with project-management background and another with no project-management or engineering background,” the report said.
Councilmember Billy DeCosta discussed the difficulties attracting and retaining qualified staff to the island.
“The county doesn’t pay as great as private sector, so it’s really difficult to compete,” said DeCosta. “We’re doing the best with what we have, and we’re lucky to have the engineers we have.”
The audit recommended that the division work with the county Department of Human Resources to address staffing issues.
Despite staffing issues, the county has still been able to pave roads.
The council ordered the audit in 2019 to determine whether the division had the necessary plans, policies and procedures in place to ensure that new county general-excise-tax revenues be spent effectively and efficiently. The GET generates about $26 million for road projects.
The audit reported that there was only a single standard operating procedure presented by the division regarding paving reconstruction and maintenance.
“Absent were policies or (standard operating procedures) covering roads’ responsibilities for GET projects, such as contractor oversight or project tracking,” the report reads. “Roads also lacks policies or (standard operating procedures) covering maintenance and repair performed by its in-house crews.”
The division agreed in the audit to implement various changes, including working with the county’s Information Technology Division to develop an app that tracks and displays information, and to complete a policy and standard operating procedures manual by Feb. 2023.
•••
Guthrie Scrimgeour, reporter, can be reached at 647-0329 or gscrimgeour@thegardenisland.com.
Did Cowden opine as to whether Kauai’s roads are worse than those in Russia?
Did anybody ask her?
Palai Street in Lihue was paved TWICE in a four-year period. I wonder if the head of the Road Maintenance division lives in the neighborhood, or maybe one of our esteemed local politicians. Look it up, it’s worth investigating this kind of corruption.
So thankful for this honest audit. This is a critical process for all county agencies to assure our Kauai County employees are providing quality work and have the proper supervisors in place to take responsibility for work being provided. It does make me so sad to see county workers on the job and also engaged with their phones as they are also doing road work!!!
“We’re winging it pretty well.” – Wow Felicia Cowden. Our roads are in the worst condition I have ever seen in 47 years. All of our cars are taking a beating, including our pockets cause we have to pay for new tires and alignment jobs. The extent of the damage to the roads is beyond belief. The County has a big problem on their hands, and it’s going to get so much worse. And it’s because of that “winging it pretty well” mentality. You won’t get my vote, Felicia Cowden.
And as far as having staffing issues and Kauai being “lucky to have the engineers we have”, maybe it’s time the County replace the ones in charge that only hire family members. That’s been the problem with our County for many, many years and why our infrastructure is so deplorable. How many audits over the years has turned up staffing issues and it’s been dismissed as hiring problems due to low pay. Don’t talk to the community like we are stupid, Billy DeCosta. Do your job.