LIHU‘E — Weeks after coming before the Kaua‘i County Council to discuss her department’s 2009-2010 budget requests and the massive restructuring therein, Prosecuting Attorney Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho returned Wednesday seeking approval to receive and expend more than $500,000 in federal funding.
LIHU‘E — Weeks after coming before the Kaua‘i County Council to discuss her department’s 2009-2010 budget requests and the massive restructuring therein, Prosecuting Attorney Shaylene Iseri-Carvalho returned Wednesday seeking approval to receive and expend more than $500,000 in federal funding.
The council quickly approved requests pertaining to $8,340 of Federal Highway Safety Funds from the Hawai‘i Department of Transportation to be used towards travel and training for deputies to gain knowledge and skills relating to vehicular crimes and to $335,000 of federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant Program Category VII, Supporting Problem-Solving Courts, to be used towards establishing a Community Prosecution Program.
The third request — for $193,208 of federal funds for the Kaua‘i Victims of Crime Act Expansion Program salaries, fringe, operational expenses and training cost for the Victim/Witness Program — was approved but not without a fight.
Councilman Tim Bynum looked to pick up where he’d left off the discussion on his former colleague’s management, specifically her decision to fire a pair of victim/witness counselors and transfer grant funds that in years past had paid their salaries to the YWCA, but was again shut down by Chair Kaipo Asing.
“Stay on the VOCA grant, otherwise I will cut you off and you will not have an opportunity to address the agenda item,” Asing told Bynum as the second-term councilman asked Iseri-Carvalho if the YWCA has other sources of funding besides the prosecutor’s office.
Councilman Jay Furfaro quickly moved for a recess to allow things to cool down and County Attorney Al Castillo instructed Bynum to stay on the agenda item.
After Iseri-Carvalo finished her presentation, Bynum said he had been instructed by Castillo to hold his comments to the end. As he prepared to speak, Iseri-Carvalho stood up and left Council Chambers with two members of her staff.
Only after she left did the council approve her request to expend the funds.
The measure passed 6-1, with Bynum as the lone “no” vote. Furfaro was outside Council Chambers at the time of roll call and Lani Kawahara opted to not speak when her name was called, so both were counted in the “aye” column.
In a pre-meeting series of communications between the council and the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney obtained by The Garden Island, Iseri-Carvalho declined to meet Bynum’s requests that she provide statistics for the Victim Witness program for past years and make available members of her staff who deal with grants and victim/witness coordination.
“If he (Bynum) has any questions that do not violate the Charter, I will be happy to answer them in writing to save everyone’s time so that he is absolutely clear of my responses and we don’t have to go through another tirade of his repetitive questions because of his unfamiliarity and inexperience in understanding our processes,” Iseri-Carvalho wrote.
Bynum, who prefaced his questions by saying he worked as a therapist for many years and was once employed by YWCA for victim counseling, said his concerns were that the grant funds could have been used toward other ends, while the YWCA can receive funding from a variety of sources. In the end, Bynum said, Iseri-Carvalho’s restructuring could cost the county money even though the funds being discussed Wednesday were from federal grants and did not directly impact county resources.
Asing told Bynum, as he did last month when the budget was being discussed, that the council is not in the business of managing the administration’s departments, and said Iseri-Carvalho’s decision to restructure is “her call.”
County Council notes
— The council deferred for one meeting a communication requesting an administration update regarding erosion and water safety issues at Po‘ipu Beach.
— The council approved a request from the fire chief to purchase a fire truck driving simulation system costing $263,785. The Assistance to Fire Fighters Grant will cover 80 percent, or $211,028, while the county would pay for the remaining 20 percent, or $52,757. Council members said the county’s portion of the purchase had been approved in previous budgeting.
— The council approved a shared-use path easement at the Sea Shell Restaurant which will provide safe access from Wailua Beach to Papaloa Road as part of the Lydgate Park to Kapa‘a bike/pedestrian path. The easement, less than 300 square feet in size, is courtesy of Coco Palms Ventures, LLC.
