Salary increases for Mayor Bryan Baptiste and up to 30 of his appointees were approved Thursday by the County Council, in spite of objections from some residents at the meeting. The action marked the first time in 10 years that
Salary increases for Mayor Bryan Baptiste and up to 30 of his appointees were approved Thursday by the County Council, in spite of objections from some residents at the meeting.
The action marked the first time in 10 years that the salaries were increased.
The meeting was held at the historic County Building.
Critics of the raises said the funds to cover the salary increases should have been used instead for capital improvement projects and county programs that would benefit residents.
Councilman Joe Munechika, for one, said he was cognizant of those sentiments, but said he sided with many people who spoke out in favor of the salary hikes at a recent council meeting.
The supporters said the increases were needed to keep top-quality employees and to attract likewise talent to the county government in the future. They also said it was not fair that department heads, who have more job responsibilities, make less than some civil service employees.
The council’s action will affect some key positions in this way: Baptiste’s yearly salary will rise from $73,188 to $80,000, Administrative Assistant Gary Heu’s yearly salary will increase from $70,193 to $77,000, and the county engineer’s yearly salary will increase from $69,371 to $75,000.
The salary increases for all the positions go into effect July 1.
Council chairman Kaipo Asing didn’t give his full support to the increase. He said he was going to support the ordinance increasing the salaries, but said quietly he had “reservations.”
Because she was off-island and could not attend the council meeting, Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura was excused from voting.
Baptiste has publicly said he wasn’t so concerned about getting a bigger paycheck, but was concerned the salaries of his appointees needed to go up.
Baptiste reasoned higher salaries are needed to retain top-quality employees and to draw likewise candidates to cabinet positions in the future.
The council yesterday approved two amendments that were related to the salary hikes.
The Kaua‘i Salary Commission recommended increasing the yearly salary of the director of Kaua‘i County Office of Economic Development from $64,731 to $69,000, and the salary of the director of the Kaua‘i County Liquor Control Department from $55,000 to $69,000.
Citing the growing complexity of the two jobs, council members increased the yearly salaries to $72,000 for both positions. Munechika said the increases, proposed through an amendment introduced by councilmembers Daryl Kaneshiro and Jay Furfaro, were appropriate.
The council also amended the salary ordinance so that an appointing authority can set the starting salary and increases in salary of an appointee at an amount that is below an established salary.
The exception arises when the starting salary of an appointee of any deputy appointee “shall not be less than” an established minimum salary.
Proponents of the salary increase, including some residents who sat on county commissions, said increases were merited because raises for the positions had not been granted 10 years.
Supporters also said the increased salaries would put the salaries of Kaua‘i officials closer to those of their counterparts from Maui and the Big Island.
Critics said if salary increases were to be given, they should have been smaller. Critics also said the salary increases should only have been considered if other pressing county problems had been mitigated, including affordable housing, management of county garbage, and traffic congestion.
In anticipation of salary increase proposals from the Kaua‘i Salary Commission, the council had approved $175,000 for the increases in its $102.5-million county operating budget for the next fiscal year.
The operating budget, along with a $16.8-million-dollar capital improvement budget, has been approved by Baptiste.
Some council members said they wanted to listen to public comments and weigh the pros and cons for the raises before voting to use the entire $175,000 to cover the increases.
The Kaua‘i Salary Commission initially proposed the following increases:
The deputy county engineer, from a range of $41,622 to $64,168 to $69,000;
- Director of finance, from $69,371 to $75,000;
- Deputy director of finance, from $41,622 to $64,168 to $69,000;
- County attorney, from $69,371 to $75,000;
- First deputy county attorney, to $69,000;
- Other deputy county attorneys, from $41,622 to $64,168 to $66,000;
- Prosecuting attorney, from $69,371 to $75,000;
- First deputy prosecuting attorney, to $69,000;
- Other deputy prosecuting attorneys, from $41,622 to $64,168 to $66,000;
- Police chief, from $66,073 to $75,000;
- Deputy police chief, from $36,671 to $61,118 to $69,000;
- Planning director, from $69,371 to $75,000;
- Deputy planning director, from $41,622 to $64,168 to $69,000;
- Personnel director, from $66,073 to $72,000;
- Manager and chief engineer of Department of Water, from $69,371 to $75,000;
- Deputy manager and engineer, DOW, from $41,622 to $64,168 to $69,000;
- Fire chief, from $66,073 to $75,000;
- County clerk, from $66,073 to $75,000;
- Deputy county clerk, from $36,671 to $61,118 to $69,000;
- Director of the Office of Economic Development, from $64,731 to $69,000;
- Director of the Liquor Control Commission, from $55,000 to $69,000;
- Director of the Offices of Community Assistance, from $66,073 to $72,000.
Lester Chang, staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 225) and lchang@pulitzer.net
