Council discussion of details of Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s proposed fiscal year 2003-2004 county budget were held Tuesday in the historic Kaua’i County Building. During discussion on the budget for county personnel, several reasons why the police department can’t find enough
Council discussion of details of Mayor Bryan Baptiste’s proposed fiscal year 2003-2004 county budget were held Tuesday in the historic Kaua’i County Building.
During discussion on the budget for county personnel, several reasons why the police department can’t find enough people to fill their vacancies list were given. Reasons included: applicants are completing tests and police training classes in hopes of being recruited by the police department prior to finding out if they are eligible to join the force.
“Why doesn’t the personnel department handle background checks, drug tests and psych checks?” asked Councilman Jay Furfaro.
“I’d like to see these people pass eligibility, then take the tests. I don’t want to see these kids take the training like these kids at KCC, and then be told they can’t pass the psych exam,” said Councilman Joe Munechika, referring to a police training class offered at Kaua’i Community College.
Munechika said that out of one group of a dozen trainees, only two were hired by the police department.
Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura said that Police Chief George Freitas said about 10 percent of those completing a class could expect to be hired.
Council Chair Kaipo Asing said he wanted to know how the police department knows to go after certain people, or if the county’s Personnel Services Department ranks applicants who pass a preliminary written test. Previously, the “rule of five” ranked the top five scorers.
“Right now it doesn’t matter so we give them the whole list,” said Personnel Services Director Malcolm Fernandez.
Fernandez said that even he hasn’t seen the police department’s pre-tests because they are confidential. The tests consist of report writing and reading comprehension, he said.
The debate came at the end of an hour-long discussion of the Personnel Division’s budget.
Budget hearings continue through the end of the week starting at 9 a.m., except for a break on Thursday for a scheduled County Council committee meeting.
Today, the County Clerk’s office, Finance Department and Kaua’i Humane Society are scheduled to be heard. Friday, the Department of Public Works will present their operating and capital improvement projects (CIP) budgets to the council.
Planning Department budget
The Planning Department reduced its travel budget by $25,000 and is asking for an additional $250,000 to complete development plans for Kilauea, Kapa’a and Lihu’e.
County engineer Ian Costa presented his budget proposal to the council.
There are numerous communities requesting updates, Costa said. With present staffing and workload size, Costa said the department could handle one development update per year.
“What I would suggest is a more simplified community plan process that does result in something more usable,” Yukimura said.
Of the proposed $250,000, $160,000 would go toward implementing the General Plan Update.
The remaining $90,000 would be for a comprehensive zoning ordinance update.
The current $250,000 in the Planning Department’s budget is divided similarly. $160,000 is for the Kilauea sub-area plan and $90,000 is for General Plan Update implementation, including regulating alternative visitor accommodations, vacation rentals, reviewing open zoning and residential use of agriculture-zoned lands.
“Is this $250,000 brand new money because you expect to spend our present $250,000 on Kilauea and CZO?” Council Chair Kaipo Asing asked.
“Yes, because we don’t plan on changing the intent,” Costa said, “Our intent is to address Lihu’e and Kapa’a or one or the other, depending on what we can do with the money.”
“Do we really need $90,000 to do the CZO update and hire a consultant?” asked Yukimura, who said the CZO update has been worked on since her administration. Councilman Jay Furfaro added that he sat on a CZO committee when he was involved with the planning commission.
Costa said that the $90,000 is to implement more specific things and that someone will look over the CZO plan.
Yukimura’s “other question” deals with “transportation and how it links into long-range plans.”
Many departments have a transportation planner, she said, but in Kaua’i County, it’s the Public Works Department or State Department of Transportation.
Updating Geographic Information Systems maps in partnership with the Finance Division and/or Civil Defense Agency was also brought up.
Lastly, Costa said that he would look into training programs for the planning commission and expanding the capacity of the department.
Staff Writer Kendyce Manguchei can be reached at mailto:kmanguchei@pulitzer.net or 245-3681 (ext. 252).
