LIHUE — Five of the seven proposed amendments to the Kauai County Charter were approved by voters Tuesday. The charter amendments were the result of about a year’s worth of work done by the Charter Review Commission, a seven-member board
LIHUE — Five of the seven proposed amendments to the Kauai County Charter were approved by voters Tuesday.
The charter amendments were the result of about a year’s worth of work done by the Charter Review Commission, a seven-member board appointed by the mayor and approved by the Kauai County Council.
The charter amendments that passed are:
- Correcting grammar errors and fixing language so it’s gender neutral. That amendment passed with 15,368 votes, or 59.4 percent.
- Clarifying the duties of the fire chief to include ocean safety, medical calls and hazardous materials. It passed with 16,182 votes, or 59.4 percent.
- Establishing a zoning board of appeals to take the work load off the Planning Commission. It was approved by 15,197 votes, or 55.8 percent.
- Renaming the Civil Defense Agency to the Emergency Management Agency, to be consistent with the rest of the state. It passed with 15,658 votes, or 57.5 percent.
- Establishing an ongoing Charter Review Commission. It was approved by 11,113 votes, or 40.8 percent.
Before it was passed, the Charter Review Commission was set to disband at the end of the year and not reconvene for a decade.
The two amendments that didn’t pass are:
- The number of signatures needed to a voter initiated referendum and charter amendment. It was killed with 11,889 votes, or 43.7 percent.
- Enabling the county clerk to determine what is a valid charter amendment. It was killed with 12,164 votes, or 44.7 percent.
