Salary panel will
discuss pay raises
for City Council

Felix opposes an increase due
to the projected budget shortfall

By Pat Omandam
Star-Bulletin

Pay raises for members of the City Council and for the city's lawyers will be "seriously discussed" when the Honolulu Salary Commission begins meeting today.

Whether the timing is right, however, is something the commission must decide by May 1, when it must submit any pay increases to the Council, said attorney Cary Tanaka, commission vice chairman.

The seven-member body last May voted not to raise the salaries of the mayor, the Council and appointed directors, in part due to a city reorganization plan that was approved last fall by voters.

Although those changes are now taking place, the city faces a projected $130 million budget shortfall this year, which has at least one Council member saying no to pay raises.

"In light of the current projected budget deficit, I don't think it would be appropriate for Council members to receive an increase," said Vice Chairman John Henry Felix. "So I for one would be opposed."

Tanaka is expected to preside over today's meeting in place of Chairman William Quinn, who resigned Dec. 15. Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris must name a replacement to Quinn, although the commission still has the quorum to do its work without the appointment.

The commission has asked Harris to provide an update on the reorganization, as well as the administration's recommendation on what kind of salary scheme it is considering.

Tanaka said pay for Oahu Council members has not moved in years, and there is recognition by commissioners, at least informally, that they have got to take a good hard look at it.

Salaries for Maui County Council members jumped 29.4 percent last month after that county's Salary Commission recommended the increase. The chairman of the Maui County Council earns $48,000 annually, while the rest receive $44,000.

Pay for the Honolulu City Council chairman is $45,500; $38,500 for the other Council members.

Tanaka said the commission will compare the county's pay schedule to other jurisdictions.

Also, the commission is expected to review the pay schedules for the city corporation counsel. The commission gave the city's top attorney and first deputy pay raises a few years ago, but a recent story in the Hawaii Bar Journal shows their pay salary is low compared to other government lawyers, Tanaka said.

Also under review is the pay of the many deputies in the Department of Corporation Counsel. Any recommendation for pay increases by the commission is automatic unless the Council overturns it by a two-thirds vote, which hasn't been done recently, Tanaka said.