CHARTER AMENDMENTS / HONOLULU
STAR-BULLETIN / MAY 2005
Recycling has been an ongoing issue for the city and state governments. One Honolulu City Charter amendment proposal asks if the director of Environmental Services' duties should include comprehensive curbside recycling.
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Term limits top City Charter questions
Also controversial are funding for conservation and housing, and changes in accountability
Voters will be asked to decide on 12 questions proposing changes to the City Charter.
The questions deal with an array of issues, including curbside recycling, affordable housing, land conservation, City Council term limits, ethics violations, salaries of city officials and the Liquor Commission administrator.
Charter Commission Chairman Donn Takaki said the proposed Charter changes represent the issues of the day. "It encapsulates what we feel were appropriate to the Charter and also to the voters for consideration on the Charter," he said.
A decision on whether to eliminate City Council term limits -- Questions 1 and 2 -- has garnered the most attention because it is controversial and complex.
But there are other controversial topics on the Charter ballot.
MAYOR MUFI Hannemann and members of the City Council are concerned about the fiscal impact of Question 3, which if approved would set aside 1 percent of property tax revenues for land conservation and affordable-housing programs.
The proposal calls for 0.5 percent of revenues to be used for acquiring property for land conservation, and another 0.5 percent to be dedicated to expand and maintain affordable housing.
City officials say that is about $5 million that could not be budgeted for city programs or projects.
But proponents say the money would be well spent to help with matching federal funds for things like conserving open space or to help with homeless initiatives.
OTHER CONTROVERSIAL questions include:
» Deciding whether recommendations by the Salary Commission would go into effect without having to go before the City Council.
» Whether certain management positions in the Liquor Commission -- including the administrator -- would be exempt from civil service status, a move recommended by the city auditor to bring greater accountability to the head of the scandal-ridden agency.
» Whether the Ethics Commission should be given the power to impose a civil fine to elected officials for city ethics violations. Proponents say the power to fine would put teeth into the ethics laws, after a series of ethical scandals at City Hall in recent years.
» Whether races with only two candidates should move to the general election instead of the primary election.
Currently, all city elections are held on primary election day. If no candidate in a race garners 50 percent plus one vote during that election, the top two vote-getters move to a runoff in the general election. If approved, the change would automatically move all two-candidate races to the general election.
The 12 ballot questions proposing changes to the City Charter
1. Should City Council term limits be replaced by Alternative A or B below; and, separately, to address concerns relating to election of City Council members caused by reapportionment every ten years, should staggered terms be replaced by Alternative A or B below?
Vote YES or NO
2. If Charter Question 1 is approved, which proposal relating to Councilmember terms should be adopted?
* ALTERNATIVE A. Term limits for Councilmembers and the staggering of Councilmembers' terms shall be eliminated.
* ALTERNATIVE B. Councilmembers shall be limited to serving a maximum of three consecutive four-year terms, and the staggering of Councilmember terms shall be eliminated.
Vote A or B
3. Should one percent of annual property tax revenues be appropriated to funds for land conservation and affordable housing?
Vote YES or NO
4. Should the powers, duties, and functions of the Director of Environmental Services include comprehensive curbside recycling?
Vote YES or NO
5. Should the Ethics Commission have the authority to impose civil fines on elected officers for ethics violations?
Vote YES or NO
6. Should races with only two candidates be held in the General Election instead of the Primary Election?
Vote YES or NO
7. Should the City Council's power to reject Salary Commission recommendations be eliminated?
Vote YES or NO
8. Should one of the priorities of the Department of Transportation Services be to make Honolulu a pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly city, and should the powers, duties, and functions of the Director of Transportation Services include bikeway systems?
Vote YES or NO
9. Should the Liquor Administrator, Deputy Administrator, and secretary be exempt from civil service provisions?
Vote YES or NO
10. Should the Charter be amended to state the additional services currently being provided by the Director of Emergency Services and by the Fire Chief?
Vote YES or NO
11. Should capital budget appropriations lapse 12 months after the fiscal year, instead of the current 6 months?
Vote YES or NO
12. Should the Charter be amended to also provide public notice by electronic medium and for housekeeping amendments (i) to conform to current functions and operation, (ii) to conform to legal requirements, (iii) to correct an inadvertent omission, and (iv) for clarity?
(a) Revise the powers, duties, and functions of the Director of Information Technology;
(b) Include the Director of Customer Services in the list of department heads to be appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council and may be removed by the Mayor;
(c) Include the reference to the Hawaii Constitution prohibition on Ethics Commission members from taking active part in political campaigns;
(d) Delete the unconstitutional prohibition on political campaigning by Police Department employees;
(e) Delete the Civil Defense Administrator from the list of department heads to be appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the Council and who may be removed by the Mayor;
(f) Delete the requirement of Social Security numbers on petitions for recall, ordinances by initiative, and charter amendments;
(g) Require public notices to also be distributed via electronic medium.
Vote YES or NO
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