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Constance R. Kiriu Legislative Auditor October 12, 2001 Page Two Section 3-8, Hawaii County Charter, provides that every legislative act of the council shall be by ordinance. Section 3-10(a), Hawaii County Charter, provides that: "Ordinances shall be initiated as bills which shall be passed only after tw® readings ®n separate days." There appears to a conflict on the number of readings required for a refunding bill. General rule Article VIII, Section 2, of the Hawaii Constitution provides that: "Charter provisions with respect to a political subdivision's executive, legislative and administrative structure and organization shall be s to statutory provisions, subject to the authority of the legislature to enact general laws allocating and reallocating powers and functions." The Court in Fasi v. City Council of the City & County of I-donolulu, 72 Haw. 513 (1992), held that an ordinance must conform to, be subordinate to, not conflict with and not exceed the charter. In Fasi, the charter provided that board and commission members held office until their successors were appointed. The Court overturned an ordinance which prohibited members from holding over. Exceptions The Court in Hawai `i Government E`mployees' Association v. County of Maui, 59 Haw. 65 (1978), recognized the superiority of the charter provisions over conflicting statutory provisions, but also recognized that the charter was subject to the authority of the legislature to enact laws of statewide concern, e.g. civil S2rVICe IaW$. The legislature has also reserved the power under Section 50-15, Hawaii Revised Statutes, to enact all laws of general application throughout the state on matters of statewide concern and interest and laws relating to the fiscal powers of the counties.