Comm No 0043.54 - Testimony - CA-26 - Qualifications for the Director DPW

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CA -26: Proposed Amendment to Section 6-2.2 - Relating to Qualifications for the Director of Public Works; Submitted by Commission Adams. Thursday, June 6, 2019 c/o: charter.commission@hawaiicounty.gov Charter Commission Chair Douglas Adams And Members of the Hawaii County Charter Commission County of Hawaii Hilo, HI 96720 Subject: Qualification for Director of the Department of Public Works Re: CA- 26, Draft 3 Dear Chair Adams and Members of the Charter Commission: As members of the Engineering Profession, we recommend AGAINST the removal of the requirement in Section 6-2.2 that the Director of Public Works be a "registered professional engineer" [more specifically, in accordance with HAR Chapter 115 language, a "licensed professional engineer"], hereinafter referred to as the "P.E. Requirement", due to its pertinence to the performance of the Duties of the Director of Public Works. However, let us say up front that if the Charter Commission is open to discussion with the Professional Engineers and its Societies, then we ask that this measure be tabled for those discussions to follow. It would be during those discussions that we can propose some alternatives. The Public Works Department is, at its core, an engineering organization. The current charter reflects this reality and ensures that the organization is led by a qualified engineer. No amount of on -the - job training or years of experience in administration can substitute for the typical public works director's engineering skills, 15 to 20 years of hands-on engineering experience, and licensure status. Comm. No. 43.54