2023-07-11 Salary Commission Minutes

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Salary Commission July 11, 2023 this is the number. This is how we did that. Approved"—or not approved—once a year. That's off the table. The third thing is actually a technical thing that no matter what information they give us, our judgement is faulty. (Inaudible) faulty. And it's just like"Okay, wow, I spent so much time on Hilo and I'm nowhere home till 10 o'clock" that's (inaudible) or something similar to that, that they do it on the basis of some criteria and on the basis of some comparison, and brings it to this Commission. First, they have to go through their own commission and then bring it to this Commission and say, "Okay, now, we are proposing this for the police chief," which is not the same as the public works director. I come here using the Stainback Highway. It has more potholes in it then the entire State of New Jersey. And they spend all this time they come go, they come go, they come go, they come go now, if the public works director come—and I don't mind whether it's (inaudible) or not— and otand ask for one penny of a raise—I'll vote "no." Because there is no management. There's no work (inaudible) system and I see that every single day. Well, this morning, actually, they were there. They're not pounding the gravel that they put in. They put the gravel, they move on. They put the—and then comes another truck and takes the whole gravel that they put in, (inaudible) but more of the hole that wasn't there before. And they've been doing this for the last two years that I've been here and it's not usable. Has anybody been on Stainback? FEMALE: Yes. MALE: Yeah. MS. GREENBAUM: Yes. MR. FARAHL Okay. So, my judgement is totally flawed because of the problem (inaudible). And I give you one other example of (inaudible). If I apply to get a permit to build a house, nine months is excellent; one-year is average; 14 months is forever, right. So, if the person building—department person—which probably part of public works, right—comes and sits over there, he ain't getting nothing from me. It's for two reasons. One, that (inaudible) UCR the Unified Construction Code there are rules. You need this, you don't need this, you need this, you don't need this—in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where I lived there's a law and then an ordinance associated with that law that if they don't give me approval within 20 days and I have the signature of the architect who verifies that they followed the zoning laws and all of that I start building. And the city could come and scream from here to eternity and there is nothing they can do. And the second thing about that is, it is just plain—for lack of saying it—not saying it in a better word—stupid. For me, to not build a house and provide the county with the taxes. So, if I'm taken you 12 months to give me a permit and another year -and -a -half to build the house you deprived yourself from the tax revenue associated with the number of months that you delayed Page 14