Duties & Responsibilities of Commissioners

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The duties and responsibilities of Commissioners are found in the Hawai'i County Code: Section 2-217. Duties and responsibilities of the commission. The duties and responsibilities of this commission are: (1) To develop and submit to the mayor an island-wide prioritized list of qualifying lands worthy of preservation. The commission shall give emphasis to land acquisitions where the County's contribution can be leveraged to obtain State, Federal, and/or private lands. Priorities shall be listed on an island-wide rather than district basis. The list shall include the significance of each parcel or entitlement identified, the reason for its priority, and its anticipated use after acquisition; (2) To update this list at any time, but at least annually by December 31 of each year; (3) To explore methods of funding land acquisition and make recommendations to the mayor, (4) To review, evaluate, and make recommendations to the director of finance regarding applications for stewardship grants from the maintenance fund, within six months of receipt of each application. Recommendations shall address whether grant applicants have the ability to complete their proposed projects according to the project plan, on time, and within cost estimates, in accordance with section 10-16(h)of the Charter; (5) To review stewardship grant applications, business plans, agreements, and other documentation accompanying grant applications. The commission may also conduct interviews and perform site visits and other activities necessary to formulate a recommendation;and (6) To review stewardship grant recipient performance reports, conduct interviews, and perform site visits and other activities necessary to verify thatgrant objectives are being met. The commission shall forward its findings to the director of finance. Additionally, HCC Section 2-215 authorizes: (f)A chairperson shall be elected from its membership annually. (g) The affirmative vote of a majority of those members present shall be necessary to make anyaction valid. (h) The commission shall have the power to establish its rules of procedure necessary for the conduct of its business, which rules shall contain the time and place of all regular meetings, and which shall specify that a quorum shall be a majority of the members to which the commission is entitled.