2025-12-22 Salary Commission Minutes

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Salary Commission December 22, 2025 We didn’t just, “Oh, my goodness, these people need a raise”—we had to do what was right because people were not coming to fill the pukas. If you think they don’t want to come in for the early (inaudible) what are we seeing for the department heads? There are no—and I’m going to quote Nelson on this—there are no analogs for the ability to run the Fire Department or the Police Department for our County as well as HRD with 3,000 employees on this island. So, we’re proud of the work we did. I am proud that I was able to make this motion. And the coulda, whata, should have—we would have the other people here, the ones that fell off the books last year—those pukas would have been filled, we’d be turning it over, we wouldn’t be forced to trying to come up with some reasonable facsimile in order to have those positions well- supplied, competitive, and filled—because we’re still going to need somebody that brings the math to do some of the jobs that are required to do. And we’re not training them—we’re not working together. They’re going to have to forensically learn it. And there’s nothing we can do except go upstairs and go, “C’mon you guys, come up with some nominees for this Board.” We don’t have it. We’re not paid to do it. We’re volunteers to do it. You’re welcome to talk to your councilperson to nominate you and come on this. I’m coming off. You and I live in the same district. Sit on this Board. Get on this Board—no, I looking at you. I looking at you. SPEAKER: (Inaudible.) MS. NAMAHOE: Number 3—well, I’m almost pau. So— SPEAKER: (Inaudible.) MS. NAMAHOE: Yeah, then you can have it. In other words, I want to see the expertise continue. In a perfect world, salary commission would never be allowed to go dormant. They’d be able to hug tightly to all of those salaries that they’re in charge of to make sure, if there’s increases and decreases—as close as possible to merit as allowed, but we’re not allowed to do merit-based pay because the County Charter doesn’t allow for that. And if we want to see that, our law makers, our County Council—get them to pass something and let’s vote on that in the General Election. I’ve learned a lot sitting on this Board. I’m proud of the work we’re doing. It’s unpopular, it’s never perfect—but I’ll tell you, I’m a little bit more than annoyed that in a whole year we’ve lost some expertise because nobody’s had to do this in decades that we’ve had to do. So, with that, Haʻina ʻia mai—that’s my motion. CHR. PAVAO: Thank you. I just wanted to add some comments to Commissioner Namahoe, it’s—the Charter is real specific about what the Charter Commission can and cannot do. Page 10