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Ms. Noda noted that witnesses, Jay Kimura and Dale Ross, were <br />unavailable to testify at the August 16 hearing, as they would be on the <br />mainland; thus she had requested the August 2 date. Ms. Noda asked whether <br />the Board would have any objections to having more than those two witnesses <br />testify on August 2 if time permitted. <br />Chair Robinson stated that they have no objections if Ms. Noda puts more <br />witnesses on the stand. <br />DIRECTOR'S REPORT <br />1) At its hearing on June 7, the County Council approved the <br />department's budget, which was submitted with an overall 11% reduction from <br />the current budget. 40 amendments were submitted by Council, four of which <br />affected the department in reducing the budget in areas of workers' comp, <br />overtime, travel, and other operational items. The amendments were defeated <br />and the budget was approved as submitted. It is awaiting the Mayor's approval <br />for final action. The Mayor identified a number of vacation positions he was <br />planning to unfund (take money away from to use as savings). Those positions <br />can be funded again in future years, but for next fiscal year, they will be <br />unfunded. Mr. Takahashi has one position currently unfunded in his <br />department, one of the workers' compensation claims specialist positions (the <br />employee had resigned), which was reallocated to HR technician and unfunded <br />thereafter. Thus, Ms. Kamaka's staff is working with one less. <br />2) The department is continuing to spearhead the County's efforts in <br />implementing its furlough plan. The "general" population of the County's <br />workforce will be furloughed the first and third Friday of every month <br />beginning July 2010 through June 30, 2011. There are a number of exceptions <br />to that because of facilities that need to remain open and will thereby have <br />staggered furlough days so that operations can remain open. <br />A different furlough plan has been agreed upon for UPW where <br />employees do not have any scheduled furlough days off. Instead, when <br />employees take any vacation leave, sick leave, CTO, authorized leave without <br />pay or is suspended during a month, the first two days of those types of leaves <br />will be charged to furlough. The County will automatically deduct 8 hours pay <br />for 24 pay periods from paychecks. If leaves aren't taken, the furlough days go <br />3 <br />