2007-12-12 Board of Ethics Minutes Regular Session

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6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Report on status of Ethics Guide for Hawai `i County Officers and Employees booklet. . . Mr. Ashida reported that the booklet has not yet been distributed. He emailed Council Chair Hoffinann again regarding* whether the Machine Room could produce the booklet but has so far not received a response. Mike Ben, the director of the Human Resources Department, is prepared to distribute the booklet with the County newsletter as well as insert a blurb in the newsletter about it. Mr. Ashida asked the Board members whether they wanted the newsletter to say that the Council is now considering authorizing the Board to impose administrative fines. Ms. Malanka and Ms. Nicholson were in favor of doing so, as they believed it may cause employees to actually read the booklet. Mr. Ashida said that Mr. Ben fully endorses what the Board is doing and wants new County employees to sign off their receipt of the booklet. He was not sure on a procedure to get existing employees to sign for it, however. Mr. Ashida said he will check with Council Chair Hoffinann on the status of the request to use the Machine Room for copying. Normally Mr. Hoffinann is very responsive. If the Machine Room is overwhelmed with work, it may be possible to use the Board's budget to outsource the printing of the booklet. The Chair asked what happens to the Board's budget, and Mr. Ashida said it lapses back into the General Fund every year. He explained that the Board's secretary and recording equipment costs come from the Corporation Counsel budget and that the meeting places are free. The only expenses have been the Board members' mileage and lunch. The Chair and Ms. Nicholson said they would like to pursue the Machine Room option at least until the end of the year, and Ms. Malanka agreed. As Unfinished Business items "b" and "c" were already gone over with Levi Hookano, the Chair moved the agenda on to "d." d. Further review and discussion on the Rules of Practice and Procedure of the Board of Ethics, including: (1) Further discussion on updating or developing a special code of conduct for Board of Ethics members. The Chair thanked Ms. Lum for meticulously going over the Board's rules and questioning some of them, and Ms. Lum asked if the Chair agreed that the current rules were quite well written, and he did'. He wanted to address her written comments, however.