2007-12-12 Board of Ethics Minutes Regular Session

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Mr. Ashida explained that once the Board decides on the changes it wants to its rules, the secretary will need to prepare a draft of the new rules, and a public hearing on the.proposed amendments will need to be held. Because of the notice requirement for the public, it would need to go on the Board's February agenda. Motion and vote:. Ms. Lum moved to amend the Board's rules of practice and procedure as follows: Rule Change 1.1 - Change "Hawai`i County Code 1983" to "Hawai`i County Code 1983 (2005 Edition)." - Change "Charter of the County of Hawaii 1980" to "Charter of the County of Hawaii 2000." 1.4a(6) Eliminate 1.4a(6)(A) - (E), which defines "officer," and replace it to read the same as County Code Section 2 -82, starting from where it says "Officer" includes the following and lists (1) through (6). 8. la(3) Amend paragraph so it follows recent ordinance that excludes all advisory board and commission members from the requirement to'file financial disclosures 8.3b Amend paragraph to read: "Public disclosure forms can be obtained from the Office of the County Clerk, and confidential disclosure forms can be obtained from the Office of the Corporation Counsel during regular business hours or from the County's Board of Ethics website." Ms. Nicholson seconded the motion. There was no further discussion, and all members present voted aye. Mr. Ashida said the minutes should reflect that the rules have not been amended, but that the Board has voted to propose these rule changes for the purpose of having a public hearing on the matter. The law requires that the public receive 30 days' notice of proposed rule changes, so the Board could place these proposals on its February agenda. The law also requires that if anyone testifies or submits comments, the Board is obliged to respond to the comments in writing. At the meeting after the public hearing, the Board can actually vote on the proposed changes. The March 2008 meeting would be the earliest the Board could vote to adopt the changes. e. Ongoing discussion on the Sunshine Law. Mr. Ashida said he had nothing new to share on the Sunshine Law. The Chair questioned whether a new board member who submits a financial disclosure late in the year still needs to file one in January like everybody else. Ms. Lum said the rule says