2004-04 Council Term Limits Article III, Section 3-2, Hawaii County Charter

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Mr.Richard Wurdeman April 8, 1998 Page 2 A clear reading of this question is required at the earliest possible date. It is my intention to introduce an ordinance to initiate a charter amendment to institute two four-year terms of office, rather than the present four two-year terms. At the same time, it is not my intent to alter the will of the voters to cap consecutive terms in office at eight years. Accordingly,I have drafted a proposed ordinance(copy attached)that would amend the charter to allow for four-year terms of office without in any way compromising the desire of the electorate to limit terms to 8 years in a row. In the absence of definitive language indicating intended deferral of implementation of term limits until the 1998 election year, it seems reasonable to conclude that the effective date is 1996, when this measure was officially adopted as a charter amendment. Your prompt attention to this inquiry will be greatly appreciated. Please advise me of the effective date of the 1996 charter amendment and the suitability of the draft ordinance for upcoming consideration by the Council. In order to meet the deadline for submission of the attached draft ordinance,I will need a written reply to this inquiry not later than April 22, 1998. Sincerely, John Ray Hawaii County Council cc: Legislative Auditor