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conflict of interest. You’ll see from the documents that I’ve submitted to the Board that Real Property Tax has employees assessing their own properties. On September 17, 2013, an article appeared in West Hawai‘i Today and the Hawai‘i Tribune-Herald. In it Director of Finance, Nancy Crawford, stated that quote, according to the article, denied that any employees are assessing their own property. She stated, quote, they are not to ever touch their own property. Even if there is an allegation, we investigate. If there is an issue or a complaint we investigate, because we take it very seriously. If this is the case, where is their investigation? They were made aware of this in September and again in October. Again, this is yet further evidence that they believe they are above any other authority. I have no interest in seeing my fellow employees punished for possible ethical violations I have submitted to the Board, and I believe that the leadership of the Department of Finance, Real Property Tax, has been conditioned by many years of a culture where various rules, laws, and rights have slowly been chipped away without anyone saying a word. It seems after many years they have gone further down the proverbial slippery slope and they __________ at this time. Hawai‘i County Charter Section 14-5(d) gives the Board of Ethics the right and authority to quote, hold hearings and conduct investigations concerning application of the Code of Ethics. I believe the Department [sic] of Ethics should consider if an investigation into the Department of Finance and possibly the County administration is needed at this time based on the following. Number one, statement by Director Nancy Crawford that the Department of Finance does not need to seek an informal advisory opinion of the Board of Ethics in order to suspend employees for ethical violations. Number two, statement by County of Hawai‘i Corp Counsel and assigned advisor to the Board of Ethics, Renee Schoen, conveying the opinion that the County does not need to seek an informal advisory opinion from the Board of Ethics in order to determine ethical violations. Number three, an action by the Department of Finance in not seeking an informal advisory opinion on possible ethical violations, where at the very least a strong possibility of a conflict of interest ethical violation exists. Number four, previous disciplinary actions by the Department of Finance in the County of Hawai‘i where discipline was based on ethical violations without seeking an informal advisory opinion from the Board of Ethics, violating the Hawai‘i County Charter. Number five, statement of Director of Finance, Nancy Crawford, misleading the public about assessors assessing their own properties. And finally number six, an on-line review of the Board of Ethics minutes dating back to January of 2012 shows that the County of Hawai‘i administration is rarely utilizing the Board of Ethics for advisory opinions and that nearly all informal advisory opinions are requested by those outside County administration. In summary, the County of Hawai‘i, Department of Finance, and Real Property Tax is violating and continues to violate the Hawai‘i County Charter, Section 14-5. The Department of Finance has disciplined some employees for ethics violations without consulting the Board and assigned other employees to tasks which are clearly a more direct violation of the Code of Ethics. The Department of Finance is acting outside the scope of the Hawai‘i County Charter. Please consider taking a direct action to end their disregard for the Hawai‘i County Charter 14-5 and the authority of this Board by prohibiting the Department of Finance from issuing