1999-07-21 Charter Commission Minutes

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Page 4 of 11 OLESEN: No, I think you’ll find that the Mayor agrees with all I’m saying. IRVINE: Oh, okay. OLESEN: 100%. IRVINE: All right. OLESEN: It doesn’t belong there. IRVINE: No, I - OLESEN: And I almost got fired because I couldn’t get it out of there. IRVINE: All right. I guess I’m just having trouble figuring why they didn’t do it at that time. OLESEN: To clarify a little bit. To do the administerial function, it takes a technical talent completely different than the kind of talent that they have in the Planning Department. Planning Department are planners. They are not technical. They’re not engineers and this takes engineering type of input, particularly once it comes through the Council as an ordinance. It’s established. Here is what you are supposed to do, period, condition A, B, C, D, E, F. From there on out, it’s the mechanics, technical engineering mechanics, that puts it back into a format of a real subdivision with the roads. The roads being everything they’re supposed to be is all done by engineering. HIGASHI: Okay and did you have another point to make? OLESEN: Yes, I just can’t bring it to mind. Could I pass this on? It would give me a chance to think it over. I’ve got one more. HIGASHI: Okay. OLESEN: That it again would be in addition to the Charter. Oh yes. In the Public Works Department, I think we have to add someone in. Again, the seriousness of this ADA thing is coming to the front. I am the ADA Coordinator now for the entire island. I can assure you it takes a combination of being an engineer, an attorney and the ability to testify before Federal Courts, at the same time protect the County, to make sure that we are not getting ourselves in a lot of hot water by what we are doing. The exposure is tremendous and the demands are immediate. They are now. We have two lawsuits. The lawsuits are going to require completion of certain phases. In a curb cut situation, the completion must be done by 2005 or someone in the County is going to be in contempt and it’s just that simple. And the rest of it is big, big money. There should be a permanent position. My recommendation is someone who has continuity. Not someone who’s appointed like myself. You have to have someone who has continuity in the County which in turn would be someone that would have to be in Civil Service. HIGASHI: Okay, anything else? OLESEN: That’s it. HIGASHI: Any questions? IRVINE: I guess concerning your last statement, I just read the other day about a wheelchair that can file://\\coh01\cohweb\council\charter_commission\minutes\minutes 7-21-99.html7/1/2011