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HAWAII COUNTY CHARTER COMMISSIONPage 18 of 51
<br />SUMADA: Yes.
<br />BESS: I, somehow or other, don’t understand. If there is reduplication going on here, or duplication
<br />going on, why is it that in merging the two functions, if you do, in fact, have people in the Building
<br />Department doing the same kinds of things as in the Planning Department, why is it that we don’t wind
<br />up with any fewer bodies or positions?
<br />GOLDSTEIN: Because this was our, kind of like, working kind of first crack at let’s see what we need
<br />to do, and at least, I understand that there may be a reduction in bodies, but even for us to get to that
<br />point, we’re going to have to deal also with the everyday realities of how we’re going to get there, and
<br />that’s why we’ve got to reflect everything as it exists.
<br />BESS: I understand.
<br />RAY: Marni.
<br />HERKES: I think we’re dealing with not just titles on a page, we’re dealing with real people, so I think
<br />that the sensitivity of the departments is admired, and I think that part of the way you do something like
<br />this, is you take all the existing, you move them around, and through attrition and through retraining and
<br />refocusing on different aspects, then you start to see the reduction.
<br />BESS: And I can understand that sensitivity, and I appreciate that, and I’m not suggesting let’s get rid of
<br />people. That’s not it. I’m asking whether or not, by putting the permitting process in the Public Works
<br />Department, do you see, I’m talking about existing five years down the line, whatever the time table is,
<br />will there be a reduction in the number of positions handling these functions?
<br />GOLDSTEIN: I think so. I do.
<br />SUMADA: On the part of the Public Works side of things, I don’t know if I foresee a reduction, per se,
<br />but I think I see a redefining of positions, and I’ll give you an example. Right now, some of the feedback
<br />we receive from our Engineering Division is we have engineers that serve two roles, or dual roles. One
<br />is a regulatory function that makes sure they follow grading laws and other kinds of rules and code
<br />requirements that we’re responsible for, but they also manage projects, individual designs where they
<br />draw lines on paper and build things, or design things, or they oversee a private consultant that does the
<br />design. Each of these are assigned for a variety of reasons. One is for continuity purposes so that if one
<br />guy goes on vacation, everything doesn’t come to a grinding halt, and also, just for training purposes so
<br />that we can have a broad brush of people that can back each other up. Now, when we make this change,
<br />the regulatory people that are reflected on the left side of this Engineering Division, will move to this
<br />Division of Permitting because we see that as one of the core functions of Public Works. There still
<br />needs to be a means where we can get engineering work done, and that’s another side of Public Works
<br />that’s not even shown on here. So, I think, what we’re trying to achieve is some level of efficiency and
<br />better coordination between the permitting functions between Planning and Public Works, and there’s a
<br />price to pay, so to speak, for that, so that when you say the goal is to achieve efficiencies or eliminate
<br />redundancy so you are going to reduce positions, maybe, from the Planning side, that could be possible.
<br />From the Public Works side, I think it’s more that we want to achieve the efficiency of better
<br />communication, speeding of the process by which people do get their permits, and eliminating, maybe,
<br />errors or mistakes, that type of thing, through better communication, and in that, we achieve that through
<br />a redefining of the positions, so that it’s not purely a ‘let’s try to save money’ type of action. Let’s try to
<br />improve service and efficiency, and there’s a price to pay for that, and this is just part of that, or the
<br />steps that we’re going to go through to try and achieve that. I think we’re always looking for a way to
<br />make a better mouse trap, so to speak, or service the community better, and I think, it’s just one way of
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