2000-04-01 Charter Commission Minutes

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minutes 04-01-00Page 16 of 22 HERKES: Yes, I’m going to comment really on the timing and the dates for the Charter Review Commission. It seems to me having the Charter reviewed every ten years, on the year before the census puts us out of sync. And it seems to me that we ought to put some language in that maybe we go 12 years, and then have the Charter Review Commission on the years after the census, because what is being brought up is that, you know, in two years we’re looking at a redoing of the Charter. So, I’d just like to put that on the table as maybe a possibility. We don’t have to discuss it right now, but something just triggered me that we’re all out of sync here, of this whole thing. RAY: Yes, let’s bring that up. Okay, George. JIM OTTERSON: Can I say just a little bit? RAY: Not if you’re not signed up to testify. George Wallace, followed by Fred Holschuh. WALLACE: Thank you. I signed up to speak to impeachment but I hear all these people speaking to several issues. I’d like to add one at the end. I have three questions and one statement. First question on Impeachment. How many elected officials have been impeached in the last ten years? Just one. RAY: There’s been one proceeding, I think. MARTIN: Zero. Nobody. HERKES: One proceeding but nobody impeached. WALLACE: Have these impeachment proceedings had a major detrimental effect on the function of County government? RAY: I think that’s questionable. I think it was extremely disruptive to the folks that were involved in the last impeachment proceeding, but that’s - HERKES: And it costs money. WALLACE: I understand it might be embarrassing. It might be emotionally disturbing and nerve-racking to be impeached. I think we saw that in the national level as well, but I was speaking to the actual function of County government. And I didn’t see County government suddenly freeze up and stop. And if something isn’t broken, I don’t see why we have to fix it, first. And then, this proposed change would simply further reduce the recourse of voters to force removal of elected officials who are simply doing a bad job in their work of administering to the County, and for the County, to the citizens of the County. I’m absolutely against this change. In a similar vein, you speak to changing to an Environmental Services or things like that. There’s a possibility that you have not considered and I would like to ask you to consider it. In many other parts of the country, to do certain kinds of heavy duty lifting for small areas of a county, or a whole county, they have Local Improvement Districts where District Commissioners are elected to do things like take care of solid waste management, or provide water services. Perhaps, that’s what we need to do, and I would ask you to speak, particularly, to, and why is there seeming to be an avoidance of the issue of the substandard subdivisions on this island. Those substandard subdivisions are the unrecognized bastard children on this island, and I will remind you that Lawrence of Arabia was an unrecognized bastard child, and it’s time to do something about it. RAY: Sue, do you have something? IRVINE: It’s my understanding that there is a mechanism for Local Improvement Districts. You might know more about that, John. Is that true? Or that it’s not a Charter issue. It’s a Legislative issue. RAY: Yes, there is empowering legislation, right. Okay, Fred Holschuh, followed by Roger Evans. HOLSCHUH: Good morning, everybody. COMMISSIONERS: Good morning. file://\\coh01\cohweb\council\charter_commission\minutes\minutes 04-01-00.htm7/1/2011