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actually it was Planning that gave us an initial kind of rough outline of what that would <br />look like. So we have yet, just so you know, to receive anything in detail from the <br />• Public Works Department, so we are still waiting for that. <br />GOLDSTEIN: That's one. The other relates to the Board of Appeals if such a <br />new division is created. What might happen to it and what we're suggesting happen to <br />the Board of Appeals. We also touch upon, as number three, the issue of concern over <br />a holdover provision for appointees to Boards and Commissions, and again, this <br />is to help the situation where we operate the Boards and our Commission with a full <br />number of members present. As Commissioner Tanaka has said, we are operating with <br />Tess than the nine members on the Planning Commission and that has presented <br />some problems with respect to making sure that we have quorums, making sure that <br />there are enough members to vote on issues. And of course, our comments on the <br />Planning Commissions for East and West Hawaii. <br />So, if 1 can get into detail. We have provided you with specific Charter Amendments <br />that would effectuate some of these, for example, the creation of a Division of <br />Permitting within the Department of Public Works. And basically, they would be <br />taking over the functions relating to subdivisions, the subdivision code and some of the <br />administerial actions that the Planning Department presently handles. Things like the <br />Ohana permits, farm dwellings and plan approvals, and also variances. Again, we <br />have provided you with possible amendments to specific sections and so you can go <br />• over them at your leisure. <br />One of the things in creating this division. We have outlined areas in which, maybe, <br />amendments could be made but there is also another approach, and this is the <br />approach that the City and County of Honolulu took in consolidating its Permitting and <br />General Planning Departments into one. Their Charter allows the Mayor to make and <br />restructure his departments on his own, and so the Charter could also be amended to <br />give the Mayor here similar kinds of powers rather than having to go, for example, <br />through the strain of a Charter Amendment. That's how he accomplished his <br />consolidation. <br />RAY: 'His' meaning Mayor Harris? <br />GOLDSTEIN: Yes. He recently went ahead and consolidated a General Planning <br />Department with the Department of Permitting and Processing, which involves all of the <br />permits, subdivisions, and things like that. Everybody's under one now. <br />RAY: Has there been any substantive discussion between you and our <br />Department of Public Works in terms of how they see this thing working? <br />GOLDSTEIN: Yes, we have discussed this with Public Works to the point of even <br />10 <br />