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STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS
<br />CHR. HAITSUKA: Next on our agenda is Statements From The Public On Agenda Items,
<br />and for the people who are here today to testify, we will be limiting testimony, per the
<br />Commission rules, to three minutes per item. If you change topic or item, please let us know
<br />and we will reset the clock. Thank you. First up, we have Margaret Wille. Good afternoon,
<br />Ms. Wille.
<br />MARGARET WILLE
<br />(At this time Margaret Wille came forward to address members of the Charter Commission.)
<br />MS. WILLE: I am Margaret Wille from Waimea. I do have a Communication on the
<br />agenda, but I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to comment on some of the
<br />amendments that are being proposed that you have before you to vote on. The first one is
<br />CA -6, and that has to do - -and also which relates to Communication 34 from Mayor Kenoi --
<br />with the process of removal of the heads of the Merit Appeals board, Human Resources,
<br />Water, and Liquor Control. I just want to say that I agree with Mayor Kenoi, that going
<br />through that process of stating reasons why those people who are "at will" employment, why
<br />they would be removed. I don't think that's a good process. I think that if they are "at will"
<br />employees, it should be "at will" employment, and that's what they signed on to.
<br />Second - -and this is another item, but I don't have a lot of time on these first ones so - -is CA-
<br />9, and this has to do with providing electronic notice in the case of special meetings. I think
<br />there is a Communication 43 which is related to this. I really feel that it is important, in
<br />terms of whether it is a regular meeting or a special meeting, when you say electronic notice
<br />that you include that it be included on the County's calendar of events. If you go on the web
<br />and you click on the site, you click up- - -It's a whole calendar, and each day it shows when
<br />you are meeting, or when the Council is meeting. That is where the public looks, and then
<br />you click on that site, and for yours or the Council, you can go to the agenda. In contrast, say
<br />the Planning Commission, I'd be surprised how few people in this room know how to go and
<br />find the agenda for the Planning Commission. I would really think that not just posting it on
<br />a particular web site, but putting it on that single calendar, so some of us who might have a
<br />blog, we put your calendar right there and you can click on it, and anyone can go look and
<br />see when these meetings are going on. So it's a matter of just adding those few words, and at
<br />some point I can submit that. Specifically, this is CA -9, and the whole intent here is to
<br />improve getting access to the public in a manner that many in the public can access in the
<br />customary mode at this time, and not go to the Ben Franklin post board out here, or the
<br />Clerk's office, which I don't even know where that is. That's separate on that one.
<br />On CA -10, this has to do with the Department of Environmental Management. There was a
<br />series of letters that were sent out. One had to do with what the requirements for the job
<br />would be. There were also what should be really the scope of this department and whether
<br />there should additionally be added to whatever current scope there is, considering energy and
<br />food sustainability. If you were to look in the Charter as it stands right now, it's under
<br />Chapter 10, page 23, Section 6 -10.1. The way it reads to me is your amendment, which is
<br />under CA -10, would be to modify Section 6 -20.4, which is Powers, Duties and Functions; to
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