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Mr . Robert Bethea, Chairman <br /> and Members, Hawaii County Charter Commission <br /> July 20, 1989 <br /> Page 2 <br /> Your county government has been and will continue to be dynamic <br /> and responsive. Our county charter must recognize that our <br /> society is in a constant state of evolution and as such, it must <br /> provide both the Legislative and Executive branches the <br /> flexibility and wherewithal to meet new responsibilities . <br /> The County Council stands ready to accept and meet its <br /> responsibilities, however, the Council has experienced its share <br /> of frustrations because of shortcomings in the Charter . We <br /> believe that the Charter still remains a sound document that can <br /> be made more effective by certain revisions . The following are a <br /> few of the suggested changes the Council would like to submit for <br /> your consideration. <br /> 1 . Section 10-2 provides that the mayor shall submit the <br /> operating budget, operating program, capital budget, <br /> capital program and budget message no later than May 1 of <br /> each year to the county council . Taking into <br /> consideration publication requirements of meetings and <br /> public hearings, the mayor ' s 10 days to review the <br /> adopted budget and the requirements imposed upon the <br /> council for consideration of any vetoed items, the <br /> council ends up with a two to three week period to review <br /> the budget requests. With an operating budget <br /> approaching $100 million, two to three weeks is not <br /> adequate for a meaningful review. The Council recommends <br /> that the mayor submit these budgets to the council no <br /> later than March 1 . <br /> 2 . The Council has also realized that the complexity of <br /> county government does not allow the council to afford a <br /> staff with all of the required expertise to address all <br /> issues. An alternative is to allow the council to <br /> contract for consultant services. Said contracts would <br /> be limited to areas regarding legislative prerogatives <br /> and formulation of public policy. <br /> 3 . The Council also asks that gender neutral language be <br /> considered by the revisor of the Charter . <br /> 4 . The Council also understands that the Hawaii <br /> Redevelopment Agency (HRA) has requested that they be <br /> formally recognized as a county agency in the charter. <br /> The Council has taken ;a position that the HRA is a <br /> creation of State statutes and said statutes recognize <br /> that the agency' s existence can be terminated. It is <br /> then the recommendation of the Council that your <br /> Commission deny the request of the Hawaii Redevelopment <br /> Agency to be incorporated into the Charter. <br /> 461 <br />