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v ai <br /> CHRISTOPHER J. YUEN HILO LAGOON CENTRE,SUITE 108 <br /> 101 AUPUNI STREET <br /> HILO,HAWAII 96720 <br /> ATTORNEY AT LAW TEL.(808)935-4429 <br /> October 17, 1989 <br /> Hawaii County Charter Commission <br /> 101 Aupuni Street, Suite 230 <br /> Hilo, Hawaii 96720 <br /> Re: Meeting of October 31, 1989 <br /> Dear Commission Members: <br /> I was asked to "frame the issues" concerning the two major <br /> agenda items on the October 31, 1989 agenda: the "mayor-council" <br /> vs. the "council-manager" form of government and the issue of <br /> Council representation. I thought it would also be helpful to <br /> briefly give some background on these subjects and summarize the <br /> testimony which the Commission has received so far. <br /> 1. "Mayor-Council" vs. "Council-Manacter" Form of Government. <br /> The government of Hawaii County (and the other counties in <br /> the state) is presently organized under a "mayor-council" system. <br /> Under this system the Mayor has the primary executive functions <br /> and appoints the department heads and commission members. The <br /> Council isiven legislative functions. It enacts ordinances <br /> g g <br /> and <br /> confirms (or rejects) the appointments of the mayor. We have a <br /> full-time Mayor and a part-time Council. <br /> Under the "council-manager" system, the Council appoints a <br /> Manager who is responsible for the administrative functions of <br /> the County. The Manager supervises all of the County <br /> departments. Generally, the Council is responsible for all <br /> significant policy decisions; the Manager's role is to implement <br /> these decisions. There is no "separation of powers" under the <br /> council-manager system. The council-manager system is very <br /> common in small to medium-sized cities on the Mainland, but is <br /> very uncommon in large cities (over 500, 000 in population) . <br /> The council-manager system differs somewhat . from the Board <br /> of Supervisors system which was used in Hawaii County before the <br /> adoption of the Charter in 1968. In the pre-Charter period, the <br /> County Chairman, who was elected island-wide, served as both the <br /> chair of the Board of Supervisors and as chief executive officer <br /> of the County government as' a whole. Some of the offices which <br /> are now appointed were filled by direct election under the old <br /> system (County Clerk, Attorney, and Auditor) . 658 <br /> We have received a considerable amount of testimony on both <br /> sides of the question of the adoption of a council-manager <br /> EXHIBIT A <br />