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MR. ISHIDA: I don ' t know. I don' t know if <br /> I can answer that. <br /> CHAIRMAN SAKATA: When they ask for appropriations <br /> like this, does the agency come to the council and ask for <br /> appropriations or something like that? <br /> MR. ODA: As I understand it, the individual <br /> responsible for that program or activity, if the council has <br /> any questions about it, they have to answer to the finance <br /> committee or the council, as a whole, any concerns or questions <br /> that are raised regarding it. Especially in the budget review <br /> process just before April, May, June, in that period of time. <br /> CHAIRMAN SAKATA: If that program does appear <br /> before the council, doesn ' t it mean that it is stable. . . <br /> MR. ODA: . No, no, well , the budget is presented <br /> to the council for approval and at that time, the budget review <br /> process takes several weeks or months. The council requests <br /> that those people, those agencies, that they want to question <br /> their budget requests on have to come in and like, I am sitting <br /> here, I would be questioned as to why I -am requesting five <br /> positions in my program when I had only two, or whatever, you <br /> know, an increase in the budget even if I don 't have an increase <br /> in staff. They go through that every year. <br /> MR. TRULSON: Mr. Oda, that is only if somebody <br /> should question it. <br /> MR. SENSANO: This all has something to do <br /> with the rising cost of running our county government. <br /> MR. SCHUTTE: Stuart, as an example, if, for <br /> instance, the mayor suggested or proposed a particular program <br /> and it was funded by the council, and for some reason or other <br /> the council, after a four year period felt that this <br /> particular program was not doing what it was intended to <br /> do. . .by having the Sunset Law, they could be mandated to do <br /> away with this particular program. Isn ' t this correct? <br /> MR. ODA: They are not mandated to do away <br /> with it, they are mandated to look at it. <br /> MR. SCHUTTE: And if so, decide to do away ' <br /> with it. . . <br /> MR. ODA: Right, and then make a decision as <br /> to what to do with it after that. The principle involved, <br /> if I can offer an opinion is in principle, it looks good. <br /> The question, I suppose, that you folks have to answer is <br /> whether, as someone has said, the thing is already being <br /> done in other ways in the budget review process. And, <br /> whether this is going to impress any councilman whether he <br /> has a greater duty because of the language, I don ' t know. <br /> But if it does pass and become part of the charter it will <br /> be a first for the counties , I think. For the four counties. <br /> -29- <br />