HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0334.047 2024-2026Derek Y. Inaba
292 Miha P1.
Hilo, HI 96720
October 6, 2025 o q Q
Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Chairperson i
Hawaii County Council a v C`
office of the County Clerk s�
25 Aupuni Street E5
Hilo, HI 96720
via email: counciltestimonv@hawaiicounty.gov
Subject: Bill 64, Draft 2, which seeks to eliminate the
requirement that the Director of Public Works be a
licensed Professional Engineer (PE).
Amendment to Article VI, Chapter 2, Section 6-2.2
Director.
Honorable Members of the Hawaii County Council,
I am submitting written testimony IN OPPOSITION of Bill 64,
Draft 2, which seeks to eliminate the requirement that the
Director of Public Works be a registered (Licensed) Professional
Engineer.
If the deputy director position can be filled by a professional
engineer then that person should instead hold the position of
director. The requirement for the Director of Public Works to
hold professional engineering licensure SHOULD NEVER BE REMOVED,
and here's why.
It is for good reason that the County Charter currently requires
the Director to be a "registered professional engineer."
Professional engineers protect public safety and welfare by
applying their expertise to ensure engineering designs are safe,
ethical, and meet regulatory standards and assume responsibility
for their work without shortcoming the safety, well-being, and
protection of life, land, and natural resources.
The Director of Public Works is positioned at the helm of
cultivating long-lasting changes in our community. The
probability for interminable adverse effects on our community
can be immensely and vastly magnified when a position that
should be held by a professional engineer is supplemented with
anyone other than a professional engineer. I need not remind
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you, licensed professional engineers endure years of rigorous
schooling, on the job experience, and professional licensure
examinations to cultivate their expertise and keen ability to
assimilate and synthesize crucial information necessary for
decision making and planning. All educational degrees other than
accredited engineering disciplines should be considered
unacceptable alternatives for this crucial position.
Failure to require the Director of Public Works to be a licensed
professional engineer is a failure to protect the safety and
well-being of the people, the land, and the resources of this
great community we love and call our home.
When voting on this matter,, I hope you find it in you to
prioritize the safety and well-being of the people, land, and
natural resources that are preserved by maintaining the
requirement for the Director of Public Works to be "a registered
professional engineer."
Thank you for the opportunity to provide written testimony on
this matter.
Sincerely,
Derek Y. Inaba
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