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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 1121.002 2006-2008 Apr-08-08 12:18pm From-HGEA/AFSCbE LOCAL 152 +8085284059 T-918 P.01/03 F-288 FAX SHEET ~'~~~A Hawaii Government Employees Association • AFSCME Local 152 • AFL-CIO Working Together For Hawaii This Is confidential material for the addressee's use only. If you received this transmission in error, please do not use, distribute or reproduce R. Instead, please call the sender at the phone number provided on this sheet. Thank youl DATE: 4/8/08 TOTAL PAGES: 3 (including cover sheet) ca 0 TO: County Council FAX NUMBER: 808-961-8912 On wj 7 Z i rrl - FROM: Kevin Mulligan, Public Policy Specialist ao PHONE NUMBER: M-0067 -0 FAX NUMBER: 0 SUBJECT: Testimony on Bill 276 - Relating to an Ordinance to Initiate a Charter Amendment MESSAGE: This testimony is for the Committee on Public Works and Intergovernmental Relations hearing this afternoon at 1:30 p.m. Thank you. 1 /•'L Comm Ref. Tat G Ref. Date ^3-1200~-- Apr-08-08 12:I13pm From-HGEA/AFSCLE LOCAL 152 +8085284059 T-918 P.02/03 F-288 i IICEf~ 888 Milil•ni Sveet, suite 601 Telephone: 808.543.0000 _I~"` ° ~L) A F 9 C M E LOCAL 152, AFL-no Honolul-, Hawaii 96813-2991 Paaimile: 808.528.4059 www.hgea.org 2008 flPR 8 P(~ l~ 07 County Council Cb u ,z11 County of Hawai-i 'wll ` Committee on Public Works & Intergovernmental Relations Testimony by HGEA/AFSCME Local 152 April 8, 2008 Bill 276 - Ordinance to Initiate A Charter Amendment to Article III Legislative Branch. County Council, Section 3-17 of the Hawai'I County Charter 2000 (2006 Edition), Relating to the County Reapportionment Commission Amending Section 3-17 In Its Entirety. Renaming It the Redistricting Commission and Establishing Appropriate Criteria. The Hawaii Government Employees Association, AFSCME, Local 152, AFL-CIO has concerns about Bill 276 in its present form. As drafted, Bill 276 would significantly change how Hawaii County conducts redistricting. We are not convinced that the existing process under the County Reapportionment Commission is so problematic that it warrants elimination. For example, the Mayor is completely removed from selecting the commissioners under Bill 276. The mayor is currently responsible for nominating Reapportionment Commission members subject to County Council confirmation under Section 13-4 of the Hawai' I County Charter. As the same is applicable to all boards and commissions, it is unclear why the proposed Redistricting Commission should deviate from this requirement. Other concerns about the bill are as follows. ¦ Under Subsection (e) (2) (C) (1), each County Council member can nominate a person to represent that council district provided that the nominee is a permanent resident of the district at the time of nomination to the Redistricting Commission. This is potentially problematic because it would allow people to move outside of a district, and yet continue to sit on the Redistricting Commission. • Nonresident military, nonresident military dependents, nonresident students and foreign nationals represent a very small percentage of the county's population and including them should not be statistically significant. The identification of foreign nationals may be especially difficult. Therefore, we respectfully suggest removing Section 13-7, Subsection (p) (2). • The proposal says that the total deviation for the entire redistricting plan shall be less than 10%, and the maximum council district deviation for a proposed district shall not exceed 4.99% of an ideal council district's population. How was the 4.99% percentage derived, and what is the justification for using it? H A W A I I G 0 V E R N M E N T E M P L 0 Y E E S A S S 0 C I A T 1 0 N Apr-08-08 12:I8pm From-HOEA/AFSCIE LOCAL 152 +8085284059 T-918 P 03/03 F-280 s There may be a conflict between Section 13-17, Subsections (p) (9) and (p) (11). The former subsection says that no district shall be drawn to unduly favor or penalize a person, political faction, or Incumbent. The second one says that district boundaries shall be drawn without regard to an Incumbent's residence, the incumbent's ability to run for re-election in their current district, or whether the incumbent faces another incumbent for re-election. Subsection (p) (9) comes from the Hawaii State Constitution, while subsection (p) (11) does not. If you do not know where an incumbent lives, it is very possible to draw the district lines such that it penalizes or favors the incumbent. We respectfully suggest the deletion of Section 13-7 Subsection (p) (11). The key redistricting principles in our opinion are contiguous and compact districts, preservation of political subdivisions and communities of interest, and following the "one person, one vote doctrine." Districts lines should also follow permanent and easily recognizable features and coincide with census tract boundaries, when practicable. An effective redistricting plan minimizes disruption and changes to existing boundaries, proposing only those necessary to reduce any population deviation and thereby satisfy the "one person, one vote legal mandate." Thank you for the opportunity to express our concerns regarding this measure. Respectfully submitted, f6.«,,_ a Kevin Mulligan Public Policy Specialist 2