HomeMy WebLinkAbout09.22.22. COG Xommission Minutes - Approved
COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION
c/o Office of the Mayor, 25 Aupuni Street, Suite 2603 Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES / September 22, 2022
INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE TECHNOLOGY (ICT): ZOOM WITH IN-PERSON
LOCATIONS FOR PUBLIC TESTIMONY PER AGENDA
\[2:03 pm\] \[1\] CALL TO ORDER, QUORUM
Chair Konowicz called the meeting to order with quorum.
ATTENDANCE
Present: D9 Michael Konowicz, Chair
D1 Neal Herbert, Vice Chair
D4 Maddie Green
D5 Shannon Matson
D6 Kenneth Obenski
D7 Daniel Malakie III (2:22 pm)
D8 Karie Wakat
Excused: D2 Matthias Kusch
D3 Chantee Shiroma
Additional: Keyra Wong, Deputy Corporation Counsel
Robert Command, Office of the Mayor
Jeannie Miskovich, Commission Secretary
\[2:04 pm\] \[2\] STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC
Deborah Ward Testified and provided (late) Written Testimony (attached)
Follow-up / clarifying comments by Commissioners:
The PONC PIG has received feedback from the PONC Commission Chair and
will follow-up.
\[3\] COMMUNICATIONS
Matthias Kusch forwarded email testimony from anonymous
Chair Konowicz submitted a sample template for the Final report, for Agenda
Discussion on September 29, 2022.
\[2:16 pm\] \[4\] APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM SEPTEMBER 8, 2022, MEETING
Comm. Obenski moved to approve the September 8, 2022, COG Commission
Meeting Minutes
Comm. Wakat Seconded the Motion
Discussion: None
Voice Vote: Ayes: (6)
9/8/2022 Meeting Minutes Approved
\[2:20 p.m.\] \[5\] STATUS REPORTS OF PERMITTED INTERACTION GROUPS
Discussion: PIG Report deadlines and timelines were discussed as the
Commission’s final report submission deadline to County Council is October 26,
2022, for hearing at the November 15, 2022, County Council meeting.
5(a) BUILDING DIVISION – Comm. Herbert status: The consultant report will
be delayed, October or later. The PIG will submit their independent findings and
recommendations ASAP.
5(b) INFORMATION TECH. - Report Submitted. The IT PIG presented its
findings and recommendations, which will be deliberated and decided upon at the
September 29, 2022, meeting.
Discussion: Commissioners agreed that the IT PIG Report looks good. Comm.
Wakat Top Takeaways: Department is underfunded, with a notable salary gap –
Hawai‘i has the highest COLA with difficulty in attracting talent. The Konno
Decision prohibits contracting IT support off-island.
Comm. Herbert noted the report could expand upon the idea of a central inventory
system– to include all lifecycle management, across all Departments/Division
Comm. Wakat cited the testimony from Debby Hecht, with the suggestion of a
(Managing Director) position established to be tasked with the continuity and
completion of priority projects across Administrations.
Comm. Matson will send her grammatical edits to the IT PIG report to Comm.
Wakat through the Commission Secretary.
\[2:56 pm\] Technical Difficulty – Connectivity Lost / Meeting in Recess
\[3:04 pm\] Chair Konowicz called the Commission back from Recess with Quorum
\[3:05 pm\] 5(c) DEM – Report Submitted. The DEM PIG presented its findings and
recommendations, which will be deliberated and decided upon at the September
29, 2022, meeting.
Chair Konowicz Top Takeaways: The Konno Decision restricts the County in
many ways, including Wastewater solutions; the contract with HI Earth Recycle
(2036) is not delivering as written. The County spends millions of dollars on
traffic and engineering studies but has no index/library established to access these
reports. Per Director Mansour, employees tend to abuse the sick leave policy,
especially during the holidays, which creates challenges.
Comm. Obenski noted that again, there is no central inventory for physical and/or
intangible assets of the County. Inventory is critical – Purchasing by each
Department/ Division individually is neither efficient not cost effective.
5(d) COUNTY FLEET – The County-wide Fleet PIG will submit a report of
findings/ recommendations ASAP
5(e) BOARDS/COMMISSION – The B&C PIG will submit a report of findings/
recommendations ASAP.
5(f) REVENUE- Chair Konowicz recapped: There are three (3) areas of
recommendation cited in the 8.25.22 Report: (1)Rental Cars, (2) Vehicle
Registration, and (3)ATV fees
\[3:40 pm\] Discussion: Commissioners agreed that all three (3) recommendations would be
appropriately included in the COG Commission’s Final Report
MOTION
Comm. Herbert made the Motion to include the Revenue PIG(s) findings and
recommendations in the Commission’s Final Report
Comm. Wakat Seconded the Motion
Discussion: None
Voice Vote: Ayes (7) Unanimous
Motion to include the Revenue PIG’s recommendations and finding in the
Commission’s Final Report Passes
5(g) PONC – Comm. Matson Status: The PONC PIG will submit a report of
findings and recommendations ASAP.
\[3:47 pm\] \[6\] STATUS REPORTS OF INDIVIDUAL COMMISSIONERS
ON PRIORITY FOCUS AREAS, SUGGESTED SAVINGS/EFFICIENCY
AREAS, AND REVENUE GENERATION CONCEPTS
Discussion: Comm. Herbert will submit reports on tertiary items ASAP
\[3:48 pm\] \[6\] DISCUSSION OF ITEMS TO BE PLACED ON THE NEXT AGENDA
Discussion: The timelines to submit the Commission’s final report of
findings/recommendations to the Mayor and County will require special meetings.
Tentative meeting schedule: 9/29/22, 10/6/22, 10/13/22 and 10/20/22.
\[7\] ANNOUNCEMENTS
The next meeting of the Cost of Government Commission will be September 29,
2022, at 2:00 p.m.
\[3:51 pm\] \[8\] ADJOURNMENT
Comm. Herbert made a Motion to Adjourn
Comm. Wakat Seconded the Motion
Discussion: None
Voice Vote: Ayes: (7) Unanimous
Meeting adjourned at 3:51 p.m.
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