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2026-07-23 Merit Appeals Board Minutes (DRAFT)
REGULAR SESSION MeritAppeals Board Department ofHuman Resources – Conference Room 101Pauahi Street, Suite2 Hilo, Hawai‘i July23, 2026 (Thursday) Call to Order (Item 1) Theregular meeting oftheMerit AppealsBoard, CountyofHawaii, was calledtoorderat 9:02a.m. byChairGabriella M. Cabanas, attheDepartment ofHuman Resources-Conference Room, 101PauahiStreet, Suite 2, Hilo, Hawaii, onThursday, July23, 2026. Roll Call – Present Ms. Gabriella M. Cabanas, Chair Ms. SuziBond, Vice-Chair Mr. Daniel “Niel” Thomas, Member Absent and Excused Mr. Gilbert J. Aguinaldo, Member Also Present Mr. JYoshimoto, Assistant Corporation Counsel, OfficeoftheCorporation Counsel Ms. Sommer J. Tokihiro, Director, Human Resources Department Ms. Jennifer Sakamoto, Human Resources Manager II – Personnel andOrganizational Development Division, Human Resources Department Ms. GlynisYamada, Secretary-Reporter, Human Resources Department MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 Call to Order (Item 1) rdCHR. CABANAS: TheMeritAppeals Board meeting iscalledtoorderat9:02a.m., onJuly23, 2026. Andwearesituated attheDepartment ofHumanResources Conference Room, at 101Pauahi Street, Suite2, inHilo, Hawaii. Wehavequorum today withthreeBoardmembers present. I’mGabriella Cabanas, Chair ofthe MeritAppeals Board—seatedwithmeareVice-ChairSuziBond. MS. BOND: Hello. CHR. CABANAS: AndDaniel “Niel” Thomas. Alsowithus, ourAssistant Corporation Counsel JYoshimoto, andDirector ofHuman Resources Sommer Tokihiro. MS. TOKIHIRO: Goodmorning. CHR. CABANAS: AndourSecretary-Reporter Glynis Yamada. MS. YAMADA: Good morning. MR. YOSHIMOTO: Goodmorning. CHR. CABANAS: Andcoming tohelpwiththelogisticsisJenny Sakamoto. Hi, Jenny— MR. THOMAS: Ithinktheycallthisroomthe “Training Room” orsomething? CHR. CABANAS: No, it’sthe “Conference Room.” MR. THOMAS: ‘Cause Iwoundupdowntherewithsomething thatsays, “Conference Room.” CHR. CABANAS: That’sthe “Aupuni Conference Room”—thisistheDepartment ofHuman Resources Conference Room MR. THOMAS: Ah, okay. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. So, thisconference roombelongs tothedepartment. Yeah. MR. THOMAS: Andtheywilldefend it. CHR. CABANAS: Yes. MS. BOND: Defend theirterritory. MS. TOKIHIRO: Rigorously. CHR. CABANAS: Anyhow, thankyouall, forbeing here thismorning. Gilbert Aguinaldo, our otherBoard member isabsent today. Heisexcused. Andsowewillproceed withtheagenda. Page 2 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 Addendum toAgenda (Item 2) CHR. CABANAS: There isnoaddendum. Statements from the Public (Item 3) CHR. CABANAS: Andno “Statements fromthePublic.” Approval ofMinutes (Item 4) June 24, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Approval ofmeeting minutes forJune24, 2026. Have youallhadthe opportunity toreadin-depth— MR. THOMAS: Aslong asthere’snoquiz. CHR. CABANAS: —themanypages. MS. BOND: Iknow, it’slike, “Wow, Iwas hereforthat.” CHR. CABANAS: Themany pages ofthismeeting. And, yes, Ididreviewit—tookmehours. MS. BOND: Ihave acoupleofsmall— MR. THOMAS: Youdo—me, too. CHR. CABANAS: Me, too. MS. BOND: —smallthings. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, youwanttogofirst, Suzi? MS. BOND: Okay, yeah. Onpage15, where itsays “MS. BOND:” onone, two, three— third/fourth—thirdtimeIsaysomething. It’s “Citizen Corps” is “C-o-r-p-s”—it’slikeagroup, not acompany. CHR. CABANAS: Oh, okay. MS. BOND: Like, “MarineCorps” CHR. CABANAS: Right. MS. BOND: So—andthenthere wasonemore where itsays “junks” init—it’slike, no, that should be “chunks”—page 81. MR. THOMAS: Page81of10,000. MS. BOND: Iknow. Page 3 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Page 81—okay. MS. BOND: Like320—where—onthesecond tothelastline, “…allofasuddenhere’sthese bigjunks ofmoney…”—itshould be “chunks.” Up, towards thetop, secondparagraph—towards theendoftheparagraph. CHR. CABANAS: Oh, itsays “junks.” MS. BOND: Plentyjunks ofmoney, yeah? Ithought that, well—didIgetmypidgin outforthat? CHR. CABANAS: Okay, verygood. Good eye, goodeye. MS. BOND: Okay, that’sallIgot. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, andthen Ihaveafew. So, it’sgood thatweallreadit. Sopage— MS. BOND: So, itproves weactuallyread it. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. Page27, thirdparagraph where itreads, “Wehadrecruitment test scenarios wherewe’reentering enddate…”—andthisisSommer’sreport—so, Sommer, ifyou canhelpmewiththis. “…adding apending aworker…”— MS. TOKIHIRO: Sorry, whichparagraph areweon? MS. BOND: Oh, yeah, third— CHR. CABANAS: Thirdfromthetop. So, itsays, thelastsentence, “Wehadrecruitment test scenarios wherewe’reentering enddate…”—thatlooks okay; it’sthisnextverbiage, “…adding apending aworker…”— MS. TOKIHIRO: So, “…adding apending worker…”—so, thatsecond “a”— CHR. CABANAS: Oh, take outthatsecond “a”— MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Okay. “…converting apending worker toanemployee…”— MS. TOKIHIRO: Correct. CHR. CABANAS: Okay. “…changing assignments—sothatcouldbepromotion toanother position…”—thatsounds okay? MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, great. Okay, andthen thenextpage is, let’ssee—page30, where Ms. Tokihiro islisted fromthetop—one, two—thethird “MS. TOKIHIRO:”—thelastsentence— well, yeah, thesentence islongbut— Page 4 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. BOND: Ofthefirstparagraph. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, thethird—one, two, three, four—fifth—thefifthparagraph where she says, towardstheend, “…basically, thehistory—like, position history ofwhenthatpositionwas lastfilled, how…”— MS. TOKIHIRO: Sorry, areweonpage30? CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MS. BOND: Yeah, it’sthethird “MS. TOKIHIRO:”—firstparagraph. MS. TOKIHIRO: Perfect, Igotyou. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Okay. CHR. CABANAS: So, it’sthethird, lastsentence—thelastthird sentence, “…basically, the history—like, positionhistoryofwhenthatposition waslast filled..”—okay, thatlooksgood; “… howmanypeoplehavewehadintheposition…”—okay, thatlooksgood; “…how long…”—it should be “has”—add the “h”—“…howlonghastheposition been filled—likethe datesof employment.” Okay, andthethenthelast—oh, no, notthelastone—Ihavetwomore. Okay, sothenextone ispage44, andit’sthethirdparagraph, second tothelast sentence, “Therewasanactual transfer paperwork…”—shouldn’titbe “…transfer ofpaperwork…”— MS. YAMADA: I’msorry, onpage44? CHR. CABANAS: Thirdparagraph— MS. YAMADA: Okay. MS. BOND: Third paragraph. CHR. CABANAS: Second tothelastsentence. MS. YAMADA: Okay. CHR. CABANAS: “…transfer paperwork…”—shouldn’titbe “transfer ofpaperwork”— MS. TOKIHIRO: Actually, youcouldremove the “an”—soitwould read, “Therewasactual transfer paperwork forallthepositions…” MR. THOMAS: It’sthetypeofpaperwork. CHR. CABANAS: Oh, okay. “There was…” remove the “an”— MS. TOKIHIRO: Correct. Page 5 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Okay, remove the “an”—“Therewasactual transfer paperwork…”— MS. TOKIHIRO: Mm-hmm. MR. THOMAS: It’satypeofpaperwork, apparently. MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Oh, okay. Okay, wegotthatcorrected—okay. Andthen, thelastoneIhad was— MS. BOND: Andyougotmyname right, allthewaythrough—thank you. MS. YAMADA: Itookspecial note ofthat. MS. BOND: Iappreciate it. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, and thelastoneispage99, firstparagraph, thelastsentence, “And youcoulddosomething aboutinterview—jobinterview training orapplicant…”—andthen there’sa “tra” there. MS. YAMADA: Yeah, ‘causeitwaslike “applicant tra”—andthen, changed theword. So, they’renotfinishing theword— CHR. CABANAS: Oh, thatwasme. Okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: Itwasre-gathering andre-startingyourthought. CHR. CABANAS: Mymindwasmoving toofast. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. MS. YAMADA: Doyouwanttohave itdeleted? CHR. CABANAS: Idon’tknow, itjustdoesn’tlookright. MS. BOND: Youwereunderduress. MS. TOKIHIRO: Bypage 99, wewereallunderduress. MS. YAMADA: Especially me. CHR. CABANAS: So, whatsayyou, J—should wechange itorleave it? MR. YOSHIMOTO: It’sverbatim, right, soI’llleaveit. CHR. CABANAS: So, leave it—okay, weleaveit. MR. YOSHIMOTO: Yeah, it’sokay—you’regood. Page 6 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Okay. Ifanyonequestions you, youjustsay, “Well, theChair’smindwas goingtoofast.” MS. TOKIHIRO: That’show theChair’smindworks. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, sothat’sitforthemeeting minutes. MS. BOND: Okay. Imovetoapprovethemeeting minutes as, amended—isthatright? CHR. CABANAS: Asamended— MS. BOND: See, I’mlearning. MR. YOSHIMOTO: You’vegottoamend theminutesfirst. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, amendtheminutes. MR. YOSHIMOTO: Justnote itontherecord, soyoumovetoamendasnoted ontherecord. MS. BOND: Okay. Imovetoamendtheminutes, asnoted ontherecord. MR. THOMAS: Second. CHR. CABANAS: Anydiscussion? No? Okay, I’llstartarollcall vote withMs. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. MR. THOMAS: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Motion carried to— MR. THOMAS: Areallthesemics. live? Mine’sheldtogether— MS. BOND: Yeah. MR. THOMAS: —withmasking tapeorsomething. MS. YAMADA: Yeah, they’realllive. MR. THOMAS: Okay. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, motion carriedtoapprove themeeting minutes—amendments for June24, 2026. Nowweneed another motiontoapprove themeeting minutes, asamended. Page 7 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. BOND: Somoved. MR. THOMAS: Second. CHR. CABANAS: Thankyou. Anydiscussion? Ifnot, I’llstartarollcall vote withMs. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. MR. THOMAS: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Motion carried. Director’sReport (Item 5) A. MAB Quarterly Reports: April – May2026 (Administrative Services Division, Classification & Pay Division, Equal Opportunity/ADA Division, Health & Safety Division, Labor Relations, Personnel & Organizational Development Division, Recruitment & Examination Division, Workers’ Compensation Division) CHR. CABANAS: Okay, moving along. Wehaveour “Director’sReport” forMABQuarterly Reports, Aprilthrough June 2026. MS. TOKIHIRO: Okay. So, thisisthereportfortheFourthQuarter ofourFiscalYear. We started anewfiscal yearonJuly1—and youwillnotethat theformatfortheQuarterly Reports— andtheMonthly Reports—we’remaking those accessible, sothey’reeasily readable byany individual thatwouldaccess therecords thatmayneed somekind ofassistive device for assistance inreadingtheminutesorreading thereport. So, theformatwasactuallyonethatwascreatedbyAlika, ourADACoordinator, soalldivisions arefollowing. So, you’llnotice thatsome ofthegraphs andthetables thatwepreviously used havebeenremoved because therearedifferent requirements toensureaccessibility forscreen readers toaccurately capture theinformation onthegraphs andtables. So, that’skindofabig changebutreallyimportant. MS. BOND: Like, Icanreaditwithout myglasses. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. Font sizeislarger— CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, whatsizeisit? MS. BOND: Fourteen. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, 14—andthentheheadings are18. MS. BOND: Youcantell (inaudible). Iwaslike, “Oh, look, it’sa14”— Page 8 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. TOKIHIRO: Suzi’spreferred size. MS. BOND: Yeah—you’relike, goodtobeSuzistandard. MR. THOMAS: Thetype-face. CHR. CABANAS: Butmakes foreasyreading, though. MS. BOND: Yeah. MR. THOMAS: Well, theyhavetype-face, wherethe “l” hasalittlething, so— CHR. CABANAS: Oh, yeah, alittleloop—notaloop, butalittlecurve. MR. THOMAS: —it’stheNumber 1glotandNumber 2glot. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah, soIbelieve thisparticular fontis “Aptos” whichisactually thenew defaultfontthat Microsoft uses. MR. THOMAS: A-ha. CHR. CABANAS: So, isit “Actos.” MS. TOKIHIRO: “Aptos”—“a-p-t-o-s”— CHR. CABANAS: Oh, “Aptos”—okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. MS. BOND: (Inaudible) formycomputer—okay. CHR. CABANAS: So, have youchanged everything—yourcorrespondence, memos—to Aptos? Weusedtouse “CenturyGothic.” MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. So, the—still—according toourcorrespondence procedures—the departments’ selected fontis “Century Gothic”—thatmaychange. Wehaven’tchanged allof that, yet. CHR. CABANAS: Oh, okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: Ijustreallywanted tomakesurethat wehadconsistent reporting forthe quarterly and monthly reportsthatMABisreceiving, andconsistency inthefont—sinceit’sall beingpartofthe—savedinthePublicFolders. So, wewillbecontinuing toevaluate ourcorrespondence procedures, withinHR, going forward. CHR. CABANAS: Itlooks good. Page 9 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. TOKIHIRO: So, I’mhappy toanswer anyquestions. Idon’thave anybighighlights foryou fromthisperiod. MR. THOMAS: There’sathemethroughthesedocuments abouttraining thathappens atall levels, inallthedepartments, andsoforth. Howcanweknowmore abouthowtraining programs areestablished andhowtrainers arechosen? So, forinstance, different departments havedifferent substantive trainingaids—anyexpertise in thetrainers? Andisthissomething that’stypically contracted outordoneinternally oris something—simplyabove—andso, howarethosedecisions made? MS. TOKIHIRO: So, weprimarily—wetryanddoasmuch training aspossible internally using ourPersonnel andOrganizational Development Division staff, sothat’sgoingtobeJenny—who washereearlierhelping withtheZoomandherteam. So, there’sJennyandthenwerecently addedanadditional person inthatdivision—hernameis Ulu. Shealsodoestraining. So, theydoourNewHireOrientations, they dosupervisory training, theyweredeveloping amentor program; butthenwealsohavetraining and—sorry, I should backup—that’sgoing toreadasaweirddashintheminutes. Then, theyalsodocustomized training based onrequests fromdepartments. So, Ibelieve during thelastquarter— MR. THOMAS: There’sseveral references tothat. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah, theydidspecifictraining fortheBuilding PermitClerks. And so, they workedwith theBuilding Division andgathered actualscenarios orissues thathadhappened; andthencustomized atraining fortheir BuildingPermit Clerksaround thosecustomer service areas where improvements wereneeded. Butthen, there’salsotraining that’sprovidedbyAlika, ourADACoordinator. Shedoes the Mandatory Anti-Discrimination andHarassment Training; ourAdmin. ServicesDivisiondoes training specific totransactions. So, there’salotof—thetraining thatisprovided isspecific to thesubjectmatter. MR. THOMAS: Mm-hmm. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, it’sdonebytheManager ofthatparticular division fortraining thatcomes outofHR. ButtheCountyalsodoeshaveatraining provision. So, ifthere’straining thatwedon’tofferthat anoutside agency does—so, forexample, webroughtintrainerstodospecific training— identifying grantsandthen, also, writing grants. And so, wewereable tocoordinate that training—Jenny andherteam through thePersonnel andOrganizational Development Division—worked withthecompany. Ibelieve thatcompany was fromthemainland—andthen, brought inthetrainer andmade thattraining opportunity available toallCounty departments. MR. THOMAS: Mm-hmm. Page10 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. TOKIHIRO: So, we’realways actively looking foropportunities where wecanexpandour training offerings butthatthere maybeoutside agencies thathavethings thataretimely andof valuefortheCounty thatwecanbring in. WealsoworkwithKuakahi Mediation Center and offersome trainings fromthemaswell. So, it’sanon-going evaluation andeffort toseewhattheCounty’sneeds areand ifthat’s something thatwecanprovide orthere’sanoutside agency. MR. THOMAS: So, isitfairtosay thatPersonnel andOrganizational Development isour in-housetraining go-to? MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. MR. THOMAS: Thosejobdescriptions, kindof, lookforperformance andskillsetsinthattopic ofreally goodtrainers? MS. TOKIHIRO: Correct. MR. THOMAS: So, they’retheonesthatcankillyoubypowerpoint ornotasthecase may be—(inaudible). MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes—Imean, yesandno. Wehopenot—killing bypowerpoint—but, you know, thegoalisto—thatthey’reconstantly evaluating needs andthencustomizing their offerings based onthosethings. So, Jenny doesaverygoodjobwithherSupervisory Training Program. The Supervisory Training Program isverycomprehensive, butitintroduces newsupervisors oftheintended audience—isnewsupervisors toallaspects ofemployee relations. So, itgoesthrough allofthedifferent divisions ofHR, whatwedoinCentral HR—whatLabor Relations is, whatClassification andPayis, howrecruitment impacts things. Wetalkabout—or shetalksabout communication skills, conflict management, etcetera. It’savery comprehensive program andit’slengthy. So, Ithinkittakesseveral months togetthrough and it’sabout—eachtraining session isfourhours. Usually theydothesessions every otherweek. So, youwouldbeinthistrainingformanyweeks. MR. THOMAS: So, howdoes theworkofthatdepartment evaluated in—towhatextent? Are youhappywithitorifitmayneedimprovement? Itsoundslikeacritical activity. MS. TOKIHIRO: Itis. Andso, wedoevaluation formsattheendofallofthetrainings, sothat wecan getfeedback onwhetherornotpeople feltthatthetraining wasofvalue. Alotof managers—department heads willreachouttomeifthere’saspecific areaoriftheyhave feedback. InthecaseofJenny’sSupervisory Training Program—basedonjustfeedback thatIwas receiving andseeingthatwewere having somany instances wherewehadnewsupervisors thatwerepromoted fromwithin, where individuals werebecoming asupervisor that didn’t necessarily didn’thave anypriorsupervisory experience. ItoldJennythatthere—Isawan immediate needtocarveout, sortof, thesoft-skillcourses—particularly related toconflict management, employer-employee relations—andtogive, kindof, aquick andeasy overview to Page11 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 Thesearebasiccommunication skillsandbasicthingstobeaware ofasanewsupervisor.” Before—inacondensed three-sessiontraining—whilethey thenlaterconsidergoingthrough thewholesupervisory training program. So, thatwasanareawhere ItoldJenny, “Ireallyappreciate your Supervisory Training Program, butIseeaneedforsomething—weneed toprovide immediate skillsforpeoplerightnowthat— tohelpthemtosucceed intheirnewrolesandtosucceed intheirinteractions withtheir employees.” MR. THOMAS: So, ingeneral, towhatextentareyoupleased withhowit’sgoing? MS. TOKIHIRO: I’mverypleased withhowit’sgoing. Ithinkthat Jennyhasagreatteam. They’reveryinnovative. Theywanttocomeupwithnewideas—theywillcomeupwith something thatthey’llapproach meandsay, “Wewanttotrythisasapilot”—andthen, through regular monitoring, wedecide ifthat’ssomething that’sgoingtogoforwardorifthere’schanges thatneedtooccur. Ithinkthat theyhaveagreatteam. Iseethem asveryresponsive toCountyneeds, andIalso seethem always looking forthosevalue-addedopportunities where they’relooking fortopics thatwouldbenefit theCountyasawhole orwecould bringinoutsidetrainers ifit’snot something theycanprovide. MR. THOMAS: Idon’tknowifyouother Board members seethisassocriticalasIdo. ‘CauseI couldpicturesomekindofbriefing oftheBoard—oh, Iknowpeople thatactually dothissortof thing—theycreatetheseprograms, theyfigure outwhattheneedsare, theyhave tomake decisions onwhetherto (inaudible) outorwhether they havetheskillsets among thestaffand internally coulddoit. Justthethoughtthat—Igetsomuchoutofthese meetings justbecause ofwhatIhear being talkedabout—andIthinkoneofthebigthingsthathappens inthesemeetings istheeducation ofallofus. AndIcouldpicture carving outtenor15-minutes ofeachmeeting timeforsome kindofbriefing onaparticular topic—why, forinstance, training programs andhow they’re organized andhowto—who decides howatraining program issupposed towork, what’sthe need, howisitdone, how isitevaluated—allthatsortofthing. So, justathought—ifyoutwo agreealso. CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm, that’sagood idea. Areyou—soisthatyourrecommendation, Niel, totheBoard. MR. THOMAS: Ifthere’saconsensus amongus—yeah. Idon’thavetobethe onlyone carrying thetorch. CHR. CABANAS: No, no, no. I’mjustasking, butit’syourrecommendation. MR. THOMAS: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Bond. MS. BOND: Itmakes sense tome. Page12 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, me, too. Imean— MS. BOND: Themore wefindout, themore—thebetteritisforus. CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. MR. THOMAS: Andifit’sdone inthecontext ofsomething thatactually seems tobeworking okay, Ithink it’sbetter thanthemis-interpretation ofushaving aninvestigation ofsomething. MS. BOND: It’snot—yeah, it’snotbeingbrought intothePrincipal’sOffice. MR. THOMAS: Yeah. MS. BOND: It’sactually— MS. TOKIHIRO: Well, it’skindof—Ithink wewere talkingabout iteitheratthelastmeeting ora couple ofmeetings agodoing, like, ageneral overview fortheBoard. Imean, thatwasdone—I don’tknow ifit’sbeenacouple ofyears, 18-monthsago—whatever, but— CHR. CABANAS: It’soverayear. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. So, wecanidentify adivisionpermeeting, andthenIcanget information fromyou folksinadvance, what—ifthere’ssomething particular you’dliketoknow— andthenaskthedivision toprepare ashortpresentation. MR. THOMAS: ‘Cause webrought thedivision heads inherewiththeirdeputies and Ithink the onlyrequest atthattime, wasjustforthem totelluswhat theydoingeneral. MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, thatwas averybrief— MR. THOMAS: Butwhat I’mconscious ofisthetwoofyoureally knowhowallofthisworks. MS. BOND: Oh—no. MR. THOMAS: Tomostofusit’saforeign language. MS. BOND: Sheknows howallofthisworks. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, butwhatever theBoard needs to—Imean, it’salmost eightyears since I’mretired, sothings havechanged and—which isexpected. So, whatever theBoard needs, I’mall foritintermsofyourand myeducation—keepingabreast withnewthings that’soccurring inthedepartment. Aslongasitdoesn’tpresentaconflict with anyupcoming appealbecause—and I’llgiveyouan example. So, wehavethePoliceRecords Clerks appealstillhanging there—we’rewaitingfor HLRB’swritten decision. So, Iwouldn’texpect something aboutclassification realclosetous havingtheappealhearing. Wespent quiteabitoftimeatthelastmeeting onclassification Page13 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 because thereweresomanyquestions andthat’swhythemeeting minuteswasquitelengthy— andSommer didanexcellent jobinexplaining everything about Classification andPay. So, yeah, that’sallgood. So, Ithinkwhatwecando is, asaBoard—Ithinkwe needamotion, right? Andthenasecond, astowhatyou—weneedandthenourDirector cantake itfromthere andmaybe schedule something short—15-minutes. Because Iknowtherearequestions in different areas andthat wouldhelpbecause youfolksarestillnew—yourtermisnownew, right? MR. THOMAS: That’sright. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: So, itwould benefit— MR. THOMAS: Another five-year sentence orsomething. CHR. CABANAS: Yes. Andthat’swhyIwantthatotherposition filled, sowehave afive-Board member. Today, weonly have three—there’s—Gilbertisabsent—andthenthatfifthposition is stillvacant. So— MS. BOND: Yeah, butweshouldn’tholdupusgettingsomeinformation (inaudible). CHR. CABANAS: No, no—butIhavetoremindtheAdministration, again, thatweneed that position filledbecause it’sbeen wayover—it’slike overtwoyears, maybe eventhree years— it’s—c’mon, shouldn’ttakethatlong. Yeah. I’llgoontherecord tosaythatitshouldn’ttake that long. So, yeah—so— MS. TOKIHIRO: So, wouldyouliketostartwiththePersonnel andOrganizational Development Division? Isthatokay? MR. THOMAS: Ifthat’shomebase fortraining. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. MR. THOMAS: ‘Cause Iseetraining asoneofthemost (inaudible) criticalthings thatapplies everywhere; and, yes, thepeople wholeadthatactivity arethepeople thatareprobably inthe bestposition, ifyou agree—thatcanhelp usunderstand howit’sdone—howthose decisions aremade andhowit’sallevaluated. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, that—so, I’lljustreiterate thatthatdivisionisresponsible formorethe Countywide training. Wedohavemanagers inotherdivisionsthatprovide trainingspecific to their subject-matter, butIthinkwhatyou’relookingforismore forthatPersonnel and Organizational Development Division. MS. BOND: So, weneedtomakeamotionhere, right, thatwhat—that— CHR. CABANAS: Yes. Page14 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MR.THOMAS: Fifteen-minutes ofagenda timecanbedevoted toeducating theBoard members todifferent— CHR. CABANAS: Onthatparticular functional area— MR. THOMAS: Onsomefunctional area— MS. BOND: Didanyofthatmake sense? MR. THOMAS: —thattheBoardwould liketolearnmoreabout. CHR. CABANAS: Is15-minutes enough? MS. BOND: Somoved—isthat—yeah, okay (inaudible). MR. THOMAS: Fifteen-minutes andquestions arewelcome. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, 15-minutes sufficient. MR. THOMAS: Letthem make apresentation asmuchas15-minutes, Iguess. AndIthink whatwe—well, that’stheheartofamotion. Idopicture usadding comments andthings thatwe would liketohear. CHR. CABANAS: Orquestions—youmayhave other questions onceyouhear a15-minute presentation, soitmight takeusfor30-minutes. MR. THOMAS: Yeah, weshouldn’tbe— MS. TOKIHIRO: Butaslongasit’sagendized, Ithink, wehavealittleflexibility withthetime— CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MR. THOMAS: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: —butasageneral parameter, I’llletJenny knowthat her presentation should beapproximately 15-minutes. MR. THOMAS: Yeah—justBoardorientation andtraining. MS. BOND: Andplus questions. CHR. CABANAS: Doweneed tooutlinetheother functional areas it—so, itshouldbelikea flowtomebecause ofwhat—Imean, wekindofcovered it— MS. BOND: Let’sbackupandfinishthemotionandthen (inaudible)— CHR. CABANAS: Oh, yeah, goahead. Okay. MS. BOND: So, I—it’sbeen moved— Page15 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MR. THOMAS: That— MS. BOND: No, no—and seconded— MR. THOMAS: Oh, Imovethen. MS. BOND: Yeah. Andseconded— CHR. CABANAS: Anydiscussion? So, whatisthemotion, justsothatwe’reclearonthe record. MR. THOMAS: Themotion istoaddanagendaitemforeachmeeting ofthe—ofasking the Director ofHuman Resources toprovide theBoardwithtraining onatopicoftheBoard’s interest inlearning. Does thatmakesense? MR. YOSHIMOTO: So, youwould specify at—witheachmeeting, ifyou’dlikea (inaudible). MR. THOMAS: Yeah, and indiscussion partofthemotion, IwouldsaythattheBoardwould be expected, ateachmeeting, tosaywhattheywould liketolearn atthenextmeeting. CHR. CABANAS: Okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: Ithinkthatthatisprobably going tobe—whatit’llallow alittlebitmore flexibility—like, ifwestartwithPersonnel and Organizational Development Division—Imean, I understand wantingaflow, but Ithinkifyoufolksdecideateachsubsequent meeting, atleast we’llhaveageneral ideawhatwouldbeontheagenda forthenext meeting—so, shouldthere besomeappealissue, wecanworkaroundthat. CHR. CABANAS: Adjust. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. So, I’mkindofthinking that we wouldstartwithPersonnel and Organizational Development and thenIwould probably—unless theBoard hadadifferent request—Iwouldsuggest, possibly, doing apresentation byAlikainourADA/EOarea; andthen kindofproceed from there. MR. THOMAS: Ifwewantthem tostaywiththegeneral topicoftraining—yes, youcouldget thatintoaspecific training—subjectmatter—howdoyoudosubjectmatter trainingon specialized things. Doyouhavetohireoutspecialized traininginengineering orsome other technical arealikedataanalysis andallthatsortofstuff. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, tothat Iwouldsay, “no.” Wedon’tdothat. MR. THOMAS: So, then, thequestion is, okay, howisthedecision madetofarmitout, howdo you—howdothey—whatarethestandards forfindingatraining organization thatcando training—anexterior organization and thenhowisthatevaluated foreffectiveness—butthat would beasubsequent topic. CHR. CABANAS: Oh, thatwouldbeaquestion thatwouldarisebecause Ithought you wanted—Ithought whatIheardwasweweregoingwith training—thedepartment haseight Page16 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 functional areas—Personnel andOrganizational Development isonefunctional area—the training, yeah. MR. THOMAS: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: So, Ithought that’swhat youwantedtohear; andtheninthecourseofthat, youcanraisethosequestions. MR. THOMAS: Maybe so. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MR. THOMAS: Maybe so. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. What doyouthink, Sommer? MR. THOMAS: I’mmindfulofthefact thatthisis—this proposal isnotaprojectofmine forever— CHR. CABANAS: Oh, no. MR. THOMAS: Idopicture theBoard’sinvolvement— CHR. CABANAS: Oh, yeah. MR. THOMAS: —inone, then thenext month—seewhatsomebody elsecomesupwith. CHR. CABANAS: Right. MR. THOMAS: One oftheothers—orthethree ofus—thefourofus. MR. YOSHIMOTO: So, forclaritysake, canyourestate themotion? Thetraining—theBoardis interested inreceiving trainingfrom thedepartment. MR. THOMAS: Yeah, theBoard wouldliketohavetraining inmatters of—well, training orientation— MR. YOSHIMOTO: Toreceivepresentations ontraining provided bythedepartment. MS. BOND: Yeah, that’s (inaudible). MR. THOMAS: (Inaudible) oftheBoard’schoosing—withthatchoicetobemade for—atone meeting for—to—inorder tohave ithappen atthenext meeting. MR. YOSHIMOTO: Good. Thatmake sense? No. CHR. CABANAS: I’msorry, butI’mconfused because Ifeel thatit’snotreally clear. Ihear whatyou’resayingthat, yes, you—theBoardwillexpress theirinterest collectively onwhatthe nexttraining ororientation willbeatthenextmeeting. But, specifically, forthistime, forthenext Page17 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 meeting, your—ourinterest isonthetrainingthat’sconducted bytheDepartment ofHR. Correct? MR. THOMAS: Yeah, Ithink— MS. BOND: Forthenext—yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Forthenextmeeting. MS. BOND: Ingeneral, whatwe’relooking forisorientations onwhattheydo. CHR. CABANAS: Right. So, it’sthedifferent eightfunctional areas—so, IheardMr. Thomas saythathisinterest isontrainingthat’sconducted—notonly bythedepartment, butbythe County. Andso, then, Sommer expressed orrelayed thatthedepartment doescertain training—andthere’sothertraining—external—ortraining byotherdepartments aswell. So, that’syour interest, right? MR. THOMAS: Yeah, Iwonder ifit’stwomotions inthere. Oneisamotion tosetupthefact thatanagenda itemreserved— CHR. CABANAS: Okay. MS. BOND: Yeah. MR. THOMAS: —andthen thesubsequent motion might be—okay, howdowekickthisoffand whatwouldweliketohave forthenextmeeting. MS. BOND: Idon’tknowifthatneeds tobeamotionasmuch asarequest. CHR. CABANAS: No, itshouldbeamotion, butIthinkweneedtohelpourDirector, weneed toexpress collectively whatourinterestisinterms oftraining. Youwant—wewanta presentation conducted bystaffofDHRontraining provided bytheCounty. MS. TOKIHIRO: And I’lljustclarify alittlebittosaythat theonlyareathatreallyfallsunder DHRiswhatisprovidedbyourPersonnel andOrganizational Development Division. So, when youraisedthequestion earlierabout engineering training, I’mnotaware ofanyengineering training andifthere wasengineering training thatadepartment identified thattheyneeded, that issuchaspecific subjectmatter thatthedepartment would likely begoing toanexternal resource. So, Ithink Ijustneedtoclarify thatforpurposes ofproviding theorientation andtheinformation, Icanhaveourdivisionheadsprovide youwithanorientation towhattheydo. Butasfaras answering specificquestions about whatmay occuroutsideofourdepartment, I’lldomybestto answerortryandgettheinformation, butwedon’t—we’reproviding training thatisgeneral and broadfortheentireCountyandallofouremployees—notspecific discipline training. MR. THOMAS: So, areyousaying thatifadepartment wants todoaparticular kindoftraining, theydon’tbringittoHRforapproval? Page18 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. TOKIHIRO: Notnecessarily—no. MR. THOMAS: They justdoitontheirown. MS. TOKIHIRO: They may. Itdepends onwhat itis. So, ifit’ssomething thatwe—theyfeel likewemaybeabletoassistwith—so, forexample, thecustomer servicetraining forour Building Permit Clerks—that—wedocustomer service traininginothervenues—andso, that wasanareawhere, yes, wecandevelop atraining forthat. Ifyou’retalkingabout training specific toengineers— MR. THOMAS: What aboutspecifi—whatabout safety? MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes— MR. THOMAS: (Inaudible) automobile safety vehic—Countyvehicle safetyprogram. MS. TOKIHIRO: OurHealthandSafety Division does that. So, undertheHealth andSafety Divisionisallofoursafetytraining. MR. THOMAS: So, wecould—could youpicture thatwewouldaskforabriefing onhowsafety training isdone? MS. TOKIHIRO: Youcan. Youcanaskfor—Imean, Icanevenprovidealistofallofthe different training topicsthattheHealthandSafety Division offers. Eachoneisadministered a littledifferently—so, like, defensive driving isgoingtobedifferent than, say, bloodborne pathogens, CPR/firstaid, etcetera. So, thereisgoingtobequite abitofvariability in—within their training area, like, how those areadministered. MR. THOMAS: There’sawholeothertopic there. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. MR. THOMAS: Safety, foodsafety, vehiclesafety, soonandsoforth. CHR. CABANAS: Yes. So, Sommer mentioned that Personnel Organizational Development doestraining—general Countywide training. Buteachfunctional area, liketheADA— MR. THOMAS: Mm-hmm. CHR. CABANAS: —Recruitment, Classification, Health andSafety—theydotheirown specialized training. Like, Recruitment woulddointerview training— MR. THOMAS: Okay. CHR. CABANAS: ADA— MR. THOMAS: That’sanother good topic—yeah. CHR. CABANAS: —ADAwoulddoharassment—violence inthe workplace training. Page19 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MR. THOMAS: Mm-hmm. CHR. CABANAS: Classification might dosome otherspecialized training, maybe onpositions descriptions, writingthemup. So, theydotheirinternal. Thenwehavewhat, 20—howmany departments now—23? MS. TOKIHIRO: Twenty-three. CHR. CABANAS: Twenty-threedepartments andthey, inturn, may sendtheirstafffor specialized training, likeFiresends theirpeople toMaryland fortraining, Policesends their officers fortraining on—allkindsofstuff— MR. THOMAS: So, Sommer’sinthebestposition toknowwhat thesedifferent departments headsdoandhowthosedecisions getmade— CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, shehasageneral idea— MR. THOMAS: —andwewould liketoknowmoreabout it. CHR. CABANAS: Right, right. MR. THOMAS: Forinstance, you’vegotnationwide instatesotherthanHawaii—they’reall over theplace—thishugefood safetyissue involving lettuce andJack-in-the-Boxor somewhere. Itsounds likemaybe those safetytraining activitiesdidn’tpick uponitsoon enough andnowit’sabigproblem. That’swhyIthinkthewhole question oftraining isreally something wewould lovetohearabout because wehavedifferent perspectives thanthe people intrenches do. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. So, inthatsense, yourrequest isquitebroadbecause thereare training aspects ineachoftheeightdifferentareas ofHR. So, definitely happytohave—ifyou wantto—iftheBoard wouldlikeanorientation tothetraining thateach ofthese divisions provides, wecandothat. Ifyou’dlikeageneralorientation towhat thefunctional areaofthe division isandthenyouwant toaskquestions abouttraining—I’llleavethattotheBoardto decide, butthereisactuallyalotoftraining thatweprovideinternally inallthese different areas. Iwillnotethat—Imean, justspecifictofoodsafety—wewouldn’tdothatasmuch because we’re nothandling/producing foodusually, inour— MR. THOMAS: Ithinkwehavefood inspectors, right? MS. TOKIHIRO: No, that’stheState. MS. BOND: It’snotCounty—that’s— CHR. CABANAS: It’saStatefunction. MR. THOMAS: Oh, that’stheState—seethere’smyignorance whenitcomes (inaudible). CHR. CABANAS: Itwillcome underDepartment ofHealth— Page20 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MR. THOMAS: Okay. CHR. CABANAS: —it’saregulatory matter— MR. THOMAS: Okay. CHR. CABANAS: —whichisnot—theCounty has responsibilities fordifferent typesof regulatory areas, butfoodsafetyisnot. Now, ifthey wanted todoatraining sessionjusttohelptheemployees onwhat’sgoing on nationwide withthatCiclo— MS. BOND: Yeah, thatCyclosporiasis— CHR. CABANAS: Yes, right, yeah. MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Then, theycouldageneraleducation mattertraining. But—yeah, that’smore aState function. MR. THOMAS: Well, there’sanother example ofIdon’tknowthisstuffso— CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, right. MR. THOMAS: —Iwouldliketo. So, yeah. MS. BOND: So, ingeneral, Ithinkwhatwewantisageneral orientation from thedepartment, right. Andthen, yeah, wecanaskspecific—andifwewanttogetdeeper into theweedsand askthem tocome inanddothenextweek—storyIheardonthewayin—they’retrying to eliminate bikelane—bike lanesincities. AndIwaslike—anyway. Onceagain, pickonthepoor guythat can’teven affordacar. So, anyway—so, then wecouldaskforthat. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. Ithink probably— MS. BOND: Yeah, Ithink thatthat’sgenerally whatwewant, right? CHR. CABANAS: Yes. MS. BOND: Isthatwewantageneral orientation from thegroup—moreinthewoods than, “Hi, I’mJamie, andIdothis”—andthen wecanaskquestions andfigureoutwhere wewant togo fromthat—ormaybethatisenough forthatdivision, andwecanmoveon. MR. THOMAS: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. MS. BOND: Okay. Doesthatmakesense everybody? So, should wevoteonthatmotion? Page21 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Yes, let’svote. MR. YOSHIMOTO: Whatisthemotion? MS. BOND: So, Ithink thatthemotion isthatwehave—weasktheDepartment togive usan— once—ateachmeetingtheygiveusa—somebody gives usabreakdown ofdifferent divisions and—sothatwecanbecome more informed onwhatexactlythoseareinthedepartment. MR. THOMAS: Yeah, callita “briefing.” MS. BOND: Abriefing—briefing’sgood. CHR. CABANAS: Abriefing—but, Mr. Thomas hasidentified aneedorexpressed aneedfor moreinformation onthetrainingthat’sconducted byDepartment ofHuman Resources. MS. BOND: Yes, butthat’saspecific subject. But we’rejust tryingtojustgetisthe—sothe motion isthatwewant togetbriefings fromdifferent—thedifferent departments ateach ofthe next—atsubsequent meetings. MR. THOMAS: Ontopicsthat theBoardchooses. MS. BOND: Yeah. MR. THOMAS: Orrequests. CHR. CABANAS: Not “departments”—youwantthe “divisions”— MS. BOND: Divisions—sorry. MR. THOMAS: Divisions. CHR. CABANAS: ‘Cause ifyousay “departments” wehave23departments. MS. BOND: Sorry, sorry, divisions. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. Okay. MS. BOND: Okay. That’s—okay—sothat’sbeenmoved. Ididthat. CHR. CABANAS: Okay. MR. THOMAS: Oh, second. Okay. CHR. CABANAS: Second. Okay. Andanydiscussion? Ifnot, I’llstartarollcall votewith Ms. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. Page22 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MR. THOMAS: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Motion carried. MS. BOND: Okay, sonow, heis—expressed aninterest inthetraining. CHR. CABANAS: Thetraining. MS. BOND: So— CHR. CABANAS: So, isthereamotionforthat? MS. BOND: So, forthenextmeeting thatwhatwewant—wearerequesting fromthedivision— theP—whatever— CHR. CABANAS: Personnel— MR. THOMAS: Personnel— CHR. CABANAS: —andOrganizational Development— MR. THOMAS: ThePersonnel andOrganizational Development. MS. BOND: ThePOD group thattheygiveusanoverview ofwhatthetraining—different trainingsthattheyoffer. How’sthat? CHR. CABANAS: Good. MR. THOMAS: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Isthereasecond? MR. THOMAS: Second. CHR. CABANAS: Anydiscussion? Ifnot, I’llstartarollcall votewith Ms. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. MR. THOMAS: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Motion carried. Okay, sowe’llhavePersonnel Organizational Development ontheagendafor ourAugustmeeting. MR. THOMAS: I’msorryittooksolongtogettherebut— Page23 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: No, no— MR. THOMAS: —Ihadtofumble alltheway through it—orIdid. CHR. CABANAS: That’sokay. Allrighty. So, let’ssee—arethereanyquestions totheDirector fortheQuarterly Report, Aprilthrough June2026? MR. THOMAS: Thatwasmyonlyquestion. MS. BOND: No. CHR. CABANAS: Okay. Ifnot, mayIhave amotion toacceptandfile theQuarterly Report for Aprilthrough June2026. MR. THOMAS: Somoved. MS. BOND: Isecond. CHR. CABANAS: Thankyou. Anydiscussion? Ifnot, I’llstartarollcall vote withMs. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms.—Mr. Thomas. MR. THOMAS: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Threeayes. Motioncarried. B. MAB Monthly Divisional Activity Report: July 2026 (Administrative Services Division, Classification & Pay Division, Equal Opportunity/ADA Division, Health & Safety Division, Labor Relations Division, Personnel & Organizational Development Division, Recruitment Examination Division, Workers’ Compensation Division) CHR. CABANAS: Okay, wearenowontheMABMonthlyDivisional Activity Report forthe month ofJuly2026. MR. THOMAS: Whatwejustapproved wastheQuarterly Report? CHR. CABANAS: Yes. MS. BOND: Yeah. MR. THOMAS: Okay. CHR. CABANAS: Nowwe’reontheJulyreport. MR. THOMAS: Theblue tab—yeah. Page24 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, thebluetab. MR. THOMAS: Okay, thankyou. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, forJuly, thestartofourfiscal year. OurAdmin. ServicesDivision has been busyprocessing mass payincreases based onourcollective bargaining contracts. So, processing thosewage increases. Andthen— MR. THOMAS: Whatis “masspay,” anyway? MS. TOKIHIRO: So, mass payiseach ofour—mostofour3,000-plusemployees arepart ofa specific bargaining unit. MR. THOMAS: Mm-hmm. MS. TOKIHIRO: And so, onJuly1ofevery year—usually, eachcontract callsforsome kindof compensation adjustment. MR. THOMAS: Okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: And so, theyaremaking orassisting departments tomakethose compensation adjustments based onthecollective bargaining agreement foreach—thateach employee ispartof. MR. THOMAS: Anditallgetsrecorded intothisnewsoftware thatIcan’teven pronounce? MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. So, itallgetsentered intoCoHnect. It’salldocumented onForm13s, whichisthedocumentation that wesend totheemployee retirement system, sothatthey’re aware ofanychanges—personnel changes. Andthere’sdifferent requirements—it’snotjustamatter ofhittingabutton andchanging someone’ssalary. Weneedtomake surethatifsomeone was, forexample, onanew probation orinaninitial probation, andforsome reason they hadn’thad their performance review andtheyhadn’tbeen converted fromprobation topermanent—thoseprocesses— MR. THOMAS: Necessary steps, huh. MS. TOKIHIRO: —needtohappenfirst. So, whenwe’regoingthrough anauditingformass pay—andmass payisbasically justthemasspayadjustment ofalloftheseemployees that occursonJuly1. We’realsoauditing allofthepersonnel transactions foreachemployee to make surethatthere’snothingmissing. MR. THOMAS: And that’sallinClassification and Pay? MS. TOKIHIRO: That’sallinourAdmin. Services Division. MR. THOMAS: Admin. Services Division. Page25 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. MR. THOMAS: Andconsidering howmuch theyhave todo—howmuchlead timedoesthere havetobewhen that—when thecontracts are—laborcontracts areagreed? MS. TOKIHIRO: So, we— thMR. THOMAS: Theycan’tagree onJune18 orsomething. MS. TOKIHIRO: No. Well, insome cases, depending onhowthenegotiation processgoes, we dostartthecollectivebargaining negotiation process ayearinadvance oftheexpiration ofany givencontract. Allofthecontracts thatwecurrently haveinplacearefour-yearcontracts. So, oncetheyhave anewagreement—atleasttheyknowwhathappensforthe nextfouryears, which makesit easiertoplan, say, for—likenextJuly1. Wedidhave several bargaining unitsduringthislastroundwhere wewerenotabletoresolve it priortoJuly1. Andso, thenoncethecontract wasfinalized orthearbitration award wasissued, there’reinstances whereitwould beretro-active—andthat’sawholedifferent challenge. MR. THOMAS: (Inaudible) butit’snotnecessarily withinthepurview ofourBoard—doweneed toknowasmuch aboutthat? MS. BOND: TheState’sfiscal thesame astheCounty orisStateSeptember—October to September? CHR. CABANAS: No. MS. TOKIHIRO: We’reallthesame—July toJune 30. MS. BOND: Okay. Justchecking. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, thecomponent ofHRthataddresses collective bargaining isourLabor Relations Division. MR. THOMAS: Okay. Why, Icouldpictureabriefing onLaborRelations and howthey accommodate allofthistechnical stuffthathastohappen tomake it—makesure everybody getstherightpaycheck attheright time. MS. BOND: (Inaudible.) MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah, andthere’sallkinds ofdifferent things thathappen inLaborRelations. I mean, that’severything fromdealing withtheday-to-daywhereemployees maybefiling grievances, weregularly arecommunicating withtheUnionwhether ornotthere’sagrievance about—andbecause the—weneed tomaintain harmonious relations withalloftheUnions, and wehaveseveral, right—there’sthePolice Officer’sUnion, theFireFighter’sUnion, ourUnited PublicWorkers, andthentheHawaii Government Employee’sAssociation—HGEA. Page26 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 So, wehavethefourdifferent Unions, andIbelieve it’snine different bargaining units. MR. THOMAS: Mm-hmm. MS. TOKIHIRO: And then, inaddition tothatwehave employees thatareexcluded from membership fromtheUnion, buttheystillfollow acollective bargaining unitcontract for purposes ofcompensation adjustments andthingslikethat. So, alotofdifferent components tomaintenance ofgoodlaborrelations. MR. THOMAS: So, you’reseeing howlittlemostofus—orpeople likeme, knowaboutthissort ofthing, like—within theLabor Relations Division isthere peaks, andebbs, andflowsofwork— andhowdoyouplanonhavinganadequate stafftostepupandmakethingshappen when there’salothappening; andunderlowpointswhen there’snotallthatmuchgoingon—andthen so, whatdoyoudowiththosepeoplewhoareotherwise notasbusyasthey’dmight liketobe. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, currently, thedivisionis—hastwostaffmembers andreallythe—from a labor relations perspective whenitcomes togrievances—there’resteps inthegrievance process andithastofollowthecontract. Butthefirststepiswith thedepartment. Thesecond stepwould actually bewith theMayor, but theMayorhasdelegated theresponsibility forthosegrievances atStep 2, tome. Andso, ultimately, that’smyresponsibility. Ithen delegate ittoamanager, butthere’reinstances where theUnionisspecific—they’rerequesting thatIaddressthegrievance. Andso, it’sadivision of two—withmeand thenDanny, theDeputy, asadditional people. So, therearedefinitely times thatarebusier—collective bargaining isone; arbitration isanother; andthenjustdepending on, kindof, theoverall pulseofwhat’shappening indepartments, we canbebusierwithgrievances orgeneralquestions fromtheUnion. Ithinkthestaffing isadequate—but, yes, there’redefinitely arepeaksandvalleys—and because there arethingsthatareoutofourcontrol, itmakes itverydifficult toanticipate attimes whenyoumight bebusier orslower. So, wedoourbest. WedoworkwiththeUnion, wehave timeframes inwhichweneedtorespond toallgrievances, hold grievance meetings, provide the decisions. Andwehave agood relationship with theUnions—so, ifnecessary, we request extensions—ifweneedmoretime toevaluate theinformation. MR. THOMAS: I’mconscious ofhowmuchtimeI’mtaking upwithallofthis, soslowmedown ifwehaveotherpressing matters coming up. CHR. CABANAS: Well, wedohaveotheritemsontheagenda, butno—ifyouhaveaquestion. So— MS. TOKIHIRO: Butthatcanbe—that’llbeapresentation forafuturemeeting. MR. THOMAS: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: AndIthinkthatthatmaybe, aswekindoflook at—kindofaflowtoit—IthinkI would tendtogowithPersonnel andOrganizational Development, andthengetintothe ADA/EO, andwecandoLaborRelations, andthengofrom there. Page27 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MR. THOMAS: Yeah, I’mdone fornow. CHR. CABANAS: Okay. Sounds good. Okay. MS. BOND: So, another question onthis—Iknow—andIknowit’sthe “refresh” thing—that’s theprogram? Itsays, “Closed Refresh Initiative.” MS. TOKIHIRO: Oh, okay. So, inRecruitment— MS. BOND: Sorry, yeah—context— MS. TOKIHIRO: No, no— MS. BOND: Youhavetoknowwheremyhead is. MS. TOKIHIRO: That’sokay, that’sokay—Icaughtup. The—intheRecruitment Division, they’vekindofdeveloped theirownwhat they’recalling “Refresh Initiative.” Whenwedon’thavefiveormorequalified applicants foraparticular position afterrecruitment closes, wehavebeenconverting thatrecruitment towhatwecall “continuous recruitments”—so, itremains openforustoaccept additional applications untilwereceive atleastfivequalified applicants thatwecanrefer toadepartment. Butovertime, thosecontinuous recruitments, they’rejustthere. They’renot getting interest, we’renotgetting applications, andthere—itjustkindofbecomes dull. Andso, evenwhen Igo andlookatthewebsite, ifI’mlooking atourjobposting anditsays, “continuous”—anditwillsay howmanydays it’sbeenopenorwhenit’sgoing toclose. So, ifit’sonaninitial recruitment, it’sonlyopen foraten-dayperiod, itwilltellyouwhen that recruitment isgoingtoclose. Butifit’sopenoncontinuous recruitment it’llshow, “Open for morethan360days, openforgreaterthansixmonths”—soevenwhen Ilookatthat, I’mlike anyapplicant thatwouldlookatourwebsite andseethat, isgoingtogo, “Aretheyevenserious about fillingthisposition because whyisitjustopen allthistime.” MS. BOND: Yeah, it’sbeen there forayear. Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: And through, kindof, trackingourstatistics wesee thatwhenaposition initially opens, that’swhenwegetthegreatest number ofapplications. Andthen, there’salow—and thenrightbefore itcloses—attheendofthatten-day period—we’llgetaspikeinapplications. Afterthat, wedon’tseeawhole lotofactivity. So, thisRefresh Initiative isusworking withdepartments toletthem know, “Hey, we’regoingto closethis. Ifyouwanttore-open itforrecruitment, that’sfine. We’llwork withyoutodothat”— butwhatthatdoesisitrefreshes itinthesystem, soit’llnowshow “recruitment closesinten days,” wemaygetinterest. Also, onourwebsite, ifsomeone hascompleted a “JobInterestCard”—because theyhavethe opportunity toputintheiremailaddress andthencomplete aJobInterest Cardthathas, like, 90 different categories ofinterest. Andiftheycheck allofthese areasofinterest tothem, when we Page28 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 doanew jobpostingthatmatches oneofthoseinterest areas, they’regoing togetnotified by emailthat, “Hey, theCountyhasthisopening, check itout.” So, onceweclosearecruitment andthenre-open it, that’sgoing totriggerthoseJobInterest Cardstobesentout again. Andso, ourhope isthatwe’llbegenerating newinterest ina position rather thanjusthaving itstagnant onthewebsite. MS. BOND: Okay, thatmakestotalsense. MR. THOMAS: Exactly. CHR. CABANAS: So, allthese positions “Closed RefreshInitiative”—you’reindiscussion with thedepartments. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. CHR. CABANAS: So, let’ssay “Account Clerk”—doyoureallyneedan AccountClerk? What areyou doingduring thiswholeperiod thatthisposition isvacant? So, iftheysaythey really needit, what’sthetimethatyoure-open it? MS. TOKIHIRO: So, because they wouldhavetosubmit anewRTF— CHR. CABANAS: Oh, okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: —sotheyhave to— CHR. CABANAS: Oh, okay, anewRTF. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, theywould doanewRTF, which doesneed togetapproved bythe Managing Director, wedohavetoschedule ittocorrespond withwhenwepublish thenoticein thenewspaper thattheposition isgoingtoopen, andthenweopenallofournewjob recruitments onSundays. So, timing-wise, itcantakeafewweeks. MR. THOMAS: “RTF” is “Request toFill?” MS. TOKIHIRO: “Request toFill”—yeah. It’saformthat, basically, thedepartment istelling us whythey’refilling, whatisthemethodoffilling— CHR. CABANAS: Isitshownthatthis isthesecond requestnowforthisAccount Clerkposition, forinstance? MS. TOKIHIRO: That’salltracked inNeoGov. CHR. CABANAS: Oh, okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. Page29 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: And so, they canseethat. Butthen, partoftheinitiative isifsomeone is comingbackandgoing, “No, wewant torecruitfortheexactsamething”—thediscussion is goingbe, asyouwerementioning, “Okay, well, for thisperiod you haven’tbeenabletofillitat thislevel. Whataretheotheroptions.” So, that’swhen wetalkaboutreallocating downforrecruitment. Andso, maybeinstead of being “Account Clerk” youwould recruitat “OfficeAssistant III” ormaybe youwanttorecruitat multiple levels. So, itwould beOffice—theAccount Clerk, which isthepermanent class but thenalsoOfficeAssistant III, Office Assistant II—sothen, based ontheapplications thatyou receiveyoucansee, “Okay, maybe someone doesn’tqualify atAccount Clerk. Maybe theyonly havethiscertain amount ofexperience, butwith trainingand experience thatwecanprovide through theCounty, theycouldthen bereallocated uptothepermanent class.” So, it’s—thediscussion with thedepartment iskindofamulti-focal approach, right—givingthem theinformation about howlongtherecruitment hasbeen open, lettingthem knowwhattheir options are, recommendations thatwemighthave—andthen, also, thosevery, likereal discussions about, “Yes, doesthiscapturetheduties thatyouneedthisperson toperform or should webelooking atsomething else.” So. CHR. CABANAS: Evenifyouhave, let’ssay, twoapplicants—arethey beingreferred orare youwaiting forafullfive? MS. TOKIHIRO: No, wereferaswereceive. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, good. MS .TOKIHIRO: Butthen, alotoftimes departments—ifwe’rereferring, like, onename, they’ll say, “Well, wedon’twanttogothrough thewhole—alloftheenergyoftheinterview process just foroneperson”—so, alotoftimes they’llwaituntilwe’vereferred more names—butwe’re referring them inrealtime, assoonaswegetthem. Andwe’reencouraging departments tomoveonthem—like, thatmaybesuchagreat candidate, youdon’twanttolose them. So, yeah, it’sanongoing— MR. THOMAS: Yousnooze; youlose. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah, itis. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MR. THOMAS: Itsounds alittlelikethestrategy forsellingticketstoatheatershow—you’ve gottheseasonal onlysubscribers andthenyouhavethegeneral publicgetstopicktickets— andthenwhentickets slow—offerittwoforonedeal. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, other questions forourDirector? Ifnot— MS. BOND: Imovewe— Page30 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Okay. MS. BOND: —accepttheJuly2026report fromtheDirector. MR. THOMAS: Second. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, anydiscussion? Ifnot, I’llstart arollcall votewithMs. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. MR. THOMAS: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Motion carried. Communications (Item 6) CHR. CABANAS: Okay, going backtoouragenda. There areno “Communications.” New Business (Item 7) FY2026-2027 Annual Performance Evaluation OfThe Director Of Human Resources (HR): Presentation ByThe Director Of Human Resources, Sommer J. Tokihiro, Concerning The Department’sGoals And Objectives For FY 2026-2027; Proposed Timeline To Distribute Surveys And Deadline For Responses; SurveyMonkey Questions For FY 2026-2027 (Line Department Survey); SurveyMonkey Questions ForFY2026-2027 (Employee Survey); Merit Appeals Board’sEvaluation Tool For The Director OfHR For FY 2026-2027; Define Target Audience/Survey Participants (Executive Session: The Merit Appeals Board Anticipates Convening One OrMore Executive Meetings Regarding The Above Matter, Pursuant To HRS Sections 92-4, 92-5(a)(2) And 92-5(a)(4), For ThePurpose OfEvaluating AnOfficer Or Employee OfThe County OfHawai'i, Where The Consideration Of Matters Affecting Privacy Will Be Involved And Consulting With The Board’sAttorney On Questions And Issues Pertaining ToThe Board’sPowers, Duties, Privileges, Immunities, And Liabilities. A2/3Vote Pursuant To HRS Section 92-4IsNecessary ToHold An Executive Meeting) CHR. CABANAS: Wearenowon “New Business.” FortheFiscalYear2026to2027the Annual Performance—oh, waitaminute, didImisssomething? Oh, no—yeah, I’mgood. It’s FiscalYear2026 to2027, theAnnual Performance Evaluation oftheDirector ofHuman Resources. Page31 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 FY2026-2027 Annual Performance Evaluation OfThe Director Of Human Resources (HR): Presentation ByThe Director Of Human Resources, Sommer J. Tokihiro, Concerning The Department’sGoals And Objectives For FY 2026-2027 CHR. CABANAS: Toppingitoff, let’sstartwiththepresentation bytheDirector ofHuman Resources, Sommer J. Tokihiro, concerning thedepartment’sgoals andobjectives forfiscal year 2026to2027. Andthen, we’llgointotheother itemslater. Okay, Sommer— MS. TOKIHIRO: Okay. CHR. CABANAS: —allyours. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, Glynis providedyoufolkswithacopyoftheevaluation worksheet, which includes thegoals— MS. BOND: Thisone? MS. TOKIHIRO: —that’stheone, yeah, that’sthegoldenrod paperthatwe’regoing touse today (SEEATT. A). MS. BOND: Gogoldenrod. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. So, I’mreallyexcited tohaveanother opportunity topresentgoals on behalfofthedepartment. So, I’mjustgoingtostartwithGoalnumber 1. AndGoalnumber 1is, kindofacontinuation of oneofthegoalsfromlastyear, so—“Nowthatthesearchable database hasbeencompleted summarizing thequalification requirements forthe759classesofworkintheCountyofHawaii compensation plan, working incollaboration withdepartments DHRwillbegintheinternal review ofclass specifications thathavenotbeenamended priorto” theyear “2000asitsnextstep toward thegoal ofensuring allclassspecifications arecurrent, reviewed onaregular timeframe, andaccurately reflect thescopeofwork.” So, ourgoalistobring allclass specs.—thereview datewouldbenothingpriortotheyear 2000. Andrecognizing thattheyear2000was26years ago, wehavelike750classes ofwork, soweneedtodothisinphases. We’regoingtoworkthrough them asquicklyaswecan, butit isajointeffort betweenHRandthedepartments—and, oftentimes, it’sgoingtobemore than onedepartment involved. Andso, theprocess iskindofwhatIshowed you during thepresentation ofmyprioryears’ goalswhere we’regoingtodoaninitial review and makesuggestions forrevisions, whichwedo withtrackchanges on. Andthenweprovide what wecallour “redline version” tothe department forreview, andthentheymaymake additional changes; andthenit’llcome backto Classification andPayforreview ofwhether ornotthose changes areappropriate. Andonce weagreeonthatclassspec., those changes—itstillthenhastoroutethrough alloftheother jurisdictions intheStateforreview beforeweadoptit. So, fromwhatIunderstand, the2000—uptotheyear2000, we’relookingatapproximately 70 to75classes ofwork; but, inthat, wealsoneed tobeaware ofcareer ladders. So, some of Page32 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 thesepositions thatwe’reevaluating inthisfirstgroup of70to75haven’tbeenamended since the1960’s—andyoufolksheardthis duringMAB appeals, right? So, it’sgoingbacktothesixties, seventies, eighties—andso, youmayhaveaposition—we’ll say, “Land Surveyor I”—thathasn’tbeenamended prior—thathasn’tbeenamended since 1970, butthenwemayalsohaveLandSurveyor II, LandSurveyor III, LandSurveyor IV—that were allamended atdifferent dates. What theClassification andPayDivision isgoingtodois, even ifnotallfourorfiveofthose classes fallinthispriorto2000group, we’regoingtobe amending themallatthesametime. And it’sforconsistency, tomake surethatthe language matches, toalsomakesurethattheminimum qualification requirements matchandprogress in amanner thatmakessense. Andwearelooking atalsoensuringstandardized language forthings likewhenadriver’s licenseisrequired, defining whatthesupervisory tasksare—actual supervision. So, we’re approaching orlookingatalotofdifferent things whenwe’reamending theseclassspecs.— verycomprehensive. CHR. CABANAS: Ihaveaquestion. I’mgladyoumentioned thesupervision because that was— MS. BOND: Thatwasthetrigger. CHR. CABANAS: —brought upinone oftherecent appeals— MS. BOND: Right. CHR. CABANAS: So, there’s “technical supervision” andthere’s—tryingtorecall—wasit technical” and “direct” or— MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. CHR. CABANAS: So, aretheygoingtodefine thatontheclass specs.— MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. CHR. CABANAS: —soitwillhelp—okay—therecruitment side—okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. Because Ithink we—well, wealso needtodo—Ithinkit’sstillawork-in- progress, I’mworking withClassification andPayonthat. Ithinkthefactthatweuse supervision askindofaclarifying wordinbothofthose instances makes itextra confusing— MS. BOND: Right. Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: —anddifficult todistinguish. Andso, Ithinkthatdirection ofaworktaskis different thanemployee supervision, whichincludesperformance management—andavariety ofthings. Andso, it’saboutdistinguishing thelanguage. Page33 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Because therewasadefinition whenIworked—andIrosed thequestion with theClassifier back then. So, tohelpourscreening staff, shehad checkedwiththeState, and wecame upwithadefinition of “supervision,” andweputitonsome ofthejobpostings sothatit would helpnotonlytheapplicant, butitwould helptheperson reviewing theapplications. So, Idon’tknowifthey found thatinthefilesorthepostings, butitisthere—and that’swhatwe usedtoaccept someone’sapplication. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. Andit’sreally—Imean, therewere alotofthingsbrought upinthat hearing, right, the—andthat’swhere we’llgettoGoal number 2asfarasupdating thePosition Descriptions—andthatwasMr. Ravey’sappeal. MR. THOMAS: Mm-hmm. Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Mr. Raveypointed itoutthatonthesupervisory section ofhisPosition Description, itlisted “maysupervise Helpers”—etcetera. Andthen, there’sthatqualifying statement thatithastocoincide withtheOrg. Chart, andthentheissueofwe’reapproving Org. Chartseverytwo years butnotPosition Descriptions. Andso, there’sawholelotofthings thatneedtogetclarifiedandinthisprocess itis—thereis goingtobealotofeducation forthedepartments. We’reactually—theClassification andPay Division isgoingtobemeeting with everydepartment totalkaboutthisprocess thatwe’regoing togothrough because itisaprocess where weneedthemtoengage aswelland understand whywe’redoingit, andthenbeabletoanswer theirquestions, andthenalsoraiseconcerns thattheyhave. CHR. CABANAS: So, we’vehadappeals inthepast. Ihadone bigonewherethisperson was—shesaidshewassupervising themenonaconstruction site, butshewasnot supervising.” Shewasactually there tomakesure, ingeneral, thatthey weredoingtheirwork, butshewasn’tsupervising them. Itwasawholedrawnoutappeal. Andso, thequestion is—isthedepartment going toaccept supervision thatisjust— MS. BOND: More anoverseer. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. Oversight—because wedidnot. Imean, there’sappeals—wedidnot accept thattypeofexperience, and there isafewothercasesthatwehad. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, theanswer is, “No, wedon’t.” CHR. CABANAS: You’renotgoing to, right? MS .TOKIHIRO: No. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, good. MS. TOKIHIRO: Andthat’spartofdistinguishing it, isto—it’ssothat people understand what thedifference is, right. CHR. CABANAS: Yes. Page34 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. TOKIHIRO: And so—andthat’swherewe’reworking onthelanguage. So—yes, going backandlooking atallthehistorical information thatwecanfindtohelpclarifythat—butthat’s partofthedistinction isthat “No, we’renotaccepting thatoversight assupervisory experience”—butit’snot—Idon’twantittobesomething thatonlyweunderstand why. Iwantit tobeclear— CHR. CABANAS: Yes. MS. TOKIHIRO: —forapplicants whoarereading ourjobpostings, Iwant ittobeclear for departments, Iwantittobeclear foranybody who’sreviewing ajobposting, aclassspec., etcetera—like, thisistheexperience that isrequired andeither Ihaveit, orIdon’t. MR. THOMAS: Arewegoingtocomeoutofthisthingwith global definitions ofsupervisory experience? MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. MR. THOMAS: Itcan be, so— CHR. CABANAS: That’swhatshe’ssaying. MR. THOMAS: ‘Cause that’swhat we’rerunning intowiththesecases. CHR. CABANAS: Because thatbecomes theproblem. We’rereviewing applications and peoplesay, oh, allkinds ofthings—butarethey really supervising anemployee? Andso— MR. THOMAS: Where weretheseglobaldefinitions appear? MS. TOKIHIRO: Well, they’llappear aspartoftheexamples ofduties andpartofthedutiesof theposition. MS. BOND: Onthewebsite. CHR. CABANAS: And, actually, itshould bedefined ontheclassspec., itshould bedefined on thejobposting—andthatwaythedepartment candefend themselves whentheyrejectan application. MR. THOMAS: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Andexplain totheapplicant that, “Hey, based onwhatyou’vesaidhere, you donotmeet thisrequirement”—sothatglobal definition issoimportant. TheotherthingIwanted tosayisourprevious Classifier—ourManager there—shehadalso defined “supervisory aptitude” because some oftheclassesofworkrequire supervisory aptitude andnotsupervisory experience— MR. THOMAS: Didyousay “aptitude?” CHR. CABANAS: —exactly. Page35 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MR. THOMAS: And what isthat? CHR. CABANAS: It’sanumber ofexamples wherethey’retheleadperson orthey’retraining theperson, sotheyhave theaptitude butnotnecessarily theexperience. Yeah. So, that becomes important andthat’swhereothers canqualify forthatcertainposition. MR. THOMAS: So, we’retrying tomove awayfromdescriptions thatsay, “Must havesomany yearsofsupervisory experience”—wherewhatkind ofworkdotheyactually do? CHR. CABANAS: Well, no, theymay saythat—butthenhaveanotebelow, “Supervisory experience meansthis…”—“Supervisory aptitude means this…”— MR. THOMAS: Okay. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Andso, thejobposting—theinformation inthejob postingcomesdirectlyfrom theclass spec.—sodefining itintheclassspec. willmeetbothofthose criteriabecause itwill defineintheclass spec., which willappearinthejobposting. Andthen, takingitastepfurtheristhePosition Description fortheposition specific totherolein aspecific department thatwillprovide thegreater detail about what thatsupervisory responsibility is— MR. THOMAS: (Inaudible.) MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. MR. THOMAS: Whatotherwords canbeused besides “supervisory”—“oversight”— MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah, oversight—when itcomesto, like, technical supervision, which ismore theoversight—it’sdirecting thework. It’sdirecting thetasktogetaworktaskdone. Tome, that’swhereIdon’tfeellikesupervisor should bepartofthat. Ifeellikeitshould beoversight. MR. THOMAS: Where does itcome in, andyoucandirectthework, andthendoyou also evaluate howwelltheworkwasdone? MS. TOKIHIRO: No. MR. THOMAS: Oristhatawholeseparate activity? MS. TOKIHIRO: That’saseparate—that’sperformance management, right. So—andthat’s partofthedistinguishing traits ofwhatconstitutes asupervisor is—whoisdoing their performance review, whoisresponsible fordetermining, like, approval ofleaverequest, who’s responsible forongoing coaching andperformance management, andestablishing goals, and addressing anyareaswhereimprovement isneeded onAnnual Performance Reviews. So, someone who’sdirecting awork task, mayhaveanecdotal feedback forasupervisor that, say, theycould provide backtothesupervisor andgo, “Hey, thisguywasonthejobandhedid Page36 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 this, this, andthat—anditreally couldhavebeen aproblem”—that’sinformation that the individual providing theoversight could provide tothesupervisor forsometypeofaction, butthe person who’sactually overseeing thatjob, would notthen bepartofdoing anykindof— MR. THOMAS: Evaluation. Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. So, kindofreally—andthat’swhereI—wedid—thereweredefinitions thatJamie putoutoftechnical supervision anddirect supervision—thatwasbasedonlanguage thattheState had, butI’veindicated toC&PthatIfeelthatitshouldbe—weshouldbeusing different words— MS. BOND: Words, yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: —tohelpfurtherdistinguish it. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, ‘cause it’sgoing toconfusetheapplicant and it’sgoingtocreate alot ofproblems when theystartscreening theapplications andthenexplaining totheapplicant why theymaynotmeet the— MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: —requirements. MS. TOKIHIRO: Because then, why, ifwecall both “supervisory” thenwhywouldn’tsomeone qualify, right? CHR. CABANAS: Exactly. MS. TOKIHIRO: Andso, thenitbecomes—and then, I’mlike, talking tomyteamandgoing, Okay, Igetit, ‘causeyouknowhowyou’rescreening this, buttryexplaining itoutloud ‘cause it doesn’tmake anysense.” MS. BOND: Well, it’slikeyou’retrying toexplain tome whymy14-15yearsofvolunteer experience doesn’tamountto—whatwas it—eight hoursorsomething? CHR. CABANAS: Wepro-rateditanditdidn’ttotalouttotherequired minimum. MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Andso, Ihadtoexplain to— MS. BOND: Anditwas, like, okay, Isortofgetit—butitdoesn’treally make sense ‘causewhat Iamdoing isthisjob— MS. TOKIHIRO: Right. MS. BOND: —butbecause it’svolunteer, allofasuddenit’snotworthanything and— CHR. CABANAS: Well, no. It’snotthatit’snotworth it. It’stheamountoftimeyouspent— Page37 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. BOND: Yeah— CHR. CABANAS: It’stwohours aweek, Ihavetopro-rateittomakeitequivalent toa40-hour workweek— MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: And ifshediditforayear, it’snotafullyearattwohoursaweek. MS. BOND: So— MS. TOKIHIRO: So, there areplentyofthose kindsofthingswhereit’slike—it’ssortof, inthe alternate universe— MS. BOND: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: —whichwould betheprivate sector. It’sdifferent thanhowweinterpret and applyandwhatever inthepublicsectorandtherulesthatwehave tofollow—thegoalistotry andmakeitasclear aspossible usingsimple language sothatitbecomes clearer—sothatit doesn’tseemlikeasmuch amystery and causeslessconfusion. MS. BOND: Andevenfunnier, when Igothiredasthe—aconsultant fortheMakani Pahili exercise Ididin2014, Iwashiredbyacompany inWashington, DC. They sawthatIproduced anddirect shows—andtheywent, “Oh, shecandothis.” Theydidn’tcomedowntohowmany hours hasshedonethisoranything—thefactthatshedoesthis, thatmakes itavaluable tool. Andso, thatwas, sortof, like—that’swhen itmadeitsofunny thatIcouldn’tqualify. Icouldn’t evenget19hours—whatever itwas—after15years ofvolunteering anddoing thisjob, andit was— CHR. CABANAS: Andthat’swhyIsaytothedepartments—whatIsaidtothedepartments, whenitwaslike, “Okay, youneedfiveyears ofexperience inthis…what’smagical about five years?” Right? MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: What’sthemagic? What’sthedifference between youdoingitfortwoyears versusfive? Yeah? MS. TOKIHIRO: And thatledto—so, recently, we’regoingthrough theprocessofevaluating OfficeAssistant. So, wejustre-titled fromClerkI, II, III—toOfficeAssistant; andthennowwe’re looking at, “Okay, yeah, what’smagicalabout threeyears ofadministrative experience. Canit beaccomplished withtwo yearsadministrative experience?” CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. MS. TOKIHIRO: —Imean, because most ofthethings thatarehappening forsomeone who comesintotheCounty asanOffice Assistant, we’retraining youtodothatbecause it’sspecific toouroperation— MS. BOND: Right, right. Page38 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. TOKIHIRO: —andourprocesses, whatever. So, we aregoingthrough and lowering those MQ’sbecause—yes, what’smagical? Let’sdowhat makessense. Let’sfind—remove someof thesebarriers. MS. BOND: Yeah, that’ssoarbitrary. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. Anditjust—yeah, because thenifyoucandoit, you’veshownyou’ve demonstrated—thenmaybethelanguage fortheminimum requirements needs tobechanged. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Imean, we’redealing with— MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: —verbiage thathasbeenestablished wayback, wayback. MS. BOND: Yeah. Andwhichiswhy thisupdating allofthisstuff isareallygood idea. CHR. CABANAS: It’simportant. MS. BOND: Andit’ssomething thatdefinitely needs tobe—Imean, reading allofthis, it’slike, yep, that’sagoodgoal. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. MS. BOND: Good luckwiththat. MS. TOKIHIRO: Andthen, Iknow—I’dliketo—Imean, Iwanttocome totheBoard with something neweveryyear— MS. BOND: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: —butit’ssoimportant for theCounty thatthisworkgetcompleted, thatit’s—I mean, it’sgoingtogetcompleted nomatterwhat, butthebestway formetobeabletohighlight howintensive thisis, istomakeitagoal. CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. MS. BOND: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Andso—andwewanttocontinue keepmoving forward. CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. It’sagoodgoal. MS. BOND: Yeah, it’sagood one. CHR. CABANAS: It’sanimportant goal. It’ssignificant insomany ways, somanyways. Page39 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. BOND: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Okay. So, moving ontoGoalnumber 2, ‘causewedon’twant tojusthave one goal, right? So, Goalnumber2—and, again, thisisborne outoffeedback andexperience thatwehad during lastyearwithMABappeals andjustinmyevaluation ofinformation to—nowwe’regoing to “Develop asearchable database andcompile allposition descriptions forpositions inthe County ofHawaii. Afterthedatabase iscompleted, working incollaboration with departments, DHRwillinitiate areviewofposition descriptions thathavenotrecently beenreviewed or redescribed, prioritized asfollows: (1) those thathavenotbeen amended priortotheyear 2000…” thenproceeding to “…(2) those thathavenotbeenamended from2000-2010, and 3) those thathavenotbeenamended from2010-2020. Thiswillhelp ensure position descriptions arecurrent and accurately reflect theclassofworkanddepartment-specificduties ofeachposition.” So, wealready haveinplace aprocess. When someone—when adepartment comesinwitha Request toFill, theyhavetoattachacopyofthePosition Description fortheposition that they’rerecruiting for—anditneeds tobeonourupdated form, whichwas theformthatwe created in2016. So, intheprocess ofputting itonthisupdated formfromtenyears ago, they’resupposed tobe reviewing itindetail, makingsurethatit’saccurate, makingsurethatthelanguage isgood— they’resupposed tobedoing acomprehensive review. Thereality is—Idon’tknowthattheyactually are. They’rereviewing it, putting itontheform— butwe’renot—well, upuntilthispoint, wewould lookatthereview—Imean, we’dlookatthe redescription andifthereweren’tsignificant changes, itwould justgetapproved. Andso—and that’skind ofbeen thepracticeuptothispoint. AndIwantthattochange whereit’sactuallyasubstantive reviewonaregular basis, tomake sure thatthelanguage isaccurate, tomakesurethatthedutiesthat they’reputting inthis Position Description actually coincide withtheclassofwork—soweshould belooking atthetwo together. AndI’lltellyouthatthestaffhasstartedonbothofthese projects andit’snotsurprising tome, butitisdefinitely concerning thethingsthatthey’vealready brought tomewhere there’s inconsistencies, inaccuracies—things thatarenotcorrect, thingsthatareonthePosition Description thatareactuallynotconsistent withtheclassofwork. Weevenfound aninstance where therewasaclassofwork thatwas assigned toanincorrect bargaining unitbasedonthe duties. So—butalotofthesethings, we’renotgoingtofindthem—untilthere’saMABappeal— MS. BOND: Right. MS. TOKIHIRO: Oruntilsomething comesupthatdraws ourattention toit. So, thisfocused attentionandsystematic review isgoing toenableustodedicate thetime, andreallyfocus, and givethem thecritical eyethattheyneed. Page40 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 Upuntilthispoint, thiskindofthinghasbeen department-driven—notdrivenbyHR. HRhas never—while wehaveallthePosition Descriptions inourCoHnect system, wedon’tmaintain Position Descriptions because that’sthe responsibility ofthedepartment. Wecreate theclass spec.—thedepartment definesinthePositionDescription whattheyneed thatindividual todo. So, withthealmost3,300positions inthe County, that’snotsomething thatwehavetaken on, butit’sourresponsibility tomaintain theclassification system—andtheonlywaytomakesure thatthat’sbeingdone correctly isalsodoing thedeepdiveintothese PositionDescriptions as well. So, thereview forthese—wedon’thavetogetjurisdiction reviewand approval ofourindividual Position Descriptions, butitisgoingtobeanintensive effortworking with thedepartment where we’regoingtolookatthePosition Description thatwehaveinoursystem—andthenwe’re going togoback tothedepartment andsay, “Isthisthemostcurrent, justtoverify?” Andthen, fromthat, review thePosition Description and makechanges, andexchange thatinformation backandforth. MR. THOMAS: What’s “jurisdictional review?” MS. TOKIHIRO: So, because the—inourclassification system wehavetohaveequal payfor equalworkacross allgovernment agencies intheState. Sothejurisdiction review wouldbe reviewed byKauai, Maui— MR. THOMAS: Oh, okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: —theState, CityandCountyofHonolulu. So, wesendallofourclass specs. toeachofthosejurisdictions andgettheirfeedback—askthem, “Doyouhaveanyconcerns withthepricingfortheclassor…” MR. THOMAS: Andyou’resaying, onthisgoal, wedon’thave todothat? MS. TOKIHIRO: Wedon’thave todoitforthespecific Position Descriptions. MR. THOMAS: Okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: That’sinthepurview ofthedepartment. So, butyouhave759classes of work, over3,000 positions intheCounty—so, inaclassofworkyou’regoingtohavepossibly— well, Imean, youwould have numerous positionsineachofthedepartments. So, likeAccount Clerk, forexample—verycommon class ofworkwhere youwould havepositions across almost alldepartments. MR. THOMAS: So, there’s750classes ofwork? MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. MR. THOMAS: Andthen, withmultiple positions within each class, you get3,000— MS. TOKIHIRO: —three-hundred. Yeah. MR. THOMAS: Thirty-three hundred yousaid. Page41 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah, Ibelieve it’s3,300. MR. THOMAS: Okay, good. Thanks. MS. TOKIHIRO: And so, there—sothedutieswillvaryinthePosition Descriptions because it’s goingtobespecifictotheoperation ofaspecific department—notwhere thatposition is housed; buttheduties, generally, willallfallwithin thesameparameter ofthatclass. Soyouwillhavesomevariances asfarasthedutiesthatwouldbeoccurring inDEM versus Finance andthenalsodifferent divisions—soyoucould haveanAccount Clerkwho’sinPayroll oranAccount Clerkwho’sinAdministration. So, itwillvary, butitallwillgenerally fallunder thatclass. MR. THOMAS: Good. MS. BOND: So, it’slikeagoodone. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, verygood. MS. TOKIHIRO: Okay. And, finally, we’regoingto “Develop aCountyCareerExplorations Program, which we’regoingtocallImiKaIke, ImiKaHana, which meanstoseekknowledge andexplorework. Andthisprogram willprovide juniors andseniors with exposure tocareer opportunities throughout County government. So, DHR willadminister andcoordinate the Program andassign interns toparticipating departments. Inpartnership withlocalhighschools, theImiKaIke, ImiKaHanaProgram willallowstudentstoearn income whilegainingpractical, hands-onworkexperience anddeveloping professional skillswhileexploring potential career pathways inpublicservice. Forstudents whomay notimmediately pursuecollege orwhoare stilldecidingonacareer direction, thisProgram willprovide anopportunity tobuildworkplace skills, establishprofessional connections, andgainconfidence through meaningful employment experience. Through theprogram, training willalsobeprovided inhowtocomplete aNeoGov profileandsubmit ajobapplication forapositionwiththeCounty, aswell asprepare forand complete jobinterviews.” So, I’vebeen working prettyintensively withtheDepartment ofResearch andDevelopment, but alsowithHawaii Community College on trying toestablish moreinternship programs. So—but theissueisalwaysthefunding. So, inthepast, therewasfunding thatwasprovided bytheStateWorkforce Development Division—thatfunded aninternship programthatHawaiiCommunity College hadand—butthen that funding hassincegoneaway. MS. BOND: (Inaudible.) MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. Andthen, Research andDevelopment runsourAmerica’sJob Center—andso, they receive thoseWorkforce Innovation Actfundsfrom thefederal government. So, therearesome—and it’scalled WIOA—therearesome WIOAfundsavailable, buttherearespecificcriteria inorder tobeabletogetthosefundsbasedonanindividual participant. Page42 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 Andthen, there’sprograms likeAluLike—andwe’vebeenworking withAluLukeaswell—and theyhave funding forsomekindofinternship opportunities, buttheirfunding hasbeen cut significantly—andevenifnotcut, theirfunding hasnotincreased, soastheminimumwagehas increased, theirbudgetisrestricted tohowmany people canactually participate, right. MR. THOMAS: Fewerpeople, yeah, that’sright. CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, within theCounty—lastyear, theyearbefore—we developed the Professional Trainee andProfessional Development Trainee. Wehavetenpositions inHRand those arepositions thatprovide professional experience opportunities forpeople who have either atwo-yeardegreeorafour-year degree thataretryingtogainexperience inacertain careerpath area. Andwe’vedefined 33different career pathsthatdepartments canusefor eachofthese programs, andallofthose positions arefully utilized—andmostofthosepositions arebeing utilized bycurrent County employees thatapplied tothespecific positiontoget training inadifferent area. So, forexample, wehadanemployee inourDepartment ofParksandRecreation whowas interested ininformation technology andwenttoaposition attheFireDepartment wherethey hadaProfessional Trainee position foranInformation Systems Analyst position. Andso, that’s RulenumberOneinthemeritprinciple iscreatingcareers ingovernment service. Andso, it’s oureffort toprovide thesespecific training opportunities tohelp people advance intheircareer. So, because HR isresponsible forthose tenpositions, wedohavetorecruit forthemthrough normal civilservice procedures because they’recivilservicepositions—andthatgives the person attheendoftheprogram—then they’reabletoapplyasan internal applicant for vacancies, etcetera. So, therecruitment forallofthosepositions happens internally within the County first, andthen, itgoestoanopen recruitment. ButIwas, kindof, becoming—it’salittledisheartening towant totryanddevelopthese internship thingsandthenrunintothefunding concerns. Anditreallyhasbeenalso anarea where theAdministration, theMayor, isalsointerested increating more opportunities—andthis is, kindof, thatlastbridgethatweneed tomake between people whoareinhighschool or graduated highschool, tocomeintotheCountyandthenbeable toofferthemtheseother opportunities foradvancement aswell. So, Iasked theMayor, Isaid, “Look, I’mtrying really hardtocome upwiththeseother alternatives andwehaven’tgottenanywhere. ButIknow thatIcanimmediately makean impactifyouwillallowmetohavewhatwe’recal—it’sastudenthelper position, butit basically—youjusthavetobeofworking age—andwehave studenthelper positions ina varietyofdifferent departments, butit’snotsomething thathasbeencentrally managed.” So, whatIaskedforwasinitialallotment oftenpositions thatcanbefilled 19hoursaweek at 16.50anhour, Ibelieve—andthosepositions they’refundedsothatthey could befilledyear around. Andso, then, withthetenpositions inHR, then we’reabletodevelop aprogram where wecanwork withthehighschools andfindoutwhat students areinterested in; work withour departments, seewhichareas they’dbewilling toprovide thesementorship opportunities in; andthenmatch them. Andso, then, wewould loanthis studenthelper outtoadepartment, but thenwewould beproviding theoversight oftheprogram. Page43 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 So, onmyinitialrequest, Iwentinthinking Iwanted 20—andthenIscaled backmyrequest to ten—but, certainly, assoonaswecangetthemfilledandgettheprogram upandrunning, I’llbe going backandrequesting morepositions because it’saway forustomakeanimmediate impact; andthenoverseeing itthrough HRgivesmore—wecanaddmore things toit—like doingtheinterview prep., doingtheother—justgenerallife-skills/workforce kindoftrainingand orientation. Andwe’rehoping thatstudents thatparticipate intheprogram willgoback totheir friendsandsay, “Hey, youshouldcheckouttheCounty.” Andwecanprovide information. Alotofyoung peopledon’tunderstand allofthedifferent thingsthattheCounty does, allofthedifferent possibilities forpromotional opportunities. I mean, youstartworking withtheCounty and, inaparticular position, anditdoesn’tmeanyou havetodothatfor30years. Itmeans, “You have3,000different positions topotentially choose fromoveryour—thelifecycle ofyour career.” So, we’resuper excitedabout this. Ourgoalwouldbetoeventually have atleasttwopositions available forstudents fromeachofourhighschoolsaroundtheisland. So, thegeographic equity isreallyimportant—andit’simportant tome, Iwant ouryoungpeople tounderstand that jobsareavailable intheircommunities, wheretheylive, where theygotoschool. So, we’regoingtostartinitially, kindofgoing HiloandKonaaswegettheprogram, kindof, figured out—butthegoalistoeventually have atleasttwopositions foreach highschool—and wewant toworkcloselywiththeguidance counselors inthehigh schools—different high schools have different trainingacademypathsthattheyfollownow. Andso, oureffortswillbe to, kindof, customize andworkwiththeschoolbased ontheirneedsand theinterest oftheir students. So. CHR. CABANAS: So, thisisbeingfundedbyHR—yourdepartment? MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. CHR. CABANAS: Thetenpositions. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. Theyaddedthefunds toour—yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Theyadded thefunds from where? MS. TOKIHIRO: Theyactually transferred themoney fromthetrainingprovision. CHR. CABANAS: Theprofessional training? MS. TOKIHIRO: No. So, theCountyhas—theDepartment ofFinancemaintains atraining provision— CHR. CABANAS: Oh, okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: —andthere’sapoolofmoney thatisavailable ifadepartment hasaspecific need. So, Ibelieve PoliceandFirehave useditforsomeoftheirspecialized training; butinmy discussions withtheDirector ofFinance, those fundsarenotbeing—they’rebeingused, primarily byPoliceandFire, butthey’renotbeing used completely. Page44 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 So, wewere—orweareinastatus quobudget, sothere weren’tnewpositions tobeadded— butthiswasbasically likeanetzerochange tothebudget, justreallocating someofthese training fundstoHRforthesetenpositions, anditstillallows—there’sstillsufficient funds inthat training provision tomeet otherneeds. CHR. CABANAS: So, it’sagood idea. Ten—I’mtrying justfigure itinmymind—ten positions—Hilo, Kona—sohowareyougoing tostartitoff ‘causethat’sfiveforHilo, fivefor Kona; there’stwohighschoolsinKona—andthisisDOEschools? Notprivate schools? MS. TOKIHIRO: Correct. Yes. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, DOE. So, you’vegone—you’vetalked tothesuperintendents andall ofthat? MS. TOKIHIRO: Weareinprocessofthat. CHR. CABANAS: Okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, alotofcoordination. Andthedepartments willhaveworksites identified? MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. So, wehaveaninitialmeeting withthedepartments thatwilloccurnext week toexplainwhattheprogram isand letthem knowwhatwe’retrying todo; andkindof hope togetthem excitedandinterested inproviding thismentorship opportunity because Ido wanttheseopportunities tobemeaningful. It’snotjust, “Oh, here’syour high schoolstudent, go shred paper.” Imean, wewantto—so, andthat’swhere, like, student helper positions—if, say, Iknowthe Department ofEnvironmental Management hasone—theycanbasically selectwhoever. It doesn’thavetogothrough, like, therecruitment process. Theycanjustselectastudent, they havethem inthere, andtheycanassign whatever tasks. And, Imean—okay. Butthisallows ustowork more closely withthedepartments, toprovide oversight for, “Hey, tell uswhat kindofdutiesyouintendtoassign tothestudent? Whoisgoing tobethestudent’s assigned mentor? Wewouldliketoseethestudentbegiven theopportunity toreally understand whatyourdepartment operations entail.” So, iftheywereinHR, theyshouldcome andattend theMABmeeting orifthey’rewith thePlanning Department andthenthere’sa hearing thatisgoingtooccur, we’dliketoseethemattend. CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, this—usingthatstudent helper class ofwork, which isverybroad—but then withoversight fromHR, allowsustoprovide moredirection and, hopefully, ensure thatit’s meaningful. CHR. CABANAS: Can—yeah, themoney allocated forCVE isnotbeingfullyutilized. Isthere a possibility tousethatmoney? Page45 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. TOKIHIRO: I’vebeentrying. IreallywanttousetheCVE money, butaccording to—that money isspecifically designated forprograms based on—it’slike, Ithinkit’saFederal thing and then it’sthecommunity college that hastodefinetheprograms thataregoingtoparticipate. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, what’s—it’sanagreement theCountyhas, historically, forCooperative Vocational Education andit’sCountyfunds, butit’ssounder-utilized— MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: —foryears. AndIjusthatetoseethatmoney notbeing used completely and thatcouldhelpyourprogram, butitisalineiteminthebudget. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. Andwehave, Ibelieve, there’s15CVEpositions. Andso, what’s happened isI’vebeenworking withHCCtotryandgetthem tobroaden thatcourseoffering to moreprograms. So, I’mlike, “Isthereawaythatpeople thataregoingthrough theautomotive program couldbeeligible totakethis193, which isthecourse, atwhichwouldthenallowthem tocometoworkfortheCounty and ourprograms?” CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. MS.TOKIHIRO: So, I’vebeenworking withCraigMitchell who’sthecounselor atHCC, andhe’s working withtheirdepartments toseeiftheycanexpand thatoffering ofthatcourse. But— yeah, we’vebeenallowing people to—there’saninitial, like, allotment—like, eachdepartment youhave500hours that youcanemploysomeone inthisrole. So, we havehad greaterutilization thelastcoupleofyears. So, wehave beenable touse more ofthosefunds, buttheenrollment isnotdramatically up. What happens iswhen wehave participants, weallow themtowork longer. CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. Because whathappens is—‘causeIusedtoattend thoseCVE annualmeetings, andtheir CVEstudents, evenwithdifferent employers indifferent fields—andI know theCounty historically hasusedtheCVEprogram forthebusiness program, butitdoesn’t havetobeforthebusiness program solely. I’vetalked tothe coordinators there overanumber ofyears andwhenyougotothoseannual meetings, you’regoing toseethere’speopleinall—students indifferent programs thatactually couldbeintheCounty program. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, forexample— CHR. CABANAS: Police Science and— MS. TOKIHIRO: Information Technology. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. ITandthere’s— MS. BOND: There’sthingslikewelding— Page46 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, welding, theyhavecarpentry—I’mtryingtothinkofsomeoftheother trades— MS. BOND: Othertrades—yeah. CHR. CABANAS: —thatwerethere. Ofcourse, thosewereprivatebutthey wereCVE. So, I don’tunderstand why itcan’tbeexpanded fortheCounty soyoucan utilizethatfunding. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. AndI—yeah, wecontinue toworkwithHCC. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, (inaudible). MS. TOKIHIRO: Theyhave to—yeah, expand thatoffering. But, yes, Iwould—andespecially inthetrades; andthat’soneofthethingsthat—that’sone oftheareaswhereIwantmore effort tobe, andIreallywanttogetdepartment buy-inforthese studenthelperpositions intheareas oftradesbecause that’souraudience. Imean, thesearekidsthatmaynotbeinterested incollege. Myson, forexample, waslike not—hewasahands-onperson. Hewas, like, “Give methequickest pathtogettingajoband that’swhatI’mgoing do.” Andso, Diesel washisthing, andhewentthrough theprogram at HCC, andaspartofhisprograminthesecond yearhewasabletogoandwork forR&D. Andso, Ithink thatthosearemoreoftheopportunities thatIwanttohelpcultivate ‘causewe havealotofopportunities foroffice-related positions but, really, weneedtospreadourreachto thetrades—anditissoimportant, justasfarasourCounty operation aswell. MS. BOND: Well, especially ‘causetheschoolshavestopped thetrades stuff. They’ve cancelled—sothateverybody canbestandardized and, seriously, there aresomanykidsthatI knowthatcollege isnotathingthatthey’regoing tobeabletodo. CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: And weneedthetrades. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Whenyouneedaplumber, youneed aplumber. MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: When youneedacarpenter—carpentry isanexcellent skill. MS. TOKIHIRO: And Ithinkit’simportant thatkidsunderstand thatgainfulemployment isout thereand itdoesn’thavetobea “speaknoworforever holdyourpeace” asfaraswhether or notyouwant togotocollege. Because you—andthat’stheother partoftheeducation thatwe wanttoprovide tostudents participating inthisprogram—iscollege maynotbeforyouright now, butasanemployee oftheCounty, youmaywanttopursuecollege later. Wehave tuition reimbursement—there’sallthese avenues, basically, helping kidstounderstand—“Comework Page47 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 fortheCounty, theworldisyour oyster.” It’s, like, youcandoalmost anything thatyouwantto do. CHR. CABANAS: AndtheCounty hasTrade Helper positions— MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: —thattheycould, kindof, navigate andapply forwhen yourdepartment has postings. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. MS. BOND: Cool. CHR. CABANAS: Thisisgood. MS. BOND: Yeah. MR. THOMAS: Yeah, that’sagood program. CHR. CABANAS: Ihope thedepartments willhave worksites— MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes. CHR. CABANAS: —forthestudents. MS. BOND: Yes. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yes, wearegoingtomakesure. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MS. BOND: Cool— CHR. CABANAS: Verygood. MS. BOND: —andI’mglad you’rereaching outtotheruralkids, too, eventually. CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. Itreallyis— MS. BOND: ‘Causethere’sthekidsinKohalaandthekidsinKa. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: So, doyouhave someone dedicated torunthisprogram in—what isit, in Recruitment? MS. TOKIHIRO: ThisoneisgoingtobeinPersonnel andOrganizational Development. Page48 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Oh, okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. So, Iwantthemtooversee theinternships because Idowantthe additional trainingcomponents tobepartofit, and Iwant toseethatoversight. I’mnotsurethat we’llbeabletomanage itlikeafullcohortwherealltenpeople startatthesame time. Idon’t thinkthatthat’snecessarily realistic, but—yeah, Personnel andOrganizational Development will bepartofthat—managing that. CHR. CABANAS: That’swonderful. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. They’reexcited aboutit. CHR. CABANAS: Oh, yeah, that’sexciting. Alotofcoordination—it’sexciting. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. So— MS. BOND: Page2. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah, that’sallIgot. CHR. CABANAS: Oh, itsays “Refer topage2”—istheresomething else? MS. BOND: Well, there’sthe— MR. THOMAS: Financial Management. MS. BOND: Financial Management, there’sPlanning—those guys. MS. TOKIHIRO: Oh, sorry, Iwassowordyinmygoals thatitwent—theevaluation sheetwent totwopages andevenwithGlynis’ magic manipulation ofmargins, itjustwasn’thappening. So, wehadto “Refer topage 1”—“Refer topage2.” CHR. CABANAS: Okay, it’sthesame, right? Ithasn’tchanged. MS. YAMADA: Right. MS. TOKIHIRO: No, nothingelsechanged. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, okay. Sounds good. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah, soifthere’sanyquestions, I’mhappytoanswer them—but, basically, that’swhatwe’resetting upto. MR. THOMAS: Where areweontheagenda, interms ofbreak times andthat sortofthing? CHR. CABANAS: Doyouwanttotakealittlepause—wecan. MR. THOMAS: Well— Page49 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. BOND: Sinceyouhave—well, 25miles togettothebathroom. CHR. CABANAS: It, kindofsounds likeit. MR. THOMAS: Ittakes25miles togetthere— CHR. CABANAS: Oh, we’reactually—westillhaveawaytogo. So, shallwetakealittle break—ten-minutes. MR. THOMAS: Okay. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, let’stakeabreak. MR. THOMAS: ‘Cause ittakesten-minutes togetthere, andten-minutes togetback. CHR. CABANAS: It’s—okay, 15-minutes. MR. THOMAS: Where dowego? Idon’tknow. MS. BOND: Youhavetogothatwayintothebuilding. CHR. CABANAS: Youhavetogointothatentrance. MR. THOMAS: Themainentrance? CHR. CABANAS: Yes. MS. BOND: Yeah. Andyougoallthewaybacktobythetaxthingand— CHR. CABANAS: Allthewaydown. MS. BOND: —andthere’sahallway totheleft—andyougodownthathallwayandit’satthe end. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, soit’s10:55— MR. THOMAS: Ihopethere’ssigns. MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: You can’tgetlost. MR. THOMAS: Send outasearch party. CHR. CABANAS: Well, yougetalittleexcursion— MR. THOMAS: That’sright. CHR. CABANAS: —intoalltheCountydepartments there. Page50 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MR. THOMAS: Allright, I’llgocheck themout. Thankyou. RECESS: The Chair called for arecess at10:55a.m. RECONVENE: The meeting reconvened at11:12 a.m. inopen session. CHR. CABANAS: Okay. MS. BOND: Allright. Nowwhat? CHR. CABANAS: So, Ithink weneedamotion toapprove ourDirector’sgoals unless youhave otherquestions forher. MS. BOND: No, Idon’thavemorequestions. Imovethatweapprove theDirector’sgoalsfor 26-27. MR. THOMAS: Second. CHR. CABANAS: Anydiscussion? Ifnot, I’llstartarollcall votewithMs. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. MR. THOMAS: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Threeayes. Motioncarried. Okay, sogoingback totheagenda. Wearenowgoing—yes? MS. YAMADA: Okay, no, no—goahead. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, going backtotheagenda. Okay, sowe’restillonNumber7. Ididn’t readtheotherbulleted items, soI’mgoing todothatnow. So, we’regoing todiscuss thefollowing: Proposed timelinetodistribute surveysanddeadlines forresponses—andthiswould befornext yearwhen wedotheDirector’sevaluation; SurveyMonkey questions forFiscal Year2026to2027—thisistheLine Department survey; SurveyMonkey questions forFiscalYear ’26—2026 to2027, whichisthe Departmental/Employee survey; theMerit Appeals BoardEvaluation toolfortheDirector ofHR forFiscal Year 2026to2027; and, lastly, defining thetargetaudience and survey participants. Wemaygointoexecutive session, soI’mjustgoing toreadthefollowing: TheMeritAppeals Boardanticipates convening oneormoreexecutive meetings regarding theabove matter pursuant toHRS, Sections 92-4, 92-5(a)(2), and92-5(a)(4), forthepurpose ofevaluating an officeroremployee oftheCountyofHawaii wheretheconsideration ofmatters affecting privacy willbeinvolved andconsulting withtheBoard’sattorney onquestions andissues pertaining to Page51 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 theBoard’spowers, duties, privileges, immunities, andliabilities. Atwo-thirds votepursuant to HRS, Section92-4isnecessary toholdanexecutive meeting. So, nextyear, Iwon’tbehereontheBoard—sowe’regoingtodiscusshowyouwillallevaluate theDirector nextround. Okay. So, we’regoing tohave tolookatwhatwedidandseeifyou wanttotweak anything orleave it “asis”—uptoyou—andwe’lltakeitfromthere. MR. THOMAS: Butyoucanvoteonthis, right? CHR. CABANAS: Oh, Ican voteonit. Yeah. MR. THOMAS: Okay, sure. Proposed Timeline To Distribute Surveys And Deadline For Responses CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. Okay, so, shallwelookattheproposed timeline which Glynis has—thelast tab—andseeifit’sokay (SEEATT. B). MR. THOMAS: Didwehitonanyissueswiththis—thisisthesameasthe— CHR. CABANAS: It’sthesame. MR. THOMAS: Didwehitanyissues withtiming here oristhespreadofdatesokay? CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, thisisthesameprettymuchonthetimeline starting inAprilofnext year. MR. THOMAS: May IaskGlynis—didthisworkoutokay, thiskindoftiming? MS. YAMADA: Yeah, itdid. CHR. CABANAS: Youhadenough time? Okay. MS. BOND: Yeah, theonlyquestion wehadbeforewaswhether ornotweshould shorten the amountoftimethatthey havehadtotake thesurvey, likethat itmight impelthemtodoitfaster ortodoitatall. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MR .THOMAS: Yeah, wedid—hadthisquestion of— CHR. CABANAS: Wedid. MR. THOMAS: —howcanwegetmoreparticipation. CHR. CABANAS: Well, thistimewewrote totheManaging Director toaskhimtoencourage thedepartment headsanddeputiesto—andtheirstafftoparticipate. So, Idon’tknow ifthat made adifference, ‘causewegotaincrease fromtheLineDepartments— MS. TOKIHIRO: AttheCabinet meeting thatwehadinJulyaswell, Ididthank people— Page52 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Oh, okay. MS. TOKIHIRO: —Ijustsaidthatmyevaluation hadbeencompleted andthatIthanked them forparticipating inthesurvey. CHR. CABANAS: Oh, good. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, Ididn’tcomment onitbeyondthatbut, hopefully, thatwasatleast something whereitwas—willkindofgetitontheir radar. MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Yes, that’sgood. Thankyoufordoingthat. MS. BOND: When didthatlettergotothedepartment heads? Was thatinMay orwasthatin April? MR. THOMAS: Itsays hereinMay. MS. BOND: Theletter? MR. THOMAS: Friday, May21— MS. YAMADA: Icancheckonmycomputer. CHR. CABANAS: Wesentitearlier. MS. BOND: No, I’mtalkingabout the lettertotheManaging Director. MS. YAMADA: Yeah, IthinkitwasinMay—Ithink early May. CHR. CABANAS: EarlyMay. MS. BOND: Should weputthatinhereonthetimelinethatmaybethereshouldbealetterto the— CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, maybe weshould. Yeah. MS. BOND: —letter totheManaging Director. CHR. CABANAS: And then, wedidsendanother letter attheendtothankeveryone fromthe Board— MS. BOND: Atthe endof—inJune? CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, I—Glynis drafted itformeandthen wesentitouttothankthe departments andtothanktheemployees hereatHR. MS. YAMADA: So, thatoneisinthetimeline— Page53 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. BOND: Okay. MS. YAMADA: —discuss overallrating and withwrittennotice tofollowtotheDirector. MS. BOND: Okay. CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. MS. YAMADA: Doyouwant metoaddinthanking thedepartments andtheHRpeople— CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, Ithinkweshould. Yeah. MS. BOND: Justsothatit’sthere. CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. Goodidea. MR. THOMAS: Mm-hmm. Whoisthe “Secretary-Reporter?” CHR. CABANAS: That’sGlynis. MR. THOMAS: Oh. Allright. CHR. CABANAS: That’sherofficialtitle. MR. THOMAS: Secretary-Reporter—okay. CHR. CABANAS: She’stheSecretary— MS. TOKIHIRO: Superstar. MS. BOND: Yeah, really, exactly. CHR. CABANAS: —Secretary toSommer, butshe’salsotheSecretary-Reporter totwo commissions—Salary Commission andtotheMeritAppeals Board. MR. THOMAS: Okay. CHR. CABANAS: So, she’skeptverybusy. MR. THOMAS: Well, considering these 100-pagesofminutes. CHR. CABANAS: Oh, yes—andvery efficient. MS. BOND: Right, Iknow. CHR. CABANAS: Yes. Okay. So, anyothersuggestions tothetimeline? MS. BOND: Imean, yeah—theonly otherthingwould bewhetherornotweshouldshorten it forthissurvey. Page54 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Howmuchtime— MS. BOND: When doesthissurvey goout? MR. THOMAS: Right beforeMemorial Day. thCHR. CABANAS: ItgoesoutnolaterthanMay28— MR. THOMAS: No, right afterMemorial Day—oh, rightbefore Memorial Day. MS. YAMADA: OnMay21. CHR. CABANAS: No—May21—anditwas dueMay28. So, that’saweek. MS. BOND: Oh, that’snot—that’sgood. Okay. Ithinkthatshortens it—‘causeIthink itwas twoweeks last—thislasttime. CHR. CABANAS: Thethingis, wegivethem alotoftime—theywaitonit. MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: They waittilltheend, andthey forgetabout it. Yeah. MS. BOND: YouhavetillFriday togetthisdone, asopposed to— CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MS. BOND: ‘CauseI’mverygoodatthat—like, theGEtaxesthatIremembered needed tobe filed at2:30 onMonday afternoon. It’slike—oh. MS. TOKIHIRO: But, also, Imean youdoareminderletteraswell. CHR. CABANAS: Yes, shedoes. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Isthatinhere—let’ssee. Shedoesareminder—anemail. MS. YAMADA: Icanadditin. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, let’sadditin. MS. YAMADA: InMay. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. Thankyou. MS. BOND: Imean, even— CHR. CABANAS: You sendit—thereminder— Page55 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. BOND: Actually, that—would sendthem thethingin (inaudible) before itsays (inaudible). MR. THOMAS: Yeah, theyonlyhave oneweek todoit—andtheykindofhanditintheFriday before Memorial Day—onaFriday, ofMemorial Dayweek. CHR. CABANAS: So— MS. YAMADA: So, Iusuallyremind themthreedays priortothedeadline. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, that’sgood. MR. THOMAS: Okay. MS. BOND: Yeah, that’sgood. CHR. CABANAS: That’sgood. thMR. THOMAS: ‘Cause some peoplemight useavacation dayonFriday, May28. CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. MS. BOND: Yeah, that’strue. CHR. CABANAS: Okay. Isthereamotion toapprove thetimeline forthe— MR. YOSHIMOTO: Asamended. MS. BOND: Asamended. CHR. CABANAS: Asamended— MS. BOND: Ordowehavetovote toaccepttheamendments first? CHR. CABANAS: —forthePerformance— MR. YOSHIMOTO: Yes. MS. BOND: Okay. CHR. CABANAS: Oh, accepttheamendments first—okay. MS. BOND: Okay, Imove weaccept theamendments wehavemadetotheproposed timeline forthePerformance Evaluation process. MR. THOMAS: Second. CHR. CABANAS: Anydiscussion? Ifnot, I’llstartarollcall votewith Ms. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. Page56 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. MR. THOMAS: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Threeayes. Motioncarried. MS. BOND: AndImoveweapprove thetimeline fortheevaluation ’26 – ’27—evaluation process. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, isthere asecond? MR. THOMAS: Second. CHR. CABANAS: Thank you. Anydiscussion? Ifnot, I’llstart arollcall votewithMs. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. MR. THOMAS: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Threeayes. Motioncarried. SurveyMonkey Questions forFY2026-2027 (Line Department Survey) CHR. CABANAS: Okay, wearenowontheexternal survey questions that— MS. BOND: Thisistheonethat goes tothedepartment heads. CHR. CABANAS: Yes—totheLineDepartments andAgencies (SEEATT. C). Andarethere anysuggestions totweak thequestions inanyway? MR. THOMAS: Arewegetting anyfeedback fromanybody whohasseenthis? MS. YAMADA: Intheminutes, onQuestion number6— CHR. CABANAS: Okay. MS. YAMADA: “Human Resources adjusts quicklytochanging priorities.” Iguesstherewas concern aboutwhat is “quickly”—itcanbeinterpreted differently, thatitmight beonething, one issue. MS. BOND: Should wechangeitto “efficiently?” CHR. CABANAS: Or “timely.” Page57 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. TOKIHIRO: Orjust “adjusts.” MS. BOND: Andtakeoutthatqualifying wordthatmight bethebestwaytodoit. MR. THOMAS: Yeah, Ilikethat. MS. BOND: What doyouthink, Mr. LawMan. Isawsome very funny pictures ofyourunning forofficewaving signs. MR. YOSHIMOTO: What? I’mnotrunningforanything. MS. BOND: Thiswaswayback, longago. MR. YOSHIMOTO: Oh, nostalgic. MS. BOND: Youweresoyoung, itwassocute. MR. YOSHIMOTO: See whatitdidtome? No. Ithinkthere’svaluetotaking outtheword “quickly” ‘cause thatissubject tointerpretation, right. Imean, nomatterhow you describe it, itis—yeah. Whereas “adjuststochanging priorities”—is general butgetstowhere youwant to— CHR. CABANAS: Withwhere youwanttobe. MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MR. YOSHIMOTO: Yeah, Ithinkso. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, that’sagood change. Anything else? MS. BOND: (Inaudible) andthatwasagood one. MS. TOKIHIRO: Ithinkthe—oh, Idon’tknow ifI’mallowed togivefeedback onthis. MS. BOND: Youshould. MS. TOKIHIRO: Okay. Well, onNumber 5, Ithink duringthereview oftheirresponses—we were kindoftalkingaboutduring ourlastmeeting—howwewillreachouttodepartments regarding certain issues; butasfaras, like, seeking outandincorporating knowledge of department goals—that’salittlebitdifferent. Wedon’thavemeetings, say, like, HRdoes not meetwithdepartments andgo, “Whatareyourgoals forthedepartment.” We’re, kindof, countingonthedepartment letting usknow what direction they wanttogoinandhowpersonnel orhuman resources-relatedmatters maybeaffected. So, Idon’t—maybe the “seeks out”—because ifwehaveknowledge ofwhatadepartments’ goals is—that’s, definitely, going tobeincorporated intowhatourdiscussion is. Butasfaras Page58 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 us, asHR’srole, asfaraslike “seeking out” whataretheoverall goals foryourdepartment— that’snotreallyourrole. CHR. CABANAS: Okay. So, should wetake “seeksout?” MS. BOND: “and”— CHR. CABANAS: “and”— MR. THOMAS: You canjusteliminate “goals”—“seeksout…priorities.” Youwould dothat, I suppose. MS. BOND: Human Resource incorporates knowledge ofmy department andpriorities through…”—“department goals”—“department goal.” MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah, Ithinkmykindofconcern iswiththe “seeksout”— MS. BOND: The “seekingout.” MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. MS. BOND: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Because, certainly, ifwehave knowledge ofdepartment goals andpriorities— thatiswhatwewould beincorporating intodiscussions. MS. BOND: “HumanResources incorporates knowledge ofmydepartment goalsandpriorities through…”—doesthathowyouwantit—doesthat sound—Suzi, brain, engage. Doesthatwork foryou? MR. THOMAS: Areyouproposing toeliminate what—“seeks out?” CHR. CABANAS: “..seeksoutand”— MS. BOND: “…seeksoutand”—soitjustsays, “HumanResources incorporates knowledge of mydepartment goalsand priorities…” CHR. CABANAS: “…ofmydepartment goalsandpriorities through meetings, audits, training, etcetera.” MR. THOMAS: I’mgood withthat. MS. BOND: Yeah, thatworks. CHR. CABANAS: I’mgoodwiththat. You’regood withthat? MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. MS. BOND: Howaboutyou, LawMan, thatworks foryou? Page59 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MR. YOSHIMOTO: Itsoundsgood. MS. BOND: Okay. MR. YOSHIMOTO: “LawMan”—there’sashow, Ithink. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, justremind— MS. BOND: Youknow whathappens when wegettoacertain point. MS. TOKIHIRO: Starttoneedlunch. CHR. CABANAS: Iknow thisisacozyenvironment butjustbemindful wearebeing recorded. MS. BOND: Sorry. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, somayIhavea—okay, anyother changes toanyotherquestions? Otherwise, mayIhaveamotion toapprove these amendments? MS. BOND: Wait, holdonasecond. CHR. CABANAS: Okay. MS. BOND: The “efficiently assistsme”—“effectively”— CHR. CABANAS: Areyoulooking atNumber 2? MS. BOND: I’mlooking atallthequalifiers—1and2. CHR. CABANAS: Oh. MS. BOND: Dowewanttotakeoutthequalifiers? “Human Resources assists meindoingmy job.”—“TheHuman Resources works withmeandothermembers ofthedepartment staff”— takeoutthequalifiers? I’masking aquestion, notmaking astatement. CHR. CABANAS: We’rethinking. MS. TOKIHIRO: Areyouaskingitofme? Iwillleavethat totheBoardbecause Ithink thatin thosequalifiers, like “effectively” Ithinkspeaks tothemanner inwhichwe’reengaging. So, I’ll leavethattotheBoard. Imean, Iappreciate thesentiment ofwanting tobe—notbe, kindof, overlybroader—leftittointerpretation ofwhether ornotit’sefficient, but— CHR. CABANAS: Ithinkit—well, forme, ittellsmehow—what’sthequalitybecause someone canassist butisitefficient? Isitreally (inaudible). So, Ithinkthequalifiers forthose twoare inaudible)— MS. BOND: Yeah, sincewehad taken outonequalifier— CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. Page60 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. BOND: —Ijustthought weshould gobackandreviewtheother twoqualifiers— MS. TOKIHIRO: And, certainly, likeeven withthenumeric rating, Imean theystillareableto provide thecomments toaddress— MS. BOND: That’strue—yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. MS. BOND: That’strue. Okay. Allright, itwasjustaquestion. Allright— MR. THOMAS: Verygood. MS. BOND: —sodoweneedtodotheseindividually? CHR. CABANAS: No—oh, we’lltakeeachone. So, let’sdotheexternal survey. MS. BOND: Okay, Imovetoapprove theamendments wemade totheexternal survey draft. MR. THOMAS: Second. CHR. CABANAS: Anydiscussion? Ifnot, I’llstartarollcall votewith Ms. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. MR. THOMAS: Yes—aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Threeayes. Motioncarried. Movingalong, wearenow onthegreen sheet, theDHRInternal Survey Draft. MR. THOMAS: Didweapprove the— CHR. CABANAS: Oh, no, I’msorry—you’reright. MR. THOMAS: —document. CHR. CABANAS: Wedidn’t. MS. BOND: Oh, I’msorry. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, wegottogoback. MS. BOND: Imoveweapprovetheexternal surveydraft. MR. THOMAS: Second. Page61 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Okay, anydiscussion? Ifnot, I’llstart arollcall votewithMs. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. MR. THOMAS: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Threeayes. Motioncarried. SurveyMonkey Questions forFY2026-2027 (Employee Survey) CHR. CABANAS: Okay, wearenowontheDHR InternalSurveyDraft (SEEATT. D). These questions areanswered bytheemployees oftheDepartment ofHumanResources. MS. BOND: Ijustfinditinteresting that—allright, que—Number C—Number C—yeah. Letter C, it—should there, forone, should there bea—isthatapossessive, “Directors annual budget”— CHR. CABANAS: Itshouldbeanapostrophe—yes. MS. BOND: So, thereshould betheapostrophe. Andthen, just—dotheyreallycarewhetheror notitallows—abouttheannual budget? Imean— MS. TOKIHIRO: And Ithink, kindof, beyond the—soIthinkthatmymanagement teamcould betteranswerthatquestion than, say, alloftheemployees ofthedepartment— MS. BOND: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: —justbecause there’sdifferent levels atwhich peoplewould beengaged in thebudget process. Andso, I’mgoingtosaythat, like, theemployees thatarenotpartofthe management team would have lessexposure tothebudget—butbeyond—andjusthowthe budget isestablished— MS. BOND: Should weputa “notapplicable” placeinthereforthepeoplethatdoesn’taffect their job, cansaythatdoesn’tapply tomyjob? MS. TOKIHIRO: So, thatcould beanoption, butjustoneadditional comment isthat— ultimately, thebudget isnotsomething thatwecontrol. MS. BOND: That’swhy— MS. TOKIHIRO: So, whether ornotthebudget forthe—whether ornot someone feelsthatthe budget issufficient, thosedirectives come fromtheAdministration. So, asmuch asItryandbe verycreativewiththemonies thatareallotted tous, we, asadepartment—orand, myself, as theDirector— Page62 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. BOND: Yeah, youdon’thavealotofsayonwhether or— MS. TOKIHIRO: Idon’t. MS. BOND: Yeah, which iswhyIasked thatquestion, but— MR .THOMAS: Areweaskingwhether weshouldhavethatinthereatall? Orshouldwerefer tothebudget as “drafted.” CHR. CABANAS: Well, Ilikethisquestion because from myownexperience, thedifferent Administrations wouldsay, “Cut10%”—orwhatever. Itgottoapoint whereIcouldn’tcut anything ‘causeIwas bare boneswithmydivision. So, thatwaswhenIinformed theDirector of—I’mnotgoing tocutanything else, ‘cause Idon’thaveanything elsetocut. Andthat’swhere itstood. So, itaffected what IcoulddoandwhatIcouldn’tdo. MS. BOND: Okay. Well, that’swhyIaskedthatquestion. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. Anditaffected mystaff because whenthey wenttojobfairs andallof that, wecouldn’teven orderpens. MR. THOMAS: Oh, dear. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. So, itwaslike—Idon’tknow aboutnow, though, Sommer—howit affects theemployees now. MS. TOKIHIRO: It’snotas—Imean, Ithink, kind of, thebudgetthatHRhas—hasalways, I mean, werarelyseeinstances inbudgets whereonceyougobarebones, thatallofasudden something gets builtuptobethisrobustbudget, again. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MS. BOND: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, we kind ofcontinued witheitherstatusquo oradditional reductions. There havebeen something—thebudgethasgrown, butalotofthathastodowithsalaries and wages; andthen, theworkers’ compensation budget, unfortunately, duetoemployee injuries—it was, itnecessitated anincrease inbudget. But, theHR budgetreallyhasn’tgonethrough, like, it’snotlikeweallofasudden gotmoney for moretraining ormore—wedidgetmoney foradditional recruitment advertising. Andso, we haven’tseen thatwherewehaven’tbeenabletobuypens. MS. BOND: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: But, really, thosemodifications arebasedusuallyonspecific needs foraset periodoftime, asopposed tojustanincreaseinthebudget. So, yeah, itcandefinitely be challenging, ‘cause Idofeellikeourbudgetispretty barebones— CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. Page63 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. BOND: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: —forthetypeofthingsthatwe’retryingtodo. CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. MS. TOKIHIRO: But, again, myimmediate abilitytoimpactthat—it’smorejustIneedtotake thedirective thatI’mgivenandtryandfindwaystomakework. MS. BOND: Make itwork, yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. MS. BOND: Okay, thenwe’llleave italone. Okay. CHR. CABANAS: Okay. MS. BOND: So, “D”—itsays, “The director has”—andthatwascrossed outand “implements”— isthatachange that’sbeingmade. MS. YAMADA: Oh, Ijustforgot totakethatout—I’msorry. MS. BOND: Okay—that’sokay. Justkeeping youhonest there, Glynis. MS. YAMADA: Thankyou. MR. THOMAS: So, ifthere’snochanges, then yougettojustmovethedocument (inaudible). MS. YAMADA: There’san “apostrophe” inthere— MS. BOND: There’san “apostrophe” inthere. MR. THOMAS: Oh, no. MS. BOND: Iknow, wediditagain. MS. TOKIHIRO: AndcanI— MS. BOND: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: —raiseacomment about “A”— MS. BOND: “A?” MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. So, “TheDirector understands herleadership roleandworkswith DHR employees todevelop aclearvisionforthedepartment, withmeasurable goalsandobjectives, consistent withthedepartment’smission.” Page64 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 So, thegoals andobjectives thatweestablish forthedepartment—that’sactuallypartofthe budget process. Andthere’regoals andobjectives thataresetforeachdivision thatwethen reportonsemi-annually andannually aspartofourbudgetreview. So, Idon’tknow—andIguess, it’s—soit’sjustthatit’snotgoingtonecessarily involve, again, allemployees. It’sgoingtobethemanagement team. So, Idon’tknow that— MS. BOND: So, doyouwanttotakeoutthe “withmeasurable goals andobjectives?” MS. TOKIHIRO: No, weactually have those, butit’sjustthat— MS. BOND: Once, again, that’smore ofamanagement response— MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. MS. BOND: —thananall— CHR. CABANAS: Although theemployee should know what thedepartment’smission is. MS. BOND: Mission isdifferent from— CHR. CABANAS: And theyshould— MS. BOND: Mission—oh, Isee. CHR. CABANAS: —no, butthey’reawareofthegoals andobjectives, right, Sommer? MS. TOKIHIRO: Weprovide them withthesemi-annualandannual reports—yes. CHR. CABANAS: Dothey—buttheygettoseethereports when yousubmit ittotheBoard, right? ‘Cause yousaidthatyou distribute thereports orthemeeting minutestothem. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, wedistribute—soGlynis distributes theagenda andthenIdistribute the reportsthatIamproviding every month. CHR. CABANAS: Okay. MS. BOND: Okay. CHR. CABANAS: So, theyseewhen theobjectives aremetornotmet—theyseethatreport, right? MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah—asfarasmyreview? CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah, Ishared someinformation withthem. CHR. CABANAS: Oh, they don’tseethemonthly reports? Page65 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MS. TOKIHIRO: ThatIdosharewiththem. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, sookay. MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: So, they’reawareofthegoals andobjectives— MS. BOND: Okay, yeah, that’sfine—allright. No, that’sgood. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, it’s— MS. BOND: Butthat’ssomething thatwhen we’rereviewing itnext year—well, when wereview it, youcanremindusthat “A” and “C” areprettymuchmore management questions thanthey areoverallquestions. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. And, Iguess, theonlykindofcaveat—theonly part thatI’m—thatis— TheDirector understands herleadership role”—it’sjustthat “andworks withDHR employees”—it’slike “TheDirector understands herleadership roleanddevelops aclear vision forthedepartment, withmeasurable goals andobjectives,”—it’sjustthatifweleave it “works withemployees”—therearesome—thereis—yeah. It’sjustgoingtobelimited more to— MR. THOMAS: You’retalkingaboutcommunicates toemployees thevision withthe department— MS. BOND: —develops aclear—no, Iseewhereyou’resaying. Wetakeout “works withDHR employees to”—sothatitreads, “TheDirector understands herleadership roleanddevelops a clearvision forthedepartment, withmeasurable goals and”—isthatwhat you—isthatbetter? MS. TOKIHIRO: Thatwould beasuggestion justbecause they—wedohave measurable goals andobjectives. Theemployees, everyone isinformed ofthedepartment’smission andwhat thosegoals andobjectives are—it’sjustnoteverybody plays aroleindeveloping thosewiththe team. MS. BOND: Right. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, I’mmore justlimiting itto— MS. BOND: Itputsitmoreonyourshoulders— MR. THOMAS: Ithinkyou’resaying you communicate with theemployees, thevision ofthe department anditsmeasurable goalsand objectives. MS. BOND: (Inaudible.) MR. THOMAS: It’snotinvolving theminadecision process. MS. BOND: No, butwhat we’reasking isdoessheunderstand herrole, anddoesshemakeit cleartouswhattheroleis. Page66 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: And doesshedevelopthatvisionbecause eachDirector hashisorherown management style, priorities— MS. TOKIHIRO: But, also, like, itisalways myintenttokeep the—allofthestaffasinformed as possible. So, that’swhywhentheagendagoesout, I’msending themthereportthatI’m presenting toyoufolks. I’masking themtoreview it. Iencourage themtoreview meeting minutes, sothattheyunderstand thequestions thatI’mbeing asked—andhowI’mresponding ontheir behalf. So, thatengagement, tome, isveryimportant andissomething thatIwanteveryone tobea partof. Thereality isthatwhether ornottheychoose todothat, that’suptothem. CHR. CABANAS: Thenit’sontheirown. MS. TOKIHIRO: And then—butImakethemaware ofwhere allofthatinformation is. And then, therealdirect—themore consistent, direct—likeworking with—iswithmymanagement team. ButIwillshare—andIdon’t—Imean, Gabe, couldsharepriorexperience—thewaythatI handle itisnotnecessarily thewaythat itwashandledunderpriorDirector’sthatIworkedfor, right. CHR. CABANAS: Mm-hmm. MS. BOND: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, Ididn’tknow—actually, untilIdecided thatIwasgoing toapplyforthis position; andIwentback, andIstarted reading allthe minutes inpreparation, sothatIwould understand theprocess. That wasn’tsomething that, like, theDirectors hadtold us, “Here, here’sthe information” or— MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: So, itisdifferent. And, ultimately, Idofeelwhether it’smeorsomebody else—itistheDirector’sresponsibility toestablish goalsandcommunicate withtheemployees. MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MS. BOND: Andyouactually have—there’smore questions laterabout communicating. MS. TOKIHIRO: Mm-hmm. MS. BOND: So, Idon’tthinkweneedtoaddittothisone. MR. THOMAS: (Inaudible.) Page67 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Whatyou’redoing, Sommer, isreally ideal. It’sawin-winforyou, it’swin-win fortheemployee, theentiredepartment—because we’vehadDirector’s, I’veworked under how many—eightDirectors. They havenever, they didnot communicate whattheyshared withthe Board. And, sometimes, there wasoneDirector, thatpersonallowedmetositinontheBoard meetings. IfIdidn’tsitinontheBoard meetings, Iwouldn’tknowwhat’sgoingonintheBoard meetings. So, whatyou’redoingisreallyideal. It’sperfect. Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah, encouraging themto—‘causeI’dlikethem tobeengaged, too— CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: —because then, there are—Imean, like, thegoals areagoodexample of thingsthatcome outofhearings orthingsthatcomeoutofourdiscussions—that, then, I’m coming backtothestaffandgoing, “Okay, goingforwardIwanttodothisbecause Isee that thisisimportant”—andit’s—I’dlikethemtounderstand wherethatcomesfrom, too, right? CHR. CABANAS: Exactly. MS. BOND: Yeah, Imean, sort of, like, thatwhole reclassification thing— MS. TOKIHIRO: Exactly. MS. BOND: —whenthatbecame sucha (inaudible) foryou. MS. TOKIHIRO: Right. MS. BOND: Itwas—thatwassomething thatwasjust— MS. TOKIHIRO: And when I’mcalling ontheteamtohelpprepare togointohearings or whatever—itisimportant thattheyalso understand theperspective andhowthat’sperceived, right. Like, eventhewaythatweprepare forahearing—thekindofinformation thatwe’re presenting—eachone, forme, hasbeen abiglearning opportunity becauseit’sverydifferent to explain something inthecontext ofthisoffice, whereweliveandbreathethis. Butwhen yougointoahearing and you’retrying tomakeitclearorhowpeopleunderstand, that arenotpartofthis—thatchanges—theperspective andtheprep., right? CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MS. BOND: Well, andthen justthenumberoftimes thatyouwere—Ieven say, “I’m confused”—andgobackandexplain. It’slike—itmakes adifference. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. Butyourapproach isgood—it’sateam approach. It’slikesoccer. Soccer—theteamneedstoknowwherethegoalneedstogo—wheretheballneedstogo, to thatgoalarea. Ifthey don’tknowthegoal, thenithasnomeaning astowhatthey’redoing. Andso, Ilikethat. Itreallyprovides meaning whentheyknowhow—whattheircontribution isin theHRworld andwhat they’redoing—whatit—howitimpacts thegoal, theobjective. Ithinkit’s Page68 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 verymeaningful, ‘cause you’renow—everybody’sworking together. It’snotjustonedivision, it’severybody together—gottobesolid. Andso, whenyoucometoanappeal, you’resolidat theappeal hearing. Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Andthese—someofthesegoalsandthethings thatItalktotheteamabout thatcomeoutofourmeetings, like, Classification andPay—thisisalotofworkforthem to accomplish thesetasks. CHR. CABANAS: Oh, yeah MS. BOND: Oh, yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Butit’salso awesome thatIcansay, “This iswhatIwanttodo”—giveitto them. They take itandrunwith it, ‘cause ultimately they’retheones thathave toimplement it; butthenthey comebackandthey’reexcited aboutitbecause it’smeaningful forthem, andthey seewhere they’remakingadifference—andthentheycometomewith, “Oh, well, wealso noticed this, this, andthis—sogoingforward, wewant todothis, this, andthis”—andI’mlike, Exactly.” So, it’sgreatto—forthemtounderstand the “why” andthen getthere—it’sthateffort fromthem because theyseehowimportant itis, anditreallyvalidates theworkthattheydoevery day. I mean, Ithinkeverybody wants tomake meaningful contributions. CHR. CABANAS: Yes. MS. BOND: Yeah, right. MR. THOMAS: Good, good. MS. BOND: Good. CHR. CABANAS: Verygood. Okay, so— MS. YAMADA: Can yourepeat thatlastsentence, again, withthechange. MS. BOND: Okay. “TheDirector understands herleadership roleanddevelops aclearvision forthedepartment, withmeasurable goals andobjectives, consistent with the…”—gotit? CHR. CABANAS: Okay, anyother changes? Otherwise, I’llcallforthemotionto— MS. BOND: Imove weapprove theamendments totheDHRInternal Survey Draft. MR. THOMAS: Second. CHR. CABANAS: Anydiscussion? Ifnot, I’llstartarollcall votewith Ms. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. Page69 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MR. THOMAS: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Threeayes. Motioncarried. NowIneed another motion. MS. BOND: Imove thatweapprove theDHRInternal Surveydraft. MR. THOMAS: Second. CHR. CABANAS: Anydiscussion? Ifnot, I’llstartarollcall votewith Ms. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. MR. THOMAS: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Threeayes. Motioncarried. Okay, wearenowonthe— MS. BOND: HumanResources fiscal—butdidn’tweapprove thisalready—thepurple one? MS. YAMADA: Thisisforthe— MR. THOMAS: This isforthenext—thecurrent— CHR. CABANAS: Thisisfornextyear. MS. YAMADA: Yeah, thisoneisforthissection, ifyouguys want tomake anychanges. CHR. CABANAS: Anychanges. MR. THOMAS: Right. MS. BOND: Butwasn’tthatthesameasthegoldenrod one? MS. YAMADA: No, thatwasSommer’sgoalsuphere. Sommer’sgoals isuphere— CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MS. YAMADA: Butthisisjusttheremaining part. Page70 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: WeapprovedGoal 1, 2, and3—now, istheothergoals—"Financial Management”; “Planning, Prioritizing andOrganizing”; “Problem solving/Decision Making”; and Leadership.” (SEEATT. E.) MR. THOMAS: And those arethesame asthegoldenrod (inaudible). MS. BOND: Those arethesame. MR. THOMAS: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Andwehave thecorrelation withtherespective survey. MS. BOND: Right. MR. THOMAS: Yeah. MS. BOND: Idon’tseeanything thatweneed (inaudible). CHR. CABANAS: Well, wedidn’tdeleteanyquestions, wejustchanged somewording. Ithink it’sallokay. MR. THOMAS: Thepurplewasthesameasthegoldenrod, right? MS. BOND: It’sprettymuchthesame, yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Yes. MR. THOMAS: Yeah. Andweapproved Goals 1, 2, and3’swithaseparate motion earlier, right? MS. BOND: Right. CHR. CABANAS: Yes. MR. THOMAS: Okay. MS. BOND: So, should wemove toapprove the— CHR. CABANAS: Canyoure-phrase it—areyouasking aquestion orareyoudoing amotion? MS. BOND: No, Iwasgoingtodothemotion. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, ‘causeyousaid, “should”— MS. BOND: Oh. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MS. BOND: Okay. Imovethatweapprove theFiscalYearEvaluation for ’26-’27. Page71 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MR. THOMAS: Second. CHR. CABANAS: Thank you. Anydiscussion? Ifnot, I’llstart arollcall votewithMs. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. MR. THOMAS: Yeah—aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Threeayes. Motioncarried. Sorry, I— MS. BOND: That’sokay. CHR. CABANAS: Iwasjustbeingtechnical. MS. BOND: No, that’s—no. Good. Define Target Audience/Survey Participants CHR. CABANAS: Okay, lastly, thebluesheetwillbe defining thetargetaudience forthe surveys. Whowillthesurveysgoto (SEEATT. F). MR. THOMAS: Isthisproposing anychanges? CHR. CABANAS: Well, ifyouwantto. MR. THOMAS: No, Isaid, doesthis— CHR. CABANAS: Oh, no. MR. THOMAS: —whatwedidlastyear? Ithinkitis. CHR. CABANAS: Yes, yeah. MS. BOND: Yeah (inaudible). MR. THOMAS: Okay, that’sfine. MS. BOND: Thisone doesn’tevensay, “Draft” acrossofit. Idon’tseethatthere’sanybody elsewereally need to— MR. THOMAS: Does thiscover it, Sommer? CHR. CABANAS: There’snochanges, right, tothedepartments or— MS. YAMADA: No, Ijustupdated “approximately”—howmany people inthebullets. Page72 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MR. YOSHIMOTO: So, it’ssubject tochange, right—isn’ttheCounty Auditorgoingto, maybe, havetheauthority toappoint ontheCharter? MS. TOKIHIRO: Theyhave to—yeah, it’sgoing tobeaCharter amendment thatwouldhaveto goontheballot. CHR. CABANAS: Oh, Charteramendment. It’snotapproved yet. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah, butpotentially. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah, okay, soitmaychange. MR. YOSHIMOTO: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Butshehasitasan “approximate”— MR. YOSHIMOTO: Approximately—good. MS. BOND: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. MR. YOSHIMOTO: Goodcover. CHR. CABANAS: Verygood. MS. BOND: Yeah. MS. TOKIHIRO: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Good job, Glynis. MS. BOND: Andtheonlyotheroneis—IguesstheManaging Director isnotreally theheadof thedepartment oranything, huh? ‘Cause yougottheMayor here. CHR. CABANAS: Where areyoulooking? MS. BOND: I’msorry, underneath thedepartments andtheagencies. MS. YAMADA: UndertheMayor, includes the Managing Director andDeputy Managing Director. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. MS. BOND: So, theywould bothdoit? MS. YAMADA: Yeah. MS. BOND: Oh, because they’retheassistants and—okay, gotit. Page73 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. So, thisisnottheposition. ThisistheOfficeoftheMayor. MS. BOND: The Office—gotit. Yeah, okay. MR. THOMAS: Officeof—okay. MS. BOND: Clarified. CHR. CABANAS: Okay, any—okay, soIneedamotion toapprove thetargetaudience and survey participants. MS. BOND: Imoveweapprove that. MR. THOMAS: Second. MS. BOND: Youfinished mysentence, soIwaslike— CHR. CABANAS: Okay. Anydiscussion? Ifnot, I’llstartarollcallvotewithMs. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. MR. THOMAS: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Threeayes. Motioncarried. Unfinished Business (Item 8) CHR. CABANAS: Okay, backtotheagenda. Okay, there’sno “Unfinished Business.” Announcements (Item 9) CHR. CABANAS: Arethereany “Announcements?” MR. THOMAS: LetmeaskJ—shouldwemakeanymention ofthefactthatyougaveusa— gavemeanopiniononcontributions topolitical campaigns? MR. YOSHIMOTO: Oh, no, that’snotBoardbusiness. No, we’regood. MR. THOMAS: Okay. Aretheother Board members aware (inaudible) theissue. MR. YOSHIMOTO: Icanshareit. Yeah, that’snotanissue. MS. BOND: Iloverunning anon-profit ‘causethenIcanstay outofitall. MR. YOSHIMOTO: Well, Icanmake—whydon’tIjustmake theannouncement, then. Page74 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 MR. THOMAS: Yeah, Ithink youshould. MR. YOSHIMOTO: Okay. So, asanannouncement, Mr. Thomas asked aquestion about— trying toremember theexact, ‘cause there wereseveralquestions within thequestion. Basically, werethereanyrestrictions inaMeritAppeals Boardmember makingpolitical contributions toacandidate forpoliticaloffice, specifically, theCounty Council. Isthatcorrect? MR. THOMAS: Yeah. MR. YOSHIMOTO: More orless. AndIsaidtherewasn’tanydirectprohibition legally under HRS76-41, Ibelieve itis. Yeah, butthereare—butthere istheEthics Code thatappliestoall officers andemployees. Youfolks areconsidered tobeofficers asbeingapartofthisBoard, andthere maybespecific circumstances inwhichtheEthics Codemight beimplicated or relevant, right. So, inother words, itdepends, right. So—butonitsface—no. Butifthere’sanydistinguishing factpatterns thatrequireattention—askthequestion andwe’llbehappyto (inaudible). MR. THOMAS: Then therewasaseparate question ofwhether anyofthisapplies tospouses, family members, andthings likethat. MR. YOSHIMOTO: Astoyourspecific question, itdoesnot—buttherearesomesituations or circumstances withintheEthics Code whereimmediate familymembers, itdoesapply. So, to your situation—no. MR. THOMAS: Okay. MS. BOND: Yeah, it’soneofmyfavoritethings aboutrunning anon-profit. People askmeto participate—“Ican’tit’sagainst thenon-profitrules.” CHR. CABANAS: So, canwemakeacontribution toacandidate orcannot? MR. YOSHIMOTO: Youcan. There’s, again, nolegalprohibition— CHR. CABANAS: Asacitizen youcan, right? MR. YOSHIMOTO: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Yeah. Okay. MS. BOND: But—yeah, aslongasnofunnybusiness— CHR. CABANAS: Oh, yes, ofcourse not. MS. BOND: —youdon’tendupwitha (inaudible) issue. CHR. CABANAS: Well, okay, we’restillontheagenda. MS. BOND: (Inaudible.) Page75 MeritAppeals Board July23, 2026 CHR. CABANAS: Okay. MS. BOND: Yeah. CHR. CABANAS: Okay. So, anyother “Announcements?” Schedule Next Meeting Date (Item 10) The Merit Appeals Board Will Convene ItsNext Meeting OnFriday, August 28, 2026, At 9:00 A.M., At The Hilo Council Chambers, Hawaii County Building, 25 Aupuni Street, First Floor, Room 1401, Hilo, HI 96720 CHR. CABANAS: Ifnot, thenextmeeting datefortheMerit Appeals BoardwillbeonFriday, August28, 2026, at9a.m., attheHiloCouncil Chambers, Hawaii County Building, 25Aupuni Street, FirstFloor, Room 1401, inHilo, Hawaii. Adjournment (Item 11) CHR. CABANAS: May Ihaveamotion toadjourn today’smeeting? MS. BOND: Somoved. MR. THOMAS: Second. CHR. CABANAS: Thank you. Anydiscussion? Ifnot, I’llstart arollcall votewithMs. Bond. MS. BOND: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Mr. Thomas. MR. THOMAS: Aye. CHR. CABANAS: Ms. Cabanas—aye. Three ayes. Motioncarried. Today’smeeting isadjourned at11:55a.m. Thankyouvery much. Respectfully submitted, Glynis Yamada, Secretary-Reporter APPROVED: Gabriella M. Cabanas, Chair MeritAppeals Board Page76 Page 1 of 2 HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR FISCAL YEAR EVALUATION July 1, 2026 —June 30, 2027 Employee Name: Sommer J.Tokihiro Performance Category Rating Meets or Does Not Meet External Internal Numerical) (Alphabetical) Goal#1: Now that the searchable database has been completed summarizing the qualification requirements for the 759 classes of work in the County of Hawaii compensation plan, working in collaboration with departments, DHR will begin the internal review of class specifications that have not been amended prior to 2000 as its next step toward the goal of ensuring all class specifications are current, reviewed on a regular timeframe, and accurately reflect the scope of work. Goal#2: Develop a searchable database and compile all position descriptions for positions in the County of Hawaii. After the database is completed, working in collaboration with departments, DHR will initiate a review of position descriptions that have not recently been reviewed or redescribed, prioritized as follows: (1)those that have not been amended prior to the year 2000, 2)those that have not been amended from 2000-2010,and (3)those that have not been amended from 2010-2020. This will help ensure position descriptions are current and accurately reflect the class of work and department-specific duties of each position. Goal#3: Develop a County career explorations program called'Imi Ka'Ike, Imi Ka Hana(seek knowledge, explore work)that will provide juniors and seniors with exposure to career opportunities throughout County government. DHR will administer and coordinate the Program and assign interns to participating departments. In partnership with local high schools,the'Imi Ka Ike, 'Imi Ka Hana Program will allow students to earn income while gaining practical, hands-on work experience and developing professional skills while exploring potential career pathways in public service. For students who may not immediately pursue college or who are still deciding on a career direction, this Program will provide an opportunity to build workplace skills, establish professional connections, and gain confidence through meaningful employment experience. Through the program training will also be provided in how to complete a NeoGov profile and submit a job application for a position with the County, as well as prepare for and complete job interviews. Financial Management: Refer to page 2. u f`o ' s:•..st Planning, Prioritizing and Organizing: Refer to page 2..FA.;a "7" 111 Problem Solving/Decision Makin Refer to page 2. s Leadership: Refer to page 2. R July 2026-June 2027 ATT. A Page 2 of 2 HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR FISCAL YEAR EVALUATION July 1, 2026 —June 30, 2027 Employee Name: Sommer J.Tokihiro Performance Category Rating Meets or Does Not Meet External Internal Numerical) (Alphabetical) Goal#1: Refer to page 1. W,v..IMrs"%-RF Goal#2: Refer to page 1. F 5n,,. :. T;AM:;-^ £s If49-ae _.rid_:" " • CsiVrrEaki,,.,4, Goal#3: Refer to page 1. 4A re s ralor t rs€._->::. ,x.€(KE, *„-z Sea Financial Management-C Attentive to financial budgets and controls and generally operates within prescribed financial limits. Budget overruns are infrequent, and causes are normally identified and justified. Implements plans to control cost where possible. Effective in managing fiscal resources. Planning, Prioritizing and Organizing -1,5,6, 8,9;A, B, C, D, G, I, J, L, M Prioritizes assignments satisfactorily to minimize crisis situations;shows foresight to prevent potential problems in developing contingency work plans for short and/or long-range plans; identifies and utilizes resources and personnel effectively develops goals of the department consistent with the mission of the county; proposes and reviews benchmarks to monitor work progress and follows up on assignments. Problem Solving/Decision Making—2,4,7,8,9; C, D, F, G, I,J, L, M Understands issues; identifies and clearly defines problems as they occur; accumulates and analyzes relevant information; uses judgment to select workable solutions to problems'presents alternative solutions when making recommendations; understands ramifications to individual and organization. Leadership—3,5, 6,7,8, 9; B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M Effectively motivates and supports employees in their professional growth and development to meet individual and group goals. Takes action to solve problems. Maintains a good method of sharing information with superiors and subordinates. Fosters and promotes positive customer service and is effective in meeting the customers' needs. Overall Rating _ Meets Expectations _Does Not Meet Expectations Evaluator Signature: July 2026-June 2027 PROPOSED TIMELINE (DRAFT) Merit Appeals Board Human Resources Director - Performance Evaluation Process for FY 26-27 2027 MAB MEETINGS ACTION April 2027 MAB — Possible amendment(s) to the survey questionnaires and/or evaluation form. Draft cover letter from MAB Chair transmitting surveys to target audience to accompany survey. Define target audience/survey participants. May 2027 Distribute surveys to external/line departments and internal/HR employees with deadline for response no later than the end of the month (Friday, May 28, 2026; please note that Monday, May 31 is Memorial Day Holiday)., Proposed email distribution date of Friday, May 21, 2027. June 2027 Secretary-Reporter to extract survey results. Director presents a summary of her goals for FY26-27 and,whether her goals were met or not met. MAB discussion with Director-Aggregated survey responses and any other input received. Q&A Discuss overall rating of"Meets Expectations" or Does Not Meet Expectations" with written notice to follow to the Director. July 2027 Director to identify performance goals to be achieved during the next fiscal year (FY27-28). Establish MAB survey questions for next fiscal year and define target audience/survey participants. ATT. B Fiscal Year 2026-2027 External Survey (Line Departments/Agencies) - DRAFT FY 2026-2027 Annual Performance Evaluation of the Director of HR All surveys through SurveyMonkey will be submitted anonymously for review by the Merit Appeals Board. All responses will be shared with the Director of Human Resources. Please indicate to what extent you agree with the following statements as it pertains to the Director of Human Resources'job performance for Fiscal Year 2026-2027. Please rate the following statements using the scale described below with 5 = Strongly Agree; and 1 = Strongly Disagree.--, 1. Human Resources efficiently assists me in doing my job. O 5 O 4 O 3 O 2 O 1 2. The Human Resources Director works effectively with me and other members of departmental staff. O 5 3 O 4 O 3 O 2 O 1 3. The Human Resources staff,addresses my questions in a timely manner. O 5 O 4 O 3 O 2 0 ATT. C Page 1 of 2 4. Human Resources provides my department with thoroughly detailed recommendations that appropriately addresses my issues/concerns. O 5 O 4 O 3 O 2 O 1 5. Human Resources seeks out and incorporates knowledge of my department goals and priorities through meetings, audits, training, et cetera. O 5 O 4 O 3 0 2 O 1 6. Human Resources adjusts quickly to changing priorities. O 5 O 4 O 3 O 2 r O 1 7. Overall, I am satisfied with the services Human Resources provides. O 5 O 4 O 3 O 2 O 1 8. What does the Director of Human Resources need to do to improve her performance? 9. We welcome suggestions to improve services provided by the Director of Human Resources. Page 2 of 2 DHR Internal Survey - DRAFT FY 2026-2027 Annual Performance Evaluation of the Director of HR All surveys through SurveyMonkey will be submitted anonymously for review by the Merit Appeals Board. All responses will be shared with the Director of Human Resources. Please indicate to what extent you agree with the following statements as it pertains to the Director of Human Resources'job performance for Fiscal Year 2026-2027. Please rate the following statements using the scale described below with 5 = Strongly Agree; and 1 = Strongly Disagree. A. The Director understands her leadership role and works with DHR employees to develop a clear vision for the department, with measurable goals and objectives, consistent with the department's mission. 0 5 N O 4 O 3 O 2 B. The Director demonstrates substantive knowledge regarding the department's programs and services. \ O 5 O 4 O 3 O 2 O 1 C. The Directors annual budget allows the department to effectively conduct its goals and objectives. O 5 O 4 O 3 O 2 O 1 ATT. D Page 1 of 3 D. The Director has implements a professional employee development and training that enhances the knowledge and skills of DHR employees. O 5 O 4 O 3 O 2 O 1 E. The Director instills effective professional behavior and skills. O 5 O 4 O 3 O 2 O 1 F. The Director builds morale among staff and volunteers and sustains a healthy and safe work environment. O 5 O 4 O 2 G. The Director delegates tasks and responsibilities effectively, establishing measurable performance standards for DHR employees. O 5 O 4 O 3 O 2 O 1 H. The Director ensures that timely annual performance reviews are conducted of DHR employees. O 5 O 4 O 3 O 2 O 1 Page 2 of 3 I. The Director encourages staff critical thinking and problem-solving solutions to issues faced in the HR program. O 5 O 4 O 3 O 2 O 1 J. The Director encourages horizontal and vertical organizational communication within the department and with other departments and agencies. O 5 O 4 O 3 x O 2 O 1 K. Overall, I am satisfied as an employee of DHR. 0 5 O 4 O 3 F O 2 O 1 L. What does the,Director of Human Resources need to do to improve her performance? M. We welcome suggestions to improve services provided by the Director of Human Resources. Page 3 of 3 HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR FISCAL YEAR EVALUATION July 1, 2026—June 30, 2027 Employee Name: Sommer J. Tokihiro Performance Category Rating Meets or Does Not Meet External Internal Numerical) (Alphabetical) Goal#1: Goal#2: Goal#3: Financial Management-C Attentive to financial budgets and controls, and generally operates within prescribed financial limits. Budget overruns are infrequent, and causes are normally identified and justified. Implements plans to control cost where \ possible. Effective in managing fiscal resources. Planning, Prioritizing and Organizing -1,5, 6, 8,9; A, B;C, D;G, I, J; L, M Prioritizes assignments satisfactorily to minimize crisis situations; shows foresight to prevent potential.,problems in developing contingency work plans for short and/or long-range plans;\identifies and utilizes resources and personnel effectively-develops goals`of the department consistent with the mission of the,county; proposes and reviews benchmarks to monitor work progress and follows up on assignments. Problem Solving/Decision Making—2,4,7,8, 9; C, D, F, G, I, J, L, M Understands issues; identifies and clearly defines problems as they occur; accumulates and analyzes relevant information; uses judgment to select workable solutions to problems' presents alternative solutions when making recommendations; understands ramifications to individual and organization. Leadership—3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9; B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M Effectively motivates and supports employees in their professional growth and development to meet individual and group goals. Takes action to solve problems. Maintains a good method of sharing information with superiors and subordinates. Fosters and promotes positive customer service and is effective in meeting the customers' needs. Overall Rating _ Meets Expectations _Does Not Meet Expectations Evaluator Signature: July 2026—June 2027 ATT. E Board to Define Target Audience/Survey Participants (2026-2027) Background: The Board determines who the survey will be sent to. 1. Department/Agency heads 2. Department/Agency heads and deputies 3. Department/Agency heads, deputies, and departmental HR Representatives 4. Department/Agency heads, deputies, departmental HR Representatives and Assistants 5. All Department of Human Resources employees: 31 employees including director/deputy director (***Internal survey only) o Approx. 23 Directors/Agency Heads (includes HR) o Approx. 17 Deputy Directors/Assistant Administrators The following departments/agencies do not have a deputy/assistant administrator: Aging, Animal Control, Civil Defense, County Auditor, Information Technology, OSCER) o Approx. 21 HR Representatives (includes HR) o Approx. 26 HR Assistants (includes HR) Approx. 23 County departments/agencies (includes HR) 1. Mayor 2. Aging 3. Animal Control Agency 4. Civil Defense Agency 5. Corporation Counsel 6. County Auditor 7. County Clerk 8. Environmental Management 9. Finance 10. Fire 11. Housing and Community Development 12. Human Resources 13. Information Technology 14. Liquor Control 15. Mass Transit Agency 16. Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity, and Resilience (OSCER) 17. Parks and Recreation 18. Planning 19. Police 20. Prosecuting Attorney 21. Public Works 22. Research and Development 23. Water Supply ATT. F