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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-06-24 Cost of Government Commission Minutes - Unapproved COST OF GOVERNMENT COMMISSION c/o Office of the Corporation Counsel, 101 Aupuni Street, TM; Suite 325, Hilo, Hawaii 96720 o� MINUTES - Unapproved Wednesday, June 24, 2011 — 10:00 a.m. Department of Liquor Control Conference Room 101 Aupuni Street, Suite 230 Hilo, Hawaii 96720 CALL TO ORDER MS. NICHOLSON: Okay, now that Eileen is here, I would like to call the meeting to order. It's 10:03 a.m. Present: Absent: Marilyn Nicholson, Chair Patricia Provalenko Gloria Wong, Vice Chair Bill Takaba, ex-officio Kenneth Armour Glen Matsuda Eileen O'Hara Kathy Garson, Assistant Corporation Counsel Emarie Carvalho Shanell Sarsuelo Sandra Arriola STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC: MS. NICHOLSON: It looks like we have no statements from the public, so may I hear a motion to approve the minutes from the June 8 meeting. MOTION: MS. O'HARA: I so move. MS. WONG: Second. MS. NICHOLSON: Discussion? MS. O'HARA: Page 7, it says, half way through the page, where I say, I think the Council should have a small c just to be instinct. It's supposed to be in sync. That's all. MS. NICHOLSON: Any other discussion on the minutes? Is so, I would like to entertain a motion to approve with that correction. Hairaz'z C'oulio�is ati Equal O��ort�rtizty Provzcler aticl Hrn�loyer MOTION: MR. ARMOUR: So moved. MS. O'HARA: Second. MS. NICHOLSON: All in favor? ACTION ON MOTION: All: Aye MS. NICHOLSON: Any opposed? None. DISCUSSION REGARDING FINAL REPORT: MS. NICHOLSON: This is the shortest agenda we've ever had. Discussion regarding final reports. We have some written comments from both Eileen and Gloria and I noted that Glen and Ken were busy looking at their notes, and I have some notes, so, shall we start from the top? And thank everyone for really taking time to read this one more painful time. MS. GARSON: Madam Chair. Just so you know, what we have on the screen right now is Ms. O'Hara's corrected version only because she made all the okina changes so we wanted to just accept all the okina changes. Right now we have her draft but if something is not accepted we'll just not accept that change. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay, good. Let's go ahead and accept the okina changes throughout the entire report. Is that work for everyone? So as we go through these corrections our pagination may change in the Table of Contents. Does anyone have any corrections on the introduction, page 1? Anyone have any corrections in the first paragraph and items listed 1,2,3,4? MS. WONG: Oh wait. I'm sorry. I had a change. MS. NICHOLSON: Oh you had a change in the Table of Contents. MS. WONG: Well, suggestions. Suggested changes. MS. NICHOLSON: Let's look at the Table of Contents then, and let's not look at page numbers because we know those could change. MS. WONG: Summary, I would like to suggest to add — of the COGS's Recommended Priorities. Do we want to add that or do we not want to add that? It is an Executive Summary but I wanted to point out that we have a 10-point short list, although I did not want to call it a 10-point short list. MS. NICHOLSON: So what are you suggesting it's called — Executive Summary of MS. WONG: The commission's recommended priorities. MS. O'HARA: With the commission's recommended priorities? 2 MS. NICHOLSON: With? MS. WONG: With, I don't care. Which is better? MS. NICHOLSON: With is probably better. Does that work for everybody? And so then would we also then change that as the heading for the Executive Summary? MS. WONG: Yes. MS. NICHOLSON: But you've noted that in your draft? MS. WONG: No. MS. NICHOLSON: We'll remember that one. Next item. MS. WONG: On Part 1, to delete the word Overarching and just use Cost and Revenue Concerns for the County of Hawaii. I like real brief things. MS. O'HARA: Yeah, we could do that. MS. NICHOLSON: So I guess we should talk about whether we want to change those headings in the document too. MS. O'HARA: Oh, absolutely. I think that if we change it in here, we want to change it there. MS. NICHOLSON: So, we're adding some words to the Executive Summary. Is everyone okay with deleting Overarching both in the Table of Contents and then it would also be on page 6. Does that work for everyone? MS. O'HARA: Yes. MS. WONG: Part 1, B, Process and Procedures, I guess I changed it to COGC Strategy of Process and Procedures. I guess I suggested the change because it was a passive and to state it as COGC Strategy of Process and Procedures is to indicate that we had a strategy all along. Yes? No? MS. NICHOLSON: Discussion on that? I find your revision to be a little esoteric. I kind of like the clarity of what we have now. Other discussion? MR. MATSUDA: I'm in favor of how it is now. MS. O'HARA: I would just stick with what we have. MS. WONG: Okay. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay, so we'll not change that in the report or in the Table of Contents. 3 MR. MATSUDA: Followed would be with a small f? MS. O'HARA: Yeah. I was looking at that but all the other sentences have capitals, so let's just leave it. MR. MATSUDA: Yeah it does. MS. WONG: Part 1, C, to change that just to County services instead of Essential Services Provided by the County. My thought on changing that is that although we talked a lot about the essential services, we never really declared what the essential services were, so I'd like to sort of bypass that. MS. O'HARA: But we talked a lot about it. I wouldn't mind changing it to Essential County Services, just the three words. But we did talk about essential services there in that section. MS. NICHOLSON: And actually, I think Eileen's suggestion is even better because we do talk about other counties. So maybe Essential County Services is MS. WONG: Okay. And we bypass the provided. MS. O'HARA: Yeah, yeah, yeah. MR. MATSUDA: Right. MS. NICHOLSON: So that would be changed there and on what is now page 8, heading on page 8. MS. WONG: Part 2, where it says Specific Recommendations, I suggest that it's just to say it as Recommendations. And A and B say what the specifics are. One is county-wide and one is department specific. So just to leave the word specific. MS. NICHOLSON: Everyone all right with Part 2, just to say Recommendations? MS. O'HARA: Absolutely. MR. MATSUDA: Yes. MS. NICHOLSON: That's a good one and also on page 11, it should stay with Recommendations. MS. WONG: Part 2, A, is to change it to County dash wide recommendations and B would be Department dash specific recommendations. MS. O'HARA: I can go with the county-wide dash, but department specific, I just don't see a dash in there. 4 MS. WONG: Okay. I read somewhere in the writing in the text of the document, it was referred to as county dash wide, so to be consistent that's where I came back and went back. MS. O'HARA: County dash wide, that makes sense to me, but not after department. MS. NICHOLSON: I would agree. Does that work for you two? MR. MATSUDA AND MR. ARMOUR: Yes. MS. NICHOLSON: So put a dash between county and wide. That will also be on page 11, but we are leaving department specific as is. Anything else on the Table of Contents? MS. WONG: Not for me. MS. NICHOLSON: I didn't even look at it. MS. O'HARA: I did. The page numbers at the bottom were wrong, but they can be adjusted. The Conclusion and the Appendices. MS. NICHOLSON: Now, moving into the Introduction. We had nothing in the first paragraph and items 1,2,3,4. Let's look at the third paragraph. I think Gloria, you had comments on this one. MS. O'HARA: I did. MR. MATSUDA: Both of you did. MS. WONG: It was changed in the document that got sent out about 11 months from one year to 11 months. A lack of willing and qualified volunteers, I suggested changing the volunteers found the 2010-2011 Cost of Government Commission with only six members. Just changing the word left. MS. O'HARA: A lack of willing and qualified volunteers left? MS. WONG: Yeah. Changing that from left to —A lack of willing and qualified volunteers found the commission with six members. MS. O'HARA: I like left. MS. NICHOLSON: I think left is just a little bit clearer to me, but then I wrote that. MS. O'HARA: I think left is clearer myself. MS. NICHOLSON: So, Glen, Ken? MR. MATSUDA: To me left is fine. MS. WONG: I think I might have brought this up before —Although it is impossible to say how this lack, suggesting to change —Although it is impracticable, something. Because it's possible, it just would be wrong. MS. NICHOLSON: Any feelings on this? Can we think of a better word than impossible? MR. ARMOUR: Difficult? MS. O'HARA: How about, Although it is not possible? We could say although it is difficult. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay, feelings on —we've got not possible and impracticable or difficult. MS. WONG: I would compromise on difficult. MS. NICHOLSON: Does difficult work for everyone? Okay. MS. WONG: The next line — recommendations in this report, I think we changed tense on this. My comment is this we, changes the person from objective to personal, so suggest a change to this report, it did seem to hamper. So take it back into the objective. MS. O'HARA: What are we saying here? MS. WONG: Putting the word we moves it from an objective statement into personal tense. MS. O'HARA: It does, but I found a personal tense in other places. In the Conclusion, we speak of our. MS. WONG: But it moves into. MS. NICHOLSON: I kind of like being personal about it because it just seems a little bit more direct. Your suggested change, what did you say, it did seem to hamper. Is that what you're saying? MS. WONG: Yes, it did seem to hamper. MS. NICHOLSON: I kind of like the personal touch a little better myself. Glen, Ken? MR. ARMOUR: I like this one. MS. NICHOLSON: Eileen, which way do you like? MS. O'HARA: I'm okay with the we. I started to edit that out of the report too, but then saw the other places and I went I think it is better personalized. I'm okay with the way it's worded. 6 MS. NICHOLSON: Gloria, do you feel strongly about this? MS. WONG: No. I don't feel strongly. I just think it reads better, but I don't have a problem if you want to keep it. MS. NICHOLSON: Let's keep it we. Anyone else have other MS. O'HARA: Yes, I do, and I think it shows on the screen. The second paragraph — the Cost of Government Commission is mandated by the County of Hawaii to be convened every four years and for a term of eleven months. I just shortened the sentence. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay, that works for everyone? Anything else, Eileen? Ken, did you have anything on this paragraph? MR. ARMOUR: No. MS. O'HARA: No. And there was in the last long paragraph, there's a comma at the end of the sentence that should be a period. MS. NICHOLSON: Well, we're not on that paragraph. Glen do you have anything on that paragraph? MR. MATSUDA: No. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay, now we're looking at the paragraph that starts, The report itself. MS. O'HARA: Just the punctuation. MS. NICHOLSON: Yeah, I had that one too. So, it's the fourth line from the bottom. So it's a period rather than a comma. Anything else on that paragraph? MS. GARSON: There's County wide so a dash. MS. NICHOLSON: Which we're going to keep. Let's look at the last two bits on this page which is the end of the Introduction. Anyone have anything there? Charging right into Executive Summary which now has a new title. Gloria, from what I have in front of me, you had some changes. MS. WONG: Yes on the second line — recommendations on measures the County, I suggest changing it to MS. O'HARA: I'm sorry, when I see this in writing I thought we were putting in Executive summary with COGC's priority recommendation. It's COGC's recommended priorities. Is that what we meant to say? Isn't it our priority recommendations? MS. WONG: I think I put recommended priorities. MS. O'HARA: Cause these are our recommendations. These are our priority recommendations. It just reads differently to me when you say recommended priorities versus priority recommendations. MS. NICHOLSON: Well we had decided to do recommended priorities in the Table of Contents, which would make it recommended priorities. MS. O'HARA: Okay. I misunderstood. MS. NICHOLSON: But priority recommendations is MS. O'HARA: Is what I would think we were talking about. MS. NICHOLSON: Anyone have any feeling about that otherwise we'll leave it as. MS. WONG: Let me ask, why do you think one is better than the other? MS. O'HARA: Well, we're making recommendations and we have looked at our Executive Summary as providing the priority recommendations of all the many recommendations that we're making here. It's the top 10 list. But when you say recommended priorities — I mean what is a priority for the Cost of Government Commission? It's just kind of nebulous to me. MS. WONG: Oh, I see. MS. O'HARA: But these are our priority recommendations. That's clear to me what we're saying. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay, priority recommendations — does that sit well with everybody? MR. ARMOUR/MR. MATSUDA: Yes. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay, so let's change that both in the Table of Contents. Gloria, are you okay with that? MS. WONG: Yeah. MS. NICHOLSON: The Table of Contents and then the heading for page 2, Executive Summary. Okay, so we're looking at the first paragraph on Executive Summary and Gloria, you were MS. WONG: In the second line — measures the County may well consider adopting. It just seemed to me a little stronger to say it that way. MS. NICHOLSON: So you're adding the word well after may? MS. WONG: Yeah. May seems like, you could if you want to, we might. 8 MS. NICHOLSON: Everybody okay with adding well? MS. O'HARA: Where is this now? MS. WONG: The second line. MS. NICHOLSON: Recommendations on measures the County may well consider. MR. MATSUDA: I'm satisfied the way it is. MS. O'HARA: Me too. The well just confuses me. MS. WONG: Well, I guess part of the point I'm making is that it would be a good, if you put the may well, it would be a good option for them to take action on these priority recommendations. But it's not a big thing. MS. NICHOLSON: Do we have any strong feelings one way or another? MS. O'HARA: I don't think it makes it any clearer what the intention is to add the word well. I understand what you're trying to say, Gloria, and I agree with you, but I'm not sure that just adding the word well is going to really modify it in that way. MS. NICHOLSON: I kind of like may well actually. I think it does add a little bit oomph to it. So, are we okay with may well? MS. O'HARA: I can live with it. MS. WONG: The next line — In this executive summary, we are submitting a short list of priority action items. MR. MATSUDA: So, you just include the word priority? MS. WONG: Right. MS. O'HARA: Not necessarily in order. MS. NICHOLSON: That work for everybody— priority action items? MS. O'HARA: Yes. MS. NICHOLSON: Not necessarily in order. MS. O'HARA: Well, how about not necessarily in order of importance. Cause there is no order to them really. MS. NICHOLSON: I like that — in order of importance. 9 MS. WONG: On my next suggestion, if the former word is changed, then this word, priority order would be changed to superiority order. MS. O'HARA: Oh. No. MS. NICHOLSON: No. I think order of importance is a good way to say it though. MS. WONG: Okay. The next line, just to delete the and/or and just leave it as and County Council. The Mayor and County Council. MS. O'HARA: Yeah. That sounds good. MS. NICHOLSON: Fine with that? MS. GARSON: I think the reason why it was written that way is the County Council, doesn't have the authority in some cases to do some of the things, so they don't need to take any action or they couldn't take action. It's really with the administration. I think that's why you have and/or. MS. O'HARA: I just didn't want to emphasize the division between the two. It kind of reads that way. MS. NICHOLSON: Or to pass it off to the other body to take care of it. MS. GARSON: That was probably why. MS. O'HARA: I understand. That makes sense. MS. NICHOLSON: So, do we want to leave it and/or? Do we want to take out the slash or. MR. MATSUDA: I would take out the or, put just between the Mayor and County Council. I guess they're going to decide who is going to have jurisdiction. MS. WONG: And part of what the Conclusion says is that the approach is that the Mayor and the County Council, and everybody needs to work together. MS. NICHOLSON: So, we're fine with that? We're going to take out the slash or. MS. O'HARA: Yes. MS. NICHOLSON: Anyone else have any other changes to the first paragraph on page 2? Okay, we'll do the recommendations now. Number 1. 1 had some changes. Sometimes we say inspections. Sometimes we say enforcement and we change the order, so just maybe the main statement before the justification, the last line, of Health (as contracted to the County) under and inspection and enforcement division. I just added inspection and. The last sentence under this main statement. Before the justification. Under an inspection and enforcement division. And then under justification, I just made it so we're always saying, inspection and enforcement rather 10 than saying consolidating enforcement and inspection. Seems to me inspection always happens first anyway. So it would say, consolidating inspection and enforcement efforts under one division. Then in the second paragraph, under justification, I actually flipped the first and the second two sentences. So it starts out, There is an apparent lack of coordination between inspectors' observations and enforcement activities. Currently is second, then the next sentence is next. So I didn't change any content. I just flipped the two sentences. It made more sense to me. Anyone else have any other changes under 1? Let's move to 2. Anyone have anything under 2? MS. O'HARA: Yeah, down there, the capital Report needs to just be regular r. MS. NICHOLSON: Get that small r in the report under the Note. Number 3. MS. O'HARA: I have nothing. MS. NICHOLSON: Number 4. MS. GARSON: There is a comma right before and. Eileen's version added a comma. MS. O'HARA: I added a comma. It's, avoid duplication of services within and between County departments comma and to increase the ability of County departments to communicate online. MS. WONG: Did you add the word to? And to? MS. O'HARA: I don't think so. MS. WONG: Cause you said to. MS. O'HARA: Did I just read it wrong? MS. NICHOLSON: And increase. No, she didn't add the word to. The fifth one. I added some language to the fifth one under the justification because I thought that we missed something in our discussions. On the justification, I left the first sentence as is and I added a new sentence. In addition the current system makes if difficult for potential vendors to track and renew their contracts in a timely manner. MS. WONG: You left this alone and MS. NICHOLSON: No, no, no. This first sentence is the same. Change orders and delays in contract processing cost the County money. Then the new sentence is, In addition, the currently system makes it difficult for potential vendors to track and renew their contracts in a timely manner. MR. MATSUDA: I think it explains it better, yes. 11 MS. NICHOLSON: And then I left the third sentence as it is. MS. WONG: To track and renew MS. NICHOLSON: In addition, the current system makes it difficult for potential vendors to track and renew their contracts in a timely manner. MS. O'HARA: That sounds great. I would add something to that sentence. In addition, the current system makes it difficult for potential vendors and the awarding departments to track and blah, blah, blah. MR. MATSUDA: Do we need to put in, in a timely manner? MS. O'HARA: Yeah. MR. MATSUDA: What is a timely manner? MS. O'HARA: Like before the contract deadline. Like get this supplemental out the door before the current one is, yeah. MR. ARMOUR: Is it a conflict there when you say potential vendors and then to renew their contracts? If they're renewing their contracts aren't they already a vendor? MS. O'HARA: Yeah, that's true. It's not potential vendor. Only a vendor that is looking for a supplemental because the way the County issues contracts, often serves contracts, is to do an initial time period which allows for renewals of so many, three year periods. MS. NICHOLSON: So we just want to say for potential and current vendors? MS. O'HARA: I don't know if you need potential in there. I think he's right. It's conflicting. Just vendors. MS. NICHOLSON: And is vendors the right word? MS. O'HARA: That's how the County refers to them, don't they? MS. NICHOLSON: So, does that addition, is that acceptable as it now reads, whatever it says up there? MS. O'HARA: Corporation Counsel, do you see any issues with that language? MS. GARSON: No. It depends on the contract. You ask about vendors. It can be contractor. MS. O'HARA: I was just thinking it had that vendor form, what is? Like V8 or something that everybody has to fill out. It's just kind of a universal term. 12 MS. NICHOLSON: As long as people understand it. Anything else to number 5? Number 6? MR. ARMOUR: I have a comment on 6. In the bold print it says, require all haulers to be current on solid waste bills to reduce delinquencies. And then the next sentence says, Delinquencies can be reduced. Maybe it could be delinquencies can also be reduced. Cause you're saying delinquencies can be reduced, the first sentence. And then you say it can be reduced the second sentence. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay. Is everyone okay with, delinquencies can also be reduced? MR. MATSUDA: How about saying something like, implementing software solutions can reduce or will reduce delinquencies. MS. O'HARA: I like that. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay. So, can you say that in a sentence. MR. MATSUDA: Implementing software solution can reduce delinquencies, may reduce delinquencies. MS. O'HARA: Well, implementing software solutions to coordinate collection of tipping fees at the scale house will help to reduce delinquencies and ensure accounting systems are able to read the data. MR. MATSUDA: That's good. MS. CARVALHO: You have to say it again. MS. O'HARA: Remove delinquencies can also be reduced, and start with implementing software solutions to coordinate collection of tipping fees at the scale house will help to reduce delinquencies and ensure accounting systems are able to read the data. One more thing on number 6. MR. ARMOUR: Excuse me, do you want help in that sentence? Help to ensure MS. O'HARA: I see. It doesn't have to be in there does it? Will reduce. Yeah, it doesn't have to be help —will reduce delinquencies and ensure accounting. At the beginning, the first sentence, number 6, Increase the annual renewal fee to commercial solid waste haulers from the current $25 and require all haulers to be current on their solid waste accounts. Because to be current on solid waste bills, kind of is not real clear what they're talking about. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay. Their solid waste accounts. MS. O'HARA: Yeah. To reduce delinquencies. MR. MATSUDA: Solid waste accounts or bills? 13 MS. NICHOLSON: They probably use an account. MS. O'HARA: Yeah, it is an account. MS. GARSON: They're paying a bill. MS. O'HARA: But to be current on their account. MS. NICHOLSON: We're still on 6. Is there a reason why, in the justification, why we underlined the word only? Do we want it underlined? We don't underline things anywhere else. Did we do it intentionally? I didn't remember. MS. O'HARA: It can be removed. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay, let's take out the underline in the justification. Okay, we're on number 7. 1 have a question on this, and it was Bill that brought it up and he's not here. Is the agriculture use and dedication program, is that a title of a program? If so, agriculture use and dedication should be in caps. And is it multiple programs? I just didn't know anything about this. MS. O'HARA: No, it's a program. MS. NICHOLSON: It's a program. And the s shouldn't be on programs? We're looking at the statement, on the bottom of page 3. MS. O'HARA: Agriculture use and dedication programs, yeah. MS. NICHOLSON: And then, should agriculture and use and dedication be capitalized? Is it the title of the program? MS. GARSON: I don't think so. He's talking about you dedicate your property for ag use and get that. MS. O'HARA: You can find it on the County website. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay. So for now, we'll just take the s off of programs. On the justification, I had some simplification of language. This second sentence, Inspections of properties claiming agricultural use are not occurring on a regular basis and there is a wide interpretation of what constitute, rather than with regard to. MS. O'HARA: Yeah, of what constitutes agricultural. MS. NICHOLSON: And then the next line, In order to qualify for an agricultural use program, the property owners should be required to provide financial documents that show or that shows, some portion of their income. I didn't know what the, at least part was. It shows some portion of their income is derived, etc., etc. Does that work for everyone? MS. O'HARA/M. MATSUDA: Yes. 14 MS. CARVALHO: We're going to change documentation to documents? MS. O'HARA: No. To provide financial documentation that shows that some portion of their income is derived, or will be derived. MS. NICHOLSON: You're taking out at least and putting in shows that. MR. ARMOUR: Going back to wide interpretation, I put in wide range of interpretation. MS. O'HARA: That's a good one. MS. NICHOLSON: There is a wide range of interpretation. So that's the third line down. There is a wide range of interpretation of what constitutes agricultural activity. MS. O'HARA: Yeah. MS. NICHOLSON: Any other changes in the justification? MS. O'HARA: I just want to say I'm looking forward to number 8 when we do capitalize homeowner's real property tax exemption. You may be correct in considering capitals for agricultural use and dedication program. It highlights it in the bold part of number 7. MS. NICHOLSON: So where are you looking at? MS. O'HARA: The statement of number 7. MS. NICHOLSON: I didn't know if that was a proper name of a program. MS. O'HARA: It is. And when I flip the page, I realized that we referred to homeowner's real property tax exemption in cap letters. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay. So we're back on page 3, item 7, we're going to capitalize a in agricultural, u in use and d in dedication. Do we capitalize the p in program? MS. O'HARA: Yes. MS. NICHOLSON: Number 8. Anyone have anything on 8? Number 9? MS. O'HARA: Yeah. I had something for 9. When I read it I realized that each parcel's tax bill, it's implicit that we're talking about real property, but should we just state real property tax bill? MS. NICHOLSON: I think that that's appropriate. So I see you've got it in the major statement and you've got it three times? MS. O'HARA: Yeah. I just added the word real. 15 MS. NICHOLSON: Okay, any other comments on 9? Number 10? Anything on 10? 1 am suggesting that after 10, we put a line and a break so it makes clear that that's the end of those 10 recommendations before we move in to the next section. So just a space and a line, a partial line across. MR. MATSUDA: A line that goes right across the whole page? MS. NICHOLSON: It could go across the whole page, just to sort of show that that's the end of that section. The paragraph starting, As part of, we have comments from both Eileen and Gloria. Eileen, would you like to jump in first? MS. O'HARA: First sentence, queried County departments on the status of efforts to implement department specific recommendations provided by the former Cost of Government Commissions. MS. NICHOLSON: That work for everyone? Second sentence. MS. WONG: I have on the second sentence, it was determined that very little follow through. And I said since at the end of the paragraph, we had follow through with a hyphen, follow through should have a hyphen too. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay. Anything else on that paragraph. Let's go to a through e. Eileen, I see you just corrected titles here of the newspapers. MS. O'HARA: It was the okina. MS. NICHOLSON: So, Gloria. MS. WONG: On a), I changed, suggest changing it to, instead of a presentation of the final document of recommendations, to, The report of the Cost of Government Commission will be conveyed to the Mayor .... MS. NICHOLSON: That sounds good to me. Is that okay with everyone? MS. O'HARA/MR. MATSUDA: Yes. MS. WONG: On b) suggested leaving written so it would be, The final report will be posted online for public view. c) The final report will be submitted to the two major newspapers .... MS. NICHOLSON: Does that work for everyone? MS. WONG: That's all for the, a through e for me. MS. NICHOLSON: Anybody else have anything for a through e? Final paragraph. MS. O'HARA: I knew that the formatting was different. This had multiple spacing where the rest of it was single spacing. So on the outside there, I made the formatting change. I have some more further down. It got transposed incorrectly. The COGC 16 supports the efforts of the Green Team to identify reductions in resource that would lead to cost savings and meet sustainability objectives. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay. MS. WONG: My suggested changes, top of the paragraph, Also as part of its investigative reports, the COGC welcomed a presentation instead of received. We didn't receive that. MS. NICHOLSON: Is welcome okay with everybody? MS. O'HARA: Yes. MS. WONG: A presentation from the County's Green Team as identified by the Green Team's plan. I suggest just adding Green Team's plan instead of the Green Team comma delivering. MS. NICHOLSON: Is it a plan though? It's really a report. MS. O'HARA: It's a report. Can we state it a report? The Green Team's report? MS. WONG: Was it a report? I thought it was a plan that they submitted. MS. NICHOLSON: It was actually a draft. I don't know. But plan seemed a little weird. MS. O'HARA: I referred to it down below as it's draft report, Chapter 6, and I didn't bring that with me so I don't have it to look at the footer on what they call that. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay, maybe we should just leave it as identified by the Green Team as it is since the team in whatever format they expressed it which we're not sure about. Is it wrong to just leave it Green Team? MS. O'HARA: I'm fine with that. I'm okay with leaving it just as identified by the Green Team. MS. NICHOLSON: Anything else on the final paragraph on page 5? MS. WONG: I have here, and I'm not quite sure where I'm suggesting to put it — delivering resources and as such the COGC supports the efforts put forth in their draft report, Chapter 6. MS. O'HARA: I already scratched it. MS. NICHOLSON: So, you're basically rewording that paragraph? Well, the last sentence is redundant to what Gloria has got here. MS. WONG: I think I cut out part of the middle part and picked it up at the last sentence. 17 MS. NICHOLSON: So, you're putting forth this is a recommendation to replace the rest of this? MS. O'HARA: I'm not sure what we're talking about. MS. WONG: I don't know why I changed it but I MS. O'HARA: It's more concise. MS. WONG: It just shortened it and keeping the essence of what was said, but to cut out some of the redundancy. MS. NICHOLSON: So after Green Team and we decided not to put plan, the recommendation is to substitute Gloria's draft language here for what we have. Does that work for everyone? MS. O'HARA: Well not quite. As identified by the Green Team, delivering essential local government services requires significant use of energy and resources. As such, the COGC supports the efforts put forth in the Green Team's draft report, Chapter 6: Priorities for Action, that identifies reductions in resources that will lead to cost savings while meeting the sustainability objectives in County operations. MS. NICHOLSON: That sounds good. MS. CARVALHO: Deleting the last sentence. MS. O'HARA: Yeah, deleting the last sentence. I'll read it for Marilyn. As such, the COGC supports the efforts put forth in the Green Team's Draft Report, Chapter 6: Priorities for Action, that identifies resource use or lead to cost savings while meeting the sustainability objectives in County operations. MS. NICHOLSON: That work for everybody? MS. WONG: That works for me. MS. NICHOLSON: Now on to page 6. MR. ARMOUR: Chapter 6: Priorities for Action, that identifies reductions MS. O'HARA: In resource use. Yeah, I'm sorry. You're right. That will lead to cost savings while meeting the sustainability objectives in County operations. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay. We're on page 6. And I believe we've taken off the word overarching so we're now Cost and Revenue Concerns. MR. MATSUDA: Question. We're on A, right? Are we going to say as a Commission, or Cost of Government Commission or just COGC? MS. NICHOLSON: You're looking at the first line, As a Commission? 18 MR. MATSUDA: Yes, the first line. Are we going to identify commission? MS. NICHOLSON: I think its okay with commission since this is the commission report, unless we want to identify that it's the 2010-2011 commission. I think I find that it's the right use. MS. O'HARA: Yeah. I think it would be understood at this point in the report. MR. MATSUDA: Okay. MS. NICHOLSON: Anything else in the first paragraph? MS. O'HARA: Citizen's is not possessive, I believe. Citizens desire MS. NICHOLSON: I wondered about that. So it's the last sentence. MS. WONG: I think it should be citizen apostrophe s. MS. O'HARA: I'm not a grammar specialist. I looked at it and went something's not right here. The quality of life its citizens MS. WONG: And we discussed this at the very beginning. Because citizens MS. O'HARA: It's a noun verb thing and there's no possession in there. MS. WONG: It is possession. It's our desire. MS. NICHOLSON: I don't know. I thought it looked a little strange. MS. O'HARA: I'm not really sure, but I don't think there's any possession MS. NICHOLSON: Okay. Do we leave it as is or do we take out the apostrophe? MS. WONG: Can you folks ask MS. O'HARA: Well, we're talking in plural — its citizens, that's for sure. MS. WONG: Its citizens, apostrophes. MS. O'HARA: If there's an apostrophe it goes on the outside of the s. But I don't know that there is one. MS. NICHOLSON: We're talking about the citizens desires. MS. O'HARA: Oh come on. Somebody here has to be a grammar expert. MS. WONG: Isn't there one of the executive assistants that has worked for the newspaper that would know this kind of grammar? 9 MR. MATSUDA: Just leave it as it is. MS. NICHOLSON: You know. We can't get hung up on this. MS. O'HARA: Okay. MS. WONG: I think it should be citizens apostrophe. MS. NICHOLSON: If somebody can give a definitive answer we should try to. MS. WONG: I Googled it. MS. O'HARA: That doesn't tell us the definitive answer. I'm sorry. Wikipedia is not correct on that. MS. NICHOLSON: Let's leave it as is until we find out that that's not appropriate. Okay. Second paragraph. MS. CARVALHO: As is MS. O'HARA: With the apostrophe between. No we don't want the apostrophe in, do we? MS. WONG: I want the apostrophe outside the s. MS. NICHOLSON: As it is, is the apostrophe in. MS. O'HARA: I think we need to remove the apostrophe. The question is whether we should put another one in. We should remove the one as is. MS. NICHOLSON: Let's just remove it for the moment. MS. O'HARA: Until somebody brilliant comes up with the answer. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay. Second paragraph? Third paragraph? Fourth paragraph? We're on page 7. First paragraph? MS. O'HARA: Yes. I just removed an indent and I see it's been accepted. MS. NICHOLSON: Yes, you're right. You did that for the second paragraph also. Anything else on the first paragraph? Second paragraph? MR. MATSUDA: I deleted commission. MS. O'HARA: Oh, that's good. MS. NICHOLSON: Oh, that's right. So, the first line on the second paragraph, we're taking out the word commission. And Eileen, you had 20 MS. O'HARA: Again, Various county documents and focused internet research were also helpful. Isn't that a were? MS. NICHOLSON: Yes. It should be a were. Anything else? Okay, we're looking at the Summary of efforts. Anything else in all of page 7? The top of page 8. Part C. Do we have anything in the first paragraph? MS. O'HARA: Okina. Identification of the Essential Services of County Government comma. Is there a comma? I took out the comma. We only have a list of two things so usually you don't put a comma. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay. Everybody fine with taking out that comma? We've got this list. I guess my question was can we take out all these underlines which I know its right out of whatever it was, but I'd like to take out the underlines. MS. O'HARA: Yep, I'm with that. I did that further down in the next paragraph. I would highlight the whole section, 1 to 15 and take out all the underlines. Yeah. That looks much better. MS. NICHOLSON: Anything else on the list of 1 to 15, which is a quote so we actually can't change it anyway. MS. WONG: Honolulu was underlined? MS. NICHOLSON: Yeah, cause you could probably search it. MS. O'HARA: Yeah. They were all hypertext links. MS. WONG: Is it still underlined? MS. O'HARA: No. MS. NICHOLSON: So, you can't change the fact that this is a typo? It says consolidated city-County and city is in lower case and county is in upper. Do we have to leave it the way it is because it's a direct quote, is that it? MS. O'HARA: Yeah. Let's just leave it the way it is. MS. NICHOLSON: We're on page 9 and we've taken out all of that underlining. Anything else at all on page 9 other than the okina? MS. O'HARA: Well, I changed the in-text citation. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay. No objections to that? Leaping to page 10. Anything on page 10? MS. O'HARA: I changed the in-text citation. 21 MS. NICHOLSON: Okay. We're fine with the change in citation on page 10? Ken, is there any reason why we can't just take out the line — this is after the list of the county services, the line that says, One study published online identified the essential County services as da, da, da. It seems really redundant with the next paragraph. It just didn't add anything at all to me. MS. O'HARA: Well, we could just incorporate that with the next paragraph too. It's really not a stand alone paragraph. It's just describing what different studies identified as essential services. So I think it could be merged with the next paragraph. MS. NICHOLSON: Okay, rather than eliminate? MS. O'HARA: Yeah. MS. WONG: Would that be confusing because there is a reference on the second paragraph? MS. NICHOLSON: Oh, because the cite. Yeah, maybe that was from a different MS. O'HARA: Well, then, no, cause it is services provided by the law enforcement and health services. Two other prominent services are economic development and land use planning. Oh, I see. It would be confusing. MS. GARSON: I think that was almost directly from the website, if I'm not mistaken. MS. NICHOLSON: Starting with, These services most commonly provided. So, can we take out just that one single line there? The one study published. MS. O'HARA: Is the, One study that was published online that identified welfare, social and economic development services associated with the website that you list below? MS. WONG: No. MS. O'HARA: Okay, so it's a separate website without a reference. Maybe we should take it out. MS. NICHOLSON: Let's just take it out that one line. Page 11. Anything before you accept the change in cite? And the okina. Anything on the section before we start Part 2? MS. GARSON: Just before you get to that, I was searching online, and it's not an agriculture use program. The code section makes reference to dedications to ag use. It doesn't seem to be like the name of a program per se. MS. O'HARA: Can you go to the Planning website? MS. GARSON: I went into the Tax one. And they have forms for ag use dedication and went to the code, and it has the section on ag use dedications. But it's not a program. 22 MS. O'HARA: It's not a program. So, should we just take out the word program? MS. NICHOLSON: Or should we just take out the caps? MS. GARSON: I just didn't want you to capitalize it. But Ken, I don't know if you had a personal MR. ARMOUR: There's a dedication thing, but I don't know if it's a program. MS. GARSON: Right. I think Bill was calling it a program for lack of anything else but it's not in caps, that's all. MS. O'HARA: So the application is different for the ag use versus the ag dedication? They are two separate things? MR. ARMOUR: Yes. MS. O'HARA: Oh. Then we should leave programs with an s and a small p then. MS. NICHOLSON: We are at the bottom of page 3, number 7, just to locate where we were. So, we're going to leave it as is, and it's still going to say agricultural use and dedication use programs. No caps. MS. O'HARA: No caps? I thought what Kathy was saying was to take the cap off the p cause it's not an actual program. MS. GARSON: No, I think all. MS. O'HARA: You wanted all of them removed? And the s should go back after program. MR. ARMOUR: Dedications were to sign over and you're going to use the land for so long for agriculture. And ag use is just ag use, you start using it and you ask for an exemption MS. NICHOLSON: We had a little bit more than a half an hour so if we need to keep moving. We are on Part 2 — Specific Recommendations. A, anything on MS. GARSON: Part 2, isn't it Recommendations? Part 2 take out specific. MS. NICHOLSON: Anything on A,1,a, 1) through 10)? 1 had on number 9 on page 12, it now says, Consolidate vacation and sick time into personal time off. I just changed a little word in it. It says this would allow employees. So instead of potential impacts, just, this would allow employees more flexibility to schedule personal time off and would reduce abuse of sick time. MS. O'HARA: And since we're going to make a change here, could we change consolidate vacation and sick time into personal leave time? Cause I think that's how it's actually referred to. It's personal leave. 23 MS. NICHOLSON: In private business, it's PTO, it's called personal time off. MS. O'HARA: Okay, let's leave it then. MS. NICHOLSON: So, anything else on 1 through 10? We're now on Reimbursement for Expenses. Under 1, Eliminate on-island meal reimbursements, I added to that sentence — Eliminate on-island meal reimbursements unless work travel requires an overnight stay. So, if a County employee needs to go to Naalehu and spend the night there, I would think that they should get their meals reimbursed. Does that work for everyone? It now says, Eliminate on-island meal reimbursements unless work travel requires an overnight stay. MS. O'HARA: I'm good with that. MS. NICHOLSON: Anything else under b, Reimbursement for Expenses? Anything under c, Travel Policies? D, staff consolidations/eliminations? I just, again, Consolidate the, I inserted inspection and. The third sentence, as contracted to the County into an inspection and enforcement division. So, I added inspection and. Anything else in all of this d section which has 12 items in it? MS. O'HARA: Do we need to do anything to number 9? Is it worded similar to what we have in the MS. NICHOLSON: No, we didn't try to make them worded similar because it would have been a huge thing. That's why we put, See Executive Summary. MS. O'HARA: Okay. That's good. MS. NICHOLSON: We're now on e, page 13, Creation of Positions to Enhance Revenues. Nothing. Okay, 2, Technology Adoption. I have a suggested change to a - Investigate having county employees videotape council and committee meetings, and have these tapes available online cause it looks like we're having the county employees be available. So I added after the word meetings, and have these tapes, which replaced, that would be. MS. O'HARA: Can I say recordings instead of tapes? MS. NICHOLSON: Sure, recordings is fine. MS. O'HARA: And have these recording available online. MS. NICHOLSON: Anything else on Technology Adoption? We're now looking at Contracting Process. At the end of a, there seems to be two periods. And then b, I just inserted the word contract. Review internal processes that are currently in use to reduce change orders, contract renewals. Anything else on 3, Contracting Processes? We're on to 4, Budget Review Process. Anything for 5, Boards and commissions? Anything under 6, Miscellaneous? Part B, which now says, what does it say, we left off specific? 24 MS. O'HARA: No that's fine. We left this as is. MS. WONG: Yeah, we left this as is. MS. NICHOLSON: No, I think we put Department Recommendations. MS. O'HARA: We were debating whether to put a hyphen between it and decided not to. MS. NICHOLSON: Under County Clerk, we just need a period at the end of a. Anything on 2, Environmental Management? Move on to page 15, Finance, under b, including is a small i, starting on the second line in b. And should it be disposal through the county's scrap metal recycling program? Not the counties. We're only talking about this county? I'm looking at Finance b, disposal through the county MS. O'HARA: Yeah, it should be county with a y apostrophe s. MS. NICHOLSON: And not counties. Fire, anything there? Mayor's Office, any changes? Parks and Recreation, any changes? Planning? My copy didn't have a period after adoption at the end of the sentence on a. Under b, the last line I added an s to option. This will save on enforcement fees and provide more affordable housing options for the public. Police, anything under Police? Anything under Public Works, 9? MS. GARSON: A period at the end. MS. NICHOLSON: Real Property? I didn't really understand what we were trying to say with item c under Real Property. Ken, do you have MR. ARMOUR: No, that wasn't one of mine. MS. NICHOLSON: I just didn't know what statement we were trying to make. Review them for what? MR. ARMOUR: That was my question too. That wasn't mine. I think that was MS. O'HARA: Patricia's. And it's something that the County is considering doing is a total review of the property tax base. MR. ARMOUR: But it doesn't tell us what can be done after you do it. MS. NICHOLSON: Yeah. I just read this and I went, so what's the purpose? Why are we recommending this? There was no reason why we're recommending this. I think we should either beef it up by saying why we should do this or we should just take it out. MR. ARMOUR: I think it had to do with what the commercial property is not, people think that commercial property is not taxed high enough compared to the residential. It had something to do with that discussion, but I don't remember the details. So, I'm for taking it out versus leaving it in. 25 MS. NICHOLSON: How do the rest of you feel? Just take out 10,c? Okay, so 10,c, we are removing. MS. WONG: Yes. MS. O'HARA: Yes. Council is doing this on their own anyway, or pushing it. MS. NICHOLSON: 11, Human Resources, anything? Part 3, Conclusion. First paragraph, Why do we have those things on line 2 and 3 and 4 in italics? MS. O'HARA: That's why I changed it too. I couldn't figure it out. I changed it. Not italics. MS. WONG: I think that was mine. And I think I did that to remind myself that I copied it out of the Charter, but it was just to remind myself. MS. NICHOLSON: So we're removing the italics from paragraph 1. Okay, so what else do we have on paragraph 1? Anything else in the first paragraph? MS. O'HARA: Well, there was an okina and that was all accepted. MS. NICHOLSON: Paragraph 2? MS. O'HARA: Yeah, paragraph 2, the quote from Billy Kenoi — new economy, a 21St century knowledge based economy...you need three things. I don't think that needs to be capital —the t. I think it should be a small t. Dot, dot, dot, small t — to create a thriving, vibrant economy. MS. NICHOLSON: So then when we got you at the end of that, is that a capital y? MS. WONG: Let me clarify. I left it as is because I copied this out of the minutes, and I agree it should not be capitalized but those were new sentences in the minutes so I just copied it as is. So, I agree that they should be not be capitalized. MS. NICHOLSON: But then what do we do with you and MS. O'HARA: You should not be capitalized either. This was just talk story. MS. NICHOLSON: Anything else on the second paragraph? Paragraph 3, starting with Councilman Pete Hoffmann. MS. O'HARA: Yeah. I had, Councilman Pete Hoffmann addressed the COGC on January 14, 2011 when he spoke passionately about the importance. And then further down, that sentence, actually, I think that was it. MS. NICHOLSON: Any other suggestions for paragraph 3? Paragraph 4? Paragraph 5, which is the one the starts with, The task of delivering? 26 MS. O'HARA: The third line that begins with cooperation within. Cause right now it says and, yes cooperation in government and between public and private groups. And there is a hyphen in and government. I don't know, that was kind of MS. NICHOLSON: Does within work for everybody? MS. O'HARA: And remove the hyphen. MS. NICHOLSON: That's it. Anything else with that paragraph? Okay. What is now the final paragraph Gloria is suggesting — do you want to translate what you are suggesting. MS. WONG: Yeah. I know that I had asked at the last meeting whether I should add another paragraph to try and culminate the 10 points. I know the answer was no, but just tried anyway. And although I tried to look at the 10 points and come to a paragraph about it, I could not really come to an easy paragraph, but I did this one which sort of taps upon, and it's probably redundant, but tapping upon the paragraph before that says, we, the commissioners encourage and then my follow-up paragraph is to say the collective recommendations have been thoughtfully deliberated upon by the COGC and we expect that the outcome of adopting the recommendations will make a significant start towards changing the way the Hawaii County government will do business by incorporating the voice of it's employees, it's leadership, and its volunteer commissioners who represent the local citizenship to collaborate upon a plan of action. Further we expect innovative collaboration with State and Federal governments and the Union to enhance county efforts. And I know that statement was nowhere in our discussion and it's kind of a bold statement. MS. NICHOLSON: But we do talk about dealing with the union. To me it would be the unions and not a capital u. MS. WONG: And we are especially keen to see the Top 10 action items identified in the Executive Summary implemented this year, 2011, and we look forward to watching for the worthy changes of the next few years which is to kind of say all of us participated, we did the approach and we want to see something happen now. And so submit this as a suggestion and look for comment. MS. NICHOLSON: I like it. I think the very last line about the Top 10 action items identified implemented this year. Well one of them is negotiating with the unions and they've already, they're in the negotiations. So there's no way to implement that this year. So I would be a little concerned about saying implemented, but maybe acted upon this year rather than implemented this year would imply implement if possible would at least get going on it. MS. O'HARA: Can I recommend a change to that? MS. NICHOLSON: Sure. We're in open discussion. 27 MS. O'HARA: We are especially keen, and I haven't used the word keen in forever, we are especially keen to see the priority action items identified in the Executive Summary acted upon during this administration. MS. WONG: What does this administration last for, another few years? MS. O'HARA: We hope that they enact some of these over those next few years. I think it is ambitious to say in 2011. MS. NICHOLSON: I don't know, I like acting upon this year. We're not really saying what this year is. Within the next year? MS. O'HARA: Yeah. Within the next year sounds good. But you know, government doesn't turn on the dime. MS. NICHOLSON: No, but if they're being acted upon. MS. O'HARA: Within the next year sounds good. MS. NICHOLSON: So that sentence now reads, We are especially keen to see the priority action items identified in the Executive Summary acted upon within the next year. MS. O'HARA: And we look forward to watching for the changes that unfold over the next few years. MS. WONG: You don't like worthy? MS. O'HARA: No. Sorry. Time will tell whether they're worthy or not. But we want to see change. And it's nice to end with a sentence that calls for change. MS. NICHOLSON: So and we're looking forward to, what was it? MS. O'HARA: And we look forward to watching for the changes that unfold over the next few years. MS. NICHOLSON: How about meaningful changes? MS. O'HARA: Okay. MS. NICHOLSON: I like something more than physical changes. Meaningful changes? Doe that work? I like your last paragraph. I think it really does pull things together. I think it really adds. MS. WONG: I just couldn't - I tried in so many different ways to just put the ten points together. They're not so easily connected. MS. O'HARA: So, what did we end up with? 28 MS. WONG: Do you want to read it so she can hear it. MS. CARVALHO: The collective recommendations have been thoughtfully deliberated upon by the COGC and we expect that the outcomes of adopting the recommendations will make a significant start toward changing the way the Hawaii County government will do business by incorporating the voices of its employees, its leadership, and its volunteer commissioners who represent the local citizenship to collaborate upon a plan of action. MS. O'HARA: Okay. Stop. Way too long. That's all one sentence? MR. MATSUDA: Yes. MS. O'HARA: Sorry, we've got to chop that in two. MS. NICHOLSON: What's our extra long sentence? MS. O'HARA: The first one is four lines. I think we have to stop after will do business. MS. NICHOLSON: Yeah. Changing the way the Hawaii County government will do business. Yes. MS. CARVALHO: By incorporating the voices of its employees, its leadership, and its volunteer commissioners who represent the local citizenship to collaborate upon a plan of action. Further, we expect innovative collaboration. MS. O'HARA: Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's stop that sentence. By incorporating the voices of its employees, its leadership, and its volunteer commissioners who represent the local citizenship — right now it's just a phrase. It's not a sentence. What we're saying is that we're going to be changing the way we do business by incorporating these voices. MS. WONG: We have modeled collaboration for plan of action. MS. O'HARA: We need to come up with a sentence that's a real sentence for that. MS. WONG: How about let it be long. MS. O'HARA: How about incorporating the voices of its employees, its leadership and its volunteer commissioners who represent the local citizenship has allowed for the new collaboration and a plan of action. MS. NICHOLSON: It really has no inaudible plan. MS. O'HARA: I don't know. I'm just playing with words right now. I'm sorry. I'm trying to find some way to say what we're trying to say cause what we're trying to say is by listening, by this collaboration, we're changing the way government does business. That's what we're trying to say here. 29 MS. NICHOLSON: Well, how about if we start off with by incorporating the voices of its employees, dah, dah, dah, into collective recommendations that have been thoughtfully deliberated. It's still a long sentence but shortens it by a few words. MS. O'HARA: Can you explain what you're saying. MS. NICHOLSON: You want me to explain that? I really like what she has here —the incorporating the voices part. And I want to retain that someway. So, I think we're talking about the report that we put forth. But then, are we talking about the present and the future, both in this? MS. WONG: It has to flow from that paragraph into this paragraph. So if you jump to that part, it doesn't flow. MS. GARSON: What if you split it before the first and, collective recommendations have been thoughtfully deliberated upon by the COGC. A period and start cap b. MS. O'HARA: That works. And I think we need to start that which these collective recommendations have been thoughtfully deliberated upon by the COGC period, so they know that we're referring to everything that comes in before. MS. NICHOLSON: And is that sentence then part of the prior paragraph? MS. O'HARA: No. It's the lead sentence for this. MS. CARVALHO: And you still want the and? MS. O'HARA: Just start out with, we expect that the outcomes of adopting the recommendations will make a significant start toward changing the way the Hawaii County government will do business by incorporating the voices of its employees, its leadership, and its volunteer commissioners who represent the local citizenship to collaborate upon a plan of action. I don't know. To collaborate upon a plan of action kind of dangles out there. MR. MATSUDA: Can we put a period after business? MS. O'HARA: Well, we already tried that. MS. WONG: The collaborate part takes off from Hoffmann's statement approach. MS. GARSON: Do you need the two collaborate? MS. NICHOLSON: Stop at citizenship period. MS. O'HARA: I agree. I would rather do that. It sounds better. MS. NICHOLSON: I know we're loosing the thought there if we drop it. 30 MS. WONG: It's a move towards quicker action, unified action, not just process and policies. MS. NICHOLSON: But we're not really saying that so if we stop, local citizenship period, then maybe the thought about collaborating upon a plan of action is another sentence. MS. O'HARA: Well, how about we incorporate in the first sentence, these collective recommendations have been thoughtfully deliberated upon by the COGC to serve as a plan of action for the County. MS. WONG: I'm okay with that. And then leave that second sentence and stop it at citizenship? MS. O'HARA: Yeah. MS. WONG: I'm okay with that. MS. NICHOLSON: Yeah. That's good. MS. GARSON: To serve as a plan of action MS. O'HARA: To serve as a plan of action for the County. We expect that the outcomes of adopting recommendations will make a significant start which changing the way Hawaii County government will do business by incorporating the voices of its employees, its leadership, and its volunteer commissioners who represent the local citizenship. Further, we expect innovative collaboration with State and Federal governments and the unions to enhance the County efforts. We are especially keen to see the priority action items identified in the Executive Summary acted upon within the next year. And we look forward to watching the meaningful changes that enfold over the next few years. Do we want to start that last sentence with a capital and? MS. NICHOLSON: No. Just we look forward to. MS. O'HARA: I think that's it. MS. NICHOLSON: Anything else with the Appendices? MS. O'HARA: I shaped them up to be a list. Those were the three things that we're providing, right? MS. GARSON: There's something wrong with the size of that. MS. NICHOLSON: Well, the heading is a different size from others in the report. MS. O'HARA: Yeah, it is not the same size. It should be consistent. MS. NICHOLSON: It should be smaller but in bold. 31 MR. ARMOUR: Does the last sentence make sense? Letters sent to departments following up on last year. MS. O'HARA: Yeah. That was the letter sent to the departments following up on the previous commissions. MR. ARMOUR: So, does the last appendix make sense? MS. O'HARA: No. Following up on the previous commission's recommendations. That's what it was. MS. NICHOLSON: So letter sent to departments following up on the previous COGC's recommendations. MS. NICHOLSON: Anything else? We now need to approve the reports. We now need to approve the report that we have just finished. MS. GARSON: Shanell said we actually haven't attached the sample follow up letter. MS. O'HARA: I thought you said you wanted to add each of the five or six letters that we sent out to the departments cause they were each different. MS. NICHOLSON: Yeah. On the agenda we have the letters attached. Sample letter to council members is the first one. Sample letters to boards and commissions, and then sample letter to department heads. MS. O'HARA: But what is missing is MS. NICHOLSON: The follow up letters. MS. O'HARA: Yeah. The letters that we sent out for follow up, and that went out to something like six departments or something. MS. NICHOLSON: And what's missing from what was on the agenda was - oh there's the Notice to Employees. It's the very last one. They're just out of order. So missing from the list MS. GARSON: So just clarify, that's what you want to do? The exact letters that was sent to the departments to follow up. MS. O'HARA: Yeah. Those letters that was sent out. It listed everything from the previous commissions. It listed the recommendations. And I think we only sent out like six of them. MS. NICHOLSON: But the letter that's attached to the agenda are in a different order from the ones, the way MS. GARSON: We'll reorder it. And maybe actually the way that number 2 is combined we should separate it out. 32 MS. NICHOLSON: Two separate letters. MS. GARSON: It's three actually. Department heads, boards and commissions and council are the three. We're just going to separate them out. MS. O'HARA: Yeah, okay. And then the letters sent to the departments regarding follow up to the previous commission's recommendations. MS. WONG: I have a question, on the front it has the commission members, and don't we have the staff recognized anywhere in the document? MS. NICHOLSON: We asked and they said no. Either they don't want to be recognized or they're being modest, and I'm not sure which one it is. Now we need to approve the report. We're back to the agenda, item 4B. We need to approve the report that we have just gone through. MOTION: MS. WONG: I move that the report be approved as amended. MR. MATSUDA: Second. MS. NICHOLSON: All in favor? ACTION ON MOTION: All: Aye MS. NICHOLSON: No opposed? MS. GARSON: Okay, congratulations. Can we just speak logistics. We're mandated to send, you're mandated to send a copy to the Council and to the Mayor. So we can send the bound copy. There was some discussion earlier about sending it out to the press. MS. NICHOLSON: It's actually in the report. MS. GARSON: It's just going to be like the report. Does the chair want to come in a sign a transmittal memo? MS. NICHOLSON: I certainly can. I can do that. MS. GARSON: Then the chair will see its final disbursement. MS. NICHOLSON: Yes. MS. GARSON: So she can take a look at the final plan. Thank you. MS. O'HARA: Right. And we trust Marilyn will do that. 33 ADJOURNMENT: MS. NICHOLSON: Okay. With that, I move we adjourn. (Adjourned at 11:50 a.m.) Respectfully submitted, chnAA 7A"'2 Sandra Arriola 34