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THE HAWAII COUNTY CHARTER
The first Hawaii County Charter, authorized by state law, was
adopted by Hawaii Island voters in 1968. This document has since
served as the "constitution" of Hawaii County, providing the
structural framework for the organization and operation of county
government.
THE CHARTER ORGANIZES COUNTY GOVERNMENT AS FOLLOWS:
THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH, headed by the Mayor who
oversees County departments such as Finance, Public
Works and Fire. The Executive Branch is responsible
for the administration of county laws. THE
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH consists of the County Council
and its support offices. The Council is responsible
for passing legislation and formulating public
policy as distinct from administering county
government.
THE PROSECUTING ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, headed by our
elected Prosecuting Attorney who prosecutes persons
for offenses against the laws of the State and
County.
THERE ARE THREE WAYS TO INITIATE CHARTER CHANGES (AMENDMENTS):
1. By ordinance passed by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the
entire County Council.
2. By submittal of a petition to the Council from 20% of the
registered voters.
3. By a Charter Commission which must be appointed by the Mayor to
review the Charter every ten years.
In all cases, county voters must vote to approve the amendments.
1999-2000 CHARTER REVIEW
This year is the third ten-year review of our County Charter. The
Mayor has appointed an 11 member Commission which is beginning the
review process. The Commission is seeking input from County
agencies and any interested citizen or organization.
In order to encourage participation, all meetings are announced in
our Hilo and Kona newspapers and are open to the public.
The Commission plans to hold meetings for the remainder of 1999 and
early 2000, after which proposed amendments will be acted upon by
the voters in an election in the year 2000.
SAMPLE OF AMENDMENTS PREVIOUSLY PROPOSED AND PASSED:
Create 9 single-member council districts, reducing terms from 4
to 2 years
Term limits for Council: 4 consecutive 2 year terms
Recall of elected officials
Centralized purchasing
Confirmation of department heads by County Council
Changes to County budgeting procedures
Changes to Initiative and Referendum
Establish minimum qualifications for Finance, Planning, and
Managing Directors and for the Fire Chief
The previous two Charter Review Commissions recommended 31
amendments, 25 of them approved by the voters.
Copies of the County Charter are available in the County Council
office in Hilo and the Mayor’s office in Kona.
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