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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOMM. 038 • HOU4I)IVES AND BUSINESSWOMEN OF 41, HAWAII COUNTY CHARTER . • RECOMMENDATIONS March 22, 1979 • 1. That the Council consist of nine members. One member shall be elected from each of the nine districts hereinafter provided. The terms of office of councilmen shall be four years beginning at 12:00 p.m. on the second day of January following their election. That these nine districts be reapportioned following the 1980 census and that until that time the nine councilmen be elected from the present four representative districts with none "at large". That the reapportionment follow the Charter of Honolulu, Section 3-103. 2. That the four-year terms be staggered and set up on the same basis as that which the Constitutional Convention set up. for the Hawaii Senate in 1978. 3. That the Property Tax on any piece of property must not exceed 1% of its assessed value, with• its assessed value not to increase more than 2% per year except that when the property is sold the assessed value goes to fair market value. 4. That there be interim appointments when a Councilman is unable to carry out his duties as a representative to the Council. The Councilman . would appoint his interim appointee. However, if he were incapacitated by serious illness/accident (e.g. stroke) and a doctor's statement verified that he is unable to make the appointment himself, then the Council would make an interim appointment until the affected councilman were able to return to his position. For further information call • Virginia Isbell 323-2565 Box 926 Kealakekua 96750 Su p ni:4iect IQ y It ( 10 ck tau e COMM. NO. . HONOLULU CHARTER Art. 1 ec. 3-105 • ARTICLE III LEGISLATIVE BRANCH • CHAPTER 1 • COUNCIL . • Section 3-101. Legislative Power. The legislative power of the city shall be vested in and exercised by the city council, except as otherwise provided by this charter. • • Section 3-102. Number, Election and Terms of Office of Councilmen. The council shall consist of nine members.One member shall be elected from each of the nine districts hereinafter provided. The terms of office of councilmen shall be four years beginning at twelve o'clock meridian on the second day of January • following their election. Section 3-103. Reapportionment and Reapportionment Years. 1. The year 1973 and every eighth year thereafter shall be reapportionment years. 2. A council reapportionment commission shall be constituted on or before the first day of July of each reapportionment year and whenever reappor- tionment is required by court order. The commission shall consist of nine mem- bers. The presiding officer of the council shall, with the approval of the council. select the members of the commission, no more than a majority of whom shall be from the same political party. The commission shall elect a chairman from among its members. Any • vacancy in the commission shall be filled in the same manner as for an original appointment. The commission shall act by majority vote of its membership and shall establish its own procedures:The members of this commission shall not, in any manner,be deemed officers of the city.The commission and its members shall be subject only to the provisions of this section of the charter. Commission members shall be compensated and reimbursed for their necessary expenses as provided by ordinance. No member of the commission shall be eligible to become a candidate for election to the council in the initial election held under any reapportionment plan adopted by the commission. The city clerk, under the direction of the commission, shall furnish all necessary technical and secretarial services. The council shall appropriate funds to enable the commission to carry out its duties. 3. In effecting reapportionment, the commission shall be guided by the following criteria: (a) No district shall be so drawn as to unduly favor a person or political faction. (b) Districts, insofar as practicable, shall be contiguous and compact. (c) District lines shall,where possible,follow permanent and easily recog- nized features,and,when practicable,shall coincide with census tract boundaries. ' 4. On or before January 2 of the year following appointment, the corn- mission shall file with the city clerk a reapportionment plan, which shall become effective upon filing. 5. Any registered voter may petition the proper-court to compel, by mandamus or otherwise, the appropriate person or persons to perform their duty or to correct any error made in a reapportionment plan, or the court may take such other action to effectuate the purposes of this section_as it may deem appropriate. Any such petition must be filed within forty-five days of the date specified for any duty or within forty-five days after the filing of a reapportion- ment plan. • Case Notes • "Be from"same political party means"belong to";provision not unconstitutionally vague.56 H.519,542 P.2d 1272. E .DISTRICTS . - HAWAII • BASED ON VOTER REGISTRATION AND PRECINTS Should the Charter Commission decide to divide the island, following is a division based on voter registration. with only three precincts-di- vided to allow for one-man-one-vote concept. The continuity of interest is also retained as agricultural areas/tourist areas are separated. District Precinct Voters A 4 3 - 8 4461 North Kona - Puuanahulu to Keauhou yJ, B 4 9 -13 4412 Kealakekua to Pahala 1 1 - 3 C 1 4 - 9 4140 Volcano to Kalapana D 1 10 -11 . 4443 Haehae - Part of Puainako (500 out Precinct 2) 2 1 - 2 E 2 2 5 4288 Remainder Puainako to Keaukaha F 2 6 -10 . 4418 Kapiolani to part of Piihonua (600 out Prec. 10) G 2 10 -14 4613 Remainder of Piihonua - Wainaku H 3 1 - 9 4385 Papaeko - Honokaa (750 out prec. 9) I 3 9 -14 4399 Remainder of Honokaa - Kawaihae - North Kohala 4 1 - 2 and Waimea Dividing the island into nine districts (A thru I) requires that each district have approximately 4417 voters or thereabouts. The above division roughly gives West Hawaii three representatives and East Hawaii six representatives. These districts could be used in the interim until the Federal Census. Information submitted by Kona housewives and businesswomen. • • r, r r Aoci. (Ai 01,1P, H.wcni e e . _ • t \ i „. '� . 1.e " no :, ,, t - in west H . . .. ® } e. dap"`. •- ` N , . 1 t .r"• •r w U r ,4 C I I . ...} r. rc • � �r .... � _; r . . . • At a time when it is obvious to everyone that west Hawaii population vary widely. In the coming Charter political autocracy since taking over the leadership post ' • Hawaii is growing rapidly in both population and tax Commission hearings, the Kona Coast Chamber of in early 1978, so his proposal is not really surprising.It is . base,the two most powerful county politicians have come Commerce, the West Hawaii Committee and other a blatant attempt to muffle the political voice of west • up with proposals that would actually weaken the political community groups from Hawi to Pahala will be expected Hawaii. strength of the area. • to offer convincing statistics to support the appeal forMataysohi's proposal, like so much of his.policy, is • Mayor Matayoshi and Council Chairman Yamashiro more representation.Beyond that,the most authoritative somewhat fuzzy. Nonetheless, the end result of his - have submitted to the Charter Commission recom- 'source for population figures is generally thought to be recommendations, if carried out, would be to damage mendations for reapportioning the County Council that • the federal census (although some Konans would dispute west Hawaii's political capabilities. would, in effect, diminish the already feeble franchise of that claim), so a re-evaluation of Council representationThe mayor proposes a realignment of Council districts , west Hawaii. would seem to be justified after the 1980 census is coin- in the same way suggested by Yamashiro, • using the four Fortunately,Matayoshi and Yamashiro do not have the pleted. legislative districts as Council districts. The mayor also last word on the subject. The U.S. Supreme Court, in its The final suggestion we offer for consideration is that suggests that either two or four additional members be one-man, one-vote rulings, has provided guidelines that Council members be elected for two-year terms rather elected at-large"depending on whether or not you want a would cover the proper apportionment of Council than the current four-year terms. Although this does not seven-or nine-member Council." members. -bear directly on reapportionment,it is closely linked with Either way, east Hawaii comes out stronger than it is ' • • su But even with thesupport of the high court rulings,it is the whole issue of securing a stronger voice for west today. still up to west Hawaii residents to make a solid case Hawaii in the County Council because two-year terms Matayoshi's proposal, unlike Yamashiro's, is indeed before the Charter Commission when it begins public - surprising. Since his re-election in 1976, the mayor has hearings next month. _ In connection with the upcoming hearings, we would • demonstrated an increasing (though not satisfactory) like to make four specific suggestions for public con- _ awareness of west Hawaii's interests, as reflected in the sideration. Editoia 9 larger appropriations he has announced for public works • The first is that all Council members be elected by projects in the area and in several other ways. . district; or, to put it.another way, that the charter It was beginning to appear that Matayoshi was dispense with at-large election. The so-called at-large recognizing that west Hawaii,although not quite capable Council members are invariably elected from Hilo or-its of producing an electable opponent for mayor, can environs, thus giving that area a weight disproportionate would require that all the politicians, including those in nevertheless marshal enough votes to block his own re- to its population. east Hawaii, keep in closer touch with their con- election next year. That is certainly a political reality • The second suggestion is that North Kohala be kept stituencies. Matayoshi must deal with if he intends to remain.in his within the west Hawaii area. This question, of course, A quick look at the Yamashiro and Matayoshi proposals $43,644 job after the 1980 election. should be handled by North Kohala residents, but we will show west Hawaii residents what we are up against. Matayoshi and Yamashiro both see reapportionment as mention it here because of some proposals that would_ evidence is mounting that many west Hawaii residents- Yamashiro wants five Council members elected frorn an important issue before the Charter Commission. The place North Kohala in the same Council district with the existing four legislative districts (presumably, two also regard reapportionment as the central matter before - Hamakua. At one time, when Kohala was a sugar- would come from the Hilo district) and the remaining producing area, the line-up with Hamakua was logical; four to be elected at-large. the commission.- today, however, the interests of North Kohala seem to The switch to legislative districts would have the effect First and foremost,politics is numbers,the vote count: coincide more with those of west Hawaii. of wiping out the seat now held by Moon Sameshima of the more people there are, the more representation they . The third suggestion is that the revised charter provide Kohala.The addition of a fourth"at-large"member(the should get. a mechanism allowing additional representation, along nine-member Council now has three "at-large" mem- West Hawaii — from North Kohala through Waimea v. • the one-man, one-vote guidelines, for any district that bers) would, in effect, give east Hawaii another Council• and the Kona Districts and Ka`u—has been getting more shows a significant population increase after completion member. people(and paying more taxes). of the 1980 federal census. Existing estimates of west Yamashiro has shown a disturbing tendency toward And now it needs more representation.