Maui County Council Seeks Charter Commission Applicants by Feb. 1

The Maui County Council is seeking applications for the 2021-22 Maui County Charter Commission by noon Feb. 1, announced Michael J. Molina, Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee Chair.

A charter amendment approved at last year’s general election requires the mayor to appoint two members and the council to appoint nine members of the 11-member charter commission by March 1. The charter commission is convened for a 16-month term once every 10 years to review and consider proposing revisions to the Maui County Charter — the local government’s constitutional document.

“The charter commission plays a vital role in determining the structure of the local government,” said Molina, whose committee plans to review applications at a Feb. 9. “The charter commission can propose an entirely new county charter, propose piecemeal charter amendments or maintain the status quo.”

The application is available online: http://tiny.cc/s5f8tz. Hard copies of applications also are available at district offices.

Completed applications can be sent to: [email protected]. Applications can also be mailed, faxed or dropped off in a drop box outside the entrance to the County Building or at the council’s district offices by the Feb. 1 deadline.

All applications, except for private contact information, will be part of the public record. Each councilmember will be able to submit a nomination from the pool of candidates, Molina said.

At its Feb. 9 meeting, the committee expects to review a resolution that will include the councilmembers’ nine nominees and, in an exhibit, the names of others in the pool of candidates, he said. If any nominee fails to get a majority vote, a councilmember may make another nomination at the meeting.

“This is a new process to all of us, with a tight deadline,” Molina said. “I appreciate my colleagues and the public making the effort to implement the procedures that were agreed upon on Tuesday morning. I encourage all Lānaʻi, Maui and Molokaʻi residents to consider answering this call to service.”

Potential applicants can familiarize themselves with the charter at http://mauicounty.us/maui-county-charter/.

Members of the public can view the Feb. 9 meeting on Akaku Channel 53 or provide testimony via video conference link or phone number listed on the meeting agenda. For more information on upcoming meeting agendas, please visit MauiCounty.us/agendas.

In addition to receiving testimony by phone or video conference, the council will accept written testimony. For instructions on submitting written testimony, please visit http://mauicounty.us/testify/.