Maui Charter Commission holding public meeting Feb. 3 on updated draft report

The Maui Charter Commission is holding a virtual public meeting Feb. 3 at 9 a.m. to hear public testimony about revisions to the draft report, which has 40 proposed amendments to the County Charter that are under consideration for the November 2022 ballot.

Last week the Charter Commission heard public testimony and public officialsʻ comments about the original draft report, dated Jan. 18, 2022.

Charter commissioners also received a memo from the commission’s legal counsel detailing proposals that “raise serious legal, practical or other issues.”

To read the revised charter commission draft report that took into account the public comment and concerns outlined in the memo, click here.

A follow-up meeting is planned for Monday, Feb. 7 at 9 a.m. The deadline for submission of the final report to the County Council is Feb. 18. 

At last weekʻs two meetings, public comments about the draft report ranged from enthusiastic support of the proposals to vigorous criticism, and all points in between, according to a press release from the Charter Commission.

Many people from the community offered suggestions and compromises.  Many sought increased transparency and accountability in County government, while at the same time, other residents saw no need for any changes. 

Additionally, commissioners were urged to consider cost to the taxpayers.  Broad public support was received for Proposal 21, which calls for dividing the Department of Housing and Human Concerns into separate departments.

After reviewing public testimony and other correspondence received last week, the Charter Commission will consider the following revisions to its draft report at Thursday’s meeting:

• Eliminating seven proposals already addressed elsewhere or having minimal effect (Proposals 2, 6, 9, 10, 20, 36 and 40)

• Extending effective dates for several proposals requiring long lead time for implementation (Proposals 4, 7, 11, 12, 15, 21, 22, 26, 27, 29, 30, 33, 34 and 35)

• Clarifying language in Proposals 1 – Council Elections and Reapportionment; 7 – County Clerk; and 39 – Police Commission

• Changing Proposal 28 –  Ethics to require a financial disclosure filing date of Feb. 15 instead of Jan. 1

• Addressing a variety of proposals that appear incomplete or create conflicts with other provisions in the charter

The charter update occurs once every 10 years. Meeting agendas, approved proposals, written testimony, and other documents are available to the public on the Charter Commission website,  http://www.mauicounty.gov/CharterCommission.  

At the virtual meetings due to COVID-19 restrictions, the public can provide testimony to the commissioners via video.

The public is encouraged to send written testimony via email to  Charter.Commission@mauicounty.gov. To ensure timely distribution to the commissioners, written testimony should be submitted at least two business days prior to the meetings. 

For more information and to join Maui Charter Commission meetings via BlueJeans follow the link on the Commission website http://www.mauicounty.gov/CharterCommission.