A handful of Honolulu councilmembers have introduced resolutions to let voters decide how the commission operates.
The commission is in the process of making next year’s salary recommendations for top positions in the City and County of Honolulu. It needs to make its final recommendations by May 1.
The resolutions come a year after the commission gave a controversial 64% raise to councilmembers. The salary commission has said that the raise follows and makes up for years of stagnant pay for councilmembers.
It said the raises were based on the salaries of other city employees with similar jobs.
“It has become a political issue. … 19 of the last 33 times the commission has brought up (salary recommendations), for one reason or another, the council rejected it. In many ways it’s due to the fact that maybe they were in an election year or some other reason, but because of that the discrepancy (in pay) was so vast,” said councilmember Val Okimoto.
They differ slightly, but the council could ask voters if they would want to limit the terms of salary commissioners and the raises they could give city positions.
One of the resolutions, introduced by Okimoto, would limit commissioners to be reappointed to one five-year term. There is currently no limit to how many times a commissioner can be reappointed. Her measure and councilmember Matt Weyer’s measure would also remove the council and the city’s mayor from being able to amend or reject the commission’s salary recommendations.
Councilmember Augie Tulba wants to limit raises to 10%, while councilmember Andria Tupola’s measure would limit commission raises to 5%. Weyer wants an even smaller raise limit, at 3.5%.
Tupola’s resolution and a separate measure by council chair Tommy Waters would have salary commission recommendations come every two years, instead of annually.
Tupola and Tulba co-introduced another resolution that would give the public more opportunity to testify on or listen to salary discussions. Another measure the duo introduced would allow a majority vote by the council to reject the salary commission’s recommendations. Currently, the council can only reject those recommendations if three-quarters of the council votes against them.
Testifier Natalie Iwasa said the council’s involvement in its own salary recommendations needs to change first.
“Currently, as you know, you and the mayor appoint all the commissioners, and there is no prohibition from appointing people who have relationships with you or the mayor. It's not good for public policy when you have friends or people that you know on the commission who may feel favorable to giving you increases,” she told the city council.
The resolutions moved on this week so that the council and the public can discuss any changes needed for the salary commission. Approved changes would be voted on by residents in the upcoming election.
