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Neighborhood Commission
NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION
CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU
MINUTES OF REGULAR MEETING
MAY 13, 2003
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS
CALL TO ORDER: Vice Chair Sakamoto called the meeting to order at 6:35 p.m. A quorum was present.
COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Kalene Shim Sakamoto, Roy Wickramaratna, Ed Gall, Pohai Ryan. Margaret Murchie.
COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Benjamin Sanchez, Benjamin Gudoy, Ray Galas, Karen Iwamoto.
STAFF: Benjamin Kama, Dean Chu, Erin Kaichi (City Corporation Counsel).
GUESTS: Tom Heinrich (Manoa Neighborhood Board No. 7), Clifton Takamura (McCully-Moillili Neighborhood Board No. 8), Bob Chung, John Kato (McCully-Moiliili Neighborhood Board No. 8), Jim Corcoran (Kailua Neighborhood Board No. 31), Linda Ure (Maunawili Community Association, Representative Bertha Leong.
INTRODUCTION OF COMMISSIONERS: Vice Chair Sakamoto introduced the commissioners.
Vice Chair Sakamoto deferred the agenda to take New Business item 8.1 Recognitions Received by Commission Honoring 30 Years of Service, after Announcements and Correspondence. There were no objections.
PUBLIC INPUT:
McCULLY-MOILIILI NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD – Takamura reported the following:
- The Board held its last meeting of the current term earlier this month. They recognized students from Royal Elementary School for outstanding academic achievement, and thanked their Mayor’s Office representative for a job well done.
- He continues to work on revising the Board’s petition to redistrict their subdistricts and hopes to have the work completed sometime next year and submitted to the Neighborhood Commission.
- He hopes the revisions the Neighborhood Plan will soon be completed, submitted for public review, and adopted the Commission.
APPROVAL OF REGULAR MEETING MINUTES OF FEBRUARY 11, 2003 – The following correction was made:
Page 3, under New Business, Commissioners’ Workshop on Commission Duties and Responsibilities, the motion should read “…at 6:00 p.m. The motion carried unanimously.
Gall moved and Wickramaranta seconded to approve the minutes as corrected. The motion carried unanimously.
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CORRESPONDENCE:
Murchie moved and Gall seconded to accept and file the correspondence. The motion carried unanimously.
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NEW BUSINESS:
RECOGNITIONS RECEIVED BY COMMISSION HONORING 30 YEARS OF SERVICE -
Representative Bertha Leong provided a brief background on the establishment of the Neighborhood Commission by the City Charter Commission. She presented the Commission with a certificate from the House of Representatives recognizing the Commission and Neighborhood Boards for their 30 years of service.
Vice Chair Sakamoto noted the Commission has also received similar certificates from the Senate, City Council, and a proclamation from Mayor Harris.
The order of the agenda resumed.
COMMISSIONERS’ REPORTS:
CHAIR – Chair Iwamoto was unable to attend the meeting. Vice Chair Sakamoto had no report.
COMMISSION MEMBERS, NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD MEETING OBSERVATIONS:
Commissioner Murchie reported attending a Kahala Community Association, which was attended by some Neighborhood Board members. The topic of the meeting included discussion on the Hunakai Park irrigation project.
Commissioner Wickramaranta reported attending last month’s Makakilo Neighborhood Board meeting and noted that eight of the Board’s nine members were reelected to the 2003-2005 term.
Commissioner Gall reported he will be attending tomorrow’s Palolo Neighborhood Board meeting to present certificates of appreciation to four outgoing Board members.
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY’S REPORT:
Executive Secretary Kama highlighted the following from the written report distributed earlier:
1. The Installation Ceremony for Board members elected to the 2003 – 2005 term is this Saturday, City Hall, 9:30 a.m. The Orientation Meeting for Board members is May 22, Neil Blaisdell Center, 6:30 p.m.
2. The 2003-2005 term for Board members begins this June 1.
3. The Neighborhood Board election results show 392 members were elected, and there have been no challenges to the election. The results have to be certified by the Commission.
4. Bob Chung was thanked for his work as chief monitoring officer for the Neighborhood Board elections.
5. A parliamentary procedure workshop for Board chairs is scheduled for some time in July.
6. Thanks were extended to Commissioners Sakamoto, Gall, Ryan, Iwamoto, and Galas; and Neighborhood Board members who testified at the City Council’s public hearing on the budget, opposing cuts to the Neighborhood Commission’s postage budget.
The Commission has a $65,000 budget for postage, $60,000 for the Board’s. Under the Council’s proposed cut of 50 percent, the Boards would have about $940 per year for either production and mailing of a newsletter to each household in its area, video taping of meetings for broadcast of Olelo, or purchase of space in a newspaper. This amount would be insufficient to fund these items.
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Kama noted that at this time Councilmember Marshall has restored the cuts.
Corcoran, Kaliua Neighborhood Board member, reported his Board passed a resolution opposing the budget cuts, at its last meeting.
Representative Leong commended Commissioner Ryan’s comments at the Council’s hearing, including her taking issue with Councilmembers walking in and out of the hearing. It was noted Charlie Rodgers, chair of the Hawaii Kai Neighborhood Board, expressed similar comments to Ryan’s at the hearing.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
EARL ARAKAKI VS EWA NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD NO. 23, FILED MARCH 21, 2001NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION OFFICE TO SUPPLEMENT THE RECORD TO CLARIFY NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION OFFICE FINDINGS AND DECISION AS TO COMPLAINT ISSUES 3, 4, 5, 6 – Wickramaratna moved and Murchie seconded that in dismissing the Earl Arakaki Complaint, filed March 21, 2001, the Commission was dismissing the remaining complaint issues 3, 4, 5, and 6 based on a finding that the complainant had failed to meet his burden of proof as to the remaining issue 3, 4, 5 and 6. Thus, due to this determination, and the Commission’s previous decision to dismiss complaint issues 1 and 2, the Neighborhood Commission, accordingly dismissed Arakaki’s complaint as to all counts. The motion carried unanimously.
Vice Chair deferred the next agenda item, Neighborhood Plan Revision Update, to be taken up with New Business item, Consideration of Remaining Schedule to Complete the Revised Neighborhood Plan 2003 Drafting and Adopting Process. There were no objections.
NEW BUSINESS:
VERIFICATION OF ELECTION RESULTS/DECLARATION OF CANDIDATES AS ELECTED MEMBERS – A list of the election results was previously distributed. Gall moved and Wickramaranta seconded that the results be certified. The motion carried unanimously.
INSTALLATION CEREMONY, MAY 17, 2003, HONOLULU HALE COURTYARD – Executive Secretary Kama again thanked Bob Chung for his work as chief monitoring officer for the Neighborhood Board elections. Kama reported Vice Chair Sakamoto will represent the Commission in the absence of Chair Iwamoto who is unable to attend the ceremony.
NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN REVISION UPDATE, TO BE TAKEN UP WITH NEW BUSINESS ITEM, CONSIDERATION OF REMAINING SCHEDULE TO COMPLETE THE REVISED NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN 2003 DRAFTING AND ADOPTING PROCESS – Heinrich distributed copies of a draft motion (attached) and reported that he is almost completed the revisions to what will be the Third Draft Revised Neighborhood Plan 2003, and the remainder of the process that includes it being reviewed by the City Corporation Counsel, a Neighborhood Plan Committee on the Third Draft, public review of the Third Draft, public hearings, consideration by the Neighborhood Plan Committee of any additional revisions, and final adoption by the Commission, and signing of the Plan by the Mayor. Heinrich noted it is his goal that the process will be completed by the end of August 2003.
Discussion followed:
1. Corcoran commended Heinrich for his work on the revisions and the Commission for the public input process. He noted that everyone got their say, but did not necessarily get what they wanted incorporated into the revisions.
2. Sakamoto thanked everyone for their work on the Plan over the past 3-1/2 years.
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3. It was suggested that, and the Third Draft will be posted on the Neighborhood Commission web site.
4. Takamura commended Heinrich for his work on the Plan and urged its adoption.
5. Kato commended the work done on the Plan and noted that is should be useful to Board members. He urged adoption of the above motion.
6. Kama thanked Heinrich for his work on the Plan.
7. Heinrich noted that the Third Draft will be as close to its final version as possible when it goes to public hearings. The exact dates of the remainder of the process are yet to be determined, as he has not completed the final revisions.
8. Kagiwara, using the timeline in the motion, noted the public hearings could begin by the end of this August and adopted at the Commission’s regular October meeting. Heinrich suggested a special meeting could be held to adopt the Plan, possibly in September.
The motion carried unanimously.
PRESENTATION BY CORPORATION COUNSEL: POWERS, DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSIONERS – Eric Kaichi, Deputy Corporation Counsel, provided the Commissioners with a reference book that includes portions of the City Charter, Hawaii Revised Statutes, past City Corporation Counsel opinions, etc., for their review.
Heinrich noted that some of this information is incorporated into the Neighborhood Plan.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN - There was nothing additional to report.
BUDGET – Vice Chair Sakamoto noted that the budget appears intact at this time.
ELECTIONS – A written report from Commissioner Gudoy was made available. The information was previously reported under the Executive Secretary’s report.
EVALUATION – No report.
SCHEDULING OF THE NEXT NEIGHBORHOOD COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING – The next meeting is scheduled for June 10, 2003, 6:30 p.m., City Council Chambers.
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND CORRESPONDENCE, CONTINUED:
In response to questions from Commissioner Ryan, Kama reported the following:
- The letter from him to the Ethics Commission is in response to a complaint received.
- The letter from him to Kelly Walsh relating to the Maili Hale Estate project, is his personal support of the project. Ryan questioned that this letter on Neighborhood Commission letterhead, makes it appear to be an endorsement of the project by the Neighborhood Commission, which it is not. Kaichi will review this matter.
- Regarding a letter to Manoa Neighborhood Board member Michael Kliks, it was noted that Klicks was not reelected for the 2003-2005 term.
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ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: None.
ADJOURNMENT: Murchie moved and Wickramaratna seconded that the meeting be adjourned. The motion carried unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 7:45 p.m.
Submitted by,
Dean Chu
Neighborhood Assistant
RESOLUTION REGARDING COMPLETION OF THE REVIEW AND ADOPTION PROCESS FOR THE PROPOSED REVISED NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN 2003.
WHEREAS, the efforts of the Neighborhood Plan Committee begun in 1999 to comprehensively review and revise the Revised Neighborhood Plan 1986 (1998 edition) and the Rules of the Neighborhood Commission, consolidated into the proposed Revised Neighborhood Plan 2003, are nearing completion subsequent to an extensive series of committee meetings and workshops, the latest series being a thorough review of the “Second Draft Revised Neighborhood Plan 2002”; and
WHEREAS, it is the goal of the Neighborhood Plan Committee to soon present the “Third Draft Revised Neighborhood Plan 2003” for public review and comment, and to have the document serve as the basis for the Neighborhood Commission’s consideration as to whether to adopt the proposed Third Draft Revised Neighborhood Plan 2003, subject to amendment by the Neighborhood Commission after further advice of Corporation Counsel and the receiving of public comment at public hearings; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the Neighborhood Commission of the City & County of Honolulu that it plans to complete the review and adoption process for the proposed Revised Neighborhood Plan 2003 as follows:
(1) The Department of the Corporation Counsel will be asked to thoroughly review and comment on the Third Draft Revised Neighborhood Plan 2003 in order to assure conformance of the proposal to any legal requirements and considerations, and to gain tentative approval of the Third Draft RNP 2003 by the Corporation Counsel prior to release for public review and the holding of public hearings;
(2) The Neighborhood Plan Committee will then hold a meeting to “report back” on the Third Draft RNP 2003 document and the revisions made subsequent to the last series of committee workshops and Corporation Counsel review;
(3) The Third Draft RNP 2003 will then be prepared for distribution for public review and comment, with each Neighborhood Board to receive at least one copy of the document and the document to be posted on the Neighborhood Commission Office website;
(4) A set of not less than three public hearings will be scheduled to be held not less than 45 days after distribution of the document;
(5) After completion of the public hearings, the Neighborhood Plan Committee and the Neighborhood Commission will consider whether any revisions may be necessary to the Third Draft RNP 2003, and the Neighborhood Commission will take the necessary steps to be able to take final action on whether to adopt the Third Draft RNP 2003, as may be further amended, as the new Revised Neighborhood Plan for the Neighborhood Board System of the City & County of Honolulu.
(6) If adopted by the Neighborhood Commission, the Revised Neighborhood Plan 2003 will be presented to the Mayor and the City Clerk of the City & County of Honolulu to complete the process for enactment.
ADOPTED by the Neighborhood Commission at its regular meeting on May 13, 2003 by a vote of 5 in favor, none opposed, and no abstentions (5-0-0).
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