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Planning department seeks restoration of higher‑level historic‑preservation position; committee restores some but questions remain
Summary
The Department of Planning and Permitting (DPP) requested restoration of a Planner 6 to serve as administrator for the Oahu Historic Preservation Commission; the committee restored two other positions (Planner 4 and Office Assistant 3) but members asked DPP to clarify the interplay among Planner 6, Planner 4 and other staffing lines.
During the budget hearing the Department of Planning and Permitting asked the committee to restore funding for several positions it said were important to core services, including a Planner 6 that serves as the Oahu Historic Preservation Commission administrator.
Director Takeuchi Puna told the committee the Planner 6 had been providing administrative support to the historic preservation commission while currently funded Planner 4 and Office Assistant 3 roles exist in the budget documents. Council members probed whether the new Planner 4 and Office Assistant 3 in the CD2 would substitute for the higher-level Planner 6 and whether the commission would be left without an administrator if the Planner 6 count were removed from land-use permits.
DPP staff said the Planner 6 has been teed (temporarily assigned) to the commission from land-use permits and the Planner 4 and assistant positions would support the commission; restoring the Planner 6 would keep an experienced administrator in place. The committee noted there is time between CD2 and final adoption to resolve position counts and asked DPP to provide a consolidated list and justification of positions so the council could reconcile position levels and funding in the FD1.
The committee restored multiple positions across DPP in the CD2 and signaled a willingness to continue technical changes in the FD1 to ensure departments can hire and operate effectively.
DPP also requested restoration of vehicle replacement funds and other technical items that the committee said could be revisited before final adoption.
