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Hawaii County public works presents new standard operating procedures for highways division after audit
Summary
Acting Director Neil Azevedo and consultant Andrea Brinkley presented a 50-SOP manual for the highways division, developed after an audit. The package expands existing procedures to include administration, safety, drainage, vegetation control and work-order workflow to improve consistency and asset tracking.
HILO, Hawaii — Hawaii County Public Works presented a new Standard Operating Procedures manual for the highways division on Sept. 2, telling the Communication Reports and Council Oversight Committee the package expands existing guidance to 50 SOPs and aims to improve consistency, documentation and asset management across six districts.
Acting Director Neil Azevedo introduced consultant Andrea Brinkley, who led the process to gather staff input, map workflows and align the manual with American Public Works Association best practices. Brinkley said the project produced 50 SOPs (an increase of 40 over prior material) and achieved an over 80% response rate on a staff survey used to identify needs.
Highlights included a work-order workflow that ties labor, equipment and materials to assets; a dedicated SOP on right-of-way vegetation management that balances mowing, mechanical methods and herbicide application with safety protocols and community notification; and sections on emergency operations, stormwater and bridge and trail maintenance. Brinkley said the manual is designed to be a living document and that implementation will include training and posters at base yards.
Acting Director Azevedo and staff members present said the SOPs reflect earlier audit recommendations and that the department will use the manual as a foundation for improved inventory control, inspection scheduling and more consistent district-level practices. Business Manager Kelsey Kalua Luis said the SOPs focus specifically on the highways division and that cross-department project prioritization (for capital improvements or administration-level decisions) remains a broader county-level process.
The committee voted to close the file on Communication 446 after the presentation.
Next steps: The department plans division-wide briefings, training sessions and use of work-order software to document asset conditions and build the data needed to prioritize maintenance and capital projects.
