Committee weighs charter change to broaden qualifications for Hawaii County public works director; action postponed

The County Council Committee on Government Operations and External Affairs debated a proposed charter amendment, Bill 64, that would remove the requirement that the Hawaii County director of public works be a licensed professional engineer and replace it instead with a bachelor's degree in engineering, architecture, public administration or a related field (or a law degree) plus managerial experience.

The proposal, introduced by Councilmember James Inaba, drew extensive public testimony and a lengthy committee discussion about whether technical engineering licensure or managerial experience should be the controlling qualification for the department head. The committee ultimately voted to postpone further action on the charter amendment to the committee meeting on July 8, 2025.

Proponents and opponents made contrasting arguments about public safety, hiring practicality and departmental leadership. Several licensed engineers urged the committee not to remove the PE requirement, saying specific decisions affecting health and safety require licensed engineering judgment. Curtis Beck, introduced himself as a licensed professional engineer and said he was "opposed to Bill 64 as currently written," asking the committee to hold the measure while engineers' amendments are considered. "Please therefore hold off moving Bill 64 forward until you have a chance to consider these amendments. Mahalo," Beck told members.

Other testifiers and stakeholders urged broader hiring options. Doug Adams, a former chair of the 2018 charter commission, said the amendment would enlarge the pool of candidates and that the county has struggled to fill the director post. Floyd Eaglin, a resident, said the director's central role is managing diverse divisions and favored widening candidate eligibility. Stephanie Bath testified in support of the change, saying departments can retain technical expertise through on‑staff engineers without restricting the director's academic or managerial background.

Administration officials told the committee removing the requirement could help recruit a director. William (first name recorded inconsistently in the transcript), identified by the administration as the managing director, said the county had struggled repeatedly to fill the public works director slot and that the PE requirement had narrowed the applicant pool. He noted Maui and Kauai have changed similar requirements and said vetting and the public confirmation process would remain if the charter amendment were adopted.

Committee members pressed several related points: whether certain division chiefs (for example, engineering or building) should keep licensure requirements; whether the charter change would conflict with Hawaii Revised Statutes §46‑4 (the statute managing county public works authority); whether the director might be constrained by document‑stamping or other functions that require licensed professionals; and whether reorganization or other hiring structures (for example, a longer‑term appointed director or a split department) would address the county's needs without changing licensure requirements.

Councilmember Kerkowitz said she supported expanding the candidate pool but wanted safeguards to preserve engineering oversight in areas that directly affect public safety. Councilmember Kimball urged more time for committee consideration and suggested exploring alternative approaches such as departmental reorganization or different appointment mechanisms.

Action and next steps

The committee considered a motion to forward Bill 64 to the full council with a favorable recommendation but did not finalize such a referral. Instead, after debate and proposals for amendments and alternative approaches, the committee voted to postpone further action on Bill 64 to the committee meeting on July 8, 2025. The clerk recorded the final postponement vote as 8 ayes, 0 noes, 1 absent; the absent member was recorded but not named on the transcript excerpt.

Because the proposal is a charter amendment, committee members noted it would require additional committee hearings and, if advanced, voter approval before taking effect.

Why it matters

The director of public works oversees multiple divisions charged with infrastructure, building and highway maintenance. Council and public testimony emphasized the tradeoffs between guaranteeing technical engineering oversight for decisions that affect public health and safety and making the director's vacancy easier to fill so the department can function effectively. The committee postponed the measure to allow more drafting and stakeholder work on potential amendments and alternatives before deciding whether to send the amendment to the ballot.