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Maui County Council approves pay-scale increase for Office of Council Services after heated debate
Summary
After several hours of debate, the Maui County Council passed a measure changing pay ranges for Office of Council Services staff, approving a substituted amendment that raises base pay by 15% plus step adjustments. The measure drew extensive discussion over transparency, personnel privacy and recruitment for county positions.
The Maui County Council voted to approve a revision to the pay schedule for the Office of Council Services (OCS) on June 6, adopting a substituted version of Bill 49 (CD1 → FD1) that sets a 15% across-the-board increase plus step movements intended to yield additional increases for some positions.
Council members debated the motion for more than two hours as supporters argued the changes were needed to retain and recruit qualified staff in an expensive housing market and opponents warned that making personnel changes subject to public scrutiny would deter applicants and create operational risk.
The council’s substitute amendment preserved a 5% step structure while lowering the across‑the‑board increase from a proposed 20% to 15%. Supporters said the change followed recommendations from the Salary Commission and would bring OCS pay more in line with market rates for lawyers and analysts who otherwise could be recruited away by private employers. Opponents said OCS employees are not elected officials and do not seek public visibility; they cautioned that making salary step changes subject to additional council review would politicize personnel decisions.
Council discussion included multiple requests for clarity about how hires and step changes are calculated. Director of Council Services David Rotz described a salary matrix used at hiring that accounts for relevant work history, education and skills; he said midterm step changes are discretionary and not automatic. First Deputy Corporation Counsel Mimi Desjardins and county staff also explained procedural limits in the charter and county code for handling nominations and salary decisions.
A floor amendment from Member Comma that would have required step increases to come to council for approval passed 5–4; that amendment removed director discretion on step changes for OCS positions. After additional motions and the substitute with the 15% + step structure, the main motion as amended passed on roll call: 6 ayes, 3 noes. The council recorded the main motion as carried and the ordinance substituted into FD1 for the payroll changes.
Council members stressed different priorities: proponents emphasized recruitment and reducing vacancies; opponents emphasized staff privacy and operational efficiency. Several members noted the decision was a compromise from earlier proposals that ranged higher in committee. The council and staff also noted that some benefits and supplemental agreements would need separate administrative or bargaining processes to implement.
The ordinance affects only OCS positions; other county employee groups and collective bargaining units were not altered by this vote. Council members said they will continue, as appropriate, to seek broader pay and benefits reviews across county departments through separate processes.
Votes at a glance: main motion as amended (substitute FD1: 15% + steps) — passed 6 ayes, 3 noes.
What happens next: The ordinance substitution is recorded and the council’s direction will be incorporated into payroll and personnel processes, subject to implementing actions by the director and any applicable administrative steps.
