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County Council Overrides Mayor, Requires Transfer Stations Open At Least Two Days a Week
Summary
After public pressure over limited service in some communities, the Hawaii County Council voted 6–3 on Aug. 7 to override the mayor's veto and adopt Bill 140, requiring solid-waste transfer stations to be open to the public at least two days per week. The administration had cited separation-of-powers and operational concerns.
The Hawaii County Council voted 6–3 on Aug. 7 to override Mayor's veto of Bill 140 and require that county solid-waste transfer stations be open to the public at least two days per week.
Council member Kerkwitz, who led the push to restore expanded service to communities that had seen cutbacks, said the measure was necessary to address what she called a "long standing inequity" in access to waste disposal. During debate, the managing director, appearing for the administration, said the mayor vetoed the bill because "it oversteps, on the separation of powers issue" and urged caution about directing operational details from code. Corporation Counsel Elizabeth Strantz urged the council to undertake a careful separation-of-powers and unfunded-mandate analysis before finalizing operational requirements.
Supporters argued the change restored service after community complaints. "There's no fiscal strain here," Council member Kerkwitz said during debate as she pointed to departmental fund balance and the department's ability to reallocate resources. Opponents warned the ordinance could improperly direct day-to-day operations that the charter assigns to the department. The vote was recorded as 6 in favor and 3 opposed; council minutes list Galimba, Connolly Kleinfelder and Chair Campbell among those opposed.
The council's action follows months of testimony from residents and council members pressing for more regular hours at remote transfer stations. The managing director told the council the administration had moved quickly to add a second service day at the transfer station in question after earlier hearings but reiterated concerns about placing operational control in ordinance language.
The override puts the new requirement into effect unless further legal challenge or implementing rules are adopted by the administration to specify how the standard will be met.
