Maui County’s population is spread over three islands, and a proposed charter amendment would make it easier to reimburse travel expenses for county department heads and their deputies who live on Molokai and Lanai.

Right now those reimbursements have to be approved by the Maui County Salary Commission because of a glitch in the wording of the county charter, said County Council member Keani Rawlins-Fernandez, adding the expenses should instead be approved by the county administration.

She proposed a fix in a charter amendment that voters will find on their general election ballot.

“The charter amendment is to recognize that our county consists of more than one island, and to provide equity to those that do not live on Maui to serve in leadership positions in county government,” Rawlins-Fernandez said.

The amendment would clarify that the Salary Commission determines only the “salaries” of top county officials, not the “compensation,” which includes benefits such as travel reimbursement.

It was only after Rogerene Arce, a Native Hawaiian homesteader from Hoolehua on Molokai, was appointed to be the director of the Maui Department of Agriculture that the issue came up.

Rawlins-Fernandez said when she tried to fund airfare for Arce — who was paying for her travels — she was told the Salary Commission had to approve it first, even though the council had supported a $15,000 travel expense fund in the budget.

“Sometimes it takes a problem to challenge the system,” Rawlins-Fernandez said, adding that that charter wording inadvertently gave the Salary Commission more authority than it should have had.

“Our commission is called the Salary Commission, not the Compensation Commission,” Rawlins-Fernandez said. “With this charter amendment, it just makes it consistent. It makes the kuleana (responsibility) consistent with the intention and the name of the commission.”

A one-way airline ticket from Maui to Molokai ranges from $75 to $124, and to Lanai from $49 to $99. A one-way ferry ticket to Lanai is $30 (service members, children and travel professionals get discounts).

“It becomes cost-prohibitive for residents of Molokai to serve in these positions, and our residents have a lot to offer,” said Rawlins-Fernandez.

The Maui County Salary Commission is the legal authority that sets the pay of elected officials, appointed department directors and deputies, according to the Maui Charter.

The amendment proposal was put on the general election ballot through a resolution introduced by Rawlins-Fernandez — who holds the council’s seat for Molokai residency — and unanimously approved by the council July 5.

If approved, the amendment would take effect immediately. She said there is already money allocated in the budget to cover travel expenses.

But reimbursement would not be automatic, Rawlins-Fernandez said. The authority for such decisions would fall to the county administration and ultimately to County Council members, since they adopt the administration’s budget.

Despite “elected officials” being included in the proposed amendment, in practice it would not change much for council members representing Molokai and Lanai. Because the charter requires them to reside in the district they represent, their travel and lodging expenses are already covered under the budget, Rawlins-Fernandez said.

The question on the ballot is, “Shall the Charter be amended to require the Salary Commission to determine ‘salaries’ instead of ‘compensation’ for elected officials and appointed directors and deputy directors to maintain consistency with the Constitution of the State of Hawaii and remove fiscal barriers to create equity through benefits such as reimbursement of travel costs?”

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by a grant from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.