Council is seeking applicants for new Charter Commission

The Maui County Council is seeking applications for the 2021-22 Maui County Charter Commission by noon Feb. 1.

A charter amendment approved in last year’s general election requires the mayor to appoint two and the council to appoint nine of the 11-member charter commission by March 1. The charter commission convenes for 16 months every 10 years to review and consider revisions to the Maui County Charter — the local government’s constitutional document.

“The charter commission can propose an entirely new county charter, propose piecemeal charter amendments or maintain the status quo,” Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee Chairman Michael Molina explained in a news release Tuesday.

During a special meeting Tuesday, the committee decided that all applications, except for private contact information, will be part of its public record. Each council member will be able to submit a nomination from the pool of candidates, Molina said.

At a meeting Feb. 9, the committee expects to review a resolution that will include the council members’ nine nominees as well as other candidate names in an exhibit, he said. If any nominee fails to get a majority vote, a council member may make another nomination at the meeting.

“This is a new process to all of us, with a tight deadline,” Molina said.

The application is available online at tiny.cc/s5f8tz.

Hard copies will also be available at council district offices.

Completed applications can be sent to great.committee@mauicounty.us, referencing GREAT-5. Applications can also be mailed, faxed or dropped off in a drop box outside the entrance to the county building or at the council’s district offices to be received by the Feb. 1 deadline.

To read the full charter, visit mauicounty.us/maui-countycharter/.

Members of the public can view the Feb. 9 meeting on Akaku channel 53 or provide testimony via video conference link or phone number listed on the meeting agenda. For more information, visit mauicounty .us/agendas.

The council will also accept written testimony. For instructions, visit mauicounty.us/ testify/.