A County Council committee Tuesday recommended putting a charter amendment on the ballot that would expand the uses of the county’s Open Space, Natural Resources and Scenic Views Preservation Fund.

The fund currently only can be used for acquiring land for open space, natural resources and scenic views.

The council’s Policy, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee recommended allowing the fund also to be used for safety and security improvements on the land acquired through the fund.

Council Member Don Guzman, who proposed the amendment, told the committee that it took him 2 1/2 years after the council approved the use of $9.5 million from the fund to purchase Hamakualoa to obtain $75,000 for signs and fencing from other sources. The money for the maintenance items easily could have come through the fund rather than going back to the council for a separate appropriation, he said.

Currently, there is $6.2 million dollars in the fund, said committee Chairwoman Yuki Lei Sugimura during the meeting.

In a Viewpoint published June 10 in The Maui News, Guzman wrote that the fund was established by charter amendment in 2002 to protect land of significant conservation, recreation, ecological, historical, cultural and aesthetic value. Since its inception, the fund has been used to acquire land including the old Waihee Dairy, Kaehu Bay and Kawaikapu Preserve.

Council Member Stacy Crivello threw her support behind the intent of the amendment and said open spaces that the county purchases at times need maintenance and/or security measures. She added that these areas are susceptible to loiterers and to becoming areas for dumping. This increases the county liability.

Council Member Elle Coc-hran concurred with Crivello on the security and illegal dumping issues, but she and Council Member Kelly King worried about the fund being depleted for maintenance issues.

To remedy her concerns, King offered a change to Guzman’s proposed amendment, which removed the word “maintenance” from being supported by the fund. The committee OK’d the change.

If approved by the voters, the proposed charter amendment would go into effect Jan. 2.

In other matters, the committee began discussion on another proposed charter amendment by Guzman — to establish a Department of Land Management. The department would consult on land and property management and on conservation and stewardship issues for county property interests.

The committee recessed its meeting before making a decision on the proposed amendment and will reconvene at 9 a.m. today in Council Chambers on the eighth floor of the Kalana O Maui building in Wailuku.

The committee has until July 2 to hear proposed charter amendments to meet an Aug. 23 deadline to get them to the county clerk’s office and onto the Nov. 6 general election ballot. Once recommended for approval by the panel, the proposed amendment will have to pass two votes by the full council.

Proposed charter amendments to establish a $20,000 penalty for illegal transient accommodations and to streamline the processing of claims against the county have been recommended for approval by the committee earlier this month.

A high profile proposed charter amendment to reorganize the county’s executive branch by establishing an Office of the Managing Director is still pending before the committee. The professional managing director would be responsible for the county’s daily operations. The mayor would be the county’s chief executive officer and supervise the managing director’s work, among other duties.

Two other pending proposed amendments relating to removal of the director of water supply have yet to be taken up by the committee.

* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.