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Local participation needed in county government, boards and commissions

COUNCIL’S 3 MINUTES

The County of Maui is seeking applicants for more than 700 vacant jobs and 30 vacant seats on boards and commissions.

These positions provide great opportunities for Maui, Lana’i and Molokai residents who want to improve our

quality of life by providing public services or helping to make important policy decisions. A majority of the vacant county positions are filled through the civil-service process.

As the council has learned during the fiscal year 2024 budget session, the agencies with the most urgent need for job applicants are the Department of Police, Department of Parks and Recreation and Department of Housing and Human Concerns.

Several vacancies are also in other parts of our local government:

• Department of the Corporation Counsel.

• Office of the County Clerk.

• Office of Council Services.

• Department of Environmental Management.

• Department of Finance.

• Department of Fire and Public Safety.

• Department of Liquor Control.

• Department of Management.

• Office of the Mayor.

• Department of Planning.

• Department of the Prosecuting Attorney.

• Department of Public Works.

• Department of Water Supply.

Public-service careers offer a sense of purpose and a chance to support social, economic and environmental well-being in our local communities. Maui County offers generous employment benefits — including vacation; sick leave; retirement; life insurance plans; and medical, vision and dental insurance.

Job openings are listed by the Department of Personnel Services at www.governmentjobs.com/careers/Maui. Positions are also advertised in The Maui News.

The Office of Economic Development provides other resources for job seekers at mauicountyvirtualjobfair.com.

Also, as the chair of the council’s Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee, my duties include helping to vet nominees for boards and commissions. As a volunteer member of a board or commission, you become an officer of the county and will be entrusted to advise the mayor and council on policy matters.

Under the County Charter, the Maui, Lana’i, and Molokai planning commissions are the authorities for the Coastal Zone Management Act. These commissions make decisions on the county’s behalf on special management area permit applications, which often raise important economic and environmental issues.

The Police Commission and Fire and Public Safety Commission appoint the police chief and the fire chief, respectively. The Cost of Government Commission provides an annual report to the mayor and council on improving the government’s efficiency.

Boards and commissions are open to any interested residents who are willing to commit their time to serving their community and attending monthly meetings. Some seats have special requirements for experience or residency.

Boards and commissions with vacancies include:

• Conservation Planning Committee.

• East Maui Regional Community Board.

• Liquor Control and Adjudication Board.

• Maui County Arborist Committee.

• Maui Redevelopment Agency.

• Urban Design Review Board.

The application form and background information are posted to www.mauicounty.gov/167/Boards-Commissions.

Your service on a board or commission helps to preserve the public’s trust in government.

My committee is also tasked with reviewing intergovernmental and intragovernmental issues, such as ethics and transparency, rules of the council and the Hawaii State Association of Counties’ annual legislative package. If you have any ideas or questions on these matters, please email great.committee@mauicounty.us.

Please consider applying to become a county employee or officer. Mahalo.

* Nohe U’u-Hodgins is the chair of the Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee. She holds the County Council seat for the Makawao-Ha’iku-Pa’ia residency area. “Council’s 3 Minutes” is a column to explain the latest news on county legislative and community matters. Go to mauicounty.us for more information.

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