County Sustainability Committee: Members, Terms, and Rules

(a) There shall be designated within the department of research and development a sustainability action committee, which shall sit in an advisory capacity to the director of the department on matters that support a sustainable economy, society and environment and are within the department’s purview to include energy, business development, agriculture, tourism, film, community development, climate change, and other related subjects. The department shall provide support service to the committee. (b) Membership and term. The committee shall be composed of five members, who shall be appointed by the mayor and confirmed by the council. Any member of the committee may be removed upon recommendation of the mayor and the approval of the council. Members shall serve a term of five years. However, for the initial appointment of members, one member shall be appointed for a term of one year, one for a term of two years, one for a term of three years, one for a term of four years and one for a term of five years. In addition to the five members, the director or the director’s designee will serve as an ex-officio member of the committee. (c) The members shall be broadly representative of the County and shall be selected on the basis of their knowledge, expertise, proven innovative and technical skills and ability to network and source cutting edge technologies, with interests in one or more of the following areas: agriculture, business, energy, tourism, community, economics, planning, architectural design, community facilitation, environmental science, and Hawaiian culture. (d) No member shall be eligible for a second appointment to the committee prior to the expiration of two years, provided that members appointed for a term of one year or two years shall be eligible to succeed themselves for an additional term. (e) No member whose term has expired shall continue to serve on the commission, except that if no successor has been appointed and confirmed, the member shall continue to serve for ninety days or until a successor is appointed and confirmed, whichever comes first. (f) Any vacancy occurring in the committee shall be filled for the unexpired term. (g) Not more than a bare majority of the members shall belong to the same political party. (h) Members shall receive no compensation but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Necessary expenses maybe paid in advance as per diem allowance pursuant to chapter 2, article 16 of the Hawai‘i County Code. (i) A chairperson shall be elected from its membership annually. (j) The affirmative vote of a majority of those members present shall be necessary to make any action valid. (k) The committee shall have the power to establish its rules of procedure necessary for the conduct of its business, which rules shall contain the time and place of all regular meetings, and which shall specify that a quorum shall be a majority of the members to which the committee is entitled. 2-17 SUPP. 8 (7-2020) (l) No person shall, by reason of occupation alone, be barred from serving as a member of this committee. (m) The council shall act to confirm or reject any appointment made to the committee by the mayor within forty-five days after receiving notice of the appointment from the mayor. If the council does not confirm or reject any such appointment within forty-five days, the appointee shall be deemed to have been confirmed. (2007, ord 07-161, sec 1; am 2020, ord 20-26, secs 1 and 2.) 2-37