PUBLIC NOTICE
PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO THE HAWAI’I COUNTY CHARTER WILL BE ON
THE GENERAL ELECTION BALLOT, NOVEMBER 3, 2026
The Hawai’i County Charter is the document which sets out the form of local government in the County of Hawai’i. One amendment to the Charter has been proposed by the Hawai’i County Council. The amendment, Proposal No. 1, will be placed on a ballot in the form of a question and set before the electorate in the General Election on November 3, 2026.
Pursuant to Section 15-2 of the Hawai’i County Charter, the full text for this amendment is published below in ordinance form. In Proposal No. 1, new text is underscored.
In addition, the corresponding ballot question is set out preceding the full text of the proposed amendment.
To view the Fiscal Impact Statement for this proposed Charter amendment, please go to: www.hawaiicounty.gov/fis
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BALLOT QUESTION
PROPOSAL NO. 1: County Auditor’s Power to Employ
Shall the Hawai’i County Charter be amended to allow the County Auditor to hire a deputy and exercise the same power, with respect to the employees within the Auditor’s office, as the department heads in the executive branch?
If you agree with Proposal No. 1, vote yes.
If you disagree with Proposal No. 1, vote no.
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FULL TEXT OF PROPOSAL NO. 1
ORDINANCE NO. 26-47
AN ORDINANCE TO INITIATE AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE III, SECTION 3-18, OF THE CHARTER OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAI’I (2024 EDITION), RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY AUDITOR.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAI’I:
SECTION 1. Article III, section 3-18, of the Charter of the County of Hawai’i (2024 Edition) is amended by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:
“(c) The county auditor shall submit an annual budget to the county council. The county auditor on behalf of the county council shall hire the necessary staff, which may include a deputy, for which appropriations have been made by the county council. The county auditor shall exercise the same power with respect to the employees within the auditor’s office as the department heads in the executive branch.”
SECTION 2. New charter material is underscored. When revising, compiling, or printing these charter provisions for inclusion in the Charter of the County of Hawai’i, the revisor need not include the underscoring.
SECTION 3. Severability. If any provision of this ordinance, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of the ordinance which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions of this ordinance are severable.
SECTION 4. Upon adoption of this ordinance, the Council, by appropriate resolution, shall provide that this charter amendment be submitted to the electorate of the County for approval in the 2026 general election.
SECTION 5. The charter amendment proposed in this ordinance shall take effect upon its approval by a majority of voters voting on this legislation in the 2026 general election, as duly certified.
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Jon Henricks
County Clerk
Hawai’i County Is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer
(WHT1537735 9/12/26)
