Feeling the Squeeze of a Tighter County Budget
Molokai commissioners may only meet once a month.
By Catherine Cluett
Schedule Changes
Perhaps desperate times call for desperate measures, but anyone who has sat through a Planning Commission meeting knows that the possibility of adding even an hour to the already interminable sessions is not something to take lightly. The Molokai Planning Commission is no exception.
During last Wednesday’s meeting, Clayton Yoshida of the Maui County Current Planning Division announced a proposal by the county to reduce the Molokai Planning Commission meetings from twice monthly to once a month. In light of a tightening Maui County budget, this cut would reduce air fare costs for Maui County officials like Yoshida to attend Molokai meetings.
“Our meetings are already five hours long,” said Commissioner Teri Waros. “If we only met once a month, would the meetings be 10 hours long?” She suggested the possibility of video conferencing as an alternative to Yoshida’s physical presence.