The Kauai County Council has rejected a plan to increase salary caps for Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. and his top-level Cabinet members.
The Council voted 5-1 Wednesday to defeat a bid to increase the maximum cap for salaries for Carvalho and his department heads for fiscal year 2015-2016. The vote comes almost two months after the salary commission unanimously approved a plan for the increase.
Under the plan, Carvalho’s maximum annual salary cap would have increased to $122,504 from $114,490. The salary for Managing Director Nadine Nakamura would have been raised to $117,911 from $110,197.
Salaries for top-level department heads such as the county attorney and planning director would have risen to $114,848 from $107,335.
Citing budget concerns, Council Vice Chairman Ross Kagawa and Council members Arryl Kaneshiro, Gary Hooser, Mason Chock and KipuKai Kualii opposed the pay increases.
"We’ve spent more money every year than we bring in on operating costs," Hooser said.
Councilwoman JoAnn Yukimura, who supported the proposal, said, "It’s important to attract good talent and to keep good talent."
Carvalho said he was disappointed by the vote.
"I felt the Salary Commission’s recommendation was a reasonable proposal to bring the salaries of appointees who haven’t received raises since 2008 in line with the salaries of elected officials and appointees who have received raises in interim years," he said in an email statement,
In 2008, Carvalho initiated a pay freeze for top-level employees that saved the county $1.4 million.
Council Chairman Mel Rapozo recused himself from the discussion and vote because his brother, Gerald Rapozo, serves as Liquor Control Commission director, one of the posts up for a salary increase.
