Hawaiʻi Island Auditor Says She Needs A Deputy. Voters Will Decide

A measure that would give Hawaiʻi County’s auditor the power to appoint a deputy will appear on Big Island ballots in November. 

The vote could change the county charter, which is essentially the local constitution, and is the only proposed charter amendment Hawaiʻi Island voters are considering this election.

If the amendment passes, it would provide a clear line of succession and prevent long-term vacancies that can create delays in releasing audits, according to Hawaiʻi County Council members and County Auditor Clare McAdam. Other county department heads can currently appoint their own deputies.

The amendment would change the language of the charter to add that the county auditor may hire a deputy and "shall exercise the same power with respect to the employees within the auditor’s office as the department heads in the executive branch.”

The office of the county auditor conducts financial and performance audits of county agencies, programs and operations. The office also inspects the county’s spending and annual budgets. For fiscal year 2027, the county has a nearly $1 billion operating budget and an over $350 million capital budget.

In the past, the office has helped expose an array of problems with the county’s affordable housing credit program, including shoddy record keeping and a lack of oversight. The office is currently conducting an audit of the county’s Homeless and Housing Fund, which was embroiled in controversy earlier this year. The results of the audit could help determine the future of the program. 

Next year, the office plans to perform audits of the county’s Section 8 program, the Department of Water Supply’s finances and the county’s wastewater division, according to their annual audit plan.

The county has gone extended periods without an auditor. Before McAdam was hired in December, the position was vacant for four months. McAdam told Civil Beat that’s not the longest the county has gone without impartial oversight.

“That's not great for a number of reasons,” McAdam said. Audits can’t be published without the auditor’s signature and vacancies have affected work flow within the office, she added.

Previous vacancies have resulted in suspensions of ongoing audits and other work performed by the office, McAdam said in a letter to the council. 

An extended vacancy also risks having a detrimental effect on employees. The office’s staff are appointed. When an auditor leaves or finishes their six-year term, employees can be terminated by the new auditor, McAdams told Civil Beat. During a period without an auditor, she said, staff often leave for another department or quit because of job uncertainty."

“That also can be a little bit disconcerting, obviously,” she said. “So, (with a deputy) we’d be able to retain staff more easily, perhaps, or not create an environment where there's some anxiety.”

Council Chairman Holeka Goro Inaba, who co-wrote the proposed change, said in a message to Civil Beat that a vacancy can also create uncertainty about who is responsible for leading the office in the interim. The bill for the charter amendment passed unanimously at the council, who is responsible for appointing the auditor.

“Ultimately, this is about continuing and ensuring the important work of the Auditor’s Office can continue without interruption,” he said in a message. 

A deputy auditor would be a new role for the office. Currently, the office of the auditor has the budget for five positions for fiscal year 2027. If the amendment passes, the office would reclassify one of those positions for the deputy auditor, McAdams said. That position would likely be the vacant administrative services assistant position, she added. 

The salary of the deputy would likely be decided by the county’s salary commission, which is the case for all other department deputies. Currently the county auditor makes $162,540 per year. 

The deputy would be able to step in as the county auditor when they are sick or out for extended periods of time, and the deputy would have similar authority as the auditor, McAdam said. 

The City and County of Honolulu is the only county that currently has a deputy auditor. Honolulu’s charter also states that the auditor can hire and fire personnel in their office. 

However, Honolulu and Kauaʻi’s charter does not explicitly mention appointing a deputy, like the Big Island’s proposed amendment does. 

McAdams said she was excited by the prospect of hiring a deputy. 

“I think it's great for the county to have stability with a deputy auditor during a time when (the auditor) position should be vacant,” she said, “but also to be able to retain the staff as much as possible.”