All right. Good afternoon. Welcome back. This is the last one. All right. Good afternoon. Good afternoon. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. Welcome back. This is the 10th session of the Committee on Governmental Operations and External Affairs. I'm Jen Kagiwada. I'll be chairing today. Today is May 20, 2025, and the time is 101 PM. Here in council chambers, we have council members, Glimba, council member, Onishi, council member, Kirkowitz, council member, Houston, and over in Kona, we have council member, V.A. Gis, thank you. We'll be getting started here. We just have one item to go. So Mr. Clerk, would you please see if we have any testimony? Oh, we don't have any testimony for your meeting at this time. I'll give one last chance. Say anyone out there in the University of the United States would like to testify in Resolution 185-25. Please speak up now. Hearing none, resolution 185-25 authorizes the continued employment of Leon Kuni Hero Brook and Kim, a special counsel to represent the County of Hawaii, Department of Human Resources, Workers, Compensation, Division. Extentance to retention of special counsel services with additional compensation of $120,000. Total compensation that took seed $420,000. Introduced by Council Member Coguiwato by request. My please get a motion. Chair, motion to forward resolution 185-25 to the Council with a favorable recommendation. I'm a motion by Council Member Kirkowitz and a second by Council Member Houston. Thank you very much. I think we have both Corporation Council and Human Resources here if you would mind coming up and giving us a little information about this resolution. We appreciate it. Please introduce yourselves. Hi, good afternoon. Summer Tokyo Hero, Director of Human Resources. I'd also like to introduce Karin Sato, who's the Workers Compensation Claim Specialist for, that just started in the work comp division on May 1st. So she's the supervisor in the division. So we're happy to have her. Okay, good afternoon, council members. Committee members, J. Yoshimoto, Assistant Corporation Council. Thank you so much. Director, would you like to get us started? Tell us just about this resolution, please. So we currently have a three year contract with Leon Kuni-Hero and broke for special counsel, defense counsel services specific to workers compensation. It's such a specialty area. We haven't been able to fill that that need in our office of the Corporation Council, which is why we've gone for contract externally. So when I was anticipating, when we submitted the resolution for the multi-year contract, I was kind of anticipating costs based on the prior contract. And in a prior contract, the rates hadn't changed for about eight years. So when we got this most recent contract, the rates had gone up, and then one of the attorneys that does most of the work representing the county of Hawaii became a partner and so her rates went up even higher. So the contract funds have been exhausted as of the end of April. There's a little bit left but this contract goes through September 30th so we just need to add additional funds to complete this contract, and then we'll be going through the professional services process to evaluate a new contract for October. So just trying to finish up this contract period. Thank you very much, Director. Would you like to add anything from Corporation Council side? Oh, no, that was really completely, that was good. Thank you. Wonderful. Council members, do you have any questions or comments? Council member Gilima, please go ahead. Oh, sorry. I didn't. Council member Onisha. Okay, so you're saying that we need to pay $120,000 more for the end of fiscal year. So what I'm asking for is approval to extend the funds in the contract. I'm not sure that we'll spend the entire $120,000 because the firm builds us on a monthly basis for a time and expense. But we just need to extend the funds in the contract to complete the contract period. So yes, adding an additional $120,000. But then also in the whereas it has a $300,000. $300,000 was the initial contract. Oh, okay, got it. And so does this go through the process of bidding for the next fiscal year? So it's actually through professional services. The Office of the Corporation Council has a professional services list for a variety of different types of council. And so we go through and look at who submitted proposals for defense, for workers' compensation and evaluate people on that list. And so is this what we pay like the lowest of the bid or the ones that are qualified to select from? Or there's only one person that's qualified that you can select from? I believe the last time I was part of the panel that reviewed. And I think that there were three entities at that time that were on the professional services list. I can't say for sure that this was the lowest cost firm, but evaluation of the services is based on a variety of things, you know, being familiar with the HRS, being locally, you know, based. But they can qualify. They need to be able to write if they're going to apply because you have your minimal requirements, right? So they would have to be called, just like public works. They have their profession services like for engineering and so forth, right? Right. And you have to qualify. So this group is qualifying, but they're now you're saying that the selection is depending. But so now a question to the Corporation Council, usually the rule of thumb is what of how you would award. There's criteria that we follow, the panel convenes and we look at it, they get rated and then we come up with a recommendation. Right. So my question is, so if you had a firm that was at 150,000, then you have a firm that is at 200,000, and then you have a firm at 300,000. Most logically, county going take the 150,000. That depends. Yeah, I know. But most likely, that's what I'm saying, most likely, count equals to like the 150,000, right firm. But it could be reasons where like the state legislature passed something where if you can prove that certain firm through past history wasn't able or capable of providing the proper services, then you could go to like the next levels, right? Yes. So. able or capable of providing the proper services, then you could go to like the next levels. Right? Yes. So my question then is, do you folks do that process? Like, I don't know if you can answer this, but with this firm, is that in what level? Or is this the lowest bid? Well, I don we call that being an issue in the past? But I understand what you're saying, and I think that criteria can be factored in as well. But I wouldn't be able to tell you, well, okay, what happened? Would you, no. If this is the, was this the lowest bid or? I couldn't answer that. I mean, based on, because that was a couple of years ago, I don't recall exactly how they compared cost wise, but I can tell you that we've been very pleased with the work that this firm has done. Yeah, and that they've provided a very, you know, invaluable service to us in this area to the county in this area. And so we've been very pleased with the with the network farm. Because you haven't been with HR for a long time, right? So prior to becoming the director of HR, I was the head of the Workers' Compensation Division. How long have you been in HR? 2019. OK, so you've seen multiple different firms representing? No, it's been the same firm. You think so same thing, yeah. Okay, I'll talk to you in the final. Thank you. I will note though that prior to coming to the county, I worked for our private company that we handled workers' compensation claims from a different perspective. So I've worked with a variety of defense attorneys in the past throughout my career, even before coming to the county. And this is a very good firm, very capable services. Council member O'Neeshi, if you would like, we do have Reid Sawaki here from Finance, who if you had any questions from Finance. Okay. No, you're not, yeah. I forgot. I was thinking you're a PNR. Sorry. You can't do this. Did you have a specific question for Mr. Soak? Well, you're my discussion, right? So yes, maybe you could answer. Yeah, so I believe if I heard correctly is a consultant was selected based on professional services. So, they were even selected based on qualifications initially and then negotiated for a contract during the execution of the contract. So they were part of a based selected based on best qualified. Yeah. Well, my question is just what was gave, I don't know how many I guess What is that? Qualified firms that is in this professional. Yeah, so we can we can get that too Yeah, and then and then all I wanted to know what was the different level, you know of their bids and so forth And are we picking You know a firm that is kind of like Watching over or we're watching over the month we're spending because of the taxpayers' money. We're not overexceeding. For example, if we're going to appraise on property, we've got to go about appraisal that comes out. We kind of be paying them the appraisal price plus. Right? Yeah. So I'm just looking at that situation. Yeah. Thank you. Okay. And since we're in budget not hearing now. Yeah. Thanks. Okay. Thank you. Councilmember Onishi. Any other council members, questions, comments over in Kona? Anything? Are you up? Get over there. All good. Thank you. Thanks. All right seeing no other lights on thank you very much departments for shedding light on this we have a motion on the floor to pass resolution 1 8 5-25 and send to full council with a favorable recommendation all those favor, please say aye. Any opposed? Mr. Clerk, you have seven eyes with council members, Kimble and Coneley Kleinveter, excuse. And that is the end of our agenda today. We will finish up. It is. time is 1 12 pm. Thank you all so much.