Public testimony: community members urge pay flexibility and simplified hiring

Public testimony included two speakers with contrasting remarks. Jesse Law, testifying by phone, used his time to air personal grievances about an encounter at Kahului Airport and urged county employees to act ethically.

Johan Lal testified with concrete suggestions drawn from his experience as an applicant and county employee. He told the committee that departments can sometimes advertise starting pay above the minimum step and urged managers to use that flexibility to attract applicants. "You can start a job higher than the bare minimum or, like, a few steps above the minimum and you can get a lot more applicants," Lal said. He also suggested revisiting minimum qualifications so that relevant experience can substitute for degrees, and questioned whether routine drug‑testing is always necessary for non‑safety roles.

The chair thanked both testifiers and closed the public‑comment period; council members later referenced Lal's points during the Q&A about recruitment and pay flexibility.