Hawaii County Council must fix meetings violation before acting

The Hawaii County Council will be legally barred from taking official government actions if it does not remedy an open meeting violation by Aug. 5, The Associated Press reported Monday.

In a lawsuit brought by West Hawaii Today, Circuit Judge Ronald Ibarra found that a quorum of the council violated the state’s Sunshine Law by holding private talks about a plan to reorganize itself. Ibarra said a temporary restraining order was required to prevent irreparable harm to the public’s interest, according to the AP.

The council plans to cancel the reorganization at an Aug. 4 meeting and rehear issues that were discussed privately to remedy its illegal action, the AP reported.