Gov. Linda Lingle's announcement of a task force to determine the cost of convening a constitutional convention means the state's executive and legislative branches plan to study the same issue in different ways.

The 11-member Constitutional Convention Cost Task Force, chaired by Lt. Gov. James R. "Duke" Aiona Jr., will include the state's attorney general, comptroller, finance director, chief elections officer, four legislators — two senators and two representatives representing the majority and minority parties — and two representatives of civic organizations.

"The decision to convene a constitutional convention is among the most important questions facing voters in the 2008 general election," Aiona said in a statement. "The work of this task force will be crucial to ensuring the public has all the facts to make the best decision possible."

State House Majority Leader Kirk Caldwell, D-24th (Manoa), who introduced the resolution recently passed by lawmakers authorizing the Legislative Reference Bureau to conduct the study, criticized the governor's action, saying, "So, now we will have two studies, spending more money and duplicating efforts."

In a news release, Aiona said the resolution "ties the hands of the reference bureau from looking at viable alternatives, and it shuts the public out of the process."

The lieutenant governor added: "It essentially puts in place a flawed process that will result in unnecessarily high-cost projections. The public has a right to know all of its options and have its voice heard in the process."

The task force will consider a range of factors in determining cost, the governor's news release said.

The factors include when a constitutional convention would convene and the number of participating delegates; how to elect delegates; what public facilities are available, and how the use of technology such as the Internet, telecommunications and video could enhance cost-effectiveness of a constitutional convention.

The task force will hold a series of public meetings and will release its findings by Aug. 1.

The Hawai'i State Constitution calls for the convening of a constitutional convention every 10 years if the majority of the electorate decides to do so.

Changes put in place following the last constitutional convention in Hawai'i, held in 1978, included requiring an annual balanced budget, establishing term limits for the governor and lieutenant governor, creating the Judicial Selection Commission, establishing the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and adopting the Hawaiian language as an official state language, the administration news release said.