REP FC 212 2024/11/07 2022-2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

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REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE DATE: November 7, 2024 Re: Comm. No. 1129/Res. No. 694-24 PLACE: Council Chambers Hilo, Hawaii TIME: 9:01 a.m. Council Chair and Members Hawaii County Council Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred Resolution No. 694-24, reports as follows: Resolution No. 694-24, transmitted by Finance Director Diane Nakagawa via Communication No. 1129, dated October 21, 2024, authorizes the Office of Housing and Community Development to award funds to various organizations for programs addressing affordable housing. This resolution allows for grant awards to Hale Ola O Mohouli LLLP ($3,200,000) and Kuakini Family I LP ($5,000,000) for the development of affordable rental units and $5,075,000 to be retained by the Office of Housing and Community Development for the development of 25 single-family dwellings for workforce housing ($4,200,000) and to provide financial assistance to 17 low-income homeowners to conduct essential repair work ($875,000). Housing and Community Development Administrator Susan Kunz, Housing and Community Development Specialist Royce Shiroma, and Corporation Counsel Elizabeth Strance were present for questions. Ms. Kunz provided background on this resolution. Mr. Shiroma listed the awardees and gave the timeline for this measure. Committee Member Holeka Inaba expressed concern about the vetting process. Ms. Strance confirmed that these awardees had met all the requirements of the Hawaii County Code and believed the department had done its due diligence. Mr. Inaba noted that due to the lack of documentation submitted to the Council, he is unsure if the Council is being asked to approve this resolution based solely on the word of the Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD), as the department has not provided any evidence to show that these awardees have submitted all the necessary documentation. He asked that the department provide the ranking and rating scale and a financial breakdown of how the funds are being spent at the next hearing. Committee Chair Matt Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder noted his confusion about the resolution and asked if these projects had already been awarded funds. Ms. Kunz stated that funds have been designated for these projects, but no funds have been awarded yet. She added that this resolution was created to notify the Council that they would award these funds. Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder noted that some of these projects are set to start in 2026-2027 and asked if this was a multi -year agreement and how they planned to manage it. Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder also noted that he would like to see a financial breakdown. FC Report No. 212