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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN FC 2020/07/21 2018-2020 Committee on Finance 36th Session Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii July 21, 2020 CALL TO The regular meeting of the Committee on Finance was called to order at ORDER: 9:05 a.m. in the Council Chambers, Kailua-Kona, by Ms. Maile Medeiros David, Chair. ROLL CALL: Present: Ms. Maile Medeiros David, Chair (via videoconference from Kona) Mr. Herbert M. "Tim" Richards, III, Vice Chair Mr. Aaron S. Y. Chung, Member Ms. Karen Eoff, Member (via videoconference from Kona) Mr. Matt Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Member Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Member Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Member Ms. Valerie T. Poindexter, Member Ms. Rebecca Villegas, Member (videoconference from Kona) STATEMENTS The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, FROM THE Statements from the Public on Agenda Items. PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS: (There were none.) CHR. DAVID: And I believe, Mr. Clerk, we can proceed with Communications. Communication 9.22,please. COMMUNI- The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, CATIONS: Communications. Comm. 9.22: MONTHLY BUDGET STATUS REPORT FOR THE MONTH ENDED MARCH 31, 2020, FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE From Finance Director Deanna Sako, dated June 19, 2020, transmitting the above report pursuant to Hawaii County Charter Section 6-6.3(h). FC-36 July 21,2020 Vote on Comm. 9.22: Ms. Villegas moved to close file on Comm. 9.22. Filed Seconded by Ms. Eoff and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, Eoff, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Poindexter, Richards, Villegas, and Chair David—9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. CHR. DAVID: Mr. Clerk, Communication 9.23,please. Comm. 9.23: MONTHLY BUDGET STATUS REPORT FOR THE MONTH ENDED APRIL 30, 2020, FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE From Finance Director Deanna Sako, dated June 29, 2020, transmitting the above report pursuant to Hawaii County Charter Section 6-6.3(h). Vote on Comm. 9.23: Ms. Villegas moved to close file on Comm. 9.23. Filed Seconded by Ms. Eoff and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, Eoff, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Poindexter, Richards, Villegas, and Chair David—9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. CHR. DAVID: Thank you. Mr. Clerk, Communication 11.34. Comm. 11.34: REPORT OF FUND TRANSFERS AUTHORIZED: JUNE 1 — 15, 2020 From Controller Kay Oshiro, dated June 25, 2020. Motion to Close File: Ms. Eoff moved to close file on Comm. 11.34. Seconded by Ms. Poindexter. CHR. DAVID: Any discussion? MR. RICHARDS: Yes, Chair. CHR. DAVID: Thank you, Mr. Richards, go ahead. I believe Ms. Sako is here. CHR. DAVID: Yeah, I have some questions on this. And I don't see Finance here. I just had some questions concerning transfers coming out of what appears Page 2 FC-36 July 21,2020 to be some of our maintenance funds. So maybe we could put this on hold, and we'll continue on. CHR. DAVID: Yes, I believe Ms. Sako is tuning in, and I think if she—we can put this aside for a few minutes and take MR. RICHARDS: Yeah, that would be great. Shall we table? Vote on Motion Mr. Richards moved to table Comm. 11.34 to the end of to Table: the agenda. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, Eoff, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Poindexter, Richards, Villegas, and Chair David–9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. CHR. DAVID: Mr. Clerk, can we move on to Communication 995? Comm. 995: ANNUAL AUDIT PLAN FROM THE OFFICE OF THE LEGISLATIVE AUDITOR From Legislative Auditor Bonnie S. Nims, dated June 30, 2020, transmitting the Fiscal Year 2020-21 Audit Plan,pursuant to Hawaii County Charter Section 3-18(d)(2). Motion to Close File: Ms. Eoff moved to close file on Comm. 995. Seconded by Mr. Richards. CHR. DAVID: Thank you. Council Members, discussion? I believe, isdo we have Bonnie Nims in the Hilo Chambers? MR. RICHARDS: She is. (Note: At this time, Legislative Auditor Bonnie S. Nims came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR. DAVID: Good morning, Ms. Nims. MS. NIMS: Good morning. Bonnie Nims, Legislative Auditor. And good morning, Council Members. Annually, I get to get up here and talk to you about our Annual Audit Plan that's required by the Charter. And first off, I wanted to talk about our accomplishments that we've accomplished since I've been here. We've conducted 12 performance audits with Page 3 FC-36 July 21,2020 79 recommendations. We've obtained 100 percent approval from management, or agreement on those, approval 100 percent agreement rate with the departments and with management. And we followed up on three of those performance audits, soon to be four, and 77 percent of those recommendations have been implemented. We've also, during last year, July of last year, we received our third triannual peer review that's required by government auditing standards, and we actually received a perfect score. And to put that in perspective, the reviewers had done 12 and 13 previous peer reviews and had only had one other instance with no letters or comment. So we're extremely proud of that fact, that no exit items, no comments at all for improvements. We've also received our Knighton Award, our national award for the 2017 HR (Human Resources) hiring practices audit and competed against, oh I think, there's about 300 other offices in ALGA (Association of Local Government Auditors), that compete for these. And so we felt very excited to be a recipient of that award. How we select our audits. It's a risk-based approach. We brainstorm. We talk to Council Members. We talk to management. We talk to constituents. We read the paper. We talk to the National Association and what the going Transit Industry Standards are. We conduct a risk analysis of what will provide the most bang for your buck. You know, where's our return of investment going to be for the County and what do the taxpayers care about? So, what risk factors do we consider? We consider the size of the department, the age of the department, the complexity, public sensitivity, the emerging risk areas, and public health and safety, among many others. So this coming year, we as part of Charter, will be doing the financial—well, we coordinate the Financial and Single Audit that is required for receiving federal grants. And as like I mentioned,part of the Charter that is done by a CPA (Certified Public Account) firm out of Honolulu that has been doing it for multiple years now. And they do a great job, so we're happy to have them. And on to the meat and potatoes. We are planning three performance audits this next year. We are looking at facilities maintenance at Parks and Rec., and this audit has actually already been started. We're probably nearly halfway through it, so we should be wrapping that up pretty quickly, hopefully. We're also going to try to look at CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act to COVID-19's (Corona Virus Disease 2019) responses. We're not quite sure what our audit scope will look like. I'm attending training next week, about some of the potential audit scopes that people are finding and identifying along with some federal regulations and what some of the federal requirements are that we can consider looking at. So we'll be doing a risk Page 4 FC-36 July 21,2020 analysis, working with management. If anybody here has any concerns or any constituents has any concerns, we're happy to listen to that. And based on that risk analysis, we'll develop an audit scope and objective and try to take a look at that. Some of the areas that we can consider is the County's preparedness, including their continuity of operations plans; financial impact reporting; customer service; and human resource processes challenges, such as telework, you know, a lot of people are using Zoom and the risk related to Zoom. I know the County has prohibited Zoom for now, and how can the County better respond to any future pandemic or emergency. And the last area that we're considering is inventory management, and this we're looking at centrally. How does central Finance monitor and track the process, including the efficiency of the process, the accuracy and completeness of the inventory records, and the inventory tracking as well as safeguarding of assets. We also are planning on looking at three follow-up audits, including the Hiring Practices Audit, Mass Transit Cash Receipts, and Department of Water Supply's Cash Jandling. And that is pretty much all I have. If anybody has any questions, I'm happy to answer them. CHR. DAVID: Thank you. Thank you very much for that presentation, Ms. Nims. Council Members, questions? Seeing none MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Chair? Ashley here. CHR. DAVID: Yes, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Bonnie, good to see you. Thanks for this report. I had a question about follow-up audits and the process for that. MS. NIMS: Sure. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: So Department of Human Resource's hiring practices, last budget cycle we discussed the urgency and need for establishing a County with whistleblower program, and that was something that was called out of this particular audit. And so my question is around once these audits are complete, how involved is your office in staying in connection with the departments to exert pressure? I don't know if that's the right word, but to ensure that they are reviewing and executing on the recommendations put forth in the audit. MS. NIMS: On some audits, very involved. Human Resources, we've met numerous times about their plans and their status of recommendations and, you Page 5 FC-36 July 21,2020 know, running things passed us, what we think of certain things, and how they've addressed those concerns. Other audits, we would been more hands-off. We've checked in with them. You know, we've got friends everywhere. And so we do hear things about what's going on, and so if we hear something, those definitely get moved up on the schedule for follow-up. You know, if there's a change of management, we've tried to meet with the new director to kind of go over that audit and the recommendations. I know some other jurisdictions, they implement timeframes that recommendations have to be followed up on, and that is something that we're talking about considering in the future. You know, say you have—when they submit a recommendation—or when we—when they respond to our recommendations, they would need to include a timeframe of how long before that can be implemented, and then we would have a timeframe of when it would be appropriate to follow-up. But we're just kind of the planning stages of that. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. And in your professional opinion, you know, over the years in working with departments on implementing recommendations in their audit, you know, what are some of the challenges and barriers that you think that they are facing, that kind of get in the way of implementation? Is it staffing? Is it funding? Is it all of the above? MS. NIMS: Yes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. MS. NIMS: Exactly. Yeah, you know, if I had a nickel for every time, if we had more money, if we had more people. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: And do you think additional grant writer positions may help in securing funding to implement some of these recommendations? MS. NIMS: You know, you bring that up, and actually that's an audit we've talked about looking at. In the past, it didn't make it as high as some of the other ones this year. But I know best for my research in prior jobs, it is best practices to have like a central grants manager position. And they help departments research grants, write grants; you know, grant writing is pretty specific and a pretty niche thing, and so if you have an "in" on how to write a good grant proposal, you're more likely to get the funding. And so having somebody with that specialty, that not only knows where to look but knows how to write those grant proposals and then know how to monitor those, can work with the individual departments to ensure that the County is getting and spending or being reimbursed for all the grant revenue. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Right. That's great. Final question, so when you have here the three items that you're going to moving forward on in terms of your Page 6 FC-36 July 21,2020 audit, what does that initial list look like? How many audits did you have to consider? MS. NIMS: Oh MS. KIERKIEWICZ: And were there any carryover from prior years? MS. NIMS: We always look at what we didn't accomplish last year and see if we want to bring it forward. Some years we have maybe 20 potential audits. This year, we probably had about 10 potential audits, simply because we had gone through the process so thoroughly last year and had kind of figured out where we needed to head and what areas were risky. So I'd say 10 to 20 audits in any given year that are potentials, that we throw up on. Sometimes it's just topics. And then we start brainstorming about what would that audit look like, what kind of recommendations can we make, what kind of change can we implement, we can't really think of anything besides change State law or something, or you know, negotiate with Union, and those aren't really meaningful recommendations. Or we don't feel that they are because, you know, "Okay, great, recommend that you consider to do something." We want to be able to have something that's actually measurable. And so we consider all of those things when we're selecting our audit topics. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. Sorry, one final, final question MS. NIMS: Of course. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: CARES Act COVID response audit, you know, I'm curious why it wouldn't also include reflecting upon our County's response to the 2018 eruption, natural disaster and now a global pandemic. I mean, these were two massive incidents that I think should be looked at in totality. And I think there are many lessons that we still have to learn and reflect upon, in 2018. MS. NIMS: And that's interesting. You know, we could tweak that objective to include just disaster response planning and make it more general. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I think we'd all appreciate that. MS. NIMS: Okay, great. Yeah, we'll definitely consider that. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you so much. Chair, I yield. MS. LEE LOY: Chair? CHR. DAVID: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Go ahead, Ms. Lee Loy. MS. LEE LOY: I'm going to yield to Mr. Richards. I think he had his light on before me. Page 7 FC-36 July 21,2020 MR. RICHARDS: No, that's alright, go. MS. LEE LOY: Okay. Thank you, Chair. Bonnie, thank you so much. And building off of what Ms. Kierkiewicz is talking about, yes, the CARES response, I was hopeful to actually push on that, where we could expand it partly because of our recovery or interim recovery plan. I think an audit of the monies and how they're being amplified and accelerated into the community, as far as what's working and what's not, would actually help us as a County recover faster. MS. NIMS: Okay. MS. LEE LOY: And so if that CARES response could be more encompassing of just natural disaster or just recovery response, I think it would be an excellent tool for any future policymaker. And I like the idea that we're kind of falling forward on this, because CARES is new. But there will be, and I suspect, more funding like this in the future,just because of such a pandemic that we experienced, you know, all over. I had a question around the inventory management, because I know we did that for Public Works. Is this going to be kind of an expansion or a larger umbrella of all of our inventory across all of our departments, and how to provide more safeguards and efficiency? Is that the goal for this particular inventory management? MS. NIMS: How I envision this, is looking at it centrally since inventory is managed centrally. And then, you know, like they'll send us a list of inventory that we spot-check, and then if a director leaves, they actually do a physical inventory. And so looking at the process of how they manage it centrally and how those duties are pushed to the department, I'm sure we will select some departments based on risk to go out there and either spot-check or talk to them about their process and how they do it. So it's kind from a top-down, almost a waterfall approach, instead of just looking at a specific department. CHR. LEE LOY: Okay. And then the just really quick on the parks maintenance, is that—and I'm looking at it as an aging infrastructure and how to approach it in a very systematic way, so that when we're improving a particular recreational facility, again, it amplifies its use. But I was just wondering how we would dovetail some of the monies that we need for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance. Is that also going to be performed with this kind of evaluation of preventative maintenance? MS. NIMS: That is some—we've talked about ADA compliance as part of the audit. We can definitely keep our ear out and work with that a little. Because I know the Zoo is currently closed right now for to bring it up to ADA standards. And like I said, it has come upin our brainstorming, so we're definitely aware of that. But maybe we can talk later, too. Page 8 FC-36 July 21,2020 MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, and maybe some of the drivers, too, behind some of that. We don't want to get sued MS. NIMS: Of course. MS. LEE LOY: For noncompliance. MS. NIMS: Right. MS. LEE LOY: So that, And even our wastewater systems, that was another one. We saw, you know, ahuge decision come out related to wastewater systems. MS. NIMS: Okay. MS. LEE LOY: So if some of the drivers were compliant, not only from maybe ADA but just a larger federal government compliance, that would be a good driver. So that when we push on which project to fix, we're actually fixing them in more than one way. We're meeting ADA compliance or any other federal regulation so that we're just not open to liability. MS. NIMS: Definitely. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Bonnie. Always wonderful to see you. Chair, I yield at this time. CHR. DAVID: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Mr. Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, thank you, Chair. Thanks, Bonnie. Great report. Couple of the things that I thought of as we're going through this conversation. First of all, the COVID-19 and the funding and the response to that. Completely agree and I like the thought process going forward, that this is proactive not reactive. And I think, as pointed out, that if we can get I understand you have to prioritize even now that you've decided to your list, you prioritized that. I think for any legislative body it would be helpful if that report came out sooner rather than later, because I suspect that funding there's going to be more funding ahead of us. MS. NIMS: Right, yes. MR. RICHARDS: And so for—to make decisions, we'll know—the sooner we know what doesn't work, and we know what does work, the better. It will be helpful for the board going forward. MS. NIMS: Definitely. Page 9 FC-36 July 21,2020 MR. RICHARDS: So I appreciate that. Also, to speak on something about the wastewater and waste management, I think that is very timely. And we've known this is a problem coming forward. I have some ideas of where we need to work on. But having an official audit would probably help us argue for more funding going forward. MS. NIMS: Okay. MR. RICHARDS: So I think that would be helpful. Chair, thank you. I yield. Thanks, Bonnie. CHR. DAVID: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Anyone else, here in Kona? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Chair, I have a comment. CHR. DAVID: Oh, thank you. Go ahead, Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Chair. Good morning, Bonnie. MS. NIMS: Good morning. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I have two suggestions. MS. NIMS: Okay. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And thank you for what you do, I think you provide a little bit of outside honesty to what's going on within the County, and I like that. Roads-in-limbo, we have hundreds of miles of roads-in-limbo, and we have a very prohibitive program that we've put in place that was designed to help the public. And from some of the last meetings that we've had, I really do question whether or not we are utilizing that program or have good knowledge in providing forward movement for that program. MS. NIMS: Okay. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah. And then second, I'm interested to see if you could do a spending project disbursement amongst the districts, with the intent of creating an approach towards spending projects infrastructure and buildout, that promotes kind of how we spend in correlation with population and needs. MS. NIMS: It's something I would need to talk more about on what you are looking for specifically. That may be able to be like a non-audit service, where we're allowed to kind of do monitoring and reports and things such as that. Without having further conversation, I'm not quite sure how what the audit Page 10 FC-36 July 21,2020 question would be; you know, if it would be how equitable is the revenue and disbursements per district? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That sounds like a good start. MS. NIMS: We could definitely consider something like that. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Okay,just that that's on my mind. So thank you for what you do. I think the last time we saw you we were discussing how you move forward. Why are you in your position? MS. NIMS: Because I believe in the mission statement. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: No, last time we saw you we had a long discussion about it, yeah? Yeah? MS. NIMS: Yeah. That was it. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, yeah. MS. NIMS: Well, actually I was here for the Financial Statement, Single Audit Exit report, reporting from the CPA firm that they released, the Financial Statement Single Audit Report. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MS. NIMS: Yes. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Well, it's good to see you again, and thank you for what you do. MS. NIMS: Thank you. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then if you want to follow up, I'd be happy to follow up with you. MS. NIMS: Okay. Thank you, Matt. MS. POINDEXTER: Chair, this is Val. CHR. DAVID: Okay, thank you. Go ahead, Ms. Poindexter. MS. POINDEXTER: Yeah, thank you, Bonnie, for all you do. And I think following up with what Matt had stated, I think it's looking at how equitable is the formula. How DPW (Department of Public Works) or any department, how equitable is their formula on getting the projects done in each of the districts. Because—and when was that formula last updated? Because every ten years we Page 11 FC-36 July 21,2020 go through the redistricting process, and since that redistricting processI know I was on the last one 10 years ago, I they have never—when I talked to DPW at the time when I was in and it was Warren Lee, the formula has never been updated. MS. NIMS: Right. MS. POINDEXTER: So that's of a concern. So when we talk about how Puna now has two Council Members, the formula may be affecting the area of the most growth. MS. NIMS: Okay. Interesting. Thank you. MS. POINDEXTER: Yeah, so I think we need to definitely look into that. MS. NIMS: Okay. MS. POINDEXTER: So I appreciate the work you do, and I appreciate if you could look into that. MS. NIMS: Thank you. MS. POINDEXTER: Thank you. CHR. DAVID: Thank you, Ms. Poindexter. Anyone else, in Hilo? In Kona? Then, Ms. Nims, I really want to thank you for all your hard work and your staff for doing this. And also, I want to thank the Council Members for their suggestions, because I think they're very realistic and it will definitely go to help us, not only the Council but the administration likewise, in doing a better job. So thank you for all your hard work, and this report. MS. NIMS: Thank you. OCHR. DAVID: Other than that, all those in favor of filing Communication 995, please say "aye." Vote on Comm. 995: The motion to close file on Comm. 995 was carried by Filed the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, Eoff, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Poindexter, Richards, Villegas, and Chair David–9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. Page 12 FC-36 July 21,2020 CHR. DAVID: Thank you, Ms. Nims. MS. NIMS: Thank you. CHR. DAVID: Can you move on to Resolution 683-20, please? (Note: At this time, Deputy Clerk Aaron Brown came forward to address the members of the Council.) MR. BROWN: Excuse me, Madam Chair, Finance Director Sako just entered the chamber. CHR. DAVID: Oh, thank you. Then let's do the communication. Can I have a motion to take it off the table? Vote on Motion to Mr. Richards moved to remove Comm. 11.34 from the Remove from Table: table. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy and carried by the (Approved) following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, Eoff, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Poindexter, Richards, Villegas, and Chair David–9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR. DAVID: Mr. Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, thank you. Deanna, thanks for running down. Appreciate it. This was on Communication 11.34, Transfer of Funds. And we have some moving of funding from—for instance, the first one, Aquatics Pools, Electricity, Cleaning/Sanitation, and transferred to contract services, et cetera. What's the thought process behind this? We know we have a lot of maintenance ongoing, and I know I have a pool that needs a lot of maintenance. It would appear some of this has been rearranged, and I know there are reasons. But can we have an explanation, please? MS. SAKO: Parks is actually in the audience. MR. RICHARDS: Yeah. MS. SAKO: But generally, you know, we budget based on what we believe we need. Page 13 FC-36 July 21,2020 MR. RICHARDS: Correct. MS. SAKO: But these are everyday maintenance items. Not like the big R&M (repair and maintenance), where we have to replace the pump or something like that. MR. RICHARDS: Right. MS. SAKO: So this is just what ended up happening during the year, because we start budgeting, you know, two years basically before year-end. MR. RICHARDS: And I do appreciate that. I know that this is a very unusual year. And I know Reid's out there, so can we just get a comment? Because, you know, you talk about the big item, and I have one of those big items that needs to get done in Kohala. But Reid, maybe you can comment on this,please. Don't run away, Deanna. (Note: At this time, Business Manager Reid Sewake came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. SEWAKE: Reid Sewake, Business Manager. Yeah, for this particular year, yeah, we did encounter some pretty high expenditures in the Parks Maintenance Division. Some of it is unanticipated, so there was a need to transfer some funds to Parks Maintenance. As far as Aquatics, yeah, their expenditure is low in the cleaning/sanitation. We had multiple-pool closures this, so we had some cost savings on that side. MR. RICHARDS: And so generally speaking then, the idea is to transfer it to some maintenance and repair, since we've got these pools shut down? MR. SEWAKE: Yes. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. Just like I said, we have lots of maintenance that we need to get done. I do appreciate the fact that—like salary and wages is down because we had shut down the pool. So okay, that answers my questions. Thanks, Reid. Deanna, concerning the Solid the Pu`uanahlu and the recycling program. What's the answer there? Looks like we took $105,000 out of recycling and we had transferred $500,000—$525,000. Thought process there, what was going on? MS. SAKO: In general, you know, the department kind of manages their funds. And so they did have a need for additional overtime money. But recycling, because the vendor had asked for us to reduce that contract because they were not able to provide the services given the current contract amount, that's why, you Page 14 FC-36 July 21,2020 know, there's no two-bin recycling at the transfer stations anymore. So since they had a savings from that, they were able to help cover some of the other costs that they have. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. So the contractor said, "We can't fulfill_ " So that's how these freed them? MS. SAKO: Right. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. That's mainly for the public out there. MS. SAKO: Mm-hmm. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. So we didn't cut it? MS. SAKO: No, the vendor approached us. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. Chair, thank you so much. I yield. Thanks, Deanna. CHR. DAVID: Thank you, Mr. Richards, and thanks, Director Sako. Anyone else has questions for our director? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Chair, I have a question. CHR. DAVID: Thank you. Go ahead, Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Chair. Deanna, good morning. Okay, my questions are about the pools, and I'm going to touch on a few different points. Pahoa pool, I've been getting a lot asks for a solar hot water system to keep the water hot, which may be negligible on what it can actually do. But the request is still there because some of our folks using it don't like the coldness of the water. We've also been in contact with group that want to do a diving-board at the Hilo Kawamoto Pool. And then last week I received a call regarding the Kawamoto Pool, from a gentleman from Hilo, who was upset because he can come in and take a shower before he swims in the pool but not after, which I'm guess is due to the CARES' response. I'm sorry, not CARES response, COVIDs response. MS. SAKO: COVIDs response. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But looking what extra funds we have in here, some of the reasoning like, funds were available in the P&R (Parks and Recreation) Aquatics Salary and Wages due to vacancies, or we had, you know, extra funds due to no use or the facilities being closed. I just want to know that Page 15 FC-36 July 21,2020 we are doing the best that we can do to upkeep the facilities that we have, which is touching on what Mr. Richards had spoken about. MS. SAKO: Well, I think this is an unusual year. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It has been. MS. SAKO: I mean, so when the pools were shut down for the COVID, then those costs were freed up. I mean, this isn't like a typical year. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yep. MS. SAKO: So each director is allowed to transfer as needed, and best assess, you know, the needs of all the facilities that they have to manage. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Fair enough. So Miscellaneous Contract Services, what does that cover? MS. SAKO: A lot of different things. It's any contract with an outside parry. So a normally outside parry, yeah. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Give me an example. MS. SAKO: A recycling contract would be a miscellaneous contract services. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But under Parks? MS. SAKO: Under Parks, it could be tree trimming, it could be repairs. You know, small repair projects, that get fund out. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So moving the funds out of the Aquatics Pools OCE (Other Current Expenses) and over to Parks Maintenance OCE, it actually takes away from the ability for us to maintain and take care of our pools in our Aquatic Division? MS. SAKO: Well, I believe the pools were shut down for two months. So they didn't use as much electricity, they didn't use cleaning/sanitation supplies. You know, so then Parks did have projects ongoing that they needed to cover, Parks Maintenance, so they moved it down over there. It wasn't that we don't care about the pools; they were shut down for two months. Three actually, sorry. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So the extra funds being spent within Parks Maintenance, none of that was CARES? MS. SAKO: That's to cover all of the parks facilities on the island. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: No COVID response type? Page 16 FC-36 July 21,2020 MS. SAKO: Anything that was COVID response, like the additional sanitization or, you know, additional supplies; like, they built hand-sanitizer stands, anything like that was charged to the CARES Act. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And that wouldn't fall into MS. SAKO: But that didn't happen until at the very end of the fiscal year. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. So this was in what, 5/21? So May 21st? MS. SAKO: This was in May, yeah. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MS. SAKO: But that appropriation wasn't passed until June, for the CARES Act. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. But we track CARES expenditures. MS. SAKO: We did, and we moved MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Right. COVID expenditures, yeah,prior to that? MS. SAKO: Yeah. We moved them all prior to June 30''. But during May, when the action was still happening, that appropriation hadn't passed yet, So each department was just trying to cover it in their own funds. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MS. SAKO: But we did move everything prior to June 30tH MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. So I guess my closing comment to Reid, people want our pools working in nice functionality, so I appreciate the movement. But please, please, do whatever you can to take care of our pools, and let us know what you need to do that better, yeah. Thank you. I appreciate it. I yield. CHR. DAVID: Thank you, Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder. Anyone else, in Hilo? No? Director Sako, thank you very much for coming down. And on that, all those in favor of filing Communication 11.34,please say "aye." Page 17 FC-36 July 21,2020 Vote on Comm. 11.34: The motion to close file on Comm. 11.34 was carried by Filed the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, Eoff, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Poindexter, Richards, Villegas, and Chair David—9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. CHR. DAVID: Thank you. Now, Mr. Clerk, I think we can proceed to Order of Resolutions, Resolution 683-20. ORDER OF The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, RESOLUTIONS: Order of Resolutions: Res. 683-20: AUTHORIZES THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE TO NEGOTIATE A MULTI-YEAR LEASE OF REAL PROPERTY, BEING A PORTION OF 34 RAINBOW DRIVE(OLD HILO HOSPITAL COMPLEX), SITUATED AT PI`IHONUA, DISTRICT OF SOUTH HILO, COUNTY AND STATE OF HAWAII, AND IDENTIFIED AS BEING A PORTION OF TAX MAP KEY: 2-3-026:008, TO THE BIG ISLAND SUBSTANCE ABUSE COUNCIL Authorizes the Finance Director to negotiate a lease for 15 years with an option for three additional five-year terms with the Big Island Substance Abuse Council, to be used as a residential and outpatient treatment facility, with an annual cost of$10. Reference: Comm. 999 Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R) Motion to Approve: Ms. Poindexter moved to recommend adoption of Res. 683-20. Seconded by Mr. Richards. CHR. DAVID: Thank you very much. Any discussion on this, Council Members? Oh wait, hang on a second. I believe we have Hamana Ventura from our Finance Property Management Division and also Dr. Hannah from BISAC (Big Island Substance Abuse Council) available in the Hilo Chambers, is that correct? MS. POINDEXTER: Yes. CHR. DAVID: Thank you. MS. POINDEXTER: Yes, Chair. This is Val. And I have something to say when you're ready to hand things over. Page 18 FC-36 July 21,2020 CHR. DAVID: Okay. Why don't we ask—can I ask Hamana Ventura to come up to the table and just kind of briefly explain to the Council this lease, give us a little detail? And then if to you have questions, then we'll bring up Dr. Hannah if the questions are directed her. Mr. Ventura. (Note: At this time, Property Manager Hamana Ventura came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR. DAVID: Mahalo, Mr. Ventura. Thank you very much. And could you just please give us an explanation of this lease? Thank you. MR. VENTURA: Good morning, Chair, members of the County Council. Hamana Ventura, Property Manager. Looking at Hilo Hospital, we'd like to take this time to recommend that we move forward with this recommendation. We've had this product sitting, and thanks to Sharon Hirota, Mayor's Office, we've been able to take an aging building and really, really utilize it for the community. So coming forth, we're being able to add more services to help out the community. And so, we're asking for approval to move forward with this. CHR. DAVID: Thank you very much for that. Ms. Poindexter? MS. POINDEXTER: Yeah, you know, 15 years to me is such a short time. You know, BISAC has been in operation for God knows how long, I mean. And, you know, to start moving into a different area,people getting, I guess, you know, transitioning to that new that area. And even how that place operates, 15 years is to me is so small period of time. You know, is it possible to do something like 25 years then the options or you guys are restricted on the cap of how many years that you can ? You know, because when you look at BISAC service, I mean, you know that they're not going to go away and we need them. MR. VENTURA: I understand. That's why we put in the additional options to you know, at the end of the day, it's a long-term lease. It gives them adequate time to capitalize, make improvements. And the County is supportive of this venture, as well. So I think the overall terms of the term is that, come through the lease should be acceptable to all parties. MS. POINDEXTER: Because it's a total of 30 years. MR. VENTURA: Correct. MS. POINDEXTER: Yeah, that's little time, you know. So, I don't know. That's my opinion. If you look back into the services that they provide and the need for the community—and our community is only growing—and with the pandemic and other disasters, that things that may happen and may impact the lives of families and individuals and what we're planning for. You know, I think working with them on a very long term is to the benefit of our County. Page 19 FC-36 July 21,2020 And even at looking at, you know, do they move into areas where they can also during disasters play a big part contributing to helping with Civil Defense, or whatever? But I know that 30 years may seem like a long time, but it's really not. MR. VENTURA: Well, my recommendation is that we move forward with this portion in order to help expedite the service, get them in the front door. MS. POINDEXTER: Okay. MR. VENTURA: And then they may amend the terms down the road. MS. POINDEXTER: Okay, that's good, Because I'm just concerned about the way our the world, our new normal will be, and the people that it's affecting. And even right now, they may be bombarded because of mental health issues and stuff of people MR. VENTURA: Understood. MS. POINDEXTER: Yeah. MR. VENTURA: So to help expedite put in them in a position to qualify for grants and so forth, we get them in the front door. MS. POINDEXTER: Okay. MR. VENTURA: And if we need to amend terms down the line, we're all for it. MS. POINDEXTER: Yeah. And I would sayI would encourage BISAC to, "Once you get the lease going, start working on amending it already, so you can to very good long-term planning." And I see Dr. Pita is here in the chambers along with Board Member Danny Paleka. And thank you, Danny, for your continued service. You served with us here and now you're continuing to do service out in the community for a very, very important program. Thank you. I yield. Thank you, Chair. CHR. DAVID: Thank you, Ms. Poindexter. Anyone else, in Hilo? MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Chair, I have a comment. CHR. DAVID: Thank you. Go ahead, Ms. Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. I just want to say that I'm going to be supporting this resolution whole-heartedly. I absolutely want to recognize the leadership of Sharon Hirota in the Mayor's Office. She was foundational to securing this space and standing up Ke Ola Hou, the men's shelter in Hilo. Page 20 FC-36 July 21,2020 And I just have to really appreciate how we are leaning into these public/private partnerships, and we leveraging our liabilities, and now look, turning them into assets. Well done, Sharon. So happy that BISAC is going to be there and providing really important, critical services for our community. I'm glad that we are going to look at getting them into this space now, Hamana, as you say, so that when they're in providing service,they can go ahead and leverage more grant money in order to serve more folks in the community. So I just wanted to recognize everybody's hard work, working so quickly to get this done. I'm going to be supporting it. Thank you. I yield. CHR. DAVID: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Anyone else, in Hilo? MR. RICHARDS: Yeah, Chair. Richards. MR. RICHARDS: Go ahead, Mr. Richards. From the typical fiscal side, when I looked at the annual rent of$10 a year, so why aren't we going for 50 years? Because that's where I'm coming from, as far as that goes, and I hear what you say, Hamana, But that's excellent. And echoing off of what Council Woman Kierkiewicz just said, this is making all the right sense. S that's a terrific lease rate for us to have going forward. So again, whole-heartedly support. CHR. DAVID: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Anyone else, in Hilo? MS. LEE LOY: Chair? CHR. DAVID: Good ahead, Ms. Lee Loy. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. I'm echoing what everybody else said. But even what Ms. Poindexter's speaking of, she sat on the nonprofit grant-in-aid Committee her entire time, except for the last two years, and then you yourself, Ms. David. This is how we amplify and accelerate what we're doing in the nonprofit grant-in-aid Committee, increasing that budget and then allowing these opportunities to coalesce. So Ms. Kierkiewicz is on point, we take the money that we give to the nonprofit grant-in-aid committee,partner them correctly, and then turn it into an accelerated asset. And I just want to continue this model. So Hamana, I mean, I hear what you're saying, "Let's get them in the door so they can start on grant writing," and demonstrate that they have a solid foundation. But I also know that if they have an opportunity with this asset for longer periods of time, that opens the door for them to continue to get larger grant funding. And so, I'm going to be supporting this whole-heartedly. But if there's an option right now to further amend this resolution with a larger extension, I don't know if Page 21 FC-36 July 21,2020 that's something that we can do now before getting to Council the next time. And if not, to turn around quickly and allow them to set this resolution within their organization and then demonstrate that they can be in the best position to get more money to help this vulnerable population. I will whole-heartedly support. So thank you. And I love what I'm hearing from my other Council Members at this time because this is the type of service that we need to have in our community. Thank you, Chair. I yield. CHR. DAVID: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. MR. CHUNG: Maile? CHR. DAVID: Go ahead, Chair Chung. MR. CHUNG: Yeah, thank you. Could I call up Sharon Hirota, please? (Note: At this time, Executive Assistant Sharon Hirota, from the Mayor's Office, came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. CHUNG: Good morning, Sharon. MS. HIROTA: Good morning. MR. CHUNG: And thank you for all your good work. Everybody's been praising you this morning. Maybe, you know,just if you could, explain how this layout is going to work in conjunction with Ke Ola Hou, yeah, I mean just so that we have a better picture of what's going on. MS. HIROTA: So 34 Rainbow Drive, as all of you know, is our old, old Memorial Hospital. It actually has three floors. And so back in October of last year, we opened up Ke Ola Hou, providing up to 50 shelter beds, emergency shelter beds, specifically for our men who are experiencing homelessness. MR. CHUNG: This is on the middle one? MS. HIROTA: This is on the second floor. MR. CHUNG: Second floor, right? MS. HIROTA: It's a portion of the second floor, correct. MR. CHUNG: Okay, go ahead. MS. HIROTA: In addition, there is additional space up there. So on the third floor, there was a space that was previously occupied by the University of Page 22 FC-36 July 21,2020 Hawaii School of Pharmacy, as they were building there new building. We're about ready to open that section up, providing 18 permanent housing units, again focusing on our male individuals. MR. CHUNG: This is for Ke Ola Hou? MS. HIROTA: So Ke Ola Hou on the second floor, is Ke Ola Hou. MR. CHUNG: Right. MS. HIROTA: Upstairs, in the former space that was occupied by the UH School of Pharmacy, is now going to be 18-units. So we converted each of the offices to living-space and that is going to be called Hale Kaulike. So it's a separate program, because we're calling it a different name because of the funding source. So, we don't want to mix up our funding. MR. CHUNG: Homelessness, though. MS. HIROTA: Again addressing homelessness but more on a permanent basis. MR. CHUNG: Okay. MS. HIROTA: So each individual will have their own room and will have access to a community-shared restrooms, facility, showers, as well as shared space. But they will have—it won't be dormitory style. They will actually have their own space, so they will be able to come and go and lock their own room. What we're proposing now is the remaining 20,000 square feet of that building. That will occupy the entire basement, a portion of the second floor, and a portion of the third floor. So when this is done, the entire building will be occupied. The work of BISAC is very critical. And so this will be an opportunity for them to work directly with the current provider, which is Hope Services; that if there is a need for higher level of care for individuals entering the emergency shelter, they will be able to refer them over to the BISAC services. Visa-versa, as individuals exiting out of the services of BISAC and is in need for shelter, they will be directly connected with the housing provider on the same site. MR. CHUNG: Okay. So Ke Ola Hou then is at its end then, in terms of its size. It's not going to expand anymore? MS. HIROTA: No, Ke Ola Hou will stay, remain in the space they are. MR. CHUNG: Okay. MS. HIROTA: Providing emergency shelter, so people can walk in and get services. Page 23 FC-36 July 21,2020 MR. CHUNG: So after that, I mean, after that other program you referenced, and BISAC comes in, we're going to be fully occupied in that building, right? MS. HIROTA: Yes. MR. CHUNG: And then there's going to be a synergy of course, right, with BISAC and your programs, too? MS. HIROTA: Definitely. MR. CHUNG: Yeah. MS. HIROTA: So partners will be able to work directly with each other, not having to send them to another site for services but actually be able to walk them downstairs or upstairs, depending upon the need. MR. CHUNG: Fantastic. So maybe if I can call up now Dr. Hannah. And, Danny, if you want to come up, it's so nice to see you again. (Note: At this time, Dr. Hannah Pita and Mr. Danny Paleka, representing BISAC, came forward to address the members of the Committee. CHR. DAVID: Thank you, Mr. Chung. Anyone else? MR. CHUNG: Wait, I called up Dr. Hannah and Danny Paleka. Sorry, Maile. CHR. DAVID: Okay. I'm sorry. Thank you, go ahead. MR. CHUNG: Dr. Hannah, if you can, well, both of you introduce yourselves, and just explain, you know, that the scope of your program. I mean, is it going to supplant what you have on Waianuenue? Or is it going to augment it, is it going to be residential, or what? Just briefly tell us a lot bit about it. DR. HANNAH: For sure. This is Dr. Hannah, with the Big Island Substance Abuse Council, and I wanted to say thank you so much. I'm so emotional now. I'm like really emotional. So I just kind of wanted to give you a little bit about our program and what we're trying to propose here, is take standard BISAC services; current infrastructure and provide a more comprehensive treatment approach for consolidating our services. So this project will be a multi-health and human services in a single location, which is easily accessible to majority of our vulnerable population. The integrated care model involves substance abuse, mental health, medical services, and improves the quality of care for our clients. Page 24 FC-36 July 21,2020 We are going to be keeping our outpatient facilities in Hilo as well as our Kona office so that they can become feeder-offices into our program. The nice thing about this building is that we are able to provide 24 therapeutic living programs. We'll be able to provide 70 residential beds. This will include a detox center, which we have nothing on this island right now, and really, starting to implement the medically assisted treatment, which is something where it's going to help with influx with our opioid epidemic, which is starting to see more so in our Kona locations. Another thing that we're wanting to do is really start to do a more of an occupational training program. So having this consolidated servicers will not only be a benefit to our island but also to our State. And we're not going to be sending off our families and our clients off-island to be treated elsewhere. MR. CHUNG: Okay. You know, you guys have moms and babies and stuff like that, right? DR. HANNAH: Yes. MR. CHUNG: But that's going to remain where it's at? DR. HANNAH: No, we're going to keep it all in one location. MR. CHUNG: Oh, so all of this is going to be integrated now? DR. HANNAH: Yes. Yes, all integrated services. MR. CHUNG: Oh. DR. HANNAH: It makes more sense to have it all there. Transportation becomes an issue for us. We spent a lot of money transporting clients to and from on separate locations. This will help us out immensely with providing that type of service. MR. CHUNG: So all of, you know, the men's homes, you guys all going be in one place? DR. HANNAH: Yes, all. MR. CHUNG: No need for all those other places. DR. HANNAH: All. No need for that, only our out-patients sites as feeders. And we're also looking into Waimea. If we're able to do this, then we can reopen our Waimea site and possibly Ka`u, to bring in more individuals into our program. Page 25 FC-36 July 21,2020 MR. CHUNG: Fantastic. So you're even going to allow the kids to be in there, too, then? DR. HANNAH: Yes, yes. MR. CHUNG: Whew, wow. DR. HANNAH: And the kids that we have a school-based program, so they're not going to be 24/7, obviously. But our whole goal, eventually in the next couple of years is if our residential program is successful and we are able to reap our fruits of our labor, then we'll be looking at more of an adolescent program to maybe do a couple of beds for our adolescents, which is phenomenal too, as well. MR. CHUNG: Well, that would be a game-changer. Really, yeah? DR. HANNAH: Yes. Yes. MR. CHUNG: Well, I really want to thank you guys. Danny, I don't know if you want to say anything or if you're here for support. Just nice to see you again in here. MR. PALEKA: Oh, so nice to see you folks, too. No, I just want to you know, hats off to Dr. Hannah. She's been such a true leader for our BISAC organization. Navigating this bugger is such a tough time already, but to come up with this. And mahalo, Hamana, for working with us and trying to get—and getting this opportunity for—because it's an opportunity for a win-win, you know. And I just hope for your support in backing us, and seems like we do have that. But thank you very, very much. MR. CHUNG: Yeah. Fantastic, you guys. I mean,just based on my work with families, you know, BISAC provides such an important niche to our community, right? And as you stated, Dr. Hannah, a lot of times you have to send people away, right? You get like Women's Way and other programs on Maui. Fantastic programs, but if we can have something here, that will be really, really great. So thank you for all your good work, yeah. You know, of course I certainly this idea. But I just wanted you guys an opportunity to explain, you know, on a larger scale how this thing was all going to work in tandem with one another, and to describe the program. So thank you, you guys. Thank you, Madam Chairman. CHR. DAVID: Thank you, Chair Chung. And I really want to—anyone else before I ? No? Well, I want to thank you, Chair Chung, for actually asking for that presentation and short description from Dr. Hannah, because I think that really explained the whole concept of this and how important it is. And I want to thank Dr. Hannah for all of her hard work and say hello to Mr. Paleka. Hi, Danny. Longtime no see. Page 26 FC-36 July 21,2020 Anyway, stay safe everyone. And I think if we're ready, we can take the vote. All those in favor of approving Resolution 683-20,please say "aye." Vote on Res. 683-20: The motion to recommend adoption of Res. 683-20 (Approved) was carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, Eoff, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Poindexter, Richards, Villegas, and Chair David—9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. CHR. DAVID: Thank you very much. Mr. Clerk, we can move on to the last resolution on the agenda, Resolution 684-20. Res. 684-20: CHANGES THE FUNDING SOURCE OF ONE ACCOUNT CLERK POSITION A contract position with the State Workforce Development Division would be retained as a permanent position by the County's Elderly Activities Division. Reference: Comm. 1000 Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R) Motion to Approve: Ms. Poindexter moved to recommend adoption of Res. 684-20. Seconded by Mr. Richards. CHR. DAVID: Discussion. I know we have Roann Okamura in our Hilo Chambers. (Note: At this time, Elderly Activities Operations Director Roann Okamura came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR. DAVID: Roann, if you'd like to explain the changes,just briefly. And then if we have questions, we'll be able to ask you. MS. OKAMURA: Good morning, Madam Chair and Council Members. CHR. DAVID: Good morning. MS. OKAMURA: Yeah, I wanted to just give you a little background since it was very brief. Basically, our STEP has closed, the Senior Training Employment Program. We were the managers of this program for 44 years, since 1976. So it's a big loss for us. It is being taken back by the Workplace Development Division, at the State level. So my concern was for the enrollees not to lose their opportunity to have employment, so that's secured. Page 27 FC-36 July 21,2020 We're requesting for this position to be transferred. It is a contract position with the funding that went with that program, to be going to the Elderly Recreation Services Program, that section. That is the busiest section within our division. That's the boomers taking classes, attending events, and attending senior clubs. So that's the justification for the movement of the funds. Thank you. CHR. DAVID: Thank you. Thank you, Roann. Questions, Council Members? MS. LEE LOY: Chair, I have a question for Roann. CHR. DAVID: Oh, thank you. Go ahead, Ms. Lee Loy. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. Roann, thanks for being here. Reid, thank you. So this—usually we're really recipient of federal funds for this program. So did the federal funds disappear? Roann, you know I know, so why don't go ahead and explain what happened. MS. NAKAMURA: Honestly, these funds, it's federal funds that filters through the State, the Workforce Development Division. And we were notified on, I think it was May 28, that the funding wasn't going to continue. It's usually a two or three-year contract, and they're keeping it within house, so it's being managed by the American Job Center through the Workforce Development Division, at the State level, yeah. MS. LEE LOY: So do we have other STEP positions that usually taps into this funding that is now or is this the only position? MS. OKAMURA: That's the only funding. MS. LEE LOY: Okay. MS. OKAMURA: So it is a win-win, because for the enrollees that are in our program currently, it gives them a bigger window of opportunity to get gainful employment. Because they'll be competing with everybody, you know, within this program versus just at a senior level, yeah. MS. LEE LOY: Thanks, Roann. You're always so knowledgeable. MS. OKAMURA: Yes. You're welcome. MS. LEE LOY: Thanks for being here. Chair, I yield. CHR. DAVID: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Anyone else? Kona, Hilo, no? Okay, great. Thank you, Ms. Okamura, for explaining that and for being in chambers. So Council Members, all those in favor in approving Resolution 684-20, please say "aye." Page 28