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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN FC 2021/06/01 2020-2022 Committee on Finance 12th Session Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii June 1, 2021 CALL TO The regular meeting of the Committee on Finance was called to order at ORDER: 9:31 a.m. in the Council Chambers, Hilo, by Mr. Matt Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder, Chair. ROLL CALL: Present: Mr. Matt Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder, Chair Ms. Heather L. Kimball, Vice Chair Mr. Aaron S. Y. Chung, Member Ms. Maile Medeiros David, Member (via videoconference from Kona) Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Member Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Member Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Member Ms. Rebecca Villegas, Member (via videoconference from Kona) Absent and Excused: Mr. Herbert M. "Tim" Richards III, Member 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.) Change Order As directed by the Chair and with no objection from the Committee Members, the of Business: following items were taken out of order: ORDER OF The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, RESOLUTIONS: Order of Resolutions. Res. 134-21: AUTHORIZES THE ACCEPTANCE OF A DONATION OF A BRONZE STATUE OF A MYTHOLOGICAL FISHERMAN TO THE COUNTY OF HAWAII The statue, valued at $10,000, was donated by Henry Bianchini, and will be located at the recreational area commonly known as "Isles." Reference: Comm. 268 Intro. By: Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder (B/R) FC-12 June 1,2021 Motion to Approve: Ms. Lee Loy moved to recommend adoption of Res. 134-21. Seconded by Mr. Inaba CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Today we have joining us, Mr. Henry Bianchini and Mr. Maurice Messina, Director of Parks and Rec. Perhaps I could have you gentlemen come forward and we can do a brief discussion with the Council. Mo, if you could be give us a little background, where the statue is, how everything's working out given our last meeting and some of the public comments that were made. Mr. Bianchini, thank you for joining us today. Okay Mo, go ahead. (Note: At this time, Parks and Recreation Director Maurice Messina and Artist Henry Bianchini came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. MESSINA: Good morning. Maurice Messina, Director of Parks and Recreation. So since our last discussion we have found a new location for the statue. We have talked with Henry and some members of the public and different groups. We feel that this is a great location that we have. Right now it's still at Lili`uokalani Garden area. That's mainly because what it's going to take to pick it up and move it. We didn't want to have to have it stored somewhere. So Henry is going to work with our—if the resolution passes, Henry is going to be working with our crew to figure out a way to pull it and put it in the new spot. Other than that, we haven't received any negative comments about the new location at all. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, okay. Thank you, Mo. And Mr. Bianchini, I just want to say, as an artist, I appreciate your patience and your willingness to work with us. And like all art, some of the most amazing art in the world did raise a lot of comment from the public. And so this was no different. But I do appreciate you as an artist and putting out your creativity in a form that we can all see and understand. Regardless of how anyone feels about it, I appreciate what you've done here and your willingness to work with us as a County to really nail down, where it's going to go, what it looks like, and just being patient with us. So mahalo. Do you want to say anything, sir, before we get started? If you do,push the button, state your name for the record, and then that way we've got you on file. MR. BIANCHINL My name is Henry Bianchini. I think you know some of the history. I built a sailboat in California. I was developing myself as an artist at that time and I took a side trip and I built a trimaran, 30-foot trimaran, sailed it in. I saw the Maunaulu eruption sailing in from far at sea, about 300 miles. The whole place lit up. It gave me a pretty unique view of what I've been living in for the last 54 years. And I've created a career. I have public works in all the islands. I've worked through processes more difficult than this one. And I love Hilo. Page 2 FC-12 June 1,2021 And I want to read a haiku that a patron of mine wrote when he saw the piece. He lives in Oregon. He's a retired physicist from Oregon State. And I want to read this little haiku. It says a lot about the piece. "Fisherman rose out of the depths, the depths of Hilo Bay, to honor a queen, much beloved, with a gift of his only wealth." That's Paul Steffus, a very established physicist that's done a lot of work for humanity. And he owns some of my work. I have work in Europe. I've got as public piece on Reunion Island. And so I went through a process that I thought was the only process I knew to establish, and this controversy occurred. So I've got letters by established artists here, but I think there's no need to go through all that. I think I probably talked enough. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Thank you for that. I'm going to go ahead and open up to the Council Members if there's any comments or questions, and then we'll go from there. MR. BIANCHINL Sure. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, sir. Mr. Inaba, go ahead. MR. INABA: Mahalo. Thank you, Mr. Bianchini for creating this wonderful piece that shares mo`olelo of an old way of life and a continuing way of life for our people here. So we really appreciate that. I look forward to supporting this. Director Messina, I just was wonderingI don't know where Isles is. Where is that? MR. MESSINA: Let's see if I can figure out the best way to explain it. MR. INABA: To a Kona person. MR. MESSINA: Right. So have you been to Lili`uokalani Gardens? MR. INABA: Yes. MR. MESSINA: Okay. So say if you start over by Hilo Hawaiian and you make your way through the gardens. Right as you come out of the gardens on the right hand side is like a big open field where there's a pier. That's Isles over there. MR. INABA: Okay. So not far from where it currently is? MR. MESSINA: Nope. MR. INABA: Okay. Alright, thank you. That's all. I just needed some point of reference. Page 3 FC-12 June 1,2021 MR. BIANCHINL Isles is right next door to Hilo Bay Cafe. MR. INABA: I know where that is. Alrighty, thank you so much. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Mahalo, Mo, for going through this process. You know, I had a great conversation with Mr. Bianchini right after the initial resolution came through and, you know, let him know that we were going through a process and you were so diligent working through that with him. Really appreciate seeing the resolution that we have before us now. And thank you, Henry, for taking the time to just connect with me and sort of just talk about what this meant for you and your gift, this contribution to community. I love art, whether it's a painting or sculpture, whatever it is it just is an incredible representation of our collective memory whether it is a value or a story, or culture, or about a person. Thank you. I appreciate this nod that you are doing, you know, to our local culture. And Holeka is right, fishing is such a foundation, a part of ancient Hawaii, of our modern lifestyle. It's where we draw our sustenance both physically and spiritually. So thank you for elevating that. And I'm glad that we found a place that everybody can agree is the most appropriate place for this incredible donation to our County and our community. So thank you. Chair, I yield. MR. BIANCHINL Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you for being here, Mr. Bianchini. Mo,thank you for the work. You know, working with community is always a challenge. And so I really appreciate you digging in with the community, and also kind of working collectively. I think the last time the resolution came along we had a little bit of a speed bump. But you know, what I was hoping for was like developing a process because I'm sure there will be more artists who want to contribute to community and want to contribute to our open spaces. So the work we did here for this statute I hope we can replicate in the future. I do have one question though. And this is something both myself and Council Member Kimball touched on the last time was kind of creating a document that told a little bit more of a story. And when I was asked by Hawaii Tribune Herald, where is Isles,just like Holeka did. It would also be good if we also had an attachment, like a map attachment or something and we can work towards that as Page 4 FC-12 June 1,2021 we get on to Council and I'll be more than happy to help you folks develop that. But I will be supporting this right here, right now. And thank you for all your hard work to involve community in what definitely started a conversion about art in community. So thank you. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Any questions from Kona, and please speak up if you have something to say as well so I don't forget about you guys. Okay. Mahalo. With that, I see no more questions from the Council. Thank you gentlemen for your time today. I appreciate it. And then I will see you back at CouncilI don't know if you need to come back. MR. MESSINA: We canalright, we'll be back. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, gentlemen. MR. BIANCHINL Thank you. It was very nice to meet you all. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Henry. Okay, so we have the motion on the floor to forward Resolution 134-21 to Council with a favorable recommendation. All in favor? Vote on Res. 134-21: The motion to recommend adoption of Res. 134-21 was (Approved) carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Lee Loy, Villegas, and Chair Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder—8. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Member Richards — 1. Excused: None. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And let's go right back to the top of the order, Communication 30.10. Return to Order The Chair directed the Committee to return to the order of business. of Business: COMMUNI- The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, CATIONS: Communications. Comm. 30.10: REPORT OF FUND TRANSFERS AUTHORIZED: APRIL 16 —30, 2021 From Controller Kay Oshiro, dated May 10, 2021. Motion to Close File: Mr. Inaba moved to close file on Comm. 30.10. Seconded by Ms. Kimball. Page 5 FC-12 June 1,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Is there any discussion, Council Members? Deanna Sako is here. Deanna, I have a question about this one. If you could come up, please? (Note: At this time Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you for being here this morning Ms. Sako. MS. SAKO: Sure. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: How are you this morning? MS. SAKO: I am great. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Wonderful. So this one, this is a fairly substantial transfer order list. And just running through them, you know, I had some quick questions about GET Mass Transit OCE transferring over to Salary and Wages. So then the realm, funding different programs, looks like for recycling different things. You know,the reason I called you up though, I've had a few times now in Council where I've seen movement from this Provisional Compensation Adj-G. What is provisional compensation adjustment? MS. SAKO: So you might remember last year when we were talking about the budget that the collective bargaining units, not all of them had agreed on their raises yet or the salary compensation adjustments? So we booked an estimate in the provision like we have done many times in the past and then as the departments need the money we transfer it to them so that they can fulfill their salary requirements. So typically the collective bargaining, in a perfect year, would be completed in time for the May 51h°budget when we submit it. And each department would have their appropriate salaries amount in their budget. But because the unions and the counties, which we bargain with the state and other counties that haven't been completed yet so we weren't able to do that. And you guys might also recall that this was the year that we had a lot of retro pay especially for our HGEA (Hawai`i Government Employees Association) members. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then going forward, these same accounts will be funded similarly for this upcoming year? Page 6 FC-12 June 1,2021 MS. SAKO: The provision for compensation adjustment on there is no provision for the upcoming year, because all of the collective bargaining units agreements expire on June 30'', and they are in the process of negotiating. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. That was my question. Thank you, appreciate it. Any further questions by the Council? Okay, seeing none. Mahalo, Ms. Sako. Okay, so we have a motion on the floor to close file on Communication 30.10, all in favor? Vote on Comm. 30.10: The motion to close file on Comm. 3 0.10 was carried Filed by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Lee Loy, Villegas, and Chair Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder—8. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Member Richards — 1. Excused: None. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Moving on to Communication 31.12. Comm. 31.12: REPORT OF CHANGE ORDERS AUTHORIZED: APRIL 16 —30, 2021 From Finance Director Deanna Sako, dated May 5, 2021,transmitting the above report pursuant to Hawaii County Charter Section 2-12.3. Motion to Close File: Ms. Lee Loy moved to close file on Comm. 31.12. Seconded by Mr. Inaba. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Council Members, any discussion? Kona? Okay, Mr. Inaba, go ahead. MR. INABA: Deanna, third to the bottom is an increase for collection, hauling, and processing of recyclable materials for DEM (Department of Environmental Management). I'm sorry, is this a normal thing, right, where it's just an extension? It's already been kind of figured out with this plan. MS. SAKO: We had already bid it out. When we do three month extensions it's usually because the original contract expired and we're still in the process of bidding out for the coming period. MR. INABA: Got it, okay. And then for the Kukuiola one, the second on the list. That's a big difference. Do you know what's going on there? MS. SAKO: I think this had to do with trying to take advantage of the Governor's proclamation on procurement. So it's all part of the same project. And the Page 7 FC-12 June 1,2021 governor had waived procurement on homeless projects and I believe this project, hopefully, was originally grandfathered in for that. So they continue to do more pieces. And I think this one is specifically for the subdivision documents and the archaeological survey. MR. INABA: Okay. Thank you so much. That's all I have. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Any further discussion? Seeing noneDeanna, the collection and hauling for the recyclable material, when has that contract begun? MS. SAKO: Sorry, the original date was September 26, 2016. So it's been in place for five years already or just about five years. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: With that, when it started I think we were doing more recyclables than now. We have plastics and different things. Is that reflected in this? MS. SAKO: It does reflect. But there's several components to it and DEM can probably explain it better than I can. But it also depends on the recycling market, the market for the materials that we're collecting. So the price of those materials plays a significant contribution to what we can afford. The more the vendor has to pay to get them off island, the less we can recycle. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And if I remember right, Business Services stopped taking our plastics because it was mixed with so much garbage, yeah? MS. SAKO: Yeah. I think the market for some of those items have dried up too. It's difficult to sell them to other people. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But this contract was started in 2016? MS. SAKO: Correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: When we were still collecting all of those other goods. MS. SAKO: Um-hmm. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I'll follow-up with DEM. Thank you. Okay, any further discussion? Kona,just remind me if you have any questions. Okay, seeing none, motion to close file on Communication 31.12 is on the floor, all in favor? Page 8 FC-12 June 1,2021 Vote on Comm. 31.12: The motion to close file on Comm. 31.12 was carried Filed by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Lee Loy, Villegas, and Chair Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder—8. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Member Richards — 1. Excused: None. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And moving onto the final order of business for today for the Finance Committee, Communication 267. Comm. 267: DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION'S EVALUATION OF APPLICATIONS FOR 2020 STEWARDSHIP GRANTS FOR COUNTY LANDS ACQUIRED THROUGH THE PUBLIC ACCESS, OPEN SPACE, AND NATURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION FUND From Parks and Recreation Director Maurice C. Messina, dates May, 2021, presenting recommendations on five applications from qualified nonprofit organizations for funding to maintain certain parcels acquired through Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Fund: • Cave Conservancy of Hawaii (Kahuku Coastal Property) Funds requested: $15,005 • Ho`omalu Ka`u (Kahua Olohu) Funds requested: $31,415 • Na Mamo O Kawa(Kawa`a/Kawa`a Bay) Funds requested: $182,085 • National Parks Arts Foundation (Various lands in the Ka`u district) Funds requested: $35,000 • 1`6MM I Ka Lani (Waipi`o Valley Lookout) Funds requested: $70,000 Motion to Close File: Ms. Kimball moved to close file on Comm. 267. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Council Members, any discussion? Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Maybe if we could have Director Messina come forward and provide a high level overview of the report. I have some questions after you do that. I was reviewing prior submissions of this document to the Council and I feel like you've gotten very, very specific as to the various objectives that you are identifying that these potential stewards are sort of Page 9 FC-12 June 1,2021 like aligning themselves with. So just some overview of your process. Thank you. (Note: At this time, Director Maurice Messina came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. MESSINA: Good morning, Council Members. Maurice Messina, Director of Parks and Recreation. Yes, so what you see if you looked at previous submissions that the department has submitted, what you see is a very, very detailed review process of all the grant applications. If we look at the management of the PONC stewardships, we see that there is a lot of, you know, once the grants get submitted, once they get approved, oversight isn't always there throughout the process. So what we wanted to do is to make you aware of what we could see as potential issues with each one of the grant applications. A lot of these have to do with budgeting issues and budgeting concerns. In the past when we have run into this, we have worked with those specific grant those seeking grants for them to submit an amended budget to us and then we would submit a supplemental recommendation to the Council. And as you can see when we're going through a lot of these have to do with, for instance, if you're building a shed, building a water tank, things of that nature, are permits required for this? So we're not just taking the grant application then saying there are no permits required when we're not 100 percent sure on that. So we want to provide more scrutiny on that. We want them to work with our planners, our project coordinators, and so that our folks can reach out to Planning and DPW (Department of Public Works) if needed to make sure that everything is being in accordance with our codes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Director. Maybe some clarification here. When you talk about your recommendation that a certain organization will not be able to complete the project in accordance with the description submitted in adherence to the conditions governing the PONC Maintenance fund, does that mean no funding or are you going to work with them to sort of resolve some of the issues you've identified so that they can receive funding? MR. MESSINA: We'd rather work with the groups themselves. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. So what is the next step? Because it's not really articulated here. I understand your recommendation. But just want to know the process because when we, you know, took this to voters at the most recent election it's actually transferring from Parks, my understanding, to Finance. So what does that transition look like, how are we going to make sure that these, you know, land stewards are getting the support and resources they need to take care of the `aina? Page 10 FC-12 June 1,2021 MR. MESSINA: So that is conversations that we've been having with the Finance Department. It's kind of like a double-edged sword for us right now in our department because, you know, where do the PONC lands fall under? You know, do they fall under Parks, so does that mean that Parks should manage all of these? If so, then we want to be able to have actually feet on the ground when they're out there, actually out there doing their work. We want to be able to spot check, make sure everything's going in accordance with the grant application. But also if they run into issues, how can we help them resolve those issues? What you're seeing here are the grant applications that were submitted in 2019. The review in 2020 was postponed because the Parks and Rec. Department was dealing with the COVID response. So we recently completed this round and we wanted to share with the Council exactly what we were looking at, what our scrutiny was, and what we see as potential issues before we go out and work with these groups. You know,just keep everything as transparent as possible because these were the grant applications, and so we want to be able to come with you and say, this is what we saw, these are the issues that we identified, we want to let you know if there's any other issues that you may have identified before we go back to these, and so we don't have to keep going back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth, again. We can go with all the issues identified, work with them to see if there's a way. Some of these in particular, if we look at the National Parks Arts Foundation, don't really see why they need PONC land to do this particular stewardship. So could they resolve that? I don't know. What we would rather do is we'd rather work with the ones who we identified as potential budget questions, and during that explain to them, well if this is what you want to do, if you want to put a water tank, if you want to put a shed, you have to understand that this is your process that you've got to go through. I hope I answered your question. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: You did. So I'm just wondering timeframe and next step? MR. MESSINA: Next step is we reach out to the ones that we've identified that we have questions with, work with them on these questions, and see if they want to resubmit an amended budget. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I see. And is the goal then to sort of resolve this in the next 90 days. I'm just trying to understand timeframe considering they submitted in 2019 and we're now in 2021. And I'm going to assume that some applications were submitted 2020 and also this year, right? So we're playing catch up. MR. MESSINA: Yeah, we're working on the next group. Right, right. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: And you know,just kind of follow up to that, if any of the organizations that are being addressed here, have they applied in subsequent Page 11 FC-12 June 1,2021 years? Have their applications or budgets improved or changed? And is there a way to sort of consolidate all that information? MR. MESSINA: I'll be able to get that information to you. I'm not 100 percent sure right now. As far as the timeframe, we want to move on this immediately. So even though you're saying 90 days, I'm not sure what it would take for some of these nonprofits to submit an amended budget to us, what that timeframe is. But we can't hold off any longer on these. We've got to get them out, we've got to get them moving right now. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yeah. I appreciate the sense of urgency. Is there an orientation process for community members to understand how to apply for this particular grant and what are, like, fundable activities? MR. MESSINA: Well if you look in the County Charter it actually lists the there's 17 MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Criteria and objectives, I'm aware. Yes. MR. MESSINA: Yeah. And so we just have them review that. We don't set up a workshop or anything like that. No, we don't. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Would you consider it? And maybe this is, you know, something we can consider in partnership with Finance as that transition happens. And the reason why is I think sometimes people just need that space to understand and process the information. Some of these documents, these words, are so technical. It may seem clear to us but, I think people just need help in digesting that information and really understanding, you know, what the County means when it says, xyz. MR. MESSINA: I would say that the next group of applications that come in, that would fall under Finance. And so we would be willing, but I don't want to speak for Finance and what they would be willing to do or how they would work that. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yeah. Okay, Deanna's doing thumbs up over there. Sorry. The transition, the timeframe for that—and I, you know, I'm probably going to follow up with you, Deanna, because I'd love for there to be a presentation about how this transition is occurring and if there are any potential changes for how this program is administered. Is that okay? After budget and after we figure out federal funding. Everything is of high urgency. MR. MESSINA: And so, in speaking with Deanna, we didn't want to turn over to Finance Department, applications that were submitted to this department before they've actually been reviewed by us. We didn't want to turn over work to be Page 12 FC-12 June 1,2021 done to them. So we did the first round of applications, shared our reviews with the Finance Director, and we're working on the next round as well, share that with the Finance Director, see if she has any issues or concurrence, and then we want to turn over a fresh leaf to them. We don't want to give them all the extra work. Understood? MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I appreciate that. Thank you, Mo. I don't have any other questions. I just want to lend my support. So if there's any need for assisting with communication or hosting workshops, you know, I or I'm sure my colleagues would be more than welcome to assisting you folks on that front. We just spent—you know, so much money is dedicated to the PONC, rightly so, every year. And so we just want to make sure that we are making best use of every dollar, and our community organizations feel supported and are able to work in close partnership with the County. MR. MESSINA: Yeah. We 100 percent agree. I mean, that's the importance of this stewardship grant is we don't just want to put them out there on an island and just leave them out there like they don't have the support from anyone. Or if they have the questions, you know, how can we help them? MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yeah. MR. MESSINA: So that's a good idea. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Absolutely. And you know, when we had adopted the Job Corps resolution earlier this year, one of the things we asked Research and Development to look into was this PONC Maintenance Fund, is this a way in which we can be putting people to work. So very curious to what they came up with in the white paper. Anyway, thank you, Mo. I appreciate your time. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mahalo, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Ms. David, I was remiss in not offering you first chance to talk as most of these PONC applications are in your district. Did you have anything you wanted to add? MS. DAVID: I was just going to turn my light on, Chair. Thank you very much. Well I really appreciate Director Messina's explanation. There was a lot of concern after reading the report and recommendations expressed by the community. And so, Mr. Messina, I really thank you for clarifying the fact that this is not a done deal and that you are willing to work with the applicants in resolving the issues that you folks point out very clearly, and your desire to get this done as soon as possible. Because these applications by the nonprofits have done so much for these properties especially in the wilderness areas like my district, that getting committed community members to do this is very difficult. And we need to malama them while they malama our `aina. So I really appreciate Page 13 FC-12 June 1,2021 all your work in helping this get done. So that's all I need to say. I yield. Mahalo. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mahalo, Ms. David. Ms. Villegas, anything to add? MS. VILLEGAS: Not at this time. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Okay, here in Hilo, Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Hi, Mo. Thanks for being here. You know, I think this work is actually really timely. My colleagues might remember just last committee or last Council meeting, you know, I gave some start money to Ho`oleimaluo which is a nonprofit organization down in Keaukaha who does the local i`a's, the restoration of the ponds. And they had approached me about, "Hey, you know, this is some work that we want to do, some stewardship with just across the entire island. And so I directed them actually to the Open Space Commission to go ahead and get familiar with the process. But what I find actually exciting now is, you know, those things are merging, right? The work with the PONC and the stewardship piece along with the application process, because what we found is it's that vernacular of the application process that makes it challenging for a lot of nonprofits who want to do the good work to malama these spaces but also capture the story, the placemaking, the wayfinding, all of that native intelligence piece that go hand in hand with the preservation of these special places. So if there is a way, as Ms. Kierkiewicz mentioned, to host or get this information out to other nonprofits who I know are very interested in doing this work, to not only work with the nonprofit who already is identified, but maybe even shared resources, right, their educational piece. Bringing in our kids from our charter school, learning the mo`olelo, learning the stories. But also dovetailing that back into the application form. I'm really excited where this is going. And if you could reach out to my office as you and Finance kind of work through the nuts and bolts of moving this forward. I think I have already identified a number of nonprofits who are ready to do the work, but also the data collection piece, right? We're looking at the change framework, we're looking at the data collective, and how our monies, our funding, is actually improving these spaces not only in aesthetic place but a cultural place. And so if I could just offer that too, I think we're off to a great start. And so when you guys are ready, these other nonprofits are also ready. Because they've also identified some barriers with the application process, providing the various documents that are required to be part of this. And also, as Ms. Kierkiewicz mentioned, maybe the onboarding process. What to expect, and how there might be some compliance pieces with being a recipient of these funds. Page 14 FC-12 June 1,2021 You know, we don't only want to identify issues. We also want to identify solutions. So you know, if you could reach out to my office, too. I think this is reallyI get excited about how we do this work and truly maintain those spaces that have been identified for preservation in perpetuity. So thank you. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, Chair. And thank you to my colleagues for raising some of the concerns about onboarding the nonprofits. I wanted to speak specifically to Pohaha I Ka Lani, who are the stewards of the Waipi`o Valley lookout area, who do tremendous work. In fact this weekend they were down there harvesting hui which will be distributed across the entire island. So Jessie and Kulia put their heart and soul into their stewardship. And when I ready through their application, I did see some of the concerns that were raised in your report. I guess for me, and using them as an example, I'd really like to understand next steps especially with the transition and how I can advise them in terms of resolving some of these concerns levied in the report. MR. MESSINA: So in the past, after this has been presented to Council and some questions have come up about, you know, what's included especially with the budgeting items. That's what has been done in the past. We go back to them and say, "Okay, this was our review, this was what we had, these are our concerns. Please submit a revised budget." I'll talk with Deanna and our Business Manager about what would be a good timeframe that would give them enough time to do this. But like I said, we want to move on this as soon as possible because we're already reviewing the next set. And so, yeah. MS. KIMBALL: I apologize. This seems like I'm asking again something already asked and answered. But so they'll continue to be working with Parks at this point? MR. MESSINA: Parks and Rec Department at this moment. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. Thank you for that clarification. Yeah and I'm certainly willing help the system and work with you and them to make sure that we can support this group because are doing tremendous work there in the Waipi`o Valley area. MR. MESSINA: Yeah. And that's the same with the kalo group. You know, I've personally been out there numerous times, and I think that they do great things as well. And what we want to do is we want to help them be successful. Anybody who submits a stewardship grant that we feel is a legitimate application and they can really do and follow those criteria set forth in the County Charter, we want to work with them. We want to help them be successful. Page 15 FC-12 June 1,2021 MS. KIMBALL: Yeah. I think in this case it's similar to what Council Member Lee Loy mentioned. It's understanding the vernacular and our terminology versus the terminology they might use to describe the same activities. So I look forward to working with you and them to bring the application into alignment with the Charter and the expectations. That's all, Chair. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Mr. Inaba, go ahead. MR. INABA: Quick question. As we transition, Deanna, do you plan to do this same type of report, describing whether or not these applications are meeting what is supposed to happen with these funds? MS. SAKO: It'll actually go with the PONC Commission for review and then we'll summarize all the comments. But yes, we can also have staff determine. Part of that review process is to make sure it's in compliance with the County Charter. MR. INABA: Okay, sorry. So will we continue to get something like ? MS. SAKO: You'll get a report, yes. MR. INABA: Like this? MS. SAKO: Yes. MR. INABA: Okay. I'll talk story after maybe because this was a really good comprehensive report. Maybe because, you know, when properties go to apply there's kind of a check list, yeah? And,just a suggestion that it might be helpful for us and even for your folk's review. If we can get something that just seeing what criteria are met just by check boxes, and the objectives they're trying to but not telling you how to do your job. MS. SAKO: No, I know. MR. INABA: Just an idea that would make it easier to read. But thank you, Mo, for putting this together and outlining it very clearly for us. MS. SAKO: And then I just wanted to clarify, because I thought what I heard earlier was that, you know, we might have identified some nonprofits. And I just want to be clear that this process is open to all nonprofits, you know, in the community. So I just don't want anybody to think we've preselected or predetermined. MR. INABA: Okay. Thank you, Mo. And thank you, Deanna. Chair, I yield. Page 16 FC-12 June 1,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Thank you, Mo. Thank you, Deanna, for your time. I appreciate the report. And just running through some of these different applications, I don't know, I mean get some basic questions like it looks like they're paying volunteers $25 an hour, $24 an hour. There's some requests for solar systems on containers. I mean, do we have specific guidelines for how the stewardship funds can be used, and guidelines for wages and that kind of thing, and materials? MR. MESSINA: The other guidelines are set forth in the Charter and it specifically sets out what the criterias are and how they can be used. And we use those criterias to make our recommendation. So basically we look at the grant. We say, okay, does it follow these 17 criteria, and pretty much the first sentence of each one of these we start off with telling you which criteria we feel are met. And even when you look at the one about, you know, the night time sky, we still tried to find a criteria that they could possibly meet, you know, instead of just saying, you know, sending it right back to them, "Oh no, you didn't." We still try to find some way to say, "Okay, we can see where you're going with this, but following the Charter we have a lot of questions or a lot of issues with this one." And the management of the funds, they work directly with us with our business manager as well. And I believe that the question you're asking, I'll have to get you that answer, okay? I'm not 100 percent sure, unless Deanna knows, specifically what the funds can be used for. I believe it's in the Charter as well, if I'm not mistaken. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Just more so just guidelines. Like for us, you know, we see different things, office equipment in our budget, and copy machines, and different things. But I mean there has to be some justification on amount of staff or amount of equipment, wages MS. SAKO: The Charter is actually very specific as to what can and cannot be used. And I think one of them is that no officers, board member, or employees shall receive a salary. And there's a lot of, "shall's" in here which is why I do understand why it would be helpful to have like an orientation before all our different nonprofits apply. So, you know, we can work on setting that up. But we are also limited by the Charter in the terms of the very restrictive language that it contains. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Restrictive for ? MS. SAKO: For the stewardship grant program. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: For the grant, for the use of the funds? MS. SAKO: Yes, for the use of the funds. Yes. Page 17 FC-12 June 1,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MS. SAKO: So that's the unfortunate part of the word, "shall" sometimes. So I mean and, you know, especially the 501(c)(3) and some of the requirements, they're mandated by the Charter. So while there's some flexibility, there's not a lot. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: There's good and there's bad. I think it's good to have some very solid backbone to what we say we can and cannot do because, "mays" do tend to lend a lot of question to things that I've come to find. MS. SAKO: But there are 17 different uses of the funds. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And do we have standards for them as far as like charges for labor for volunteer work or that kind of thing. Is there a guideline for what they can reimburse per hour for a volunteer? MS. SAKO: So I think what I started with is no wages can be paid. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: No wages can be paid from the stewardship funds? MS. SAKO: Right. I mean, for the projects of the nonprofits. So maybe it's just the salaries. But, yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Like salaries for directors, that kind of thing, of the nonprofit itself? MS. SAKO: So what it says is, "No officer, board member, or employee of the 501(c)(3)nonprofit organization, or the organization that operates under the umbrella organization, shall receive a salary or any portion of a salary from this fund for performing their general duties or function as an officer. However, the compensation for specific duties such as labor, educational workshops, and maintenance work may be paid to an officer, board member, or employee if these duties have been specifically identified and officially approved in the detailed business plan submitted with their grant proposal." CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. So they can take a portion of pay for certain activities but not a $60,000 a year salary from the stewardship fund? MS. SAKO: Yeah. But it has to all be part of the grant application. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Okay. That's good. But no standard for—like I'm seeing volunteer labor in there at $24 something an hour, which is pretty good pay, you know, considering where the funding comes from and what it's for. But just, thank you. Page 18 FC-12 June 1,2021 Interesting. Anything else, Council? Okay,thank you both for being here today. I appreciate you answering our questions. We have a motion on the floor to close file on Communication 267, all in favor? Vote on Comm. 267: The motion to close file on Comm. 267 was carried (Filed) by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Lee Loy, Villegas, and Chair Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Member Richards— 1. Excused: None. CHR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That does bring us to the end of our agenda. ADJOURN- There being no further business, at 10:17 a.m. Mr. Inaba moved to adjourn MENT: the meeting. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Lee Loy, Villegas, and Chair Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder—7. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Chung and Richards—2. Excused: None. CHR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: This meeting is adjourned. Approved: . A Mr. Matt aneali`i-Klein elder, Chair ate) Finance ommittee }, MKltk Page 19