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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN FC 2021/08/03 2020-2022Committee on Finance 16th Session Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii August 3, 2021 CALL TO The regular meeting of the Committee on Finance was called to order at ORDER: 2:00 p.m., in the Council Chambers, Hilo, by Ms. Heather L. Kimball, Acting Chair. ROLL CALL: Present: Ms. Heather L. Kimball, Acting Chair Ms. Maile Medeiros David, Member Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Member Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Member Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Member Mr. Herbert M. "Tim" Richards III, Member (came in later) Ms. Rebecca Villegas, Member Absent & Excused: Mr. Aaron S. Y. Chung, Member Mr. Matt Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder, Member STATEMENTS The Acting Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of FROM THE Statements from the Public on Agenda Items. PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS: The following individuals registered to speak in support of Res. 170-21 (Comm. 333), and came forward when called by the Chair: Ann Kobsa. Amedeo Markoff. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: With that, I'll close public testimony. Mr. Clerk, if we can start with Communications? Thank you. COMMUNI- The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, CATIONS: Communications. Comm. 30.14: REPORT OF FUND TRANSFERS AUTHORIZED: JUNE 16 — 30, 2021 From Controller Kay Oshiro, dated July 8, 2021. FC -16 Vote on Comm. 30.14: Filed Mr. Richards moved to close file on Comm. 30.14. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Richards, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kimball — 7. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Chung and Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder — 2. Excused: None. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Next item. August 3, 2021 Comm. 31.16: REPORT OF CHANGE ORDERS AUTHORIZED: JUNE 16 — 30, 2021 From Finance Director Deanna Sako, dated July 2, 2021, transmitting the above report pursuant to Hawaii County Code Section 2-12.3. Vote on Comm. 31.16: Filed Mr. Richards moved to close file on Comm. 31.16. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Richards, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kimball — 7. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Chung and Kaneali `i- Kleinfelder — 2. Excused: None. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Next communication, please. Comm. 84.2: FOURTH QUARTER REPORT OF PERSONS EMPLOYED UNDER A CONTRACT FOR LESS THAN 90 DAYS: APRIL 1 — JUNE 30, 2021 From Acting Human Resources Director Waylen L. K. Leopoldino, dated July 1, 2021, transmitting the above report pursuant to Section 2-12.5 of the Hawaii County Code. Page 2 FC -16 Vote on Comm. 84.2: Filed Change Order of Business: August 3, 2021 Mr. Richards moved to close file on Comm. 84.2. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Richards, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kimball — 7. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Chung and Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder — 2. Excused: None. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Let's skip item, Communication 343, and move to Resolutions for the day. As directed by the Chair and with no objection from the Council Members, the following items were taken out of order: Res. 170-21: AUTHORIZES THE DIRECTOR OF FINANCE TO ENTER INTO NEGOTIATIONS FOR THE ACQUISITION OF WAI`ELE IN THE DISTRICT OF PUNA, UTILIZING THE PUBLIC ACCESS, OPEN SPACE, AND NATURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION FUND The County seeks to acquire the properties to protect archaeological structures, raised trails, and a rare grove of hala trees and to provide access to the shoreline for gathering, educational, recreational, and cultural practices. These parcels consist of approximately 165 acres of land with 2,000 feet of shoreline. Reference: Comm. 333 Intr. by: Ms. Kierkiewicz (Note: Comm. 333.2, from Council Member Ashley L. Kierkiewicz dated August 3, 2021, transmitting proposed amendments to Res. 170-21, was circulated.) Motion to Approve: Ms. Kierkiewicz moved to recommend adoption of Res. 170-21. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Ms. Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. You know, first I want to honor and recognize Malama O Puna, specifically Ann Kobsa, who was testifying earlier, and Diga Kern, who reached out to my office, and have been champions ever since of this particular property and its acquisition. They took my team, Matt's team, about a year or so ago on a huaka`i to visit this real treasure. We were Page 3 FC -16 August 3, 2021 accompanied with—we all know archaeologist Theresa Dunham, who has served on the Cultural Resources Commission, and she's published a paper about this particular property. In her very quick kind of review of the site, there are hundreds of intact cultural features in Wai`ele; and so this is a very significant acquisition, because neighboring this property is Kahuwai, which is managed by Kamehameha Schools. And we see a lot of opportunity to work together, should this measure pass, with Kamehameha Schools to just provide more cultural learning opportunities and access to these spaces. So just looking for everyone's support on this. This particular property has been on the PONC list since 2006. Aunty Emily (Naeole), when she was Council Member, she did put forward a resolution pushing for the acquisition. A number of years have lapsed, and so we were, our office, was advised by PONC to, "Hey, you know what, continue to elevate the desire for acquiring this property to benefit your community," and so that's what today's resolution is about, is continuing to apply the pressure, right? Let community know that this request has not been forgotten. But also, to let the administration know that we would really appreciate work towards acquiring this particular property, because again, it is so rich in cultural resources. There was a friendly amendment that I did want to offer up, Chair, if I might? I'd like to read it in before I talk about it. Motion to Amend: Ms. Kierkiewicz moved to amend Res. 170-21 with the contents of Comm. 333.2. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. I don't like to do this kind of stuff. I like everything to be polished before it's submitted. But Aunty Lei Kaleimamahu reached out to our office and shared with us that she wanted this resolution to specifically identify and lift up the work to engage with lineal descendants of Wai`ele as well as individuals that have familial and cultural ties to the area. We worked really hard yesterday afternoon with Jean Campbell, Corporation Counsel, to find a way to elevate that. I thought it was clear enough by mentioning Cultural Resources Commission and their work to engage community in that space, but wanted to lift this up more specifically. However, in discussion with Corporation Counsel, they advised us that legally it's best to be very broad in terms of how you lift this up. That there are many different key community stakeholders with a variety of expertise that we are going to be leaning on to create a stewardship and management plan for the area, so that's why I'm putting this forward. Page 4 FC -16 August 3, 2021 Happy to talk more about it, but this was a way in which I hoped that we could lift up all of the really valuable mana`o all of our communities have, and can contribute to this space. Thank you. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you. Any discussion on the amendment? Council Member Lee Loy. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz, for this amendment. Actually, I was really excited when I saw this. I `11 just share just some steps I've taken, and it will actually lead into what Ms. Kierkiewicz is doing. In the past, I've given contingency money to different organizations in Keaukaha that does a lot of pond restoration programs, who have now applied to the PONC (Public Access, Opens Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Commission). And this amendment speaks volumes on how they can create that stewardship program, which then allows them to access the funding through the PONC funds. And so I'm really excited about this, not only tying in the cultural elements, but the lineal descendants with the stakeholders. Also, just lifting up that cultural intelligence, which actually speaks to the body of the resolution about providing educational opportunities. And what's really exciting about what Ms. Kierkiewicz is doing here, it's a collective of stakeholders from that `aina. There is relationships to those special places. What we like to see is when people of that place take on the kuleana of taking care of those spaces. So, I'm really excited about how you've expanded this resolution. And I'm actually looking forward to some of the work that I'll be doing later with some stuff that will be coming forward. So thank you so much for providing this pathway not only for your community but for future communities, and what they can lean on to malama their spaces. Chair, I yield. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you, Council Member. Any other discussion? Chair David. MS. DAVID: Yes, thank you, Chair Kimball. Echoing what Ms. Lee Loy just mentioned, I think—although it seems like it was understood, as far as the participation of cultural and lineal descendants and special places such as Wai `ele, you know, having this reduced to writing—and a specific explanation, I believe, is very meaningful and should be a pathway for all of us when we start to do resolutions for special places like this, to include the lineal descendants, and that is totally connected to the cultural practices in this land so I appreciate it. I do support, and thank you for this. Mahalo. Page 5 FC -16 August 3, 2021 ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Okay, Council Member Villegas. MS. VILLEGAS: I just echo Chair David's comments about the inclusion of lineal descendants. There's such a wealth of knowledge and understanding about the spaces and the treasures that lie there within. I know that we're still working on some of the parcels in Kona for PONC purchases, and sometimes in areas that have been developed more heavily, it's harder to find and harder to locate that connection. But I am truly grateful that people are stepping up on every part of our island, even in the area that it's harder to track things back to, And that we are so blessed to have so many people so willing to help, with sweat equity, with goats, with whatever means are available to help us clear these properties and keep them in perpetuity as the need, the desire, and the craving for open space. Safe open spaces for our keiki and mo`opuna to continue to enjoy the lifestyle that I think most of us sitting up here were gifted and blessed with as we grew up here on this island. So, thank you for bringing this forward. I'm excited. I was almost wishing Hamana was here. I mean, my goodness, in the last six months, there's a lot of pieces of property on the PONC list that are being elevated to the next levels. (Note: At this time, Property Manager Hamana Ventura came forward to address the members of the Committee. MS. VILLEGAS: Oh, Hamana is right there. There he is. Aloha, Hamana. Do you have the total since the beginning of the year of how many properties have now been elevated through resolutions? MR. VENTURA: Aloha. Hamana Ventura, Property Manager. I think we're up to seven now. MS. VILLEGAS: Thank you so much. I think that's really exciting. And if we put them all on a map, I think that we would end up with this really beautiful configuration reflecting all that you—a really nice broad reflection of lands across this island. And so that has always been one of the goals of the PONC initiative, is to make sure that we have properties reflected in each districts, and many different ecosystems. Yeah, just being saved in perpetuity. So, thank you to everyone for your hard work on this. Thank you especially to you, Hamana, because it is a lot to juggle. I'm just really excited for the opportunities we have ahead. I yield. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Council Member Inaba. MR. INABA: Thank you. I just wanted to mahalo Council Member Kierkiewicz for putting this resolution forward and all the work of the PONC Commission. Page 6 FC -16 August 3, 2021 Like the other resolutions we've passed, we hope that we can move forward with the last steps to actually acquiring these properties. So mahalo again to all of the players so far. Chair, I yield. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you. Anyone else? Alright, great. Thank you. I'll just make a comment. Thank you for putting this forward and exploring this a little bit. I think procedurally for us to set some expectations for stewardship with these PONC properties is really important, and I hope to see more of that as we put these resolutions forward. While understanding at the same time we don't want to be too prescriptive and limit ourselves, I think it is good to take some time to describe intention and what we expect to see with these properties. So thank you, Council Member Kierkiewicz, for putting this forward. Without any further discussion, all those in favor of amending Resolution— MR. BROWN: Excuse me, Madam Chair? ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Yes? MR. BROWN: Correct me if I'm wrong, please. Did we vote on the amendment? ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: That's what I was just going to call for. MR. BROWN: Okay, thank you. Just wanted to make sure. Thank you. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Oh, yes. All those in favor of amending Resolution 170-21 with the contents of Communication 333.2? Vote on Motion The motion to amend Res. 170-21 with the contents of to Amend: Comm. 333.2 was carried by the following voice vote: (Approved) Ayes: Committee Members David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Richards, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kimball – 7. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Chung and Kaneali `i-Kleinfelder – 2. Excused: None. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Now we'll move to the main motion, any further discussion? MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Can I just say one more thing? Page 7 FC -16 August 3, 2021 ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Sure. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. In addition to the incredible gratitude that I have for my colleagues in support of this purchase, I don't know if anybody was afraid to kind of raise this, but it is in a high-risk lava zone; that has come up by some folks, but I did want to just mention that. We have talked to community about this, and when you think about the extent of a human life, right, 50, 60, 70, 80 years, even if a flow comes hundreds or hundred years from now, the fact that we will be able to access and experience this particular wahi pana makes it all worth it, right? It is again one of these rare treasures where these cultural landscapes are still intact, over hundreds and hundreds of years, so how remarkable for us to be able to experience this magic, and really experience all of the traditional Hawaiian values of Old Hawaii that nourished and maintained land, and spirit, and family. So, thank you again for everyone's support. I appreciate it. I yield. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you. Any further discussion on the motion on the floor? Okay, hearing none, motion on the floor is to move forward Resolution 170-21 to Council with a favorable recommendation, all those in favor? Vote on Res. 170-21: The motion to recommend adoption of Res. 170-21, Draft 2 as amended to Draft 2, was carried by the following (Approved) voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Richards, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kimball — 7. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Chung and Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder — 2. Excused: None. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Next resolution, please. Res. 174-21: AUTHORIZES THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AN AGREEMENT WITH THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Funds in the amount of $48,880 would be used to continue the Cooperative Flood -Monitoring Program, which consists of the planning and designing of flood management systems such as bridges, culverts, and levees. Reference: Comm. 333 Intr. by: Ms. Kierkiewicz Page 8 FC -16 August 3, 2021 Motion to Approve: Mr. Richards moved to recommend adoption of Res. 174-21. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Council Member Lee Loy. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Deanna, I'm not sure if you can help me with this one. When I look at the B-52 form on the back, it looks like the County's doing like a 75/25 match, and there's a programming period, cover for like a year—sorry. And so my question is, is this something that we pay consistently every year? Because I'm curious about the data that comes back. Oh, here he comes. Maybe Ikaika might know. Well, let me finish the question. So, we do the 75/25. It's good for a year. We collect the data through the stream that—the data points, but I'm curious as to when that data comes back to us, for the stream flow and how that's utilized. (Note: At this time, Public Works Director Ikaika Rodenhurst came forward to address the member of the Committee.) MS. LEE LOY: Okay, Director Rodenhurst, thank you for being here. I'll start again. On the back of Resolution 174-21, the B-52 mentions a portion from the County, 75 percent, and then USGS (United States Geological Survey) 25 percent, so this is for a year? MR. RODENHURST: Yes. MS. LEE LOY: What do we get? Like, tell us what we get. MR. RODENHURST: So Ikaika Rodenhurst, Director of Public Works. Thank you for that question. So the purpose of this is to collect the long-term systematically enough for annual peak stream flow in selected streams. That data is then used to map flood -prone areas for Land Use Management, Planning, designing flood management systems such as bridges, culverts, and levees. This agreement covers the cost for the station operation and maintenance, the quality assurance, real-time data display on the USGS website, when available, and data archival. Now, I say "when available" because not all the locations have that automatic update, but they do publish that data regularly and it's available to the public. MS. LEE LOY: Okay, so how many stations are we looking at for this $65 just about $65,000? MR. RODENHURST: So we're looking at eight stations. MS. LEE LOY: Generally located where? Page 9 FC -16 August 3, 2021 MR. RODENHURST: So we got Aleanaio Stream, in Hilo; Kalaoa Mauka Stream, near Hilo; Kapehu Stream, near Pepe`eke6; Ke`ehia Gulch, near `O`6kala, Ahualoa Gulch, at Honoka`a; Hapahapai Gulch at Kapa`au—sorry, I'm not sure if they're missing `okinas or kahak6s in this one—Waiakamali Gulch, in Waimea; and Keanu`i`oman6a Street, near Kamuela. MS. LEE LOY: So generally, from Hilo to Waimea? MR. RODENHURST: Correct. MS. LEE LOY: Okay. And does some of this data feed into some of the resources that Planning Department uses for land use decisions and/or background analysis? MR. RODENHURST: Yes, that's the intent for the data collection. As mentioned, the purpose of this program is to provide data for planning and land use. As far as how Planning uses that, I can't speak for. MS. LEE LOY: Now, if we wanted to establish similar peak -stream flow data collection—because, you know, Ms. Kierkiewicz, her district, we've heard—you live there too, there's some flooding going on over there—is this the type of numbers that we would be looking at to establish, or it would be considered more? MR. RODENHURST: So it—there are a couple of factors that go into it. Like I said, the agreement covers the cost for the station operation, maintenance, all that, and it possibly might be a little bit more expensive when we have that automatic data update into the system. We are actually working with Civil Defense right now and talking about looking into our Multi -Hazard Mitigation Plan, and expanding these to include Puna, North Kona, and South Kohala. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Director Rodenhurst. Because you know where all this is going, right? MR. RODENHURST: Yes. MS. LEE LOY: If this data helps us identify where to pave better, where to develop the bridges better, that's where I'm trying to get all this information into. Because this is another $65,000 that we're looking at being smart about how we maintain the aging infrastructure across our entire island. Whether it's bridges in Ms. Kimball's district or Mr. Richards' district, or just paving roads here on the east side or the west side. Thank you, Director. I yield. MR. RODENHURST: Yeah. Page 10 FC -16 August 3, 2021 ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Council Member Villegas. MS. VILLEGAS: Yes, thanks for those questions, Council Woman Lee Loy, and getting the specific areas for where these sites that are being monitored are. As I think we all are recognizing our weather patterns are changing, and the wet zones are changing the wisdom. I'm grateful to hear that there is work being done. I am curious to know how I might be able to support the potential expansion of these sites to include areas on the west side, specifically District 7. We have gotten a tremendous amount of rain so far this year, with it comes brown water experiences, which jeopardize our coral reef ecosystems, and the runoff and the health and safety of the people that enjoy the waters on our shorelines there, both visitors and residents alike. We also are still behind the eight -ball on our sewer systems, and getting off of cesspools and on to sewer systems, so with that flooding also comes inundation to the oceans, unfortunately of human feces and waste matter. So I guess just—I really would love to—well, is there a way, and what actions can be taken to make sure that District 7 or areas in North Kona—and I will let my colleagues in the other areas on the west side speak to what areas of concern they have, but as we look to, once again, zoning changes from ag to residential or commercial, we're watching clearing of areas that have otherwise been forested. And once you have that clearing, you expose dirt, which becomes runoff. And many of the prior of the flood -zones that had been drawn in have actually expanded in some capacity. So, it is impactful for those with current zoning, or zoning changes, or whatnot, to be able to have real-time estimates on where these flood -zones and flood -plains are. Because we've had— You know, my mom has a farm, and so far the one -stream bed is now two -stream beds, and sheep have been washed out. It's causing a lot of damage. And what used to be a hundred -year floods are now happening every six weeks. MR. RODENHURST: Yeah, so to address that, I guess first to address, is these stations were identified years ago, and so this is historical, where we've continued this process. As I've talked about, we're working with Civil Defense in conjunction with our Multi -Hazard Mitigation Plan now with areas that we will address that have had disasters, have had significant areas of rainfall recently. As far as establishing stations outside of that, we can look at the criteria and see what's best. I can talk with our staff, and USGS, and Civil Defense to see how—what other avenues there are. But to be clear too, this is just the ones that we partner with USGS. There are other rain gauges that they are available, and some of them actually have automatic updates. I took a look at the website Page 11 FC -16 August 3, 2021 earlier, and there are some of them that are outside of our agreement that have that. So, there might be other avenues for that, But at this time, I don't have a final answer on this is the clear cut, this is how you get that. But I'll work with you and get you that information. MS. VILLEGAS: I would really appreciate that because we are—I mean, my emails blow up after a big rain with neighborhoods that have forest, you know, State forest above it, and wondering what's going on? What are these mitigating circumstances? And I-1 see the opportunity for us to ideally identify areas. That we really need to mitigate land clearance. And then, where we need to keep planting, right? We need to keep our soils. Get those trees in the ground in order to circumnavigate many of the issues of flooding. Because we don't necessarily have the already existing stream beds, or gullies, or culverts. It tends to be tiny— tinier small stream beds. That when big water comes through, then it lose massive amounts of other materials that aren't otherwise necessarily a stream bed. So thank you for following up on that and helping me gather some of that information to have a better understanding. Appreciate it. I yield. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you. Any other discussion? I would—oh, Council Member Inaba. MR. INABA: Just really quick. Yeah, I do want to—I mean, I hear what you said, Director Rodenhurst, with regards to other agencies or resources being—or monitoring the flooding happening island -wide. But I do have to agree with Council Member Villegas, especially kind of right where our districts need their—that is the—when you look at Hualalai, that's the center and it's probably the wettest spot in Kona, and there's been some significant flooding just recently, too. Kona has not had a dry season in a little bit, so just want to—you kind of support and validate what's being said there. So, that's it. Thank you, Chair. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Council Member Richards. MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. Just anytime they say "bridge," I think of Hamakua. And I do appreciate the fact—and, Director, I do appreciate the fact that these are historical. And I also recognize that Kona has had choke rain in the last months, and North-South Kohala has had very, very little. But I think keeping the information coming forth, because we're going to see cycle again come around, and knowing what's going on in some of the uplands of Kona, it would be a good idea to be able to monitor some of that because the way some of the rain coming down that side, it's been unreal. Thanks, Chair. I yield. Page 12 FC -16 August 3, 2021 ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you, Council Member Richards. Alright, I would just like to add, I want thank Council Member Lee Loy for raising some questions about this. You folks know that I love data, and I love questioning when we need it or not, as well. We've had some discussion about decision-making. And when you come back, when we hear this in Council, I'd actually like to know—these are historical, if you don't know it already. Have we actually ever made a decision based on the data from these gauges? Because if we have not, having these data or having additional data may not actually be meaningful. If we have made decisions about flooding, and bridges, or based on other things, then those are probably the data collection which we should focus on. Or we should ask ourselves, if we haven't used these before, should we start? So when you come back to us, if you can provide any assessment of whether or not these data have actually been useful, that would be appreciated. Council Member Lee Loy? MS. LEE LOY: Yeah. And just thank you for this. Because it's a return on investment, right? If we're paying $65,000 a year and we've done it for ten years, that's $650,000 that could have gone to something else. We're just trying to think on how effective and efficient some of our funding—and even if it's a match, you know, if it really is turning into some collective that drives, repairs, and—to our aging infrastructure, we'd love to know. Thank you, Chair, for that latitude. I yield. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Council Member Richards. MR. RICHARDS: I appreciate what's being asked, but data may not be important to us in this decade or even two decades from now. But I want to be very careful about cutting something that may be very valuable later. Case and point is the data gathering for agriculture in the State. That was an easy budget cut because it didn't need anything at the time, and we are now really wishing we had that data. So I appreciate the concern, but let's not be short-sighted. MR. RODENHURST: If I may add? You know, this isn't just for the County's use. It's also for the public's use, so it goes beyond what we use it for. It is a service we provide, and then we work in conjunction with USGS to provide that to the public. Whatever data I will be able to find will not be the full extent because it expands beyond DPW. But just putting it out there, that is to be used for various purposes. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, and I certainly appreciate that. You know, my question is more just systematic. I think every time something like this comes before us, where we're collecting data, let's just take a moment to pause and say, "Is this actually meaningful?" Maybe it is in terms of the scope of time that Council Member Richards is talking about. You know, I don't know the answer Page 13 FC -16 August 3, 2021 to that, and that's the question I'd like to ask you folks and have more detail on. Okay, go ahead, Ms. Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Director Rodenhurst, and if you can't answer this, maybe Director Sako can. But is this a federal requirement? It is. This program is a requirement? Okay. And I'm curious, because as Chair Kimball had pointed out, "Is the data useful?" That's something we certainly want to take a look at, right? What sort of land use planning decisions have been made based on the data? And I bring this up because potentially there's wiggle room to get the data that we need so that it works for our County and our community. So when you come back to Council, I think providing us some more information on how current data has been used; and if there is flexibility with USGS, to kind of take a look at other data sets that might be more useful to our County if, that's if right, the data that we've gathered hasn't been useful to date. Sorry, Director, can you remind me one more time, where online can we find the information for current flood monitoring program data sets? MR. RODENHURST: So the website that we've been provided through USGS is https://hi.water.usgs.gov, and that will provide that. I also have some other direct links. I believe—that's a longer one. I can get you the direct links to the specific stations, as well. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. No, no, that's helpful. Because I was on the Public Works website, looking at the Flood Control Program page, and this particular link wasn't there. There was a different one, but it led me to me to a different portal within USGS, so I appreciate the clarification. And just small suggestion, maybe get this on your site, as well. MR. RODENHURST: Will do. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: And explain the value of the program. Thank you. Thanks, Chair. I yield. MR. RODENHURST: I appreciate that. Thank you. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you, Council Member Kierkiewicz, for the additional ask with the Director. And just for the record, I believe Director Sako responded, that yes, this is a requirement. MR. RODENHURST: It is my understanding it is a requirement. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you. Page 14 FC -16 August 3, 2021 MR. RODENHURST: Yeah. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Alright, without any further discussion, we'll move to the vote on this. Resolution 174-21, all of those in favor of moving this to Council with a favorable recommendation? Vote on Res. 174-21: The motion to recommend adoption of Res. 174-21 was (Approved) carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Richards, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kimball — 7. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Chung and Kdneali `i- Kleinfelder — 2. Excused: None. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Next item, please. Thank you, Director. Res. 175-21: AUTHORIZES THE PAYMENT OF FUNDS OF A LATER FISCAL YEAR AND OF MORE THAN ONE FISCAL YEAR FOR A MULTI-YEAR LEASE FOR ONE MULTI -FUNCTION COPY MACHINE FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE Authorizes the Mayor to enter into a five-year lease agreement with an approximate monthly cost of $250, and would be used by the department's Real Property Tax Division in Kona. Vote on Res. 175-21: (Approved) Reference: Comm. 339 Intr. by: Mr. Kdneali`i-Kleinfelder (B/R) Ms. Villegas moved to recommend adoption of Res. 175-21. Seconded by Ms. Kierkiewicz and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Richards, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kimball — 7. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Chung and Kdneali `i- Kleinfelder — 2. Excused: None. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Next resolution, please. Page 15 FC -16 August 3, 2021 Res. 176-21: AUTHORIZES THE ACCEPTANCE OF ALL DONATIONS OF SECURITIES OR PERSONAL PROPERTY TO THE COUNTY OF HAWAII WITHIN THE CURRENT FISCAL YEAR (FY2022) THAT ARE NOT COVERED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE'S CAPITALIZATION PROCEDURES Authorizes the Council to accept all donations of commodities not covered by the Finance Department's capitalization procedures, provided that at the end of each fiscal year the Finance Director shall submit a report of the donations received to the Council. Reference: Comm. 340 Intr. by: Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder (B/R) Motion to Approve: Mr. Richards moved to recommend adoption of Res. 176-21. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: We have Director Sako still in the room to answer any questions. Any discussion on this? Council Member Richards. MR. RICHARDS: Director? (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. SAKO: Good afternoon. MR. RICHARDS: Good afternoon, Director. Okay, so could you just cover this one a little bit? Seems like we have everything in place, and this is like—for that stuff that doesn't quite fit, is that how I'm understanding? MS. SAKO: Yeah, kind of. So this has come up a few times at Council. I believe it was actually a suggestion by the Council to go ahead and do this, because you guys get so many resolutions throughout the year, sometimes letters of donation. This would just help us to utilize the gifts sooner, is kind of part of the discussion. So we would accumulate all of the different donations and then and then present to you guys at the end of each fiscal year, and then at the same time, present you the resolution for the next fiscal year. You know, the Charter is very clear, that all the donations have to be accepted by the Council. So traditionally, most of the ones that do not meet out capitalization policies are done by letter. Sometimes it's $50 from a senior center, sometimes it's much more, you know, so it varies significantly. We would still continue to acknowledge the gifts throughout the year so that people can deduct it on their taxes, or other things like that if it—with that type of thing. But we would only bring it to Council probably once a year. If the list gets long—this is the first Page 16 FC -16 August 3, 2021 time, you know, we're trying to do something like this. So if the list is actually longer than we think, then we could submit it more frequently, as well. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, thank you, Director. And so am I understanding, this could actually be a donation that would be a tax-deductible donation? MS. SAKO: Yeah, a lot of the things that people do donate to the County are allowed to be deductible on their taxes. But they should always check with their tax accountant and not take advice from us. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And then follow up to that is the use of whatever's being donated, does it have to wait? Does this cover—we're in fiscal year 2022 right now? MS. SAKO: Yes. MR. RICHARDS: This would cover fiscal year 2022. So we are pre -accepting the donations, sort of? Is that what I'm getting? MS. SAKO: Yes. Yeah, so accepting now things that we may not get till May. But then, next July we would send them a list of all the items we received. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, and then—so then we can go ahead and use it once it's been received rather than having to wait to officially—this is all done in advance? MS. SAKO: Yeah. MR. RICHARDS: So you know where this question is going, because this is leading up to the conversation we had earlier today about donations. MS. SAKO: It is and, you know, I didn't think fast enough to let you know that, "Oh yeah, this might cover that." MR. RICHARDS: So it would appear—and what I was talking to Director about, it was, there is—my office has been contacted about making donations for the fire that we are facing right now, and trying to figure out how we could get the funds into the County and use rather quickly. So Director, I'm impressed, you got this in front of the Council in hours, so this worked out. MS. SAKO: Amazing isn't it? MR. RICHARDS: It is amazing. It is a good afternoon, isn't it? MS. SAKO: Yeah. And I just to remind people too, this is—anything that doesn't meet out capitalization policy, so items—it could be items less than or Page 17 FC -16 August 3, 2021 $1,000 or just items that are used up rather quickly. So you know, people have donated cases of water and things like that. So anything like that would fall under this donation memo. It's very similar to the Sayre Foundation. MR. RICHARDS: Yeah, I was wondering. Okay, so this is actually good news. So for all of us coming through the Council, this is the methodology—the vehicle that we can use to accept donations and take care of the community faster, which is what we need to do. So, excellent. MS. SAKO: So I would ask that—you know, sometimes the Council receives donations and then—you know, because they're your own, like resolution or memo to the Council for acceptance. So if you want it covered by this, if you could shoot us a little list, and the donor's name and whatnot. We'll be accumulating that, then it can all be covered under this resolution. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, thanks very much, Director. Appreciate that, Chair. So, this isn't quite official quite yet. In two weeks it will be, correct? MS. SAKO: That's correct, yes. And I believe we did date it, or try to make it inclusive for all of fiscal year 2022, which the fire would be covered. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, great. Okay, that fixes the problem. Thank you. Chair, I yield. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you, Council Member Richards. Council Member Lee Loy. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, thank you. Deanna, can you just describe that process one more time? Because Council Member Richards and I are working on something, and so we j ust— MS. SAKO: Oh, okay. MS. LEE LOY: If this is a tool, right, to get the utilization of the donation quicker? MS. SAKO: So what we are—our plan for the administration is that the departments would continue to submit, sort of like a B-52 like they normally would, and our staff would accumulate that information: what the donation was, who was it from, and everything in a nice little spreadsheet, and then we'll submit that to Council in July. So if the Council would like us to include donations, because sometimes you guys do those separately, or we're not always aware of them, then we would just ask that you submit the same information to Budget, Lisa Tada, and she'll be the one Page 18 FC -16 August 3, 2021 to accumulate that data. And it doesn't have to be long or anything, but just kind of a—what it was that was donated and who the donor was. And if you're working with a department, they'll take care of it. But if it's something coming directly to Council, those are the ones I'm afraid we might miss. MS. LEE LOY: Thanks, Deanna. We got Council Members thinking away. I yield. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: I'm going to, before I go back to Mr. Richards—oh, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, thanks, Chair. I might suggest, Deanna, and I don't know, being this is the first time out of the blocks, if we do a quarterly report, just so we kind of get our feet wet; and especially if we're going to use some of this for taking care of some immediate issues, just so we know what's coming forth and we can recognize whoever is doing that. MS. SAKO: Yeah, I think we're happy to do that. I think, you know, every year is different here at the County, and so are there times that we could go a whole quarter without anything, and then another quarter we could have pages. It's just very—it ebbs and flows, and it really depends what's going on. You know, in times of disaster, we definitely get more donations than other times. So yeah, we're happy to do it quarterly. MR. RICHARDS: Do we need to put that into the resolution? Do we need to make amendments? Is that something that you want to do, Deanna, or do you want my office to do it? MS. SAKO: I just wanted to see—I guess we do say that at the end of the fiscal year, a report would be submitted. So we could modify that to—that we would submit it quarterly. MR. RICHARDS: Is that something you need me to do it, or are you going to take care of it? MS. SAKO: I think we can do it. Our staff have it on file. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. Alright. Thank you, Chair. I yield. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you, Council Member Richards. MS. SAKO: I hope they were listening. MR. RICHARDS: My office was, too. Page 19 FC -16 August 3, 2021 ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Any further discussion? Just thank you, Deanna, for putting this together, and we'll look forward to, in Council, having that resolution. Just a quick check, that Corporation Counsel has reviewed this? We're all good? Okay, great. Alright, she nodded. Just for the record, Corporation Counsel nodded in the back. MS. SAKO: We wouldn't do anything like this without her. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Alright. Great. Alright, without any further discussion, we'll go ahead on the vote. Motion to move Resolution 176-21 to full Council with a favorable recommendation, all those in favor? Vote on Res. 176-21: The motion to recommend adoption of Res. 176-21 was (Approved) carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Richards, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kimball — 7. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Chung and Kaneali `i- Kleinfelder — 2. Excused: None. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Let's go back to Mr. Benner, who has been waiting so patiently. Communication 343. Return to Order The Chair directed the Committee to return to the order of business. of Business: Comm. 343: REQUESTS A DISCUSSION REGARDING A COUNTY -WIDE RISK ASSESSMENT From County Auditor Tyler J. Benner, dated July 23, 2021. Motion to Close File: Mr. Richards moved to close file on Comm. 343. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Welcome, Mr. Benner, to your first hearing with all of us. Go ahead and take it away. MR. BENNER: Okay, thank you. Good afternoon Committee Members. I appreciate the invitation to present to you today. For those streaming, my name is Tyler Benner, and I'm the County Auditor. I was invited here today because our office recently produced a communication to the Mayor and Council, stating our intent to deploy a County -wide Risk Assessment survey, and to ask for participation from all departments and most divisions. Page 20 FC -16 August 3, 2021 (Note: At this time, County Auditor Tyler Benner provided a PowerPoint presentation to the members of the Committee. For viewing of the subject presentation, please see the DVD copy of the meeting proceedings on file in the Clerk's Office or by navigating to the Council's video archives online in the County's webpages at www.hawaiicounty.gov. A hard copy of the presentation is made a part of the record, see Comm. 343. 1.) MR. BENNER: Alright, at this point I'm happy to take any questions or expand on any questions, or expand on anything that I might have left on the table. I know this was a rather brief presentation, but as a component towards the Annual Audit Plan we wouldn't normally present this, but again the opportunity was there, and we thought it was fair that presenting on the cabinet side that we should be here and present on the legislative side. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Okay, thank you, Mr. Benner, for making the time to come and present to us. Any additional questions? Ms. Lee Loy. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. Thank you very much for putting this together. Just think, you're off to a great start as far as the risk assessment. I really appreciate this. Like we're just setting the floor, right, with all of this? But in the past too, we had opportunities. Council Members had opportunities to share some areas of concern, is that still going to be available to us? I know this work, you know, it's great. We just throw it all in. But there's definitely some institutional knowledge and/or concerns already out there. Is that still available to us? MR. BENNER: Yeah, we value feedback, whether it's from community members, or from County employees, or from the Council themselves. We know that everybody has unique perspectives to offer, and yeah, we're absolutely happy to take heed of that. I would just tamper it by saying that we wouldn't plan to disproportionately weigh a Council Member's request as opposed to individual citizen. But you do have significant experience, and knowledge, and perspective, that may lead itself to a solution that we would naturally find any way that would be of a valuable engagement. MS. LEE LOY: Great. And then we've already had some audit plans that moved forward, and I'm thinking of one with the Mass Transit System and the cash collecting, and then there was some remedial things that they needed to do. I'm certain that those things will follow up. But my question is, even though that the audit was done, and we have some recommendations to insert safeguards, would we still do the risk assessment like how we did it here with the points just to ensure like we're actually really firming up and putting in the safeguards that are necessary? Page 21 FC -16 August 3, 2021 MR. BENNER: Well, if you're asking if Mass Transit would be asked to participate in the risk assessment? Yeah, absolutely. I mean—well, the threats that are coming up, we call the "horizon," the "threat horizon," and those things are evolving in changing all the time. And it's very possible that you could take a matrix of these—a scatter plot of these scores, and you could do everything that was on that list, and you can end up with new risks the next time that you ran the assessment that weren't even on the radar before because those things change. We've seen that with things like the COVID event, where we all of a sudden had a major composition of our workforce and had to work from home. Do we have technology that supports that? Do we have safeguards from prevent them getting hacked, or giving away information that should proprietary? So these things should be conducted with some degree of regularity. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. Thank you for being here. Thank you for helping us get a risk assessment done for Hawaii County. Chair, I yield. MR. BENNER: Thanks for bringing me here. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you, Council Member Lee Loy. Council Member Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Welcome, Auditor Benner. It's great to see you. Welcome aboard. And you actually touched on one of the things I was going to ask around. But first, I just wanted to thank you for this really great overview, the framework for the assessment, which is so fundamental to the process and how you plan and roll out auditing various County functions. Again, I was just curious around issues that have arisen because of the pandemic; how government has had to shift so many of its services online, and how also community is accessing those services. So this assessment will sort of identify those shifts within our operations and potentially identify risks as well as, you know, controls that were quickly put in place and how risky they are? MR. BENNER: Yeah. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. MR. BENNER: You know, one—I've had a number of really positive communications with a number of directors throughout the County, and one thing that has come up again and again is just how cross -functional that things are, and identifying and assigning risk owners to those remediation pieces. Because you look at something like IT, and IT has a hand in virtually everything that we do, day in, day out. Everything is tied to, you know, whether it's digital archival, recordkeeping, software, hardware, hardware failures. And so we know that Page 22 FC -16 August 3, 2021 when we go in and we're providing recommendations, that it may be well beyond one department that may have to work on these things. So assessing the degree to which that's pervasive is, yeah, it's definitely going to be a cornerstone of this. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Right. And the connections, right? IT touches all departments and that we all— MR. BENNER: Yeah. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: So ensuring that are given proper support so that they can carry out their functions. Really look forward to your report so that we know in our roles how we can be positioning funding and other support to the various departments so that they can run effectively and efficiently, and that members of the community always have access to these really critical services. Thank you. MR. BENNER: Thank you. I appreciate it. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. I yield. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you, Council Member. Anyone else? Alright. Well, thank you again for being here, and thank you for this very insightful overview. It's nice to see you at work. You know, after the interview process, I knew I was going to get some great graphics, and you didn't disappoint, so mahalo. Alright, with that, we will go ahead and take the vote on Communication 343, all of those in favor of closing file? Vote on Comm. 343: The motion to close file on Comm. 343 was carried Filed by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Richards, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kimball – 7. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Chung and Kaneali `i- Kleinfelder – 2. Excused: None. ORDER OF The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, RESOLUTIONS: Order of Resolutions. (Items in this category were taken up previously, out of order.) Page 23 FC -16 August 3, 2021 BILLS FOR The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, ORDINANCES: Bills for Ordinances.. (There were none.) ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: I believe that brings us to the end of the agenda, yes? Just a quick mahalo to Nora and to Lei for helping me prepare to take over this meeting today. And with that, all those in favor? ADJOURN- There being no further business, at 3:10 p.m. Ms. Lee Loy moved to adjourn MENT: the meeting. Seconded by Mr. Inaba and carried by the following voice vote: Approved: Mr. Matt Kdneali ` - Finance Committe MK/na Ayes: Committee Members David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Lee Loy, Richards, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kimball — 7. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Members Chung and Kdneali `i- Kleinfelder — 2. Excused: None. ACTING CHR. KIMBALL: Thank you everyone. inAl*r, Chair (Date) Page 24