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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN FC 2021/04/13, 14 and 15 2020-2022 Sp. Finance Committee on Finance Stn Session Special Meeting Departmental Budget and Program Reviews Hawaii County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii April 13, 2021 CALL TO The regular meeting of the Committee on Finance was called to order at ORDER: 9:04 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 Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Member (came in later) 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 (via videoconference) STATEMENTS The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, FROM THE Statements from the Public on Agenda Items. PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS: (There were none.) CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And then let's go right to first order of business. BILLS FOR The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, ORDINANCES: Bills for Ordinances. FC-8 April 13,2021 Bill 21: ESTABLISHES AN OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE COUNTY OF HAWAII FOR THE FISCAL YEAR JULY 1, 2021, TO JUNE 30, 2022 From Mayor Mitchell D. Roth, dated March 1, 2021. The balanced budget includes estimated revenues and appropriations of$590,800,952; which represents a proposed 0.8 percent increase compared to the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 Operating Budget. Reference: Comm. 103 Intr. by: Mr. Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder(B/R) and Comm. 103.1: From Finance Director Deanna S. Sako, dated March 1, 2021, transmitting reports entitled, Departmental& Agencies'Six Month Progress Report on Program Objectives for Fiscal Year 2020-2021 and Final Status Report on Program Objectives for Fiscal Year 2019-2020. CHR KANEALII-KLEINFELDER: Mahalo, Mr. Clerk. May I have a motion to forward Bill 21, the proposed Operating Budget, to Council with a favorable recommendation and file all related communications? Motion to Approve: Mr. Inaba moved to recommend passage of Bill 21 on first reading. Seconded by Ms. Kierkiewicz. Bill 22: RELATES TO PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS AND FINANCING THEREOF FOR THE FISCAL YEAR JULY 1, 2021, TO JUNE 30, 2022 From Mayor Mitchell D. Roth, dated March 1, 2021, transmitting the proposed Capital Budget for FY 2021-2022 and the Capital Improvements Program for the next six years from Fiscal Year 2021-2022 to 2026-2027, which includes 66 projects requiring a total appropriation of$188.78 million. Approximately $129.56 million are intended to be funded in whole or part by bonds, $3.1 million to be funded by Federal Grants, and $56.12 million to be funded by the State Revolving Loan Fund or State Capital Improvement Projects. Reference: Comm. 104 Intr. by: Mr. Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder(B/R) CHR KANEALII-KLEINFELDER: Mahalo, Mr. Clerk. May I have a motion to forward Bill 22, the proposed Capital Budget, to Council with a favorable recommendation? Motion to Approve: Mr. Inaba moved to recommend passage of Bill 22 on first reading. Seconded by Ms. Kimball. Page 2 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, I think we can move on to the first department of the day, which would be the Mayor. Mayor Roth, thank you for joining us today. Would you like to come up and start us off today? DEPARTMENTAL The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next item on the agenda, BUDGET AND Departmental Budget and Program Reviews. PROGRAM REVIEWS: (1) Mayor—Overview of the Operating and Capital Budgets and Programs: (Note: At this time, Mayor Mitchell D. Roth came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MAYOR ROTH: Thank you very much, Members of the Council. And thank you for allowing me to come and present our first budget, actually of our Administration. So, our Administration took office a little over five months ago with a simple goal of wanting to help solve problems and help those in our communities thrive. In that short amount of time we've taken many strides to improve communications, break silos, and expedite many of the menial processes associated with government bureaucracy. I'm proud of our team and the work they've done in those areas, and I look forward to continue improvement moving forward. However, when we came into office just a little over five months ago, we started looking at the County and it was clear right from the beginning, that we have many problems. We have no shortage of problems. There's plenty. Our County is in a race against time with decrepit and outdated infrastructure. It's not just one department or another, every department is lacking in dire need of renovation, repair, and maintenance. We have buildings and systems that for lack of better words, have been left out to languish, to rot, and to crumble. In order to address these issues properly, it will not take millions, but billions of dollars to do so. Our wastewater system alone could be over a billion dollars in repairs that we're looking at. In the past, the simple answer would be to increase taxes, place the burden on our residents to catch the slack of our decision makers. That's not what our Administration intends to do. Our island residents right now are struggling. They have carried the burden for too long. They are, you know, already in dire times, especially with COVID (Coronavirus Disease). We said from day one, that our vision is to create an island that our kids can live, work, and raise their kids and their families. If we continue to raise taxes and drive up the cost of living, we would have pushed out the very families we promised to help. That is why we need to rethink the say we'll handle our toughest physical problems. Page 3 FC-8 April 13,2021 Hence, we find ourselves in really a precarious situation. One that calls our needs to be creative and innovative; to think outside the box and forge new partnerships. Ones that allow us to work in concert with our community and various organizations to help tackle the problems we're facing today so that our children will have less problems tomorrow. The status quo has left us with more problems than solutions, and I believe that we're better than that. I believe that if we work together and shy away from playing politics, we'll advance this County and solve its greatest problems. But we have to do it together. We have to come together for the common good of our community. For the people that elected us here in the first place. The ones who are longing for leadership that has no hidden agenda other than to make our lives a little bit better. If you look at this year's budget, you'll see that's it's pretty bare-bones budget. A budget that aims to spend wisely. A budget that allows us to focus our efforts on providing the services we currently offer without interruption. One that keeps positions without making huge cuts in positions. You know, as I talk about that, you know, many of our constituents are asking about our services. Our budget that we're looking at allows us to continue growing our `ohana and hiring even at a slower rate. A budget that doesn't account for a raise in taxes. This is a fair budget and it's one that is necessary for right now. We know that there could always be more, but we need to be smart. The long-lasting effects of a global pandemic have just begun to trickle in. If you look at the past few months of our Administration, you can see what's possible with collaboration and teamwork. We've been able to protect our island from COVID by implementing a post-arrival testing program that was financed not by the County so much, but by philanthropist partners for the betterment of our community. From people from our community that have often been blind. You know, we've asked them for their taxes without any appreciation. This has allowed us to be in only four months with a secondary test added for security. We're held our Sustainability Summit that garnered the attention of the world and has been viewed by over 10,000 people. All financed by partners who believed in a vision of a thriving sustainable Hawaii Island. That summit has brought people to the table that are willing to invest millions of their own dollars in helping us make our island a classroom for the world when it comes to sustainable practices. It sparked the conversations that will bring more sustainable jobs to our island and provide resources to help us protect our environment from mauka to makai. Page 4 FC-8 April 13,2021 So when we think about the Sustainability Summit and the visions that come out and the things that we've learned from our community, we need to make sure that for a sustainable island, our kids are going to be able to raise their kids here. And that's going to be talking about things like jobs that will bring more tax dollars here, affordable housing, and of course, in environment and protecting our lands. So we've also looked at things this year. We've started working to improve our permitting process so that people can build, and workers can work. We did that through teamwork and collaborative planning between the Department of Public Works, Planning, and other departments, including the Council, we've included. We've actively pursued grants to fund innovation and research not just in one department. In many departments, they're actively seeking grants. We've sought alternative sources of funding to help ease the burdens on the County, that was all in five months. Imagine what we can do together over the next three-and-a half years. This is a call to action. This is a call to think big. To look beyond what is common and typical. To forge new partnerships; to create new opportunities. To invest in our community by allowing them to invest in us. We have the resources, we have and manpower, we have the will. We just need the leadership to get us there. And I believe that all of us have that leadership, but we must lead by example. We must work together, put aside petty politics and come together. Because quite frankly, our County right now in its budget and its finances is in a precarious position. We don't know what we don't know. Yes, we're getting money that's coming in from, you know, the Federal Government. But at the same time, we're not sure what's going to happen at the Legislature in the next three weeks. As we look at what we're going to be doing to get through this budget, one of the big plans was using our OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefits), those funds that we're going to set aside, some of those funds. It's about$20 million, because we know we're not getting the TAT (Transient Accommodation) Taxes. So yes, we have funds but we're not sure what's going on at the Legislature, because some of those funds, you know, there are people at the Legislature trying to take those funds away from us. So we need to work together. We need to dream big, but we also need to be fiscally conservative. We have an obligation to leave this County in better shape that we found it. And I know that we'll get there together if we work together. I thank you for your time. Page 5 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mahalo, Mayor Roth. Thank you for that. This is your first, you know, budgetary cycle and I appreciate what you guys put in so far. Thank you for doing what you've done, given what's been going on with your health as well. So, mahalo for being here today. I don't know if you want to answer any questions for the Council immediately? MAYOR ROTH: I'll hold off and I'm going to let Deanna come up and talk about the rest of the budget for the County because I think that's probably more important at this point. So, thank you very much for your time. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mayor. MAYOR ROTH: You know, I'll be upstairs, and Lee Lord will be here. MR. CHUNG: Mr. Chairman, I'd like to ask some questions of the Mayor before he leaves. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you Mr. Chung, go ahead. MR. CHUNG: Mayor, thank you for coming. And you know, I agree, I think even in comments that I've made in the paper as well as in public, we want to give you as much chance to succeed. I think that the thrust of at least, what some of us are trying to do, you know, during the appointment process. But now, I'm curious, you know, you talk about petty politics couple of times. Put aside politics, petty politics, what are you talking about? MAYOR ROTH: So Mr. Chung, I'd rather not go into those things. However, and I just want to MR. CHUNG: You brought that up. MAYOR ROTH: I know, I did. You know some of the things MR. CHUNG: It leaves the public with some kind of impression that there's some kind of schism between the Administration and the Council that's affecting our ability to do good for the County. So I'm kind of wondering, you cannot just throw that kind of stuff out and not really talk about it. It kind of irks me. MAYOR ROTH: Okay, well some of the things that I've seen and some of the appointment things I thought were kind of petty. And some of the things I've seen with, you know, what goes on at the Legislature has been kind of petty. Not necessarily from the Council. Page 6 FC-8 April 13,2021 Some of the things I've seen at the Federal Government level where, you know, we have partisan politics that go on. What I'm saying is this: it's not for the Mayor's Administration to succeed. We all need to succeed. And we are all part of a County. And whether you're on the Council, whether you're in government, as you know, working in a department, we all need to be working together. And you know, some of the things I have seen. And we brought it up at some of these Council meetings, I really felt pretty disgusted over. And I'll give you one example, the appointment of Ms. Asis, the other day. Here's a lady that came in front of the Council that had eight votes in her favor. She was told that she didn't need to come back to testify. And then, you know, there was a vote without even giving her the opportunity to answer questions. Some of the comments that were made, comments about her profession as a realtor, and that was the reason why she wasn't approved. By the way, there's a rule that says you can't do that. And I thought, quite frankly, that if were to be judged as politicians, you know, how do people judge politicians? They often think of things petty. They think of, you know, self-motivated. You know, I'm a politician too. I mean that's kind of the general thing. We are lawyers. You and I are lawyers. People judge people's professions and discriminate against people on their professions. To me, I thought some of those things were petty. But I think we need to move past that, and work together, all of us, to make a better Hawaii Island. And the situation that we're in with our budget is such that right now, we need to be working together for the people of this County and put aside, you know, any differences we may have, or may not have. MR. CHUNG: Look, I agree with you in terms of politics. You know,petty politics shouldn't have any part in the decision-making process, and you know, trying to get stuff done. And you know, I voted in favor of that woman, but I will say this, it's the Council's prerogative, okay. MAYOR ROTH: I get that. MR. CHUNG: And when we're talking about the budget, I think that's really neither here or there. I'm not trying to get aggressive or anything like that, but it kind of raised my hackles. Okay, I got to get defensive for this body too, right? Because when you talked about, you know,judging people by their profession or politicians. What we don't want to do unless it's true, is to enhance that image of people, right? So getting to the matter of the budget, you talked about, you know, because of years of neglect and maybe even mismanagement, we're billions of dollars behind the eight ball. So what does a 0.8 percent increase in the budget do to address that? Page 7 FC-8 April 13,2021 MAYOR ROTH: Well, we are looking not just by increasing it through taxes, we're looking at increasing that budget at other ways. Through going after grants aggressively, which we are doing. I mentioned that. By building partnerships with people that we may have not looked at as partners in the past. And you know, we're doing that as well. We're reaching out and trying to bring people together. But I don't think at this time, where we have people that are struggling just to make ends meet, is the time to be raising taxes. MR. CHUNG: Do you know, and I know that Congressman Kahele came to go a site visit of our wastewater treatment plants, and he was appalled. Unless I recalled incorrectly, I think our DEM (Department of Environmental Management) Director said that grants weren't presently available. I don't want to be quoted as saying that because I'm not 100 percent sure. But are you aware, though, that when some members of this Council contacted Congressman Kahele to see if wastewater could be looked upon as a possible earmark for the infrastructure bill that's being advanced by President Biden, he said no one from the Administration had talked to him about it. And this was about three weeks ago. MAYOR ROTH: So I know that we've been talking to Senator Kahele, and we've been talking to our federal delegation about this. As a matter of fact, Senator Kahele came down and went on a tour. MR. CHUNG: That's what I said, but prior to that, the trigger for all of that was Council Members reaching out to him. And he had said he hadn't heard anything from the Administration. MAYOR ROTH: Well, I believe that's incorrect, because I believe that our office MR. CHUNG: That's why, it's from him. He said that. MAYOR ROTH: Well, I still believe that was incorrect, because I know that our office was reaching out. And I believe Doug Adams in our R and D (Research and Development) Department has been reaching out to them. Because we looked at something probably about a month ago where, you know, we saw that. And we put Wastewater as our number one priority. MR. CHUNG: Well, you're going to have to talk to him. MAYOR ROTH: Okay. Page 8 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. CHUNG: Then with regard to, you know, you said this post-arrival testing with people, philanthropic people. Who initiated that program? MAYOR ROTH: So initiation of the program, which the County was paying for with CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act, started in the Kim Administration. When we got to January, we had no more funds, so we were reaching out talking to different people about that. MR. CHUNG: I think you might be incorrect on that too, okay? You know, in terms of the philanthropic aspects. You know, because I'm not a big fan of Harry, okay. But at the same time, you know, if he was the person who got things rolling in terms of philanthropy's involvement in the post-arrival testing, he should be given the credit. I'm not saying that he did everything, but I believe it started right at the tail end of his Administration. MAYOR ROTH: I know that there were things that were happening in the community with Mayor Kim; did actually make some of those things happen. However, the testing at the airport afterwards was not something that they were doing prior to the end of the year. MR. CHUNG: Try check that, too. MAYOR ROTH: Okay. MR. CHUNG: But you know, again, we want to work with the Administration. In fact, Mitch, I've gone to you a couple times, right, at meetings? And I've got to admit, you never followed through on any of those things. And that's why I'm wondering, where's the politics? It just annoyed me. I've got to be real honest, okay. Anyway, go ahead. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Chung, for saying that. Yeah, there were some interesting comments made and I appreciate you clearing that up between the Council and the Mayor, and for the public as well. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, Chair. I just want to say a few words on this subject as well,just because I think it's incredibly important that we set off on the right foot on this particular process. And this is my first time going through the budget process. I've certainly been nervous. It's a lot of information, but we all know that this is where the rubber hits the road. You have lots of wonderful ideas in your statement. Page 9 FC-8 April 13,2021 We all made important campaign promises to our constituents, but this is where those values come to fruition in this budget. And so, let's all agree that we all are coming from a place of goodness, which is the intention to do well for the people of this County, to protect human health and safety, and that these next few days as we go through the budget process, we are going to argue with you and your departments over each of these items. But none of that comes from a place of political leverage. It comes from a place of all of us wanting to do our very best for this community. And perhaps having different ideas on how to get there. And the discussion of those ideas in this forum is intended to be constructive and will be constructive. And so, on behalf of our other members on this Council, I just want to share that we will be asking the difficult questions, but none of that comes from a place of animosity, or resentment, or retaliation. It comes from a place of goodness to do the best for this community. Mahalo, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Anyone else. Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. And maybe this is more of a call out to your departments and your agencies as they come forward. You mentioned that there's no shortage of problems, and that we're breaking down silos. And I'm directing this to you, but I know your Administration is looking. Some of the hard questions that will be asked is, how does this budget reflect those goals of breaking down silos, looking at new partnerships, but more importantly, I heard you say that the status quo is not good enough. And I hope that no agency comes in front of us and says, "This is a status quo budget." But if I may finish Mayor, and I understand that this is a budget that came, was kind of borne out of a different administration. And I know we're trying to hold the line. But there are a number of lessons learned, teaching moments through the pandemic, that gives us a huge opportunity to augment and pivot to address the needs of our community while spring boarding us forward. And so I just wanted to see some of that foreshadowing, because this was where you set that tempo, right, is the foreshadowing of all of your agencies coming forward. And yes, we're going to ask hard questions. But as you set the tempo for the Administration, I wanted to kind of air where I will be coming from. That's the lens I'm looking at, is how are we shifting to provide for our community having learned all the lessons. I know you touched on that Mayor with the permitting system, you know, the philanthropical dollars. But from what I can see, some of those opportunities are missing in our budget right now. Thank you, Chair. I yield. Page 10 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Anyone else, no? Mayor,just from my lens, this is my second term, so this is my third budget review. But what I've come to learn—and we've had discussions before when you were in the Prosecuting Attorney's Office, and you invited us over to meet with you and discussed your budget then but I've always held the line that we're all here for the common good, and all of our interest is to make sure that we take the people of Hawaii, especially Hawaii County. But within this system, political system, governmental, bureaucracy, whatever you want to call it, there's a check and a balance. And that is, the Mayor provides the budget, and the Council approves the budget. I mean ultimately that's what we do. And it's a back and forth. And we are here. We're here to ask hard questions and go through this budget and make sure it aligns with what the people need,with what each one of us as Council Members' need, and what our district is asking us to make sure that we provide within this document. And so the comments today I think were very clear. We're here to work with you, but we also have to ensure that the people who vote for us, who voted for you, get what they need when we're done on June 30''. So, I appreciate your comment and questions. I know it's tense, you know, but this has been a hard year. And here we are at the end of COVID. I mean not the end. Hopefully, the end of COVID, looking at a budget that reflects an economy that is, you know, not in the best state. So, thank you for being here today. Mr. Chung, did you have anything else you want to say? MR. CHUNG: Yeah,just so that I'm not accused of playing petty politics, I just wanted to make one clarification. You know, I'm getting guys fact-checking for me upstairs, right? And I want to apologize on one matter. The post-arrival testing, okay. The philanthropical aspect came on board during your time. I just wanted to make that clear to everybody, okay? Alright, thank you. MAYOR ROTH: Good luck and thank you all for your time. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Oh, Ms. Villegas, sorry, I forgot about you, I apologize. MS. VILLEGAS: Thank you, Mayor Roth, for being here; taking this time and approaching us with what is a challenging, which were some challenging statements. But I humbly come and present to all of us, the opportunity to remember as we look at these numbers, and while this is a fiscal document talking about specific amounts of money, I feel that within every one of us is an intention to serve this County and manage the resources we have while recognizing a triple bottom line or quadruple bottom line responsibility here beyond just the money listed here, that with creativity and collaboration, there are opportunities to ensure Page 11 FC-8 April 13,2021 the resilience of our County, because some things don't cost money. You know, a lot of things do, but there are levels of efficiency and creativity. I'm hopeful, Mayor that we can set up a meeting to talk about energy saving performance contracts and some of the other new ways for municipalities to fund infrastructure improvement projects. You know, there have been, as has already been recognized today, there have been some hiccups and unfortunate political maneuverings or perceived agendas. We're all human and we all, you know, operate ideally under the same value systems, but sometimes those don't seem to be as compatible as we'd like them to be. But I am deeply hopeful that as we navigate this budget, even though we are under such challenging times, that we recognize the resources we do have and that we are rich in the equity of what our people bring to the table and everyone that works within our County. And so I just wanted to add that in. And I had a family medical emergency. I have to be here to keep watch on a family member today. So thank you for affording me the flexibility to participate in this capacity today. With that, I yield. MAYOR ROTH: I just want to thank Council Member Villegas. I agree with just about everything she said. Sorry for your family matter and I know how those things are. But I did want to say that one of the things we are actively pursuing right now are some energy saving performance contracts. And so we're hoping that in the next couple of months that we will have some RFP's (Requests for Proposals) going out to save us some money in various ways. And these are contracts where we are looking at ways of saving our environment by saving money also in our economy. So I know I've talked to Ms. Villegas about that, and we have some people that are coming in and talking to us, and we're looking forward to pursuing a lot of those things in the next several months. So, thank you for bringing that, Ms. Villegas. MS. VILLEGAS: Thank you, Mayor Roth. And with that, I would ask then that my hope would be to be included, because I've been doing a lot of work with DEM and just a lot of research. So I would hope that you might reach out, and we might have an opportunity to sit down and go over some of the things that have been covered. I just would call out on that as the opportunity to eliminate silos in some of those capacities, so that there is less duplication of work and more consistency, and efficiency, and collaboration there. So I'll look forward to reaching out to your office and connecting on those topics. MAYOR ROTH: Alright, sounds good. Thank you everybody. Page 12 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mahalo, Mayor and mahalo, Ms. Villegas. Okay, that would lead us to our first department of the day. Ms. Deanna Sako, please come and talk to us about the Department of Finance. Thank you for being here today. (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. SAKO: Good morning, everybody. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Good morning. I just have a quick question, given that there's an Office of Management as well. Do we discuss that with you, because we're not going to be discussing that with the Mayor's Office? MS. SAKO: You guys can. Historically, I think the Mayor hasn't necessarily questioned the Council's budget and they haven't asked too many questions about the Mayor's budget. But if you guys do have specific questions, we're happy to answer them. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. MS. SAKO: And Lee Lord is here too. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you very much. Okay, you did provide us with a PowerPoint presentation, I believe. MS. SAKO: Yeah, mostly about General Fund. Obviously, the budget does cover the General Fund and 13 other funds as well. So that was the part that's about 0.8 percent higher than last year, or $4.8 million. But the General Fund was the one that's primarily funded by the real property taxes and what typically the Council tends to be concerned with. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you MS. SAKO: Let's see if we can get it going. (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako provided a PowerPoint presentation to the members of the Committee. For viewing of the presentation, please see the DVD copy of the meeting proceedings on file in the Clerk's Office or navigate to the Council's video archives online from the County's homepage at www.hawaiicounty.gov. A hard copy of the presentation is made a part of the record, see Comm. 103.7.) Page 13 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. SAKO: So those are just some of the highlights of the General Fund, but we're happy to answer any questions on the Finance budget, on the Miscellaneous section and/or anything else you guys might have. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Deanna. I'd like to go the Council Members if there's any questions. Mr. Inaba, go ahead. MR. INABA: Sorry, I don't know if this was supposed to be asked prior, but I know you're here probably speaking for the Mayor's budget as well. And then looking at the different positions in the Mayor's Office, I just had a question. I see that there is four Executive Assistant III's, and an aide. So I'm just wondering position-wise, I just find it a little bit interesting that assistants have aides, and I'm wondering how does that work? Because based on the assistants I've seen so far, I don't know that their kuleana really requires an extra position to have an aide. And it's a manini thing because it's just one aide. And it's not coming for anyone's job, but it's just questions I have in looking through this budget. MS. SAKO: So just like how the Council Members have aides, you know, the Mayor has like his secretary and whatnot; but the Executive Assistants tend to be more productive when they have someone helping them to answer the phone calls and organizing meetings and doing things like that. So that person is just an additional valuable member of the team that assists the community as well. MR. INABA: Okay, and is this aide shared or is it assigned to a specific ? MS. SAKO: Shared among all the EA's (Executive Assistants). MR. INABA: Okay. Alrighty, thank you, that's all right now. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Council, anything else? Wow, okay. I had a few questions, Deanna. MS. SAKO: Sure. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, so we talked about decrease in revenues, you know, minus $20 million in TAT. I looked over the expected estimated revenues for 2021-2022, balancing against 2019-2020. I mean we just had COVID. It's going to blast our economy. We're very aware of that. What are we looking at as far our RPT or Real Property Tax? I mean we have an estimate of$339 million, actual. And in 2019-2020 CERT (Community Emergency Response Team)program, it was $323 million. Did we increase by, you know, that$17, $16 million? Or where do we sit right now? Page 14 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. SAKO: So for fiscal year 2021, we budgeted $329 million. That included that seven percent reduction for expected uncollectables. We did, indeed not collect everything that we billed, some people had difficulties paying. We are working with those taxpayers as much as we can. So for the coming year, we continue to budget for uncollectible percentage, and the increase represents the increase in values that we're seeing around the island, based on sales. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And so $339 million, we're going to stick with that number for right now for that estimate? MS. SAKO: For right now, yeah. The real property tax values have not been certified yet. That won't happen till next week or the week after. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. And then just running down our, you know, General Fund. I mean things like liquor license fees, where in fiscal year 2019-2020 we saw $1.7 million in revenue, but we're estimating $2.1 million in revenue this year. And that's a pretty substantial step up. And then given that a lot of restaurants and bars have seen less than expected revenue or just straight out closed. I'm just wondering about the increase in revenue as being stated. MS. SAKO: So, you probably might want to talk to Gerald Takase when he comes before Council. That's specifically by Liquor. As you might remember, the Liquor fund is not a fund. It's part of the General Fund, but the Liquor Department actually is sort of treated like a separate fund within the General Fund. They are required by the HRS (Hawai`i Revised Statutes), their revenues have to go specifically for Liquor operations. So they budget in revenue whatever they need to balance the budget and the expenditures. So, there are times that they budget, you know,just to make things balanced. But when it comes time to set the rates, they do look at, you know, the various things going on in the community, and the board will work with Gerald to set those rates. So, I think you can ask him about that when he comes in. I'm just letting you know that one is a little bit unique in that it is funded specifically by Liquor and they look at that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, I saw a few of those where the expected revenues was actually increased substantially. Special Duty Admin Fees, same thing almost$100,000 expected revenue increase. And there's just a few others that caught my attention as well. So, you know, given what we know about our COVID economy, I was interested to see the increases in what we're expected in revenue stated in our budget. Page 15 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. SAKO: Those could be for a variety of reasons. Some is what the expected usage is in the coming year. So Special Duty Officers can be for events, which some people might be thinking maybe starting at some point in the coming fiscal year, which starts July 1st, but runs all the way to June 30 of 2022. But part of it is the construction projects and other projects as well. So they have looked at the historical experience. Some of the others are based on cycles. So some things like driver's license revenues will vary based on where we're at in the cycle of renewals. When it went to a six-year to eight-year driver's license, there's a couple years that are much higher than other years and some years that are lower than other years. And it's just based on when people get their licenses and it's up for renewal. But we do have staff that track all of those types of, you know, revenue increases and decreases. So that we try to budget the best we can. But again, it's a budget and an estimate. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. That's why I'm looking at 2019-2020 when I'm looking at this coming year, because looking at last year is not a good representative model of what we're going to be looking at this year. MS. SAKO: Right. So, 2019-2020 had three months of COVID in it? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yep. So when I see, you know, Parks and Recreation Swim Programs Novice step from $43,000 in 2019-2020 to $90,000 estimate for 2021-2022, I just wonder. I just want to make sure that we're hitting a number that's going to be pretty accurate, so we don't overestimate what our revenues are going to be coming in this year. Okay. Follow-up questions for Office of Management. There is one position, Executive Assistant to half-time it looks like. Listed as vacant but it's a funded position. MS. SAKO: I'm sorry, which position? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Office of Management. This is for Executive Assistant. Two half-time, Bargaining Unit 35. MS. SAKO: So, there will be changes on this particular position page when we come in, in May, because when they first filled positions, they are working off an org chart and so there's a couple positions that I think have been temporarily reallocated, and then another one that's been unfunded. So it'll look a little bit different come May. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, so we will see a change or at least a possible start date or something for that position, yeah, so it's not just a floating salary, okay. Page 16 FC-8 April 13,2021 And then some other things that stood out, you know,just travel cost and estimates, mileage down from $25,000 in 2019-2020 to $400, which is a substantial takeaway. I want to make sure that, you know, that we're estimating the correct amount of usage. Or is that reflective of us using technology more so than physically visiting other parts of the island when we look at mileage numbers and travel? MS. SAKO: So mileage and travel, we have definitely decreased. Most departments are not physically traveling, going off island. We are also trying to take advantage of County vehicles more, utilize that. But it just depends, and then wherever possible, they're definitely making use of technology, whether it's, you know, going out to look at things or where you can actually video things. We've all been doing more Zoom meetings, you know. It's nice to see the Council all together, but for the first part of the fiscal year, you know, even the Council is doing less traveling. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then is there something we can expect to see from every department or is there a standard that we're applying? MS. SAKO: For mileage? I would say most of them reduced it in the last fiscal year, so they're holding it as the same as the current fiscal year. I should say last. In the current fiscal year that we're in, that budget is when they reduced it. So going forward, most of them have not(inaudible)newspaper about travel and training. Travel budgets that may have increased or maybe were not decreased to zero doesn't mean people are traveling. It actually was where they budget their training expenses. So, you know, even to attend a Zoom training, they still have to pay registration fees. Those types of things. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Thank you. Mayor's legislative expenses went from zero 2019-2020 to $6,000 in 2021-2022. And then as well as the Financial Navigator Program, being a substantial step up to $78,000 in 2021-2022, what are those? MS. SAKO: So the Financial Navigator Program is actually a grant and so the expenditures may actually be coming through in a different fiscal year. So there's an offsetting revenue source for that as well. And then in the Legislative Expenses for 2019-2020, they either were not classified correctly, or that was actually the beginning of COVID. And so, I think no one went last legislative session. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, so visiting the Capitol, that kind of thing? Page 17 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. SAKO: Right, that kind of thing, yeah. (2) Department of Finance and(3) Miscellaneous (debt service, benefits, etc.): CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Department of Finance then, thank you for those answers. Finance,just as a reference, there's a number of departments that have a student helper position. Some listed as vacant, some not, but I don't know what that cost is for the County. MS. SAKO: That cost is covered under Department of Human Resources and it's actually, I want to say, about$50,000-ish total. They pay for that program with Hawaii Community College, I believe. And then distribute them throughout the County. So let's say Finance may have a student helper, but the salary is actually paid for by Department of Human Resources to provide students an opportunity to get work experience by learning. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, so when we see a student helper position, and I'm looking at Vehicle Reg. and Licensing Division, they have a student helper listed as vacant, but it's not unfunded. MS. SAKO: Right. There's actually never a dollar amount there. I know it's hard to tell on this sheet, but yeah, it's budgeted at zero. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, there's no dollar amount for that helper position? MS. SAKO: Correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. And then, I just had some questions for Finance. If I were to pick one, Accounts and OCE (Other Current Expenses) under, this is the Department 121 for Finance. MS. SAKO: Right. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, looks like pretty large accounting system lease, $250,000? And just give me an explanation for that,please? MS. SAKO: So, we'll actually be done paying off the EnerGov system halfway through next fiscal year, so we took those dollars that we've been using to lease that system, a financing lease of course, and put those in the Finance budget because our software for our entire County system including Human Resources and payroll is really end of life. The vendor is no longer supporting it and making upgrades to it. So we need to get off that system and work on getting a new system. Page 18 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Is that able to tie into, like we talked about more of a transparent online basis? MS. SAKO: Yeah. So things would be more online and be able to talk to each other and update reports more easily. Or that's the intention. You know, what we can afford. I mean, what's out there is a lot. What we can afford, that's what it's going to come down to. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, and can the public tie into that system at all? So we can kind of move towards ? MS. SAKO: We'll make reports available online,but you know, it is our accounting system, and we need to be sure that things are not accidentally touched or changed. So we do have good internal controls over that. But reports will be available. And we're just at the very early part of these stages. So you know, It's not like I have this entire vision, but I know having more data available is very important. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, Real Property Tax OCE, Miscellaneous Contract Services. Looks like $537,000 for a CLT (Central Limit Theorem) Software license maintenance agreement. MS. SAKO: That is our IAS (Integrated Automation System) world system and those are their annual fees that we have to pay to maintain that system, as well as improvements to the system in order to accommodate the new taxing structure when the two-tier system was implemented. We did it manually this last year, but we cannot continually keep doing those calculations manually. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Title Reports, $800,000. I'm looking at where we had real substantial increases. Yeah, these are large, MS. SAKO: So, what's kind of important too, it's not just 115 or Miscellaneous Contract, but the title of that account. So the real property tax sale cost and expenses is what that is. And so we have not been able to have tax sales due to the moratorium on foreclosures through COVID. So we did have one in fiscal year 2020 and then we stopped. And then we have not had any in fiscal year 2021, but we are going to try and do those again come fiscal year 2022. But it will depend on where we are at with COVID and the Governor's proclamation. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, because I saw some other references to RPT sale costs going up and trying to figure out why we're seeing that increase there. MS. SAKO: So, there's actually an offsetting revenue and expense. So you either increase both or decrease both, but it doesn't have an impact on the budget Page 19 FC-8 April 13,2021 per se. You know, because whatever cost we spend on the tax sale are recovered through the proceeds from the auction. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Oh good, there's questions again. Good, okay, I'm going to yield for now and let other people go. Thank you. Who had their light on first? Aaron, go ahead, Mr. Chung. Return to Mayor's Overview: MR. CHUNG: Thank you. Well, first of all I did a further fact check on the philanthropy part, right? I was right the first time. And you know why, because we've got to give credit where credit is due, right? Obviously, and so to that extent, I have to withdraw my apologies. So you guys can convey that to the Mayor. And if I am wrong, I will apologize again. Alright? MS. SAKO: I think you might be wrong on certain pieces of that, but I do not want to get into an extended discussion on it. So we can discuss it later. But do you have other things you'd like to discuss? MR. CHUNG: It might be like part true, part not true, we'll see. But I know the philanthropic part started with Harry, right? MS. SAKO: It did. Pieces of it. MR. CHUNG: So anyway, Deanna, you know, you have a wealth of experience and knowledge. Okay, so I'm going to try to tap into that. Mitch—and you heard our discussion, right? He said we're billions of dollars behind, you know, in terms of repair, maintenance and such. But he also said that, you know, in light of my question about, well, how do you address that with a 0.8 increase in the budget? And he said, well, they're going to look for grants and other things like that. But that could also be said for all of the past Administrations, right? Not taking real aggressive action in trying to address things with our own budget but relying on the possibility that we are going to get grants. So same rhetoric. What can we do, if anything at all, to at least try to you know, we cannot make-up billions of dollars, of course, obviously with our budget. But is there anything you can think of that we can do to try to catch up, get a little bit more aggressive? And Deanna, it's only a wish list. We're not going to address it probably in this budget. We might, I don't know. What's your thoughts on that? MS. SAKO: So first, let's try and identify the specific projects. And I think maybe either didn't do it right; we weren't listening right. I don't know what happened. But some of the departments maybe are realizing, maybe it's because Page 20 FC-8 April 13,2021 we have new directors, that there are a lot of projects that probably should have been addressed previously. But you know, budgets have been tight. You know, we came out of the great recession. We were looking at ways to cut the budget, we weren't looking for ways to increase the budget. But now everybody realizes, right, it's not just the sewer system. You drive on bumpy roads, you know. The Mayor got a letter from an eight-year-old girl about the roads, you know. So everybody's noticing. So the departments are preparing their priority projects so that we know which ones we need to focus on. And when you have a specific name, sometimes it's easier to apply for specific grants to get earmarks either by both the State or the Federal Legislature. I think this is probably some of the best relationships due to all of you as well as the Mayor's Administration working with the Federal Legislators as well with the Congress members. All of you have important roles, you know, dealing with the Federal Government. So, if there was ever a time to ask for the earmarks, this is the time. The budget, as a reminder, was prepared to be kind of defensive against the State. At the time we prepared this budget, the State didn't know how they were going to balance their budget. They were looking at removing EMS (Emergency Medical Services) fees, lifeguards, all that kind of things. So we did not put anything extra in the budget. And if we are successful in getting grants, we will come in individually with those. We're not going to budget for a bunch of grants we're not sure if we're going to get. So, but I think if we can continue to work together on what those priorities projects are, if you guys become aware of funding opportunities, whether it's private partnerships, or grants, or you know, low-interest loans. All of those types of things are what we're looking at. We've been very fortunate that, you know, our bond rating is high, so we've been able to borrow at low interest rates. We want to continue to do that, but I think by identifying those projects and putting more focus on it. The other thing is to really support the EnerGov program. I think the more we can support the community and make it easier to do your building permits, people who want to build their homes will be able to do so. And then every building that goes up increases our tax based. And that just increases it without having to raise rates as well. I'm not saying to go crazy in our community, by the way, I'm just saying MR. CHUNG: Right. You know, you brought up an interesting point though about the Legislature where, you know, sometimes we're victims of our own success, right, because if we do something in an aggressive manner, you know, in terms of getting more fiscally aggressive instead of conservative then they take Page 21 FC-8 April 13,2021 that as a sign that maybe we're okay. And then they start taking stuff away from us, right? No offense to them, but they do that all the time, right? MS. SAKO: They do that, yes. MR. CHUNG: But, with regard to roads and the eight-year-old who wrote to the Mayor, and everything like that. You know, I have to give credit to the Council, right, we passed the increase in the GET (General Excise Tax). Should have done that actually about a year-and-a-half earlier. No offense to anybody, but you know, we did it. You know, we had to bite the bullet. We did it. We got an infusion of money. Of course, that was reduced because of COVID, but in the long run, I think it's going to help. And you know, we're starting to see some examples of it, yeah, popping up. I wish we could see Waianuenue, but you know MS. SAKO: I did. I'll read that, yes, I'm sure that is on. Correct this list. MR. CHUNG: But anyway, but you know, I'm still kind of concerned about the use of the word"status quo,"because nobody wants to raise taxes, right? But it's always status quo, status quo. And again this year, status quo. MS. SAKO: So, and when we're talking about status quo, I get it. But it's more as you get the same dollar amount because now is not the time to raise taxes, but are there ways to utilize that funding, you know. MR. CHUNG: But then Deanna, is there ever a right—? I'm not—don't get me wrong now. I'm not suggesting that we raise taxes, but is there ever a right time? When the economy is good, we say, well we're going to have more revenue. When the economy is bad, we say that now it's not the right time because people can't afford. So when is the right time? There's never a right time. So, this is very concerning because you know, I know Mitch said a lot of words about it's going to be different, and we are billions of dollars behind and somewhat suggesting—and I don't want to put words in his mouth that it was the neglect of past decision makers. I don't see any difference. You know, that's the troubling part. But if you can kind of just, you know, keep that in the back of your mind because you are our financial expert and you've been there all the time, and you know, you've never been shy about telling us what you felt and what we needed. So, you know, I continue to seek your guidance in that regard because we've got to start getting a little bit aggressive. MS. SAKO: You know, and sometimes it not that we don't have the money because as you mentioned GET. You guys passed that bond authorization specifically for roads. So, it's not that we don't always have the money, Page 22 FC-8 April 13,2021 sometimes it's the staffing. If you go on the County's website, there are a lot of positions on continuous recruitment because we could not find qualified candidates to work for the County. One of those areas is Engineers, you know, whether it's for wastewater, or roads, or our various engineering positions across the County. So really encouraging people that, you know, the County is a good employer and good place to work, and you get a lot of joy from helping your fellow citizens. MR. CHUNG: And I don't want to put words in your mouth or anything like that, but if I am to understand what you just told me, aside from seeking grants to make up for that billion-dollar shortfall in our repair and maintenance, we ain't got anything then, right, from within our own budget? MS. SAKO: Well, there is definitely still the GET funds there, but we need people to do the projects, and I guess that's what I'm trying to say. MR. CHUNG: Billions of dollars. MS. SAKO: I understand that, yes. But we are not going to get there all in one piece. MR. CHUNG: Right, correct. Right, we have to do it incrementally. So we should get a plan, at least, okay. MS. SAKO: Yes. So department heads actually are submitting that shortly, with their highest priorities. And we will probably be coming in with a bond authorization to make sure that some of those projects actually do get done. But we do probably need some Engineers and Project Managers to ensure that we have enough staffing to get the projects done. MR. CHUNG: Alright. Thanks, Deanna. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Chung. Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. And thank you, Deanna, Director Sako, you've been really fantastic to work with during my time here. I just have a few questions for you. I'm wondering what the Administration's plans are to leverage American Rescue Plan money. CARES Act was a real dry run. I consider this, you know, next infusion of Federal funding to be another dry run for likely a big infrastructure package that's coming. So is the approach again going to be to engage Council Members and get their mana`o and do a presentation to the Council and the community? I know the Page 23 FC-8 April 13,2021 Treasury is still sort of defining the rules but hearing that it's going to be a lot more flexible. MS. SAKO: So, back to Mr. Chung's question of how can the Council help? Well, the Legislature may very greatly impact how we spend those Rescue Plan monies. If we have to go back and pay OPEB, that's $21.6 million that's not in our budget. There is not a bill that's saying give the counties back the TAT and make them pay the OPEB. The bill is to take away the TAT forever and to pay the OPEB forever. So that's $21.6 million that we have to put in the coming year's budget. One of the purposes of the American Rescue Plan is to replace lost revenues for this type of thing. So, you know, if we don't, we're all going to have to pour our American Rescue Plan money into just balancing the budget for the coming year, then please contact the Legislature Chair and you know, let them know how we feel. And we do have people lobbying the Legislature right now, not lobbying, but our own staff going up to talk to them. But, you know, we all need to be on the united front that we are not asking for a permanent break, but you know, we do need a little bit of time so that we can continue to help the community with those much-needed dollars. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yeah, thanks for sharing that, because I know our allocation is just shy of$40 million and so if we're having to pay, cover that cost, I mean that totally eats up our first sort of installment as a County. Thank you. MS. SAKO: Yeah so, we will be getting that over a three-year period. And so, when the Legislative session ends, we'll have a better idea. The other factor that is Treasury has not put out the guidance yet. We don't even know the timing of when we are going to be receiving it. And then, although I did notice NACo (National Association of Counties) has a call on that on the 15''° I think. So I forgot to tell Steve that. We kind of wanted him to maybe sit in on that. But in addition, a lot of the funding, other than that specific pot of money coming directly to us, is funneling through the State. And the State has not yet made up their mind on how they're going to utilize those funds as well. So depending what the State does could greatly impact, you know, our usage of those funds and where we think the highest priority programs are needed. So we'll work together on that. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yeah, I mean I think we're just looking for equity. Right, we're looking for equity so that each of the counties can get their fair share, because we all have a suite of problems. No shortage of those. Page 24 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. SAKO: And we are trying to get a lot of projects shovel ready, back to how we're going to fund it, because of that infrastructure plan that's also before Congress. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yes, very exciting. You know, I want to be real fair with the Administration. They're walking in obviously seeing a lot of things that they didn't see before just, you know, having that sort of entre as Mayor's Office. And so Deanna, you've been a real guiding light there. You know, the Mayor talked about, we're beyond thinking big, right, we've got to do big. They hosted that virtual Sustainability Summit. They got everybody excited. I don't want that momentum to taper. Do you think that the department heads are going to articulate how they plan to implement sort of the visions that have been set forth at the Sustainability Summit? Like how are they implementing that within their budgets? Do you think they're going to be able to address that? MS. SAKO: Some will. Some may not be able to. There's a lot of things going on in this first few months. Some of them, you know, the focus has been on EnerGov, getting that up and running. Some has been on just getting a handle on what all the problems or projects are for their department. So definitely what the Mayor said, you know, we're looking at doing an RFP for energy savings. You know, other projects. But it doesn't mean we're all quite there yet, but because they're expected to generate savings, you know, it doesn't necessarily mean that we have to include additional dollars in the budget to accomplish it. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yeah, lot of ways we can leverage different forms of capital. You know, it's great to hear that you were looking for new system for Finance. I remember how we had talked about that. How it's obsolete. So you're out there looking. Couple things that I wanted to follow-up on. Is it going to include sort of like, digitizing certain processes? Like timesheets or even routing contracts for signatures? MS. SAKO: Yeah, definitely. Because we haven't been able to go to the online version of the software, we really weren't able to take advantage of some of those types of systems. So we are looking to see what we can, and again what we can get for our money. But definitely having a more electronic timesheet system and being able to do a lot of those things, or you know, less data entry by the departments, having it more automated so they can save time and spend it doing other things for the community. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Deanna, I appreciate that. We've had it a goal for a long time. Is there is a timeframe in which you thinking we can implement? MS. SAKO: So, I'll be honest with you, CARES Act has put a lot of burden on our staff, especially in Finance. You know, having to find childcare when the schools were doing distance learning. Yes, they're back in session, a couple days Page 25 FC-8 April 13,2021 a week some of them. But you're still dealing with childcare. Then they had to deal with tracking all of the CARES Act money and doing that. So they are a little overwhelmed, but they do know it's the next project on their list is to start coming up the list of pieces that we want to see. And we'll probably do a request for information first just to see what's out there. We haven't decided yet if we're going to get one whole package or pieces of packages. Again, it's going to depend on, you know, what we can afford. But we know they all have to talk together well. Because otherwise our CAFR (Comprehensive Annual Financial Report), which gets audited each year, that has to be accurate. You know, so they do all need to talk to each other, but we want to get the best system we can that we can afford, because we do know our dollars are also limited. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thanks Deanna, two more questions. Yes, I know your staff have been working incredibly hard. I think the folks at Vehicle Registration and Licensing have been working very, very hard. You know, some constituents reached out, several of them physicians that are helping with COVID response. You know, trying to get an appointment to renew their license, not being able to get something until June. And so thankfully, your staff was able to help because of their medical licensing was something they needed to get re-upped, but what additional support do these divisions need, because I mean they're just inundated with appointments. MS. SAKO: So, one is definitely getting schools back in session so employees can come to work. And the other is getting a lot of—we just recently hired a lot of brand-new staff, so we are getting them trained and up to speed. And then we're trying to work on a better appointment system, or not a better system, but getting used to how many appointments we can take in a day so we can try to catch up on some of that. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: And are all the appointments you've got to book online? Or can somebody call, like a kupuna can they call and make an appointment, because I thought there was a little disconnect here. It was only online? MS. SAKO: We definitely have staff that will help them make an appointment. We know it's a challenge for many of the kupuna,just like registering for vaccinations was. So definitely,people are helping each other out. Page 26 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Because if you don't have a computer,probably don't have an e-mail address, so you can't make an appointment to get a vaccine or any of these critical appointments. Great, thanks. I'm glad to see that's there's flexibility. Last question, Director of IT (Information Technology) March 30'h sent a note about some servers being down. And what was concerning to me was that one of the questions that was listed, because I guess a lot of inquiries were coming in. You know, is it only our department that's being affected by the loss of these servers? And there's a mention, no multiple departments were being impacted. So were there any issues within your department, various divisions where IT servers went down and we lost information? MS. SAKO: There definitely was an impact. Fortunately we do have some duplicative systems, whether it's our records management systems. Or you know, like Laserfiche where we store things. But staff did have to recreate worksheets, and we're tracking our time for that so that we can come up, you know, a total cost and impact to the County. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Of lost data? You're doing a cost analysis to track how much it costs for us, because we've lost that data. MS. SAKO: We have to recreate it, yes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. Are you able to share which divisions? MS. SAKO: Several of our divisions were impacted, yes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, but you don't want to name them. MS. SAKO: Pretty much the whole Finance Department. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, thank you. I'm not trying to put you on the spot. This is a question I'm going to ask every department, because I just need to know where we are with our data and information and making sure that we're making the best investments so this doesn't happen again. MS. SAKO: Correct. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yeah, thank you. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Ms. Villegas, go ahead. Page 27 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. VILLEGAS: Aloha Deanna. Just a quick question. Can you confirm which department is managing the testing at the airports? MS. SAKO: That would fall under Civil Defense. MS. VILLEGAS: Falls under Civil Defense. Okay, thanks, I'll be following up on that later. Thank you. MS. SAKO: Sure. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Mr. Richards or Ms. Lee Loy, who wants to go first? Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Mr. Richards. Deanna, you touched on it a little bit ago, and part of our budget is the Capital Improvement Budget. And you mentioned about the department's prioritizing, and I'm just not seeing it in Bill 22. I see a list but they haven't been prioritized. What efforts are being made throughout, across the Administration? When we talk about breaking down silos and creating synergies, the way the CII' is delivered to us, it's just scattered. How do we begin to shift to identify the projects that create the best infrastructure, right, even if we put a little bit of money on improving a road, but the bus drives on it or we create, you know, a bus shelter, whatever? How do we do this part better? MS. SAKO: So you know, each department as I said, is trying to prioritize and then work together. So you know, I've heard a lot of departments talk about, you know, with Water Supply for example, where their new lines are going because we don't want to put on a road to have Water Supply dig it up to put in a pipeline under it. So you know, I think they're starting those conversations. But once we get the individual department list, we'll be able to better sit down and work together as a County. You know, one of the things the Capital Budget does. It's really three years' worth of Capital Budgets that make up, you know,the entire Capital Budget for the coming year. So looking at all of those, but also giving the department heads a chance to really absorb where they're at and what they need with staffing. I think that is one of our challenges, is not having enough staff to even get the planning and designs done. MS. LEE LOY: When will we be able to see a true priority list when it comes to Bill 22, because as we look at funding coming through or not, we have a laundry list of projects, but we have no direction? And so for us as a Council, it becomes very challenging to make a good decision around the CIP list, but also and you mentioned it, they're here for a long time. And at what point can we say, you Page 28 FC-8 April 13,2021 know what, this is dormant? It's been sitting there for 10 or 12 years; you are going to fall down into a dormant list. MS. SAKO: Right, which is fine too. Some of the projects, and you know, that's where if we can focus on our highest priority ones, if they've been on the CIP list for several years and haven't been funded, actually helps them when they're applying for grant funds, because you know, they've been on that list. That's not the reason to leave them on the list, but it definitely has helped in several grants throughout the years. So yes, so that's something we can talk with the Department of Planning about, because they're really the ones that do the Capital Budget. They come up with a way, not to have the individual departments' priorities but county-wide priority listing, as what I'm hearing you say. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, I'm asking that because in the Charter, it says the "Planning Director shall,"right? He gets a list from all the agencies but then it's to advance a priority list, and we're not getting that which makes our decisions challenging. So I'm going to ask again, is that something we can see a different iteration of our CIP list? MS. SAKO: And I think what I'm saying is the Planning Director will be here after me. I'm supporting it, but yes MS. LEE LOY: Would you support that then, Deanna? MS. SAKO: Yes, we're willing to help, but it is a little bit challenging to merge the three years. But I think just like we have the PONC (Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission) list that's prioritized island wide, I think if we could do something like that for the Capital Budget and have each year's priority list, that would also help. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, and you know, we've talked about this in the past just as a Council. You know, the CIP list is a wish list, right, but there is no hard funding to it, right? You know, if we're going to move and talk about priority funding and amplify our dollars, I think it all starts with some real projects, real tangible projects in which, you know, funding can either be made available which amplifies the environment and community. You know, Ms. Kierkiewicz touched upon it. I was really interested in the electronic timesheets. It's good to hear that's going to be coming forward, but also the Driver's Licensing. We've had a lot of conversations around that and people wanting to go to the gold star because that's, you know, a different way of ID (identification) for travel. So I was really excited to hear about that. Page 29 FC-8 April 13,2021 You know, the one question we hear about is all the positives. And Mayor touched upon it. We have a lot of problems. But for Finance, what are some of the unmet goals that, you know, you set out for back to 2018 or 2020? MS. SAKO: So you know, we definitely want to get moving on our new accounting system to make everybody's life easier. But you know, our biggest challenges continue to be Driver's Licensing. And not all of those challenges are put upon ourselves, I guess. You know, we do have issues with staffing especially maintaining staff on the Kona side. That's not just our department but most departments. But it's not being able to do things the public wants. You know, they really would like to be able to renew their Driver's License online. You know, I would love to be able to do that too. But the Real ID Act prevents us from doing that and that's Federal law. That's not within your control, because if it was, we'd already be in here asking, you know. So we really have to be able to, you know, continue to follow the State and Federal laws. And some of those obstacles sometimes are the most challenging to deal with. MS. LEE LOY: Great Deanna, thank you. Thank you for putting all of this together. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Mr. Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. Thanks, Deanna. Another year of lots of fun. First of all, full disclosure, Ms. Kierkiewicz did not ask about the electronic time clocks. I did not put her up to that. Though I ask every year, I did not put her up to that. But I'm glad we're stepping forward on that. Deanna, I want to make a couple of comments. First of all, and Mr. Chung's not here, but the status quo budget, I actually appreciate status quo, because this in my mind is the first one, I've seen. And the question was asked, what can this Council do? And it's my belief that this Council is to help respond to things going forward. And Mr. Lord's here in the audience listening. What I mean by that is that financially, we're not sure exactly how we're going to settle out. I held my breath this whole last year worrying about our income stream. And you and I had continual conversations about that. And kudos to you for what you did and were able to make the projections that allowed us to finish this last year okay. Going forward is the next big question, and I think having a budget now, I'm far more comfortable with looking at this budget. I reserve final judgment until we get through all our hearings, of course. Page 30 FC-8 April 13,2021 But our plan after that is to figure out what we need to then appropriate going forward if the funds come before us. And Ms. Kierkiewicz and Ms. Kimball touched on it already concerning first the CARES Act, then followed by the Rescue Act, and then the JOBS (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) Act. And I firmly believe like Ms. Kierkiewicz, that in the JOBS Act, we're going to see the funding we need going forward. I will state, yes,we're billions behind in our infrastructure costs. You know, I worry about Ms. Kimball's bridges. Our wastewater is a problem and Ramzi said this. And previous director, Bill also made the same comments about our wastewater, but I think there's going to be funding coming forth. And you and I have worked on this as far as the budgeting. When it comes to the infrastructure costs yeah, we have operational costs, but I'm most keenly interested in that infrastructure cost which is going to be essentially bonded going forward. And thanks to your work our bond rating and keeping that in place. But I think it is time to be bold and not talk big ideas, but actually do big ideas when it comes to that. And so I think we as a Council, we're going to have to take some probably little bit risky steps going forward when we plan on going forward. And I'm talking about getting big bonding. You know, that's how we got some of the stuff done. I agree with what Ms. Lee Loy stated concerning a priority list for the CIP. The CIP is a little bit misleading. People think it's funded but it's not. But I think we can do a better way in handling that. And Lee, we'll talk story about this going forward. I'm agreeing with what Ms. Lee Loy is saying, but we're going to have to take the big steps. And you know me, I'm very fiscally conservative, but when it comes time to spend, and I think the time is now, we're going to do that to invest in our County going forward. And we're going to have to take those big swings at things. MS. SAKO: No we fully agree, and that's why each department is creating their list, you know. The Mayor knows the number one priority is Wastewater. You know, we're fortunate to have the GET fund available to fund the road projects whether it's bonded or not. And so, we're trying to come in with a complete package while kind of trying to integrate that with the JOBS Act(Jumpstart Our Business Startups). I didn't remember the name of that, so thank you. You know, so that we are ready. You know, we were able when we have the ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) funds several years ago. We were able to take advantage of that more so than other counties in our state because we had projects shovel ready to go. And so we want to be in that same position again this time, so that we can take advantage. And if county can't spend it, we are happy to help them do that. Page 31 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. RICHARDS: And I think that's where we've been successful. I know State DOT (Department of Transportation), Ed Sniffen, has been able to get things done because he had stuff sitting in the shelf ready to go. And when the Feds and other states couldn't spend, he could spend. MS. SAKO: Right. Exactly. MR. RICHARDS: And so we as a County has to do the same thing. But we also as the Council have to help. As Deanna touched on it, we're losing funding at the Legislature, and we have to be very mindful of that. As this JOBS Act comes forth, I am hoping there is more direct funding, and I believe there's an opportunity to get on that, I know NACo's (National Association of Counties) is working very diligently on that because it gets hung up in the bureaucracy of the State. So we're going to be pushing forward for that. And so, like I said, I like what I see so far. There's a lot of details we have to work on, but this is the time to hear from all the departments, and so I want to hear how that goes and start putting this together. My usual request, Deanna, your spreadsheet, the Summary of Revenues and Appropriations, can we get that emailed to us all? MS. SAKO: I think Ted is outside. Hopefully he's listening. Oh, he is. He nods yes. I didn't introduce everybody, but our whole team is here outside. We're just trying social distance and follow the rules. So just appreciate all that each and every one of them do. MR. RICHARDS: So I look forward to working on this. And since I'm out of time, I'll tell Mr. Chung when is the best time to raise taxes. So thank you, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Hi Deanna. Thanks so much for being here. I have just a couple of questions. First up, I am always so impressed with how many numbers that you can hold in your head at any given time. And I mean the complexity of this is really astounding. And that leads me to my first question, which is not meant with any offense whatsoever. What is the succession planning within the department for the non-appointed positions to be on top of all these different challenges over time? Can you discuss that a little bit? MS. SAKO: So each of our divisions is a little bit different. But you know, we only have one, I think, that actually has a true deputy. Like we have a Real Property Tax Administrator and an Assistant Real Property Tax Administrator. So those are two, you know, important positions, and obviously we look at those Page 32 FC-8 April 13,2021 and who's in line to those. The bigger divisions, it's easier to plan that succession. So, some of the smaller divisions is a little harder. You know, our Budget Division is a whopping 2.5 FTEs (full-time equivalents). So you know, there is a planned person to take over so to speak. But you know, that's not always guaranteed. So we do our best in hiring to fill all those positions so that, you know, there'll be people to choose from when someone leaves or moves on. MS. KIMBALL: It does concern me greatly that I mean, you just have a wonderful amount of knowledge. And we appreciate it so much that in many ways it feels like you're the only one that knows all of this stuff. I hope that is not true. MS. SAKO: No actually the reason I know all of this is that I have eight people behind me that feed me that information. So you know, our Controller has been here for several years. Our Budget Administrator has been doing his job in the Budget Division for along time. So everybody knows their job, but it takes a whole team to build it. We just don't make them come sit at the table sometimes, because some of you can be scary. Just saying. MS. KIMBALL: I appreciate that, and I hope you know that this is coming not from the committee. MS. SAKO: No, I know. But we actually have a fairly young team right now. MS. KIMBALL: Yeah. Good to know. I want to talk a little bit about the EnerGov. You know, of course, that's a priority for me. And the other departments—Council Member Kierkiewicz did ask for a little bit of a timeline. Can you give us some more specifics again? There's so many other things tied to this that I think will be improvements for the County for me as a priority. So anything more you can give us. Even like how many years are we looking at? Is this something in the next year, two years, five years? MS. SAKO: Over the accounting system? So we are starting now, but definitely when we converted last time, we went from in-house WANG system that was completely programs exactly for our needs to an off-the-shelf package. So the first part of it took about six months to get up and running. Once we signed the contract. But you know that process of determining what we need, because there's so many different systems out there right now, so picking the best things and going out with the RFP so we can get the best system for the County, that would probably take over a year just to get the selection actually done. One of our challenges and the most challenging aspect of systems is actually our payroll system, because we don't have a true lag. We lag on June 30th each year, but we pay our salary current and overtime one pay period later. And that makes Page 33 FC-8 April 13,2021 us rather unique in that aspect so that we'll continue to be probably our challenge for any new system as well. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, is there any intention to do, as I believe, Planning and DPW plan to do, which is an in-bed specialist with a Technology Specialist within their departments to help promote this? Is that the intention of Finance as well? MS. SAKO: So we do have one Program Manager position in the Accounts Division that currently works with our Eden system or Fresh. And so that person, as well as others, we haven't tried to determine yet if we need, you know, additional people yet. First, we want to just determine what our needs are. MS. KIMBALL: Okay great, thank you. This is sort of a philosophical question. You know, we're already behind in terms of taking care of maintenance and repair of infrastructure. That's been made expressly clear. We have a lot of things that are reaching end of life in terms of infrastructure. And it certainly keeps me up at night in my district. And then we have the flipside of this with our budget and expenditures where salary and wages is the biggest piece and it's going to continue to expand. So from a philosophical standpoint, what can we do as a County to make sure that that piece of the pie does not become so overwhelming that we are in a position where we are still continually under funding maintenance and repair of infrastructure? MS. SAKO: So, I think what Council Member Richards was referring to is definitely being in line for the JOBS Act, but also coming out with that bond ordinance and having those projects ready to go. But we can fund money, but we have to have people in place that can actually do the projects. MS. KIMBALL: So in your perception, staffing is actually a limiting factor at this time in some of the departments? MS. SAKO: It can be, and you know, I'm saying that without having talked to some of our larger department heads but over the years, that's historically been one of the issues, is keeping those highly qualified people like Engineers in place so that, you know, they can see a project through to completion. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. I'm definitely curious to hear Mr. Richards' actual response about when is a good time to raise taxes. I certainly appreciate that now because of COVID, you know, people are already hurting. But I think this is a conversation that we need to have. Because what I'm hearing is that I don't see any places where we're going to be able to cut expenditures. And the only way to get to a zero-balance budget then with expenditures and with infrastructure particularly increasing, I mean I just can't see us relying exclusively on grant Page 34 FC-8 April 13,2021 money. And finally, it's great to say that, but I think we need to have serious discussion about other sources of revenue. And I'm not putting that all on you. I'm just putting it out there. One last item, and not so much a question for you but something to my colleagues. You know, Council Member Lee Loy, you mentioned prioritization of CIP and I think that as a Council, we should probably come up with our method of prioritization, similarly to the discussions we have had about grants and aid, because I am concerned about those being arbitrary. And I think that we really need to spend time having a discussion about what metrics are used to prioritize these large budget projects so that we are making good decisions there and preparing well. Thank you, Chair for your time. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Ms. David, go ahead. MS. DAVID: Thank you, Chair. Good morning, Director Sako, how are you? MS. SAKO: Good morning, I'm good. MS. DAVID: You know listening to all the discussion, I just have two simple questions. Regarding the Finance Department and the Driver's Licensing. So Kona has had some real drawbacks as far as maintaining staff, and that affects the amount of people that's standing in line, the appointments get backlogged, I'm looking at this. Are we now at a point, especially in the Department of Vehicle Registration, that they're fully staffed right now, given allowances for what you were saying, that some of the staff, due to COVID, are we fully staffed right now? MS. SAKO: I cannot say that we are fully staffed, but we are closer than we've been in a long time, yes. MS. DAVID: I see. And so—okay. And so this backlog that we're constantly hearing about from our constituents, those are not necessarily based on the lack of staffing. MS. SAKO: I mean, we're currently still training people. I mean definitely, I mean these are recent hires. I mean, recent from even when we submitted the March budget. So we continue to fill the positions, but you know, we still have to train them. And that usually takes anywhere from that happens from six to twelve months because they do both Vehicle Registration and Driver's Licensing. But you know, also sometimes, it's making sure we're educating the public and they're bringing the right documents and everything with them as well. We continue to have challenges on that. Page 35 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. DAVID: And I understand that's a long drawn out and complicated process, because you folks have to be very careful. MS. SAKO: Yes. MS. DAVID: Well that's good to know. And I just need to mention that especially when our older kupuna call for assistance and stuff, that department has always been very helpful in accommodating, you know, cancellations and then letting us know. So I just want to extend our appreciation for that kind of cooperation in that department. MS. SAKO: And it's fortunate we have the five offices, but all five of them work very hard in trying to move as many people as they can throughout the day. But I know it continues to be a challenge. MS. DAVID: I see, okay. Understood. One last question then, on this JOBS funding money, I know it has to be channeled through the State. Do you know if the Federal funds also dictate how they can distribute it to counties within the State or is it just up to them? MS. SAKO: I think those recommendations have been made. That's the bill that's still going through Congress, but I think many people have made recommendations on trying to get it specific as to how it would come down to the counties. Because, you know, the State has needs too,just like we have aging infrastructure, so do they. MS. DAVID: Exactly. That's good to know because, you know, if left completely up to the State, really we end up holding bags most of the time. Okay, for now, thank you very much. I yield, Chair. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. David. Mr. Inaba, go ahead. MR. INABA: I just want to follow up and I would be remiss not to echo the concerns regarding the Kona DMV. I don't have questions about the budget, but we have to do something, because I'll say this, I walk on the outside of the stairs when I go to my office away from the DMV's entrance, because that's how muchI'm like, oh no, look how many people are there. So you know, if we can get help it would be appreciated, thank you. MS. SAKO: Yes. You know, what I hear you guys saying is, I can add positions, and I won't hear grumbling in May, right? MR. INABA: Anything to help our situation over there. Because, yeah, that's my situation going to work. Thank you. Chair, I yield. Page 36 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Mr. Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Yeah,just a quick comment for Council Chair David. You talked about the direct financing from the JOBS Act, and one of the things sitting on the NACo Board of Directors, President Biden started out his political career as a councilman. And so he's very sensitive to direct funding to counties as opposed to going to states. And so NACo's working very diligently on getting that to come forth. And so the President is behind and looking at direct funding, so hopefully we'll get something good to come out of that. Thanks Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you Mr. Richards. Ms. Kimball. MS. KIMBALL: I will just add one follow-up that our next meeting for the Hawaii State Association of Counties will include a discussion of how as counties, we can best advocate on our behalf at the State and Federal level. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you for that. Mr. Chung. MR. CHUNG: I may as well say it. I was thinking whether I should say this or not. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I was watching that. MR. CHUNG: Just addressing Mr. Richards' comment about President Biden being a former City Council Member. If history has proven anything, somehow when people get into higher offices, they forget that they were County Council people, like for TAT and other matters, right? So, and you know, and he's much more removed than a State Legislator. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Chung. Well said, well said. Okay Deanna, I've got a few follow-up questions. Looking over,just going back to our revenues, what is our fund balance this year? Where do we stand right now? MS. SAKO: Well obviously, we're still in the process of estimating that. When we did the March budget this is where we were at. I'm actually, well not me personally, but the good nature of our Accounts Division, they are loaning staff to our Fire Department who are short an Accountant right now. So I do not have an updated figure at this time, but we will have it before we submit the May budget. Again, these are all estimates and projections. But when we did the March budget, the number we have in here as the revenue number is actually—matches exactly what our projection was. Page 37 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So, $28 million, the estimate for 2021-2022. MS. SAKO: Correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's where you are right now? MS. SAKO: That's where it was in March, yes. We haven't been able to update it since then. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. Because that's a huge part of our miscellaneous revenue which is really up from 2019-2020, which is interesting. How come there was zero fund balance in 2019-2020? MS. SAKO: The actual never reflects because it's already in fund balance. It just becomes part of the calculation. But, you know, it's just part of the way it's done. But it's always a number we do calculate, it just doesn't get reflected in the actuals. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. And then, interest earned. It's like we are expecting a huge decrease in interest earned, why is that? MS. SAKO: The economy and the interest rates nationwide. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. And then, you know, one that caught my attention, it's pretty small but Miscellaneous Rent, expected to go up from $15,000 to $51,000. What are we renting as a County? MS. SAKO: So, we have the land, some of the Hamakua lands that we got from the sugar plantations, that we lease out to farmers and other people. Those are some of our rental incomes. Some of the other ones are probably our radio towers and the space on that. And I'm hoping this is from Hamana(Ventura)telling me exactly what else is on there. No not that one. He's telling me what we're spending our rental money on. But we also have our radio towers that Civil Defense, Police, and Fire use for radio communications. We do have space that we rent on that as well. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, okay. I was just interested in that one. Last year, or earlier this fiscal year, but I saw some—we had some fairly large Workers Comp transfers that we had to do. And just gauging this year's budget. I mean Worker's Comp, regular salary and wages, we're setting it zero, that's our estimate. Is that realistic? And there's some substantial steps down, even in, you know, a different section there, 341 under Workers Comp G, $2 million to $2.6 million. I mean, are we covered there? Page 38 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. SAKO: So, we did increase it substantially in fiscal year 2020. And then we left that amount in fiscal year 2021. They continue to sometimes need additional funding. This is actually a good thing right now. So, they've been working very hard to close out our cases so our cost going forward will be smaller. And so, we're in the second year of that program, and I think they need one more year to really get kind of caught up on the cases. And HR(Human Resources), when they come in, that will be a good question for them. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, and I remember, that's in Mr. Brilhante's department, but it did catch us off guard. There was some like almost a million of dollars in transfer orders that we did to cover Worker's Comp. MS. SAKO: In various departments, yes. So, yeah, to close out a case is usually when you have the final settlement or payment, and so those are some larger dollars. But they've been working hard to do a variety of things including, you know, investigations and other things and getting people back to work. And all the departments are greatly appreciative of all the efforts they've been making. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, but we are going to be okay from, you know, what we spent from 2019-2020 to setting a zero-dollar amount for 2021-2022? MS. SAKO: I'll double-check with them, but where we were at, it was going take two to three years to kind of get through all those cases and do the catch up of the close outs. So based on that, I think so, but we can double-check with them. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And please, if you could, Vacation Pay under Miscellaneous Charges. Nothing for 2019-2020 but stepping up to $750,000 estimated this year. What is that? MS. SAKO: So,just the Provision for Compensation Adjustment, it's the ways that account is utilized. So you might remember seeing the transfers from the Vacation Pay and the Provision for Compensation Adjustments being transferred into the departments that need the funding. So it doesn't mean we didn't use it, it's just the way it's utilized. We don't spend directly from these accounts, but the provisions are actually the accounts we transfer from to the departments. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, I've seen that. Okay. And then I couldn't help but notice, there is an actuary study under Post-Employment Benefits. And the only reason I'm asking is because we had a fairly substantial discussion on actuary study when it came to lava zone insurance, and it was a question as to whether or not your department could do a study. But in this regard, the actuary study was, I'm guessing, was an insurance or a professional in this field and your department did? Page 39 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. SAKO: So, that's part of a statewide actuarial study. So,just OPEB and ERS (Employees Retirement System) and a lot of those things, we have to participate in the statewide program and plan. And so each county pays their share but the State Office of the Auditor and ERS. There's a couple different, EUTF (Hawai`i Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund), a couple different studies that we participate in and pay our fair share of that. I'm not saying we couldn't do the study; it was finding someone who has experience in those types of lands to do the study, was the discussion the other day. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Just a follow-up, Driver's Licensing. I did have a phone call about three days ago. What they're saying their wait time is to get a Driver's License test for their kid to get their license is two years online. And it caught me off guard, but I do know it's very lengthy, but two years seem excessive, and may have just been exaggeration. But if that's true? MS. SAKO: I'm pretty sure it's an exaggeration because we have not opened up appointment times two years into the future. And so, it's usually a few months at a time. And if they call Driver's Licensing, Naomi has been very helpful in helping to get people appointments. She's not here this morning. She had to go attend court like she does a lot of times. And so, but I can talk to her. But I'm pretty confident it's not two years in the future. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, and this is for a 16-year-old to go and take their license test and do the driver's test? MS. SAKO: It may take a few weeks, yes, because they're competing not only with new drivers, but also with, you know, other people that may have lost their licenses for various reasons and getting them back again. It's also very busy when an entire Driver's Ed class is completed, because then everybody rushes out to take their road test as well. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, so I'll follow up with my constituent regarding—maybe just try again online? MS. SAKO: No go ahead and email me or Naomi O'Dell and we'll help them out. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you very much. And just to say this, I brought forth a communication to discuss Capital Improvement Projects as a priority for each district. And there's some discussion on the Council as to whether or not it was a good idea or not, or whether that would be beneficial. Page 40 FC-8 April 13,2021 But from hearing the discussion today, it sounds like we're in agreement that we don't see a clear document that guides what Capital Improvement Projects are done, if they're funded and how we move forward. MS. SAKO: I can tell you right now, it's based on the biggest need and the biggest problems. So if a roof is leaking it takes, you know, a higher priority, and federal mandate. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But when it comes to the prioritizing, is that set by the Planning Director? MS. SAKO: The Capital Budget is set by the Planning Director. The Planning Director does sign off on allotments; but ultimately, you know, it's a bigger discussion with department heads and the Mayor. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But I think it alsoI mean, the point of the discussion that I brought up was involving the Council on that discussion, because we represent the districts. And so, of course there'll be leaking roofs and things that will need to be highly prioritized, but as far as long-term planning and long-term projects that our districts may be asking for, we are the representatives. So by not having us in that loop, we don't really get to represent our community in the strongest manner possible. That was the point of that communication that I brought up. I'm just wondering, I mean, do you feel that is a good method or has there ever been that kind of methodology as to looking at the CIP budget and the process in how we set, prioritize, and discuss what projects will happen versus just being a Mayoral or Planning Department decision? MS. SAKO: I wouldn't say it's just a Mayoral or Planning Department. You know, the projects do come before you guys both for their appropriation and the bond ordinances as well. But lots of times the leaking facility or Federal mandate get the highest priority. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, that actually answered all my questions. Any further discussion by the Council? Okay, seeing none. Deanna, I appreciate you as well as the eight other people who stand behind you. And everyone outside who is helping and texting making sure Deanna can get through this unscathed. With that, you want to take a quick recess, Council? Ok then we'll have the Planning discussion. Thank you very much Deanna. We are in recess. Recess: At 10:55 a.m., the Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 11:16 a.m. Page 41 FC-8 April 13,2021 (4) Planning Department: CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Aloha and welcome back to our Special Finance Meeting. We are going to resume the meeting and we have the Planning Department up next. Gentlemen introduce yourselves. (Note: At this time, Planning Director Zendo Kern and Business Manager Grant Nagata came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. KERN: Good morning, Mr. Chair and members of the Finance Committee. Zendo Kern, Planning Director, and to my left I have our Business Manager, Grant Nagata. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you very much for being here today. MR. KERN: My pleasure. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I believe you have a PowerPoint. MR. KERN: I do. Yeah, so thank you for the opportunity to be here and discuss our budget. I'm going to start out with a PowerPoint presentation about our Planning Department. So, it shouldn't take too long, but I'll go ahead and get started. (Note: At this time, Planning Director Zendo Kern, provided a PowerPoint presentation to the members of the Committee. For viewing of the presentation, please see the DVD copy of the meeting proceedings on file in the Clerk's Office or navigate to the Council's video archives online from the County's homepage at www.hawaiicounty.gov. A hard copy of the presentation is made a part of the record, see Comm. 103.6.) MR. KERN: And with that, that concludes the presentation and some of the components the Planning Department works with, and I'm happy to get into answering any questions. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you very much, Director. Council Members, any questions, concerns? Mr. Inaba, your light was on first, go ahead. MR. INABA: Aloha, Director Kern and Planning staff. I believe in previous Council meetings there was discussion regarding the Kailua Village Design and some of the Action Committees. Is there an update on that? Because I see some of them are listed here with small budget line items, but where are we with that? Page 42 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. KERN: The CDP (Community Development Plan) Action Committees and the Kailua Village Design Center are basically where they have been. There has been no major changes. They're all in operations and they're working. What was brought up I think in discussion, was just looking at how we can create some efficiencies within there. They are embedded in Code, so I think there was some misconception that we were going to change it. For me, it was looking at how are they working, what's efficient, how do we empower the folks, and how do we make the process equitable for all sides. So as of right now, they're in full operation, and you know, will continue to be that way. Again,just looking for improvements. MR. INABA: Okay, and as a follow-up, Pomaika`i from the Mayor's Office said that they weren't appointing or nominating additional members to those bodies. Is that standstill still happening or are we going to see those vacancies filled moving forward? MR. KERN: We're making the movements to begin to start filling vacancies. So when I took this position, long-range, we sat down with my division managers. And you know, long-range was one of them. And so, the CDP Action Committees was a conversation. And so, there's a tremendous amount of staffing and intention and resources that go into them. So they said, "We're looking at how to, you know, empower the CDPs and see if there's adjustments that we can make, frequency of meetings. And how do we get them more engaged in the community?" And so while we're doing that, trying to just take a look at it. That was where I said,just pause for a second. Like let's look at it. And as you can imagine, coming into this position, there's a lot of stuff going on. So in an ideal world, I'd be able to say, let me just look at CDPs and spend a few days on that. Reality of it is, it's hard to find an hour sometimes, right? So that was from me, and so now we've looked at it and said, okay, we have a plan, and we're moving forward with beginning to fill some vacancies. So I'm sure you folks will be seeing some folks coming up really soon. MR. INABA: Okay, good. Thank you. In this budget for your department, like I said, those small line items, what are those used for, for the commissions? Under Planning OCE(Other Current Expenses) Mileage and Auto allowance, Section 1-12. What exactly is that used for? Because I see there's only $1,000 for CDP Action Committee, but$5,000 for Cultural Resource Commission. So how are those funds spent? MR. KERN: Yeah, so typically those would be, Grant, you can get into more the details on this if need be. But typically, it would be spent for mileage Page 43 FC-8 April 13,2021 reimbursement, potentially lunch, and anything related to effectuating the committees, you know, and making it happen. What we've been able to do with the COVID situation and being able to remote to basically video conference, we're able to do a lot more of those through video conferencing. So the budget on that side is something that we've been able to bring down. What I'm not sure about exactly is how it's going to change as we move beyond the COVID situation. MR. INABA: Okay, thank you. Last question for now, I see throughout the few pages, that there is overtime listed. I'm just wondering what the overtime or how that overtime is being used and why it's even being used. MR. KERN: Sure, I can certainly speak to that. So right now, we've used overtime for EnerGov. Getting all the data uploaded that we need for data conversions. Other overtime is basically used for scanning and in-taking. So in Kona, for example, we have one Clerk III over there; we have 13 folks in that division. And so with the one clerk it's very hard to keep up with the flow and process and workload. So sometimes we'll allocate a little overtime so they can go ahead and get all of that scanned up. Something else that comes up with overtime are the CDP Action Committees and the other commissions, as they'll fall at a later time of the day and so we'll try to do our best to work within the realm of efficient overtime, but it certainly comes up generally around those areas. MR. INABA: And kala mai, one last question. There's a Planning S&W (Salary and Wages account) temporary assignment position. Where is that temporary assignment and where is that money going, or for what position is that? MR. KERN: It's for a number of them. So vacancies, what happens is, when a vacancy happens, we can do a temporary assignment so they'll shift up. So I guess the easiest example would be Jeff Darrow. He was formerly the Division Head for the Planning Division. And so when he became Deputy Director, that spot was open. And so we needed to have somebody in that position to continue to move forward. So we did a temporary assignment, because they move up as a temporary assignment. And what happens is that'll be a chain of events because then a new Planner, say Planner V might be open, then the next person can come up. So it's kind of a way to temporarily assign until we can actually fill those positions permanently or do a long-term temporary assignment. MR. INABA: Okay, thank you. That's all I have right now, Chair. Mahalo. Page 44 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Ashley, go ahead. Ms. Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Aloha Director, great to see you. Thank you, Grant for being here. I wanted to start off with a more existential question. Talk to us a little bit about how you're integrating cultural, equity, climate change lenses into Planning's work. I mean it seems really obvious because with the General Plan and CDPs you are guiding land use. So can you just talk to us about how you're incorporating that into your work? MR. KERN: Sure. As many of you know, there's been a lot of work done on the cultural side over the years, right, so now it's like how do we integrate that more in. So the General Plan is a good example that before it didn't deal with, you know, climate change as much for example. It did touch on the cultural component in there. And so I think it's merging those together and seeing how it all correlates to a degree, which is kind of my concept around sustainability. Everything touches it. You know what I mean, whether it'll be the cultural, the socioeconomics. Obviously, the environment on its own is huge. So I think, you know, through the General Plan, it's a really good resource. I think it's something else that we're looking at as far as the Cultural Resource Commission goes. I think there's an opportunity to utilize that commission to further some of the efforts that are here. And I think that's an area that we can continue to work on. Before it's been a little bit more advisory and how do we actually get them a bit more action-based, which is something that you see a bit of a theme in my mind. Is how do we get more action going on? It's a similar situation with the Community Development Committee Action Committees. How do we effectuate more action, right? So that's something that we're looking at doing. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I think we all appreciate more action. And so, you know, you brought up CRC (Cultural Resources Commission). I want to leverage them more. I think the first meeting I chaired, Planning Committee, my first term. Ka`upulehu Development, SHPD (State Historic Preservation Division) took seven years to respond. And so I'm just wondering, is there a role that the CRC can play in collaboration with SHPD in reviewing some of these plans and advising on the County side, because SHPD's stretched. What role can we play as partners in this? MR. KERN: It's something that we're looking at with the CRC in that situation for sure; something that we've already—so here's the thing with the archeological and SHPD. When there's an AIS (Archeological Inventory Study) or preservation plan that's done, it's done by an Archeologist, a professional in that arena, right? Page 45 FC-8 April 13,2021 And so, in the past SHPD will review it and they look at it and they say, okay, change the spelling or maybe adjust this a little bit different. They don't actually make substantive changes to say, oh we think you missed a feature out there. So what we're doing is we're looking at it and if SHPD takes too long to respond, then we're going to be making a decision to move forward based on the findings and recommendation by the archeologists, which is essentially what happens anyways with taking out a little bit of the time drag, still giving them the opportunity to opine on it. And that position might be something that we could work with the CRC a little bit more to see if we can come up with a, you know, some more collaboration in that regard. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yeah, I'd like to see it. I mean you went through a very exhaustive list of things that the Planning Department is doing, and resources are very stretched. So just looking to find ways where, you know, we've asked people to serve community and they have expertise and skillsets in these arenas. Like you say, let's have them be in a position to take action. General Plan. I mean you came in during the confirmation hearings with a goal of having something before the Council, maybe Q2-3 (Quarter 2 or 3)this year. Are we still on track for that? What's the status? MR. KERN: Probably going to be a little bit behind on that, quite frankly, and a big reason why is EnerGov. Moving forward with EnerGov and what it's taking. It's a gift that keeps on giving and each week it turns into another unique situation. And each week I think I'm almost there and it turns into something new. So in order to meet the goals and deadlines that we've set for EnerGov, there's a lot of other things that are on the side burner. Not backburner, but just on the side because resources are thin. So I have dedicated folks from each division working on EnerGov. So I have certain divisions that are operating at say, 60 percent. Interestingly enough, applications haven't slowed down. In a lot of ways, they've actually increased. Our SMA (Special Management Area) applications have, you know, doubled. So, it's probably going to be a little bit further out. Still, you know, pushing on that for sure. But right now in order to accomplish the goals that we've set out to and maintain basic operations and service to the community while standing up EnerGov, I'll be very happy when that goes live. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Right, June this year, you were saying. MR. KERN: July 26h. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: July 26h. Okay. And so with the General Plan then, the last Administration had gone out and had done some very extensive community outreach, public engagement, got a lot of comments back. I'm assuming all those Page 46 FC-8 April 13,2021 comments have been integrated into the draft, and that's being reviewed. And once everything's refined, we as a Council will get a copy of it this year? I'm hoping we're going to get something this year. MR. KERN: That's the goal, to get it to you this year. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Not December 29h. That's a little too late. MR. KERN: December 27h? Yeah, the comments have been synthesized and integrated in various areas. We have a system that they're using to track comments. So there's a lot of comments, obviously. We're taking a fresh look at it and looking at how it sits, and with the existing General Plan and how they correlate. Because it's certainly a different document right now. And taking a fresh look at it, and that's going to be the theme that I'm doing, right, I'm always coming in looking at it from a different lens, which can be very helpful sometimes. You know, for example,just use an EnerGov example, that there was something that was caught up. I'm not going to get into the details of it, but a perception that was caught up for a year. And I said, that doesn't sound right. Am I just seeing it different? Am I ignorant to it? But we got into it, and I said, actually we could solve this a different way. And in an hour we solved something that was stumbling block for a year. So that's kind of the approach that I'm taking, and same thing with the General Plan. Depending on what adjustments was made, it'll probably go back out for another round of public comments, and it still has to go to the commissions and get to you guys both, to Council. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Great. Thank you. And so, can you just explain a little bit more about your role in helping to implement the EnerGov system? I mean, when you walked in, what did you see was lacking and how did you make up for those deficiencies with just some different decisions? MR. KERN: So, it's been going on for a while. There's been a lot of effort put into it in various ways. So when I came inI'm pro-technology. I think technology can be really good if the process is good, right? The technology doesn't fix the process. So we looked at it and we said, okay we're going to go live and on the onset was, we're only going to go live on the backend. This is a bit more of a DPW-type (Department of Public Works) of situation for them for permitting. And Planning got it and it's kind of a secondary to Planning. And we're going to work on it, and it's going to be something that's part of our system. But originally, it was like, we're going to go live only on the backend. So we would take applications like normal, and on the backend, we would plug it in and kind of operate through that. And as I'm going through the process with the Page 47 FC-8 April 13,2021 teams and trying to kind of unpack it—realize that it was more of a permit tracking system. And we already have a permit tracking system that isn't used up to the maximum efficiency as it could be. And I said, that's a lot of clicking, that's a lot of time, that's a lot of money for a permit tracking system. What about a robust permitting system? That's what I had in my mind. Like an actual permitting system. A system that you could kind of live in and that'll be smart. You could click a button and it would actually propagate fields or send out communications. And in talking with the team, that's possible. It's very possible. So we made a massive pivot on a couple areas. One was, we're going to go live, front and backend. Like we want the customers to experience what this is going to be like and have our staff do it at the same time. And while we're going through these adjustments, some challenges, I'm sure. We're dealing with it together. So we're solving problems both front and backend. And knowing that we can actually have a robust permitting system, I said, that's the direction was needed to go. Let's utilize this for what it can do. Through that, my ideal goal would be, you know, July 26h. We've got this robust permitting system and press the button and solves all of our problems. That's not the case. It's basically a two-phase approach. So we're going to get it stood up to Phase One, which will allow us to intake and work on the backside. And it'll probably be around 20 percent of what it could actually do, but we'll at least be tracking; we'll be in there and we can start building on from that. Phase Two is actually the build-out of the system. How does this really work and what reports can we do. How can we live within EnerGov to the maximum amount where we're basically templating things, right? It makes for efficiency and consistency. When you go in there and everything, you know, that variance is the same thing. What we're also doing through that, is in turn we're auditing our processes, right? How we do in a variance, how we do a subdivision, how we do a rezoning? And questions are coming up. Can we address all of those and adjust all of those prior to going live? I don't think so. But what we have a nice list of where we can be making adjustments. And that's the Phase Two side of it. So I don't know if that sounds like a lot, but it is a lot on the backend. I'm in meetings frequently. I'm on Tyler call meetings. They're the provider for the software. I'm on the calls with them. The technical calls, you know. Saying that, "You guys need to help us." The sentiment within the department has been this has been going on for a long time. It's not the best thing. It's kind of negative. So one of the things we're Page 48 FC-8 April 13,2021 working on doing is actually changing that. Because I think there's a lot of positivity to it if we implement it right, if we actually go forward with it. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: So there are negative feelings towards the EnerGov system. MR. KERN: For, you know,just, it's taken this long; are we going to use it? Is it going to be cumbersome? Is Tyler, you know, the company, are they doing what they promised? Etcetera. So that's what happens when you've been doing something for a long time and it's not up and running yet, right? So, we're coming in and saying, hey, there's a fresh start here. Let's just kind of shake off whatever that was, and let's give it an opportunity to provide a fresh and actually turn this into a robust permitting system. So at the last meeting, not the last meeting, but a few meetings ago with the Tyler tech team, I told them that. I said, hey, you know, my staff is frustrated with you guys. This has been a long road. We're not exactly feeling the best. We want to feel good about it. I'm working on, you know, basically reinvigorating this, and I need you guys to help me. Because if you guys aren't doing it, I can't do it. You guys need to do what it is. And I'm here, and you're going to be dealing with me, and I want to see this as a success. And it's actually been helpful. My feedback from the tech team is they're working with us. They're actually engaged. They worked over the weekend. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Ms. Kierkiewicz, if we can, I appreciate the discussion, but we have a number of Council Members and maybe just summarize. MR. KERN: Working really hard to get EnerGov up and running into the most efficient way possible. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, I appreciate it. I'm not going to cut your time, but in the essence of time, thank you. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: He's very passionate. It's very clear. Thank you. Just a couple more questions. You know, I appreciated seeing on your slide deck that there is proactive movement within the department to take a comprehensive look at Chapters 23 and 25. We adopted a reso on pre-COVID, 432-20 for this. And so, are these—is this audit, this analysis, this rewrite being driven, you know, by your folks, or are you engaging an outside third parry to help you with this? What are the steps? How much is it going to cost us? MR. KERN: It's an ongoing conversation. I do not know the cost yet. The General Plan will drive that. My thinking was the last conversation—again this is open ongoing dialog, was to probably hire a third parry to do an audit of where Page 49 FC-8 April 13,2021 the Code all links up. Because that's one of the challenges when you're going to do a Code audit. Where does everything link up? And then probably parsing out to sections that we can outsource. That would be very simple for them to do. That wouldn't use up staff bandwidth. But I do feel that we're probably going to need to utilize staff bandwidth because staff and the department knows these Codes; knows what's working differently in a different way than say a firm from off island or the mainland. So I'm thinking it's probably going to be a combination, because there is value in coming in with an outside perspective, but I also think that needs to hold true to the knowledge base that we've gained over the years. So it's going to be a combination. I'm still figuring it out right now. Cost-wise, I mean at one point someone said it's going to be $750,000. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: And that's a good estimate. You know, I will say when I was at HCPO (Hawai`i Congress of Planning Officials) a couple years ago, there was a presentation by Maui County, they're Planning Department. They went through this entire process. And so, happy to share my notes with you. Leverage them how you like. MR. KERN: I will. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: My final question, because in the essence of time, thank you Chair. STVR (Short-term Vacation Rentals) regulations. Where are we with that? Is what we have on the books sustainable? I mean we created seven new positions to process permits and non-conforming use certificates. So just looking at the sustainability of this program and if we are possiblyI'm going to be looking at changes to that part of our Code. MR. KERN: The short answer to your question is no, it's not sustainable at all. That being said, I think the way out are some amendments to the STVR Code which is something that we'll be working on later on in the year. Just to kind of give you guys a perspective on that, this year we have the STVR NUC's, which is Nonconforming Use Certificates for the renewals, right? Then we have STVR's which are new registrations coming in either with zoning or in a LUPAG (Land Use Pattern Allocation Guide) map designation that's allowable. So this year so far, we have had a total of 169 STVR applications, so that's new registrations. And then our NUC's we have a total of 768. So the 768 basically, that's the reoccurring. That's the reoccurring revenue. So each year they pay their fee to keep it going. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Has that number dipped? MR. KERN: Yeah, it's dipped. Page 50 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Pretty significantly. MR. KERN: There's been some decline, some rejected, and then there's some cancelled and withdrawn. So it's a national attrition that's happening. And then there's also—one of the situations that we run into is folks move back into their home. They were doing STVR, COVID hit, they moved back in. Now that doesn't meet the criteria of an STVR. So it's gotten really tricky, and it's weird because every time we deny one, we're also taking revenue away. It's not a great scenario there. So with this, we need to basically, in order to be above the board, we need to get over 500 new registrations every year. So the bill actually made it, so we need to get more Short-term Vacation Rentals coming in every year. We're dependent on it. Bring them, bring them, bring them. That's problematic because STVR's should happen as they happen as they occur. If the property's available,people want to do it? Fine. If it's not? Fine. It should be organic. And there's nothing we can do to push people to do it. And it's not something that I think we should. So very simply, we're at about $200,000 negative. Our revenue is around $300,000 and our expenditures is about$510,000. So we're short. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: That's helpful to know. Thank you, Director. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. You know, I'm going to jump back to the EnerGov program going live in July. And my concern is, you know, how does the Planning budget reflect the goal of standing up EnerGov? Because if it is a goal, right, then we have to have resources, we have to have personnel. And I see in your budget a number of Land Use Plan Checkers; some IT (Information Technology) Info Analyst pieces. Director, please tell me how the budget reflects that actionable part where we can go live come July? MR. KERN: So the interesting thing is that outside of personnel, and I'd say that the folks that are working on it are actually volunteering to work on the EnerGov side of it, we don't have money in our budget for it. The money is actually housed at Department of Public Works and IT. So they're sponsoring us, essentially. But it's not. When you really break it down, it's all coming from the General Fund. So it's been a great working relationship. It's been a great collaboration within that and it's actually an opportunity that we're actually knocking down silos. But something that we do need to do after this, is sit down and reevaluate this. You Page 51 FC-8 April 13,2021 know, for example, I didn't create this process. I didn't create the setup. You know, other directors that are currently in position didn't do this. So this is what we're dealing with. It's fine. It's not a problem. But it's something that I think we need to have a conversation about later on in the year. Right now it's, let's get it up and running, and then let's look at where we can find efficiencies. Where the budget's best sit. You know, do we take some of it? Does it still stay in one department? But I think it's a necessary conversation that we're going to have to have. MS. LEE LOY: Great, which leads me to my next question. Because you talked about Phase One for EnerGov and Phase Two, which is training. And that's what I'm trying to plan for, right? You guys are the Planning Department. How do we plan for a budget that's going to take on Phase Two to kind of stand up all of the needs for Planning Department? And I don't see money for training in here. How do we plan for that? MR. KERN: That training budget for the go live would be housed under DPW to my knowledge. So Tyler is going to come in for a three-week training session. They're going to train on Tyler. We're going to work on training the trainer through our process, through the folks that are working on it and actually then we're going to be training the rest of our staff. So it's the theme of doing more with less, right? So we're basically going to have three weeks from Tyler, but we're going to have about a six-week period of training in-house. Obviously, the videos, but the folks that have been working on it, it's been a really unique experience because they're writing out process narratives; they're doing the end-to-end testing; the division managers are challenging it. We're going through it. I'm coming in challenging it. How does this shake out? And by the end of it, we're actually going to have folks that have kind of been through it and they'll be able to help train. But we have no money in our budget other than personnel. And we have a lot of heart. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, and I think that's the long and short of it, right? There's no money in the budget for it. And I can appreciate the training, you know, the end-to-end testing, because that's what you guys want to do during testing is break it. My other question is along the lines which SHPD, and how that fits into EnerGov, because that's an integral part of not only going vertical in some areas, but on the second phase, where is SHPD and SHPD's processes plugging in? MR. KERN: That's going to be a challenge because their system, I'm not sure how it's going to integrate with EnerGov. In an ideal world, we'd be able to integrate and have those come together. So the way I understand it now, and this is still being worked out is we'll have to basically step out of EnerGov, go to the Page 52 FC-8 April 13,2021 HICRIS (Hawai`i Cultural Resource Information System); go through that and then come back in with whatever information, communication, back into EnerGov. The communication standpoint from EnerGov would be there, for example, you know, your application currently being reviewed by SHPD. But that's going to be more of a, you know, click a button on our end. But we have to work to see if there is integration, and from what I understand right now, that's quite challenged. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, and I think that's where that managing expectation piece comes in, right, and we need to alert the user. That hey, if you're going to take this departure a little bit through the system, you're not going to get your permit within three or four weeks. And I think that comes with an educational piece. So where's the educational piece in your budget for this? MR. KERN: A lot of heart. We've got a lot of heart. MS. LEE LOY: So no money for that? Alright. MR. KERN: No money. We have worked with DPW. So like Planning and DPW kind of been going through it together. And educating the public side of it is something that we're working on. And even really trying to inform the public as they go to the front page to fill out the application. Have you checked with Planning? Please go make sure, you know, based on the GEO (Geographic) rules, you're in a SMA. Please go talk to Planning first to get to the SMA side of it before they submit the application. So we're going through the process to make it good for the public and to educate, but everything we've been doing is just based on our normal budget. MS. LEE LOY: Okay. Backing out a little bit as it relates to some of the other work, Banyan Drive is a goal there. But we saw what happened at the Legislature just a few weeks ago where we again, you know, didn't get funding. And we have the Redevelopment Agency tied to that. What is the plan for the Redevelopment Agency in light of the decisions that the Legislature just made? MR. KERN: Right now, the plan is basically to keep it paused as it is. It was a bit of a bummer that it didn't go through. It's something that would have been really good. So we have that mechanism there, but now that this has happened, we're actually having to reevaluate that. And quite honestly, I don't have a great answer for you yet. MS. LEE LOY: Because there's some money there for the Redevelopment Agency, and I recognize some of the placeholders, because you want to be trigger-ready just in case something happens. Page 53 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. KERN: We have to, yeah. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, if we could just take a look at that and relay the feasibility of that. Ms. Kierkiewicz talked about it, which is the General Plan and the timeline. I think what you touched upon is some of the language within the General Plan would have some cross-walking between the comments that we took from the public and what the General Plan and how we synthesize those. And so tell me again, when are we going to get the General Plan? MR. KERN: I want to tell you, you know, end of Q2 (second quarter), it's not going to happen because that's all EnerGov, all the way up through it. The goal is, you know, honestly, going with the best of intentions, right, then you actually start looking at reality and what's this going to take. We're probably looking at some time in Q3 (third quarter), Q4 (fourth quarter). Realistically, I could tell you shorter, but I'll probably be up here, and you'll tell me, you told me you're going to be here sooner. MS. LEE LOY: We can set a goal. MR. KERN: We can set a goal, yeah. MS. LEE LOY: I want to shift over the CIP process, right? Bill 22 is our CIP Budget, and as you mentioned in your slide deck,you know, the Planning Director is responsible for collecting all of the departmental priority lists. And then, you know, you refine it against whatever funding is available, our priority projects. Currently, it's a list. Is that a goal that the department can set where we actually see a more refined list based on priorities? You know, whether it's emergency repairs? Is that something we can strive for, Director? MR. KERN: Absolutely. That's something that we can certainly strive for. So when we went through the CIP process; sat down with each department and went through their priorities, right? So they said, "These are priorities." We talked about it. "You're sure that is a priority?" Should we move this, should we move that? And that's what it came up to. Now, where it merges, that's the issue, right? So once we get the departmental priorities what do we do as a whole? And the General Plan should help drive some of that. But it's not going to drive all of it. Because we have different elements of CII', right? We have major road infrastructure, or we have how do we repair the fire station in HPP (Hawaiian Paradise Park), or you know, down south. So I think we need to look into potentially couple different chunks. And I think that's where a collaborative effort could be a good option around that. Page 54 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, and I think that touches upon what Ms. Kimball touched on, which is what is the metrics, right? How is the priority funding? Because in addition to the larger infrastructure goals for the entire island is, do we have matching monies, right? Is there a piece of fair share contribution that we can bring, right? What is the Legislature doing for us in leveraging their dollars? And so I'm glad that we can have this conversation right now because I really think we need to do the CIP differently. But as Ms. Kimball mentioned, I think we need to understand how they're prioritized. And the other part is, if they've been in this list 12, 15, 20 years—and I know their place, in case funding comes available, but my concern is it might not meet the needs of the community when it was initiated 15 years ago. Is that something, Director, that you can help us look at creating a dormant list of those that are in the CIP? MR. KERN: Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's where it will come back to, you know, the General Plan, for example of where we're going to funnel that? You know, where is it most needed? What's going to have the highest impact? Where is this going to help effectuate more affordable housing, right? And those are the bigger ones. And how do we not get the small, you know, roof repair that we need caught up in the weeds on that? So none of it is getting done. Yes, that's certainly something that we can look at. MS. LEE LOY: I heard the bell, so I'm going to yield for now. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. MS. KIMBALL: May we take a break quickly for our photo op, if you folks don't mind? I apologize, we have the Zonta Club of Hilo here to receive a certificate for Denim Day. We just need a couple minutes to take a photo. And you can catch your breath. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: How long of a recess did you want to take Ms. Kimball? MS. KIMBALL: Just five minutes is fine. Recess: At 12:00 p.m., the Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 12:12 p.m. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, we're back from recess. Ms. Kimball, I think you had some questions for the Director,please go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, thank you. And thank you both again for your patience for that quick sidebar. My colleagues actually have asked most of the EnerGov Page 55 FC-8 April 13,2021 questions already. So that's great. I just did want to ask about the imbedded staff. Is that still your intention? And which position is that going to fall under? MR. KERN: Yes, we are still working on that. And that is the question that Grant will answer. MR. NAGATA: Aloha, good morning. My name is Grant Nagata again, Administrative Services Officer for the Planning Department. And so for the Information System Analyst IV position, that's going to show up in the May update in our position report. And so that position is going to help us with the backend of EnerGov, doing the programming, reporting, and whatnot. MS. KIMBALL: I want to go back to the training, which I think is very important. And do you know off the top of your head where it falls in DPW? I'm not finding it, obviously in their budget. MR. KERN: I'm not exactly sure where it falls in. I know that as far as I understood that the EnerGov was basically housed under them budget-wise. So it's coming through that and the particulars of it, I'm not sure about. MS. KIMBALL: Alright, well, let Ikaika know that we'll want to have an answer to that this afternoon. I am concerned about other training, though. You know, Planning is a rapidly evolving field, especially in terms of disaster preparedness, climate change mitigation, and whatnot. I don't see much funding for, you know, additional training for your staff as far as career and professional training. MR. KERN: There isn't. We've been tasked to cut budget. We've cut 39 percent last year. We're having to, you know, try to find that now. So you know, it's just the theme of trying to do more with less. I'm not saying that I don't want to. I'd love to find more ways to do more training. And maybe that's an area we could work on some grants. I still need more funding or more budget for EnerGov. MS. KIMBALL: Just a quick question on the CDP Action Committees. There's a bill, Senate Bill 1034. Looks like it's alive still,which will allow for continuation of remote meetings even after COVID emergency has passed. You guys have the most commissions and boards under your jurisdiction. Do you think that you folks will want to continue to meet in this remote format? It seems like it would reduce costs to some extent and also make it much more accessible, in most cases, for folks. MR. KERN: So, yes. If we have the ability to continue to do remote meetings and virtual meetings outside of any emergency proclamations, I think that'll be an amazing tool for us to have. I do think it makes it more accessible in a variety of different ways. So it is something that we'd like to continue to do. I do feel that Page 56 FC-8 April 13,2021 there's going to be times where having in-person meetings is also a necessity, especially for the quasi-judicial type of things. You know, planning commissions, Board of Appeals. So that's something that we're trying to look at and strategize for, like what does the next year bring us? What does outside of COVID bring us? Are we going to be able to operate virtually still? Is that not going to pass? Are we going to go back into, you know, the other way of operating? So I'm hoping that we have the flexibility so we can utilize it to the fullest extent. Especially for like CDP Action Committees for sure. It works quite well for the Planning Commission too, but I also feel like—like I say there's times where times where in-person and somebody wants to be able to, you know, make that personal connection or provide their case more like this. I think that's also a necessity to have that ability. So we're looking at something like, maybe it's upon request, or maybe we do those every three months. You know, or quarterly, and try to find the balance. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. I mean it looks like, again, SB (Senate Bill) 1034. And it looks like it made it through the third reading, so going to Conference right now. Recommend that opportunity be supported for our boards and commissions. Talk to me about the Coastal Management Zone monies and expenditures. That's all a grant-related program, right, that's not coming out of—what are the objectives of that? And what's the length of time that's going to be funded through the program? MR. KERN: Well as far as we know the CZM (Coastal Zone Management) funds is, you know, it's reoccurring so it's basically every year we're budgeted a certain allocation for CZM funds. We have folks in our Long-Range Planning Division based on that. So we try to do, you know, whether it be the shoreline mapping, working on the shoreline setbacks, working on sea level action plan, to work with that. So we have various efforts going on right now. I probably should have brought that list, which is quite long. But it basically funds various positions primarily Long-Range to work on, you know, the future planning for CZM for the entire state. And for the CZM, the entire island is in there. But it's very much geared for—well we have a program right now that we're working on identifying, you know, shoreline setbacks here on the island. Actually but, you know, science-based shoreline setbacks. It's tricky because there's not all the data that we'd want, but it's something that we're working on. And they're going have it brought forth pretty soon. MS. KIMBALL: Is that the LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data set that is being used for that? Page 57 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. KERN: We're actually working on getting the helicopter to go out and do a fly around for some of that, yeah. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. So those positions, if the CZM grant is no longer available. Are those positions still funded out of the General Fund or do those positions go away? MR. KERN: We'd be in a very tough economic situation. We wouldn't have the funds. We wouldn't have the money in our budget. It would have to be some serious triage to adjust things around. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. You mentioned with STVR's, which I recognize as an unsustainable modelI'm curious with 500 permits per year, those are just the Non-Conforming Use permits that you're counting or are those permits in any form? Because the initial permits, they're a one-time deal, right? They don't pay that fee every year? MR. KERN: That's right, I'll explain that. So there was two categories when the bill got passed. There was basically a Non-Conforming Use Certificate that went through the registration process, that got an NUCRexcuse me, NUCR is Nonconforming Use Certificate with Registration. So every year they have to come back in, and re-register and they pay a fee. So that's reoccurring. Now, if somebody was in a permitted zone, so let's just use, you know, Waikoloa is a really easy example, right? You're in the Waikoloa beach area, you're most likely in a permitted zone, they come in and do a registration and that's it, done. What we've seen is a tremendous amount of change of ownership information. So every time a property changes hands, there's a change of ownership information that comes to the staff. They have to fill out the information, update the information, go through a new placard, print new placard, mail a new placard. The burden that is on the department to maintain it, it's a lot. And for example, with the Non-Conforming Use Certificate that are done every year, we had around 600 of them drop in a two-month period. That is completely, you know, unsustainable for our planner to even deal with. So we're dealing with those. And so there's no other sources of revenue around it other than the reoccurring from the annual registrations from the NUC's, the Non-Conforming Use Certificates, which we don't have anymore. You can't get them anymore. There's not an option. So that ship has sailed. That is done as far as that's concerned. So it's only new registrations coming in. So in order to generate that new revenue, it's a new Short Term Vacation Rental. And granted some, you know, stop with their Short-Term Vacation Rental or cancel their STVR Page 58 FC-8 April 13,2021 registration, small amount. So it's not like it's all increasing. There is a little bit of takeaway but very little. MS. KIMBALL: So there is no additional fees up on that first initial registration when there's a transfer of property ownership nor are there there's no lifespan on that permit, right, that initial STVR permit for folks that are in the resorts? Like that doesn't sunset— MR. unsetMR. KERN: It's in perpetuity, unless there was some major change. The only way it would maybe be redone is if somebody bought it. They didn't want it. They actually wrote a letter saying cancel my STVR. That got cancelled. Then the property transacted down the road at some point, then there was a new owner that said, "I want to bring it back up." That's a possibility. I'm sure that's going to happen, you know, from time to time. But, yeah, it's the one time and that's it. So the interesting thing is that property, you could have the registration, and over the years that property changes hands, and each time there's a change of ownership information, each time there's a change of responsible person, you know, the reachable person. That's a change. So all of that is staff time, that comes into the staff. And it's amazing how many calls we get saying, "Where's my change of ownership, where's my reachable person." Because they're thinking that they need that to be compliant, right. Someone's going to come down, saying, "You're not compliant, you didn't get our placard changed." So there's this urgency and yet the volume and however we're dealing with it is quite challenged. And this was something that existed before coming in that we're really trying to work through. But it's like I say, from a monetary standpoint and from a bandwidth standpoint it's very tricky. MS. KIMBALL: I'm definitely curious to spend a little time there. Obviously, it's not a sustainable model from a financial perspective and then also the limitations for enforcement. We've certainly ran into that in my district with things that are not appropriate, but there's no way to do enforcement. So look forward to further discussions on that. Other fees associated with activities of the Planning Department, for example, applications for variances and what not. How do you feel,just high level about the current fee levels for various services provided by the Planning Department and the match with the requirement of staffing time that is associated with that particular activity? Is that well-matched at this point in your opinion? MR. KERN: No I don't believe that there is a real correlation between staff time and fees. I'd say the fees help cover advertising. You know, because we've got to advertise in the newspaper and whatnot, so that helps with that. It might help with some paper and, you know, printing. But there's really no correlation or Page 59 FC-8 April 13,2021 methodology between, you know, the fees and how many person hours would go into an application. For example, like a Special Permit application is $500, rezoning is $500. No correlation. MS. KIMBALL: Is looking at those fees part of the plan to review? Will we be reviewing those as part of the intended Code reviews to see if those are appropriate levels? MR. KERN: Yes. We'll be reviewing those. It'll be something that I'll be looking at just as far as, you know, optimization, efficiency and flow. And also, you know, equitable at the same time. And that's where it always gets tricky, right? Because we need to have it. So it works for the folks that are doing their own, you know, project. Or the other side of it that's more of a commercial base. So I think there's discussions that need to be had there for sure. MS. KIMBALL: Yeah, I agree it's a tricky, sticky wicket as they say, but we also want to have those be appropriate for the services provided, and you know, make sure we're accounting for the costs in terms of time and labor. That's all the questions I have, thank you Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Ms. David, go ahead. MS. DAVID: Thank you. Director Kern, I just have two questions and maybe this one should be directed to Mr. Nagata. On your staff list, I think there's like several positions that are expected start dates in March, April, and July. I assume all those expected start dates are done; they've started right? MR. NAGATA: Yes, they have. So out of the nine vacancies, you know, five of them have been filled already and we're working through HR (Human Resources) process and recruitment to fill the remaining. And we can have an update for you. MS. DAVID: And some of them have a notation, F/S. What is that? MR. NAGATA: So those are the positions that are funded either by Federal funds or State funds. MS. DAVID: Okay, cool. And then, this one is forI only have two questions. Thanks to my colleagues for asking a lot of questions. SHPD, you mentioned early on, I guess, the difficulties of getting SHPD to do the inventory or the survey. What was your discussion about SHPD in the Planning Department? MR. KERN: So SHPD does their review of an AIS, right? So a landowner would hire an archeologist to do an Archeological Inventory Survey. And from there, whatever needs to happen. So SHPD is the reviewing agency. So they get sent to Page 60 FC-8 April 13,2021 SHPD for review. And in the past, that's been slower and frustrating in a lot of ways. I actually just ran into Sean from SHPD outside and talked story. And so, they're working on their end as well. So what it is, is that at a certain point they're reviewing, and whether it be the Planning Department or Building Division, or any other division can move forward with it, right? And so the concern comes up, is that, oh my gosh, you're moving forward with it. But if you're moving forward with it based on the recommendation of the archeologist, based on that profession and that report, then it is basically, you know, it is compliant. You're honoring what's there, and you're basically honoring what SHPD would have reviewed. And in my experience, it's usually not so much substantive from SHPD, saying again, I don't believe you classified that site properly. It's more like correct the spelling, maybe say it in a little different way. But substantive wise, you know, it's the same, right, there is a site. Are you going to do data recovery? Are you going to do a preservation plan? Are you going to do burial treatment? And that's what we're working on with SHPD. MS. DAVID: Okay. And then in that respect would they need to amend their rules as far as using the AIS as your document? Absent their review? It wouldn't need it? MR. KERN: It wouldn't need it, no. They've always been more of an advisory agency, with the department being able to take the lead on it. It's just been a past practice to not. MS. DAVID: Will they not then, if you use or decide to utilize the AIS or the Archeological Survey in granting any permit application, should a conflict or something arise in the future based on something that SHPD might have found, are you folks making allocations for that? I mean to say that, yes, they're always going to be in agreement, right, we know that sometimes that's not—if they still review it down the line, is there a process, and what's the liability for the County in moving forward in something like that? I mean these are just questions, it doesn't have anything to do with the budget. However, indirectly it does. MR. KERN: So where this comes up, you know, it's usually a permit that's conditioned, right? And it says based on the AIS or based on the Preservation Plan, do these measures prior to doing anything. And then there's also conditions, if there's anything inadvertently found, you have to then stop, contact SHPD, and do that. So in the event, SHPD sent something in,we would still have that mechanism through our language through the conditions, and say, "Hey here is it, you've got to do this." MS. DAVID: Okay, you have a—okay, thank you. Page 61 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. KERN: Yeah, so it doesn't close the door at all. You know, the intent is there. The intent is to be pono, to preserve, you know, to go through the proper processes. And so, that wouldn't change. MS. DAVID: Okay, awesome. Just wanted to clarify that. MR. KERN: And I actually will throw out that, when folks feel it's going to take a tremendous amount of time, some folks are like, "I don't care, I'm just going to do it and ask forgiveness later." And that's something I really don't I don't want to see anybody do. I'd rather see an efficient process, where it's like, I'd rather go through it and be right. MS. DAVID: I think that's what we all want, right? That kind of behavior is old school and totally not cool in this day and age. Perfect, that's it. Thank you, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. David. Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: You know, I'll go ahead, but I want to make sure everybody had at least one shot. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Rebecca, I texted you. Did you have a question, Rebecca? MS. VILLEGAS: Not yet. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Thank you, Rebecca. Go ahead, Ms. Lee Loy. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. Just two questions, Director. In you program measures, you have letters, memos answered, actual zero, but budgeted $20,000. What happened there? MR. KERN: We have stopped tracking those. MS. LEE LOY: Oh, okay. MR. KERN: That's basically just time bandwidth. We used to track them. We're not tracking them right now. Actually, EnerGov should help us track those. Page 62 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. LEE LOY: Right. Okay. And then, in the same program measures, you have contested care hearings, Planning Commission, actual zero budgeted two. But in our budget, you have $50,000. Tell me the rationale there. MR. KERN: The rationale is, we don't know what's going to happen, and it's our responsibility to cover that and to handle that. So if a contested case came up that was serious, let's just say, they would put out for a hearings officer. And that would be hired out to a third parry, generally an attorney. And that cost could be anywhere from, you know, $5,000 to $50,000. And so, the burden is on the Planning Department to have that. So that's our reserve, because we never know what's going to happen. MS. LEE LOY: Great. And then, same thing,program measures. We have plat maps for CAD (Computer-Aided Design). You know, meeting ten percent of, I guess, the request. And I'm just looking for opportunities to improve that measured outcome, and I'm just wondering if EnerGov or the electronic permit system, especially subdivisions, right? The subdivision map, does that help improve that percentage? MR. KERN: I would sure hope so. That's the goal. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, and you know, Director. Because I'm trying to look at why we're prioritizing EnerGov. And it really does enhance all of these other things. And these tiny little, kind of improvements actually really do improve the efficiency of government. MR. KERN: Correct. And that's really what we're trying to go for, right, is that efficiency. And simultaneously looking at the current process to make sure that process works as well. Because the technology doesn't solve for that, but it can certainly make it much more efficient. So we want to make sure again we have the right process, adjust that, throw on the technology and doing amazing things. MS. LEE LOY: Right. And that's priority funding, right? Alright. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Okay, anyone else. MS. VILLEGAS: I have a quick question. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Go ahead, Ms. Villegas. MS. VILLEGAS: Thank you. Thank you, Zendo, for sharing your perceptions of what was Bill 108 and STVR legislation and how that effects our budgeting. I wondered if Deanna is still around. If she could answer a question for me related Page 63 FC-8 April 13,2021 to some of the comments that Mr. Kern made about sustainability of the program based on income. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: She is here. She'll be up in a minute. (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. SAKO: Good morning. MS. VILLEGAS: Good morning, Deanna. It's my understanding that the way Bill 108 was put together and the parameters for the finances that would be generated as well as sustained through the program, would in fact enable the Planning Department to continue with the STVR permitting processes and whatnot. And yet, it was just kind of implied by Mr. Kern that is not the case. And I was wondering from a Finance standpoint if you could help clarify? MS. SAKO: So I think when that bill was going through, part of the discussion was also on the fines and enforcement portion. And that was with getting that computer system that would allow us to, you know, catch the people that weren't registering. And that, in total, would allow us to, you know, sustain the fund. But I think the way the registration fees ended up, when you're a nonconforming it's just a one-time thing, that it's not going to be enough to carry forward. You know, they do budget fines. I'm not sure if we've collected any yet. That's kind of a newer program, but right now, the Director is right. I mean, we do need to do something to make sure the fund would sustain itself. There is money in there now. They do have a substantial fund balance. But you know, going forward after a few years, we are going to have to do something different than what we're doing now. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. Thank you. So essentially, when the legislation was put together it did incorporate fines as being a source of revenue that would help sustain the program. The activated? MS. SAKO: So you know, they do have the computer program. I'm not sure how much we're utilizing it yet at this time. But I'm also not sure because when COVID hit, how much they're really able to enforce that right now, or how many of the vacation rentals are even being utilized right now. Some of it could just be a timing thing with where we're at with COVID also. MS. VILLEGAS: Yeah, that makes sense on how that would correlate and connect. My other question was and perhaps I was incorrect in my understanding, but is sounds like, I mean, and we've all seen it, the amount of turnover right now in the real estate market here. And especially in those resort nodes where it is an Page 64 FC-8 April 13,2021 allowable use as a vacation rental. But when an owner sells, the new owner doesn't have to go apply for a new STVR permit? They just take over the old one? MS. SAKO: Yeah, they just take it over. MS. VILLEGAS: They just take it over. Okay. MS. SAKO: So if that was not the intention, you know, that might be something we have to look at. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. But nonconforming use certificates have to renew and pay every year, correct? MS. SAKO: That's my understanding, yes. MS. VILLEGAS: And that's $250 a year? MS. SAKO: Well, yeah. So we budgeted $255,000 for the coming year. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. My brain can't do math right now, sorry. Think of not only vacation rental but nonconforming renewals that meant. But my apologies. I can't think or do math at the moment, apparently. Okay, thank you. So we do have the potential for the program to sustain itself. And as we navigate our way outside of COVID and return to more normal potential rentals, there is still opportunity, and we may just need to make a couple of tweaks on things in order to sustain the program. Is that kind of what you're saying? MS. SAKO: Yes. And you know, later we can look at it. There is enough fund balance for a little while. So, I mean they'll be okay for another couple years. But at some point, we will have to tweak it. MS. VILLEGAS: Great. So we've got another couple years. That's great to hear. Thank you. That provides some bulk in that capacity. With that I yield, thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Okay, I have a few follow-up questions seeing that there's no more discussion. MS. LEE LOY: Well, I just had one more. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Go ahead, Ms. Lee Loy. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Director, we talk a lot about the expenses, and you know, we're touching upon some revenue. Has the department Page 65 FC-8 April 13,2021 considered adjusting their fees for the various regulatory permits? And I ask that question because with the complete overhaul of our Construction Codes, we did see some steps especially as it relates to permits that were incomplete. And a resubmission fee. MR. KERN: We're looking at that. We haven't made any firm decisions on that. Our resubmittal situation is obviously a little bit different than Building as well. Sometimes a little bit more subjective, you know, the content is different. But yeah, we are looking at that. I think it's part of the next step as far as looking at that, you know, equity and equality within those fees. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, thank you for that. You know, because I think what a lot of our colleagues are looking at is not only providing funding for you, but how within your own department you guys can supplement your own budgets and take a lot more ownership of that through, you know, whatever revenues you can generate. Any thoughts? MR. KERN: Yeah, it's interesting because you know, using the STVR's as a scenario of generating revenue. Like you know, typically the County isn't in the business of generating revenues in the business of serving the folks, right, but you have to have the revenue in order to serve the people. And so, looking at it from that standpoint of how do we create the revenue to offset or increase our budget while still maintaining that service and keeping the general intent of what we want to do which is serving the people, right? It's a unique situation, especially for government. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, I see my colleagues across the way nodding their heads a little bit. And I don't think it's self-sustaining, but at least supplementing it a bit of the way. Okay, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. MS. KIMBALL: Chair, I'm sorry. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: I just want to add into what you're saying, though. I mean one of the conversations we had the other day was about how real property tax can be used for social engineering incentivizing the things we want to see and disincentivizing things we don't want to see. And fees actually conserve the same purpose, right? And so, you know, there's potential through the fee structure to actually incentivize the types of projects or behaviors actually that we want to see. So, interested to see what your analysis is when you do those Code revisions to see if there's places for that. Page 66 FC-8 April 13,2021 I happen to think that our fees, in some of these cases are low based on what we see in other jurisdictions, although I understand that we want to be fair. And you know, it's all a balancing act, but I think there's plenty of room for discussion about how we utilize these fees on multiple levels, not just to provide revenue for the department. Thank you, I yield, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Ms. Villegas, go ahead. MS. VILLEGAS: Yeah,just a quick question. I'm back to you, Mr. Kern. Something that Deanna mentioned was about a program that hasn't been implemented yet. Can you explain what that is and how that relates to the tracking or the fines or where that falls into the mix? MR. KERN: Sure, yeah, there's a company that we outsource to gather all the information for STVR's lodging rev. (revenue) and they provide us with basically, they can scour the, you know, the listings online. And we can go in there when we're doing our research for renewals and whatnot. We can basically pull all that information with one click. And we can gather that information. Part of the original goal was to utilize them to do more enforcement. That was not implemented to my knowledge, but we are still doing enforcement, nonetheless. So if we get complaints, we're working on it. It's interesting because one would think that it'd be very easy to just enforce it, but it's not because there's folks that, you know, have hosted vacation rentals. Or there's folks that it's they're primary residence, and they're basically exempt from it. So yeah, that does exist. And that's something that we're utilizing and we're looking at how we want to implement it. Fundamentally, from my standpoint, I really don't like the idea of having to have a certain amount of fines baked into something. I feel the fines should be there. If they're there, they're there. But if they're not there, you know, it can still sustain without that because then we turn into the enforcement side of it in a way that we're seeking revenue. So it's a balance that we're looking at. MS. VILLEGAS: I respectfully disagree. And this is something we'll probably disagree on being that your prior occupation was representing hundreds of these Short-Term Vacation Rental owners who were coming to the Planning Department for exemptions or special circumstances. So I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that, but I would want to encourage the Planning Department to get that program up and running, because the goal of government isn't to operate as a business on the kind of punitory side of things. And yet, it is our responsibility when fines have been identified to follow-up on that. And to make sure that people are held accountable, and that the right programs and procedures are in place to support. Page 67 FC-8 April 13,2021 I mean it sounds like this program would eliminate vast amounts of work for people in the Planning Department and provide avenues for quicker and more efficient identification of those who are breaking the laws. And unfortunately, there are people doing that. And for us to have the means to enforce the laws that are on the books is very, very important to the people I know in District 7 who really struggle with the nonconforming use permits in residential neighborhoods. And they are constantly looking to my office and my team for some support and some follow-up, and some sense of enforcement where this is concerned. So if this program provides that avenue, I would strongly encourage you to get that up and running as soon as possible. And for us to continue with the intention of Bill 108 as it was written that it will include the fines and the fees holding those, making vast, vast sums of money off of properties in residential areas renting them as Short-Term Vacation Rentals. Thank you, I'll yield at this time. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. MR. KERN: If I may. We are enforcing. When we get complaints, we enforce. You know, there's no question. We go out there,we'll serve a NOV(Notice of Violation). We're collecting revenues on it. So at no point are we not enforcing it. I think the question is, does it make sense to continue with a $100,000 annual budget for this program? That's a question that we're looking at. It's a question that we have a little bit of time to look at. I'll leave it at that, but we're certainly doing our job to enforce. MS. VILLEGAS: Why do you have time to look at that? MR. KERN: We have time to look at it because while the STVR program is not sustainable, we're still able to move forward over the next couple of years based on the revenue that we have because we have some fund balance. So we're able to—it's not like we're going to run out of money, you know, at the end of this year. We have it, but I think it's something that we need to look at the entire STVR process and see if we can make it better. MS. VILLEGAS: Well, I would respectfully once again disagree and say that the actions need to be taken now when the numbers assessed out, if the spending of $100,000 allows for the same amount and potentially more to be brought in while reducing the amount of workload that this places on our Planning Department, I think that we need to be—as many of my colleagues have mentioned earlier, forward thinking in taking those initiatives. Quicker instead of waiting back, because we do have a cushion of some of that funding. So I would encourage you and your department to take those measures now to really take into serious consideration putting the program into place. Page 68 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Mr. Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. And thanks, Director, appreciate it. Touching a little bit on what Ms. Kimball said and I think what Ms. Lee Loy said concerning the use of fees going forward. We're not in the job necessarily of cash-in, cash-out, but we can't do the services without the revenue to support the function of our County Government bureaucracy. That being said, we had this conversation with Public WorksI want to say 18 months ago, maybe. And they're retooling their fee structure. This is a conversation we are having in Environmental Management and figuring how to tool that fee structure. So I think the timing is right to look at that going forward. And it's simple, it's fee for service. And it makes sense that we are going to be funding the function that we need with the people that are using it, more or less. And granted, it's not going to cover all the costs, but I think the conversation and the timing is right to start getting this put in place, especially now that you're working on the EnerGov. And so I think we can actually do that. And so, we as a Council can support that going forward because that's our function, to make sure that we have the services available. So I like what you're saying. I like that the concept of exploring more of the fee for service. And again, we're looking at it across all of our departments where it makes sense to do. Not overburdening those that are not using it, but also not undercharging ourselves because we don't have the resources available to support what we're trying to get done. So we're going to have to look at that going forward. And I hesitate to say this, it's not a pay to play like we've seen in some other jurisdictions, but we're talking about just paying a fair net for the services we need to get done. And thereby I think we can better support our County and our government and our function overall. So, I'm just throwing that out there, Chair. Thanks, because I think we're going to be looking at that going forward. So I'm curious to hear that as we come through. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Richards. MR. KERN: I can happily respond. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Well, if you want to. I'll just give you the option. MR. KERN: Thank you. Again, I think we are looking at it, and I think we need to look at the difference between, you know, the mom and pop person coming in, and then the more commercial-based person coming in. And that's where maybe the one-size doesn't fit all. How to create, you know, equality, equity within this? Page 69 FC-8 April 13,2021 I'm happy to continue to have that discussion and conversation. I think it'll be ongoing one. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. I have just a question about your overall position and salary requirements, and it almost hits every single department. But I'm just looking at the breakdown on the bottom, where you have the total County positions and then you have other payroll expenses. And there is Federal and a State and then there's the County side. But I'm noticing that your Federal and State side as far as other payroll expenses is really heavy as compared to the County other payroll expenses side. It's a general question, but if you can answer it then I'll love to hear it. MR. KERN: I'll defer to you, Grant. MR. NAGATA: Okay, so great question. And so for our Federal grants, like the CZM (Coastal Zone Management) grant, it covers the fringes. And so, that's a big chunk of the expenditures versus like what you see in the General Fund. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And fringes covers MR. NAGATA: It's like the medical coverage, you know, dental, vision, as well as like the payroll taxes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Just for the grant-covered positions? MR. NAGATA: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. That clarifies that. Going through your submitted budget, you made some substantial cuts, which is good. I'd like to see that. You had some fairly, you know, I'm just looking for things past$5,000. So are you expecting to see more public meeting notices being posted versus 2019-2020? MR. KERN: Really hard to say. That's something that we're trying to model out for, because there's a lot of uncertainty with the public meetings, right? If we stay on a digital, you know, virtual it's a little bit easier in that sense, hard to say. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, you have about an $8,000 difference there from 2019-2020 pre-COVID to post-COVID. MR. KERN: Yeah, if things change and we have to go back to what it was post-COVID, then we'll be looking for some additional funds. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Office supplies, you know your basics, you really cut your expenses there. Same thing on your miscellaneous Page 70 FC-8 April 13,2021 charges. Actually, your miscellaneous charges increased. Telephones was interesting because you went from an $8,000 expense in 2019-2020, but you're looking at only spending $150 in 2021-2022. I'm trying to wrap my head around that one. That's a big difference unless there was a large purchase. You know, what is the reason for the difference there? MR. NAGATA: Are you looking at the equipment? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Planning equipment 5141.06. MR. NAGATA: I think back then—so I think a lot of these expenditures happened before I came on board. I know they were, you know, redoing the office, picking up some equipment and whatnot. So that's where I believe that expenditure came from. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Yeah, when I see things like that, that they kind of raise a flag, because either you haven't put in enough for this coming year, or there is a large purchase or something happened in 2019-2020, so that's why I'm asking. MR. NAGATA: So as far as our phone system, we're not expanding or anything so that's why it's back to CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Your basic charges? MR. NAGATA: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then the CZM, your 514134, that's all covered by grants? MR. NAGATA: Yes, that's correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Position-wise, you know, I had a question, as I'm listening to this STVR and NUC's and just trying to wrap my head around where you're at. So initially when we started the STVR program, we I think dropped in a fairly large amount of funds to help get the program wrapped up for increased personnel to handle the increased workload. I want to say $800,000. I'm just going by memory. That was last fiscal year. I could be wrong so don't quote me on that, but that's what I remember. It looks like you have about seven positions starting this year, correct? MR. KERN: Correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: As Ms. David brought up earlier, and those are positions to help with STVR's. Page 71 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. KERN: Yes, so those are positions to help with the STVR's we have on the west side as well as the east side. So we have enforcement, we have inspectors that actually go and deal with the STVR enforcement; and we have folks that are dealing with the registrations, taking on the new information, doing the change of ownership information. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And these are the new positions that have started this year? MR. KERN: These are the new positions that came with the program. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: With the STVR program? MR. KERN: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Because I can see you have STVR funded positions, but you also have a series of positions that have started this year. MR. KERN: Oh, those positions were already existing positions that we've been trying to fill. It's actually quite challenging to fill vacant positions and throw in extra challenge into West Hawaii. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. The reason I'm asking is that we're talking about there being not enough revenue to support the STVR's, but we're increasing our staffing. And just looking at the balance there, you're going through less permits now, correct? Because the majority of that workload came and went. You've already processed the majority of those nonconforming. MR. KERN: No, that's a gift that keeps on giving. The nonconforming comes in every year. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I'm sorry, the STVR's then. MR. KERN: The STVR's comes in as they do, so we don't know. You know what I mean, if there's going to be a lot or a little seems to be somewhat consistent. So those are frequently coming in. The change of ownership information is coming in. We also have to process, you know, the close to 800 NUC's every year for a department that's used to processing around 800 applications in total. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, but with increased staffing,paid for through the STVR fund, correct? Page 72 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. KERN: So it's not necessarily, I think there's two different things. We have the staffing that came with the program that handles STVR situations, right? And then we have the staffing that we're trying to fill. So those are two different things. The vacant positions that we have that we're filling that Chair David asked about earlier. Those are positions that we have that are in, you know, whether they'd be in Long-Range, or clerks, or Planning Commission; or you know, LEPC (Local Emergency Planning Committee) to go through Building Permit review. Those are just positions that we need to maintain our regular operations. And the other staffing that came with the STVR were utilizing those to work on STVR staff. Like I said whether it be enforcement, doing registrations, doing change of ownership, doing NUC's. You know, the renewals every year. And that alone is quite a challenge. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So, you're saying the staffing that you have provided by the STVR fund isn't able to keep up with the STVR's. And they also process the NUC's? MR. KERN: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So they cannot keep up with that. MR. KERN: In an ideal world we could probably stagger it out, so it was. But what happened was because the bill basically said you have to have all your applications submitted by the end of September, let's just say, right? So the Planning Department was working on processing applications, and there was a tremendous amount processed right at the end. So every year come November December, we will have 600 applications drop on the desk for renewal. It is impossible without bringing in like a tremendous amount of staff. So we're just trying to work with that within our STVR crew, so to speak, right, our staffing for that, as well as maintain the new registrations that are coming in which is on a daily basis or weekly basis. As well as the enforcement. As well as the change of ownership information. The change of reachable person. It's a lot of plug work. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: How many new applications are you receiving? MR. KERN: This year we did, I think, 169 so far. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And initially when you first started the program, it was 4,000, correct? MR. KERN: Four thousand, and about 3,000-ish were just registrations, and then then the rest were in the NUC's. Page 73 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And now you're processingI'm sorry, what was the number again? MR. KERN: I think we're at around 169 or so. So I would like to say this, when it first came in, what ended up happening is every person within the Planning Department turned into a STVR. So we had Planner VI's processing the applications. So it wasn't like the staff that we got with the program was able to process it. It was all hands-on deck, do whatever it takes to get it done. And now it's, I'm not saying that we need more staff for the STVR side of it. What I'm thinking that we need for the STVR side of it is to kind of relook at it, being able to spread out some of the renewals throughout the year so it's more of a consistent situation and understand where there can be additional revenue created through the demand of the work. Because it is something that keeps coming back. You know, a variance you go through that process and generally it's done. You know, you don't get change of ownership information for a variance. You don't change of reachable person for a variance. It's pau. With the STVR, you know, it keeps on giving us work. And it's something that we need to kind of—and I'm just trying to make adjustments to so we can be kind of steady with the staff that we have. Steady throughout the year instead of overwhelmed, over-burdened, too much. And it's never been not enough. That conversation hasn't come up yet. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Have you looked at doing temporary hires for that section of time? Because obviously, if you're going to hit a big bump at one period of the year and then you're going to drop back to a low number again, have you looked at doing an increased hiring at those times? MR. KERN: I've thought about it. We don't have any budget for it, you know. So we've thought it out. My thought was, is there a way that we could stagger it out throughout the year? Like, instead of having the same problem every year, let's just solve that problem and spread it out over the year. So we're doing like 50 applications a month for renewals. And then with the staff that we have they can maintain that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, I was going through your departmental objectives and then, I mean what I was getting from this was that you're overwhelmed with some of the STVR work or NUC work, work, and needing more staffing to handle. But we're kind of going back and forth on that. MR. KERN: The staffing again, I need to reshape some of the process that's there. The staffing that I need is more like a Clerk II in Kona. It's to fill up our other, you know, fill our other positions. So we can actually have our Planners and Long-Range, and Planning Commission Division. Those areas are there. So we need to make sure that we get staffed or have increase for like the EnerGov Page 74 FC-8 April 13,2021 person. As far the STVR component, the staff that we have I feel that that will work if we can smooth out the program. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Just as a note, Deanna does an annual revenue report, and it provides almost every single fee or revenue source we have in the County. So for people who are wanting to change that, if you take a look at that you can understand what the fee is,where it comes from, when it was last changed, so it's all there. And thank you for putting that report together as well. Okay, I don't have any further questions for you. Yet, thank you for your answers to so many questions on your budget. And thank you for being here today. Thank you for everyone in your department and what they do. Any further questions? Anything else? Beautiful. MR. KERN: Thank you all for the discussion. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Okay, I'm going to request that we recess until 1:30 p.m. We're going to take a quick lunch break. Mahalo, we are recessed. Recess: At 1:05 p.m., the Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 1:39 p.m. (5) Hawaii Fire Department: CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Good afternoon gentlemen, thanks for being here today. We're up and ready, so when you guys are ready, settle in. So we have your PowerPoint that was submitted this morning to Council Services. Chief, you want to give us your—who's going to do the presentation today? (Note: At this time, Acting Fire Chief Robert Perreira came forward to address the members of the Committee.) ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: I will be. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. When you are ready sir. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Good afternoon, Robert Perreira Acting Fire Chief. With me I have Assistant Chief of Operations Darwin Okinaka, and EMS Battalion Chief Chris Honda. Thank you for having us. And before I start, I just wanted to thank the Council for doing the recognition for our Fire Radio Dispatchers, for national tele-communicator's week. I presented that to dispatch yesterday, and they were very appreciative and thankful. So thank you guys for doing that. Page 75 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you for having such good personnel. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yes, we do, we have great personnel. Okay, so I'll be going over our PowerPoint here, for our Fiscal Year 2021-2022 operating budget. (Note: At this time, Acting Chief Perreira, Assistant Chief of Operations Darwin Okinaka, and EMS Battalion Chief Chris Honda came forward and provided a PowerPoint presentation to the members of the Committee. For viewing of the presentation, see the DVD copy of the proceedings on file in the Clerk's Office, or navigate to the Council's video archives from the County's homepage online at www.hawaiicounty.gov. A hard copy of the presentation is made a part of the record. See Comm. 103.3.) ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: I just want to mahalo, the County Council Members for your time today and for your continued support for the Hawaii Fire Department. Mahalo also to the Mayor, Managing Director, and Finance Director for their continued support of the Hawaii Fire Department. And at this time we're able to answer any questions. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mahalo, Chief. Appreciate your time, thank you. Nice PowerPoint presentation. Makes you feel better, sometimes I've got to squint to see that back screen too. Mr. Chung, go ahead. MR. CHUNG: Hi, Chiefs. I guess the first question I should ask, what's the situation with the appointment of the next Chief, whomever he or she may be? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: I think I'm going to have to defer that question to the Fire Commission. At this point, it's unclear. MR. CHUNG: Oh, it's unclear. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: That's all I'm going to say. It's unclear at this time. So we have a meeting tomorrow that may clear that up. MR. CHUNG: Okay, alright. You know, I guess one other question is, was your department instructed to go with a status quo budget? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: This budget actually was started working on in the last Administration under Chief Rosario. And I believe, you know, with every budget there was requests in not knowing where the financial situation was going to be, and the revenue was going be. And so we submitted a status quo budget, line-item budget. That's what we submitted. Page 76 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. CHUNG: And we had fire raises, right. So you said, 85 percent of your budget is already devoted to salary and wages. So that means you've got to get some kind of compaction over there right, if you're just kind of staying almost close to what it was the last time. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So I want to thank the Finance Director Deanna Sako. Because, you know, in our budget this year we didn't have Hapuna funds. And you know, doing her job and helping us to find the money, she's been able to do that, and we are providing services to the community at Hapuna. And we'll continue doing that until the end of this fiscal year. And we're also not knowing where next year is going to be, and so there's been some planning for the future. I guess that's the best way to say it, into supporting our department; and helping to support not necessarily our department but in supporting our department we're protecting our community. And so you know, she's been really good at planning for the future, and I think that's probably the best way for me to say that. Is that we feel confident that moving forward, we're going to have what we need to continue to do the work that we are currently doing. As far as growing, that's all going to be contingent on revenues, and needs and priorities with the next Administration prioritizing the plans and moving that forward. MR. CHUNG: Well my concern is this, you know, I think Fire Department, Police Department, you guys are vitally important to the public health, welfare and safety of our community, right. And we want to make sure that you guys have the necessary resources to do a good job. Now if the salary portion keeps growing, and you guys are staying at almost the same budget amount, it just leads me to believe that something got to give, right. So all I ask is this, Chief, and I ask this of the Police Department many years ago but never really got it. If you guys maybe one day after our budget is over, or maybe even during the throws of our budget process, come and give us a presentation on where you would like to see the Fire Department, you know, in terms of resources. Because we don't really know what's being sacrificed, right. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: I think I can answer that question a little bit better in the fact that when we do have CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) increases collective bargaining increases, the funds are increased in those areas. And so there is money added to our budget, it doesn't increase in our OCE(Other Current Expenses) expenses. But it does increase in our collective bargaining increases, our salaries. And so we don't end up seeing like more pulled from OCE to pay for salaries. You know, Finance Department is covering those with increases. Those are collective bargaining increases. And so in moving forward we have to I think look at where our resources are and how we are going to continue to provide the service that our growing community needs. Because we know that our island is growing, and call volume is increasing. And we didn't Page 77 FC-8 April 13,2021 have 886 fires 10 years ago, you know, or 18,000 medical calls 10 years ago. And so we do have to grow, and we've grown. You know, we received Medic 18 and Paradise Park. And so we've been supported, and obviously every department has their needs. And I think that's where as a Fire Department we have to understand that also, is that each department has needs, and we don't want to—if they're giving us more that's means they're taking away from somebody else. MR. CHUNG: That's not my question though, okay. I just want to know at some point maybe not today, what you guys need. Never mind what other guys need, we're trying to strike this delicate balance with other guys being nice guys. We just want to know, well I just want to know, what you need. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: That can be done. MR. CHUNG: So that we can reasonably consider that and maybe next time or Council's in the future can get somethings on record, yeah. And that's all. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: No, that's good. MR. CHUNG: We're not trying to pit one department against the other, or anything like that. But you guys are vitally important to the operations of the county. As are the other departments too, but you guys—if you're talking about essential service public safety is it, really. Okay. So we want to make sure there is no compromises, and that's all. We want to find ways to support you basically, yeah. And the last question I have, has to do with the Battalion Chief situation. I don't know if that's been resolved, you know, the Battalion Chief. I don't really know about it too much, but I know it came up in the past where—any of you guys Battalion Chiefs by the way? MR. HONDA: I am. MR. CHUNG: The current set up, it provides disincentive for people to try aspiring to the Battalion Chief position. And it's more comfortable to stay at rank of perhaps Captain, you know, that kind of stuff. I just wanted to know what's being done in that regard, so that we can get people to go for the Battalion Chief Job and make it at least worth their while to do that. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: This last recruitment we actually had five people apply for two positions, so that was great to see. You know, there is an interest. People want to step up and they want to lead and make a difference in our Page 78 FC-8 April 13,2021 department, and we have great people doing that. And so you know, as far as the lawsuit with the Battalion Chief MR. CHUNG: I'm not talking about the lawsuit. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Well, that's where it's at. There's a lawsuit that has been filed, and I think that's what's probably holding back moving forward. Because that lawsuit's got to be resolved. And I think when that lawsuit is resolved, then really there will be an ability to move forward. MR. CHUNG: Okay, but then. Nah, I don't want to ask you a question that might compromise, you know, the but I just find it odd that, okay, I feel strongly about this Battalion Chief situation regardless of the lawsuit. And I'm thinking in my own mind forget the lawsuit if something makes sense just do it. I know you're kind of hamstrung on this, because I think historically you guys had to go through the Mayor and then you know, I think there has been some hang-ups over there. But I would urge you guys to try to resolve that as much as possible. You know even if you have had, you know, five recruits, or six recruits for this last Battalion Chief position. It still does not to me say that a fair system is in place. Because I really don't think it's fair. Yeah, it's my personal opinion, but anyway. Maybe Chris you don't have to say. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So I was a Battalion Chief when the lawsuit was filed, I did not sign the lawsuit. That was my personal preference. Is there a problem? I believe that if you look at the increments in pay increases as you move up the ladder, there is. If I was named the next Fire Chief, I had a process that I was going to do to follow and bring resolve to that. But what would that mean? That might mean the lawsuit has to go away, I don't know, right. And so I think this lawsuit has definitely affected the ability for the county to move that forward, because they have to resolve the unresolved issues. And it's going to date back, there's people that are retired and been retired for many years that may get back pay for all of that. And so it's a lot bigger than one or two people. MR. CHUNG: But how long this, well never mind. All I can say, it's been going on long time. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yes. MR. CHUNG: Yeah. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: From Chief Oliveira. MR. CHUNG: Alright. But thank you. Page 79 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Chung. Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Chief Perreira, for all of your work on the budget. And I just want to also mahalo Mayor Roth, for inviting members of the Council to participate in this year's budgeting process. I got to sit in on the three-hour meeting, with Fire and Director Sako. And just continuously amazed with Deanna's ability to hold all of these numbers in her head. And also there's just this willingness, right, from the Admin, to work to find a way forward and support your department. I know for many years you've been operating on a really razor-thin operations budget, so it's great that we're going to move things around. And I appreciate you letting us know that you're doing a line-by-line audit and analysis of everything in the budget. We want to make sure that we're tracking expenditures and positioning resources appropriately. So thank you. Just a few questions based on, you know, your presentation and some of the things you included in the materials. I noticed for EMS (Emergency Medical Services), you highlighted the community paramedicine program, resulting in a cost saving of about$10,000 to $14,000 a month. Can you just elaborate what's been done to increase efficiencies here, and where you are looking to invest that potentially $100,000 in savings? Every dollar matters at this point. MR. HONDA: Yes, thank you. So our community paramedicine program was developed because of the increased call volume and our resources are very stretched. So we looked at how can we be more preventative, and we mirrored programs from other departments. So we're out there and a lot of times they give referrals from Adult Protective Services, many from our own lines, where for example you have a repeat caller calls several times a day and they maybe just falling. So we looked at how can we keep them out of the system and help them. So we do home inspections, fall assessments. Through grant monies, we're able to get like toilet bowl extenders and grab bars. And we work with different agencies in our department to help make their lives better and safer. So we try to keep that person out of the 911 system, out of the hospital, and ultimately live a better healthier lifestyle. So with that, we have a software program called, "Water That We Use," and it tracks manpower hours, it tracks how we were referred to that individual, and it does projections on how much cost savings we're doing a month. Right now we only have two captains, one on the east, and one on the west that are doing that. That is something that the State is looking at to expand, and actually look into areas of how we can possibly incorporate a charge or a bill for that to bring back revenue. Right now we don't do any charges. It's free and whatever equipment we use is all through grants. So hopefully with that money that we're saving and keeping them out of the system, you know, it helps our overall budget in the EMS Page 80 FC-8 April 13,2021 side for like equipment, supplies, you know, vehicle maintenance and things like that. So that's where we're at right now. This Community Paramedicine Program can be very huge. And the reason why we're tracking data too, is that what we saw in other departments is that when we could show how much cost savings, the cost savings that the program was providing they started to see buying from hospitals, from insurance companies, because hey if we keep them out of the hospital insurance companies pay less. And when they started showing the savings, they were in the millions. So then hospitals and insurance companies were like, "Hey how can we help you guys expand your programs? Because in a sense it provides a better lifestyle for our community, and it helps us as insurers." So that's kind of where we'd like to go, in kind of a long-term project. So we're very early in our emphasis stages and with COVID we've been using our CP, or Community Paramedicine personnel to help with COVID efforts with vaccinations, screening, and even the kupuna calling, "Hey, I don't know how to use a computer." You know, they help register and get them on VAMS, (Vaccine Administration Management System) and print the forms then drop it off to their house so they can go. You know, things like that. So it's very multipronged and it's endless of what the different things you can do. So that's kind of in a nutshell what CP program is right now, yeah. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Chief, excellent overview, do keep us posted on how this progresses. It definitely show's a lot of promise. And because you brought up grant writing, I noticed here that you reported on wanting to activate a grant writing team within your department. I think that's excellent. You guys have been really successful in the past in going after and securing grant funding. You did mention that there was 80 percent of the objective that was met, so what 20 percent is left? What gap is there needed to fill? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Sorry, Ashley, I'm a little confused with the question. Eighty percent was met in what area? MS. KIERKIEWICZ: In grant writing. I'm looking at this right here, Chief. And it talked about objectives being met and for some of the questions you said 60 percent, 80 percent, hopefully that jogs your memory. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: I think what happens is in certain areas—so Chief Smith is actually at National Fire Academy. He's our Support Services Assistant Chief. And so he manages the grants, or he works with our grant team and manages that. But what I think the 80 percent means is that's where we are at with certain grants. And so whether it's still in the process of, what the right word is? Not applying, but more of finishing up actually executing everything that was involved with that grant. And so that's where I believe where the 80 percent is. Page 81 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I see. So it's more implementing the grant rather than fully activating your team. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. Thanks for the clarification. You know, when we had the budget discussions with Director Sako and her team, I did ask about equipment the SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus) tanks and having more of those available around the island for folks to fill-up. Can you just elaborate on whether or not this budget includes the equipment, the machinery, to just have more equipment and machinery around the island so that our guys aren't having to travel to just a couple of locations to fill up the bottles. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So we're currently working on a grant to get a compressor to fill bottles. We were fortunate to get hand-me-down unit from our airport, brothers and sisters at the airport. And so we're actually installing a unit at our Waiakea Fire Station. That's going to help carry us until we can get the funding that we need to get, I believe we're purchasing a portable one, yes, for Pahoa? MR. HONDA: Yes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: And Chief, maybe elaborate, you know, the importance of these compressors, how many we have on the island and the cost. I mean this is a real investment that I would like my colleagues to consider. (Note: At this time, Emergency Operations Assistant Fire Chief Darwin Okinaka came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. OKINAKA: Thank you. I'm Darwin Okinaka Assistant Fire Chief of Emergency Operations. So regarding the SCBA compressors, we've identified that we needed them, yeah. Our current units, we have three right now,portable units, we've had since the early 2000's and, you know, spent the majority of their life already and starting to break down. And with the new SCBAs that we currently have they're larger capacity bottles, what we call 45-minute bottle, 4,500 psi (pound-force per square inch) bottles. So the current compressor's we have now,just barely able to accomplish filling those bottles, you know, sufficiently. And actually one of those three compressor's is out of commission right now and it can't be repaired. So we started the process last year of identifying and wanting to pursue purchasing new compressors. Initially our goal was to use our AFG (Assistance to Firefighters Grant) this year to write a grant to purchase new compressors. But we had a, you know, we got denied for our last year grant, which was for our extractors for our Page 82 FC-8 April 13,2021 PPE cleaning, which is another important thing. So we've resubmitted the grant this year for that. So it delayed the grant writing for the compressor another year. Another option we're looking at is utilizing PGV (Puna Geothermal Venture) funds to purchase a compressor. So that's the avenue we wanted to go with to purchase at least two compressors, one for hazmat and one for Pahoa Fire Station, because it's in the Puna District and it has to tie into response to PGV. So that's the two places that, you know, we identify that, you know, with potentially do. We haven't, you know, finished the process yet. We started; we got some quotes. So our stationary unit, talking about the cost of it, the one we're looking at is roughly around $80,000 for the unit itself, not including installation cost. A mobile unit, the trailer unit, is probably twice that, a $150,000 to $160,000. And this will provide the efficiency that we need to fill those bottles. So one, yeah, as Chief Perreira said we had a donated unit from the Hilo, our station. When they built their new station, their old compressor was still good need to retrofit. They donated it to us, we're in the process of getting that retrofitted and installed to get it up and running at Waiakea Fire Station. So that would bring us up to three compressors again. But we still want to pursue getting more. So we're still looking at the AFG Grant for next cycle, which is for next year later this year and then pursuing PGV Funds possibly to getting more. So ideally, we could get upwards of five more units that we can spread out throughout the departments and provide the resources needed to fill those bottles. Right now we currently have just two stations that have that, yeah, Makalei and Haihai Fire Stations, one on each side of the island. And then we always tap into partnerships with both of our stations and even PTA (Pohakuloa Training Area) as needed. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: So why this is important is because if there's a wildfire down south, you'd have to go all the way to Makalei to fill up your bottles. Correct? MR. OKINAKA: Yeah, not necessarily wildfires. We could use it there; we usually use it mostly for structure fires. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Structure fires. But fires in general. MR. OKINAKA: Correct, right. So the SCBA bottles if you're not familiar with it, is the air tank and the packs we put on our firefighters to enter the fire to provide breathing air while they enter the fire. So yeah, it's important for the safety of our firefighters so they can get in there. And we've had incidences where we had multiple fires, you know, within a days' time and it can deplete our bottles. Luckily, we've been able to accomplish, you know, getting the recharging, or refilling of the bottles as needed. But it's definitely high priority that we have to get addressed. Page 83 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Right, thank you. And let's stay in touch on leveraging the Geothermal Fund for community benefits. That's something that's housed within planning. Just a few more questions. Chief, in years passed we've been provided with a list on replacement of apparatus. Are you guys still continuing with that, and if so, what do you have on the list to replace and what stations or communities around the island are going to be benefitting? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So currently right now we have—we're at our max for our apparatus replacement program. So we're at just about a million dollars a year we're spending on that apparatus. And so our next purchase will not be until 2023. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: We are getting new ambulances so those are continuing, and we also are getting some donated brush tankers that are—one has arrived, and the second will be coming in shortly, from an anonymous donor. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, thank you. Speaking of ambulance's we've got one in Hawaiian Paradise Park Station 18. Last fiscal year I believe I gave a few thousand dollars to erect a tent so that we are protecting our apparatus. Just looking for a status report on where we are with that, and if issues have been worked out with Public Works. Because it's critical that we are expanding that particular station to meet the growing needs of Hawaiian Paradise Park. I've toured that facility, shame that grown men have to live in such tight quarters. And that we have these beautiful apparatus high dollar machines out there in the elements. So if there's some things that need to be unlocked in Public Works' side, please let us know so that we can help you unlock. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Thank you. We've been working with Public Works, there's plans for dormitory that would comfortably sleep our personnel there. And that way one of the bedrooms would turn into an office. Currently right now the living room is an office, kitchen, exercise area. And so yes, it is tight quarters and we've been working. We have plans that have been drawn, and permits are being worked on. Obviously, you guys all know that process takes some time. And so we continue to push. We thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz, for your support of getting that tent. It is erected and the truck is under it. Our ambulance is able to be garaged along with our new brush truck and secured and locked. And so we continue to push, and we continue to build relationships with other departments so that we can get the work done that we need done. And that is a very important project, because currently we're sleeping four people, four men, in a two-bedroom house. Page 84 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chief. And, you know,just couple of other things here. Central Fire Station, eye sore you guys, it's a total eye sore. What can we do there? I mean is there a public-private partnership where we can leverage community partners that want to pressure wash and kind of beautify that space. I want to make sure that we are taking care of our assets. What can we do? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So we've talked about those types of ideas, and because of the type of construction, the concrete,we're being told that pressure washes is going to make it fall apart. And so, you know, it's unfortunate that it's gotten to this point. Every year we work on more and more things that need to be fixed there, and I believe the cost is somewhere around $8.5 million right now. And so I believe the holdup is the consultant or design firm that originally did the plans. The person has left and moved to Korea, or something like that. And so the process has to start pretty much back at zero. And so that's where that's at, you know, it's really not any one person's fault. I believe it's, you know, years of, you know, you guys all know the amount of work that needs to go into a project from start to finish. Just trying to get it off the planning and moving forward with a permit. That station needs a total overhaul. ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), hardening, it needs electrical work; it needs structural work; it needs roof work. Yeah, it'sI have been this close, and I'm holding my finger about an inch from pulling the trigger to close the station. And it's so hard, because it's in the heart of Hilo. And our personnel are serving the community there, and it will affect response times. And believe me, sometimes it's hard to sleep at night knowing our personnel are sleeping or staying in a station that may not be safe. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chief, for sharing. You know, I want to end this on a high note. Special mahalo to Captain Stacy Domingo for all of her work to bring forth the Mental Health First Aid Certification Program here on our island. I know that she's trained up a number of folks on Hawaii Island that are going to be certifying our firefighters. So do you want to just spend a couple of minutes talking to us about what Mental Health First Aid Certification is? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yeah, so Captain Domingo is spearheading that project and alongside other community partners. And I was just in a meeting the other day that highlighted that, or actually looking at moving that forward even more. We understand that the health and welfare of our personnel—our greatest assets is our personnel—and the health and welfare of our personnel is number one. If we're not healthy, if the first responders aren't healthy mentally, physically, we cannot serve our community. And so we understand that we have a heart, we have people that have a heart to help our first responders and help our brothers and sisters. And so we're supporting that a 100 percent, and so we're Page 85 FC-8 April 13,2021 working together alongside other community partners to help build that support and to help move that mental health forward. And it's kind of amazing there's a psychologist from Honolulu that was working with Honolulu Police Department, that wants to expand and work with the whole State. And so she was at that meeting and it's just great to see people that we're recognizing what the first responders see every day and deal with every day. We're human, it affects us, and it affects us in bad ways sometimes, you know, a lot of times. And that's where we need to step in and help recognize that somebody is going through something and help them so that they can be healthy, they can take of their family, and then obviously they can serve the community in the job that we have, the great job that we have. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chief. I really appreciate your honesty and transparency. I know it's difficult to often talk about the problems that your department is facing. But for all County departments if we don't know this body cannot help. So thank you. I think this is a productive conversation. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Mr. Richards, go ahead please. MR. RICHARDS: Thanks, Chair. Thanks Chief, for being here. Couple of questions. This is kind of a carryover from Chief Rosario. (Inaudible) calls the trucks "apparatus." On your equipment, it's my understanding that the department has worked very diligently on getting a planned equipment retirement program. Meaning, so we're getting new equipment every year, and we've worked into that, and we are at the stage now where that is working. Is that a correct statement? Meaning we're getting the right equipment as it reaches end of life. And I know there's some trucks out there that can vote, but is that working? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So I'm going to say, yes and no. MR. RICHARDS: Sounds like a politician. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yeah. Yes, because we're better off than we used to be. And no, because, you know, our ambulance fleet, we're about four or five ambulances that are overdue. And that's managed by our State. Our budget with the State is something that we're working on. And that doesn't afford us enough funding to purchase ambulances that we need annually. And so that's one area. On the truck side, you know, I'm thankful to the Finance Department, to Director Sako, for the $1 million cap every year that we can use. That's great. Trucks aren't getting cheaper. Our truck is about$770,000. So with the Page 86 FC-8 April 13,2021 lease-purchase program that Chief Rosario put into place it has helped. It has helped greatly. But the cost is going up, right. It used to be $300 and something thousand, it used to be five, and now its $770,000 right around there, $735,000 maybe. And these are bids, so we're getting the low bid. And so moving forward we're going to have to do something. Now we're going to work with what we have. Like I said, that's why I said yes. You know, it's better than what used to be. Currently we have a hazmat truck that needs to be replaced and two brush trucks that needs to be replaced that are overdue. But we need to wait. We need to stay within our budget. So we're going to work and do that, and we're also going to look at alternative funding. You know, we've gotten these generous donations and so now maybe what we need to do is start to let this donor know, "Hey we need actually this." If we're going to continue to get donations let's focus on what we really need. We have a lot of brush tankers now, right, off road tankers. So maybe we can focus on something else. But in the meantime, it's also, you know, going through our budget line by line and making sure that our spending is on point and where it's supposed to be so that we can be, I guess, be right in what we're doing and see where we can improve and our priorities. And, you know, it's tough. It's a balancing act. And, you know, number one is always going to be our personnel safety. And that's where, you know, there's a lot of things we got to focus on in personnel safety. It's a yes and a no. You know, we're better than we used to be, but we're not where we need to be. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And this is actually kind of on the heels about what Mr. Chung was asking about. So what I'm hearing is you got to tell us where you want to go with that budget. And a question real quick. Deanna, Director of Finance, you don't need to come to the table. Question yes, or no. This lease is it lease to own or is it—yes, okay. Director of Finance is nodding yes, so it's lease to own. So we own the equipment at the end. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yeah, it's a five-year. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. So that's working. And we don't control the State funding with the ambulances. But we have enough trouble with funding from the State right now. So that's something we need to work on. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yes. So we are making proposals and we do what we need to, and Chief Honda is going to be continuing to work on that. We may look at a lease purchase for our ambulances so that we can get more in a year instead of only getting one. This year we may be able to get two, because its sounds like our funding is going to come through. But that's all contingent on the Page 87 FC-8 April 13,2021 State, right. So that's where we have to work hard and lobby so we can get more funding. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. Now continuing on with the equipment. The boats and I don't know what you call them, the watercraft the Sea-Doo whatever. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yeah. It's called watercraft. MR. RICHARDS: Whatever you call them. My understanding you could use some watercrafts, and your boats were okay, they're being re-built. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: I'm going to let Chief Okinaka, answer that question. Because I know that answer, but he's managing that. MR. OKINAKA: To start off with the rescue boats, we have a couple of different dilemmas right now. Each side of the island has two vessels, yeah, one frontline one backup. We just found out that the reserve vessel, which has been out of commission for about half a year now with a fuel tank leak, because the vessel is so old, the cost of the repair outweighs the benefit of repairing it. So we just made the decision to decommission that boat. So we just have one vessel in Hilo. The West Hawaii reserve vessel has had a fuel tank leak also for a number of years now. I don't have the exact timeline off the top of my head. But that has been out. So we currently have just one vessel at each side. The frontline vessel in West Hawaii is a Radon that's been older, but they prefer that vessel for the work that they do. So you folks all know of Sayre Foundation and the work they've done for us. So a number of years back they actually got donations for a retrofit on that Radon vessel to get up and running. But it is an aged vessel and we're seeing, you know, mechanical failures here and there. So we're constantly doing small repairs on that vessel. It's operating but there's currently one concern we have to get addressed also. So we're waiting for that to get done. The repair on their backup vessel, we've had a quote just over a year now to get it done but we just didn't have the funds to do it. It was upwards of$25,000, and we just didn't have the available funds to get the repair done. So we're waiting to, you know, get funding to get it done. As far as the East Hawaii boat it's running, but again, it's about time we start looking at renewing, yeah. We never really had a program like an apparatus replacement program for these vessels. So in my current position now I'm directly overseeing, you know, the special operations with the loss of the position that we had. So I've been trying to work with the stations and the Captains to see what's the next step we can do and how we can go about starting the process of identifying the next vessel that we want, and then of course the funding of the vessels. Page 88 FC-8 April 13,2021 So for the past couple of months, we've been in a process of researching, at least for West Hawaii. So I recently got a quote back. It's real preliminary, but they identify one type of vessel that we have to discuss if that's something that really want to go. But that vessel is designed for rescue use, and the cost is upwards of $350,000. And that would be ship, training, trailer and everything, but that's what we're looking at for that vessel. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, now when you talk about, they have aged, okay. I have age, and Councilman Inaba has age and it's a very different age between. Specify, what are we talking 20 years? MR. OKINAKA: So the Radon yeah, I believe in `86 or `89. Sorry I don't have that exact date, but it's an 80's model so it's 30 years old. The Force, which is the reserve vessel for West Hawaii, and the frontline vessel for East Hawaii is a Force boat which was purchased in 2006 I believe, so not as old. But like I said, West Hawaii, they prefer the Radon that they've been using, which is an older boat, but a number of years back was refurbished. It was before I got this position, so I don't have that exact timeline. So I apologize for that. So the Force isn't as old, but it's, you know, so that the Hilo one, like I said, Waiakea is running. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, so my understanding is we have to look at this to start talking about including it into your equipment rollover. And then addition to that the watercraft, I know there's a shortage of those on this island. Is that a fair statement? MR. OKINAKA: It's pretty much wherever we look. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. MR. OKINAKA: It's because of COVID and the manufacturer isn't able to keep up with the demand. I'm not sure it could be just building the parts, the manufacture of the parts. But we had some funding in our budget, so we purchased, we put out a bid for two rescue watercrafts. So we have two that we awarded. But in the process of just getting quotes we went through, gosh, about five different vendors and they didn't have a timeline on delivery. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. MR. OKINAKA: Because they themselves are having a hard time getting the skis. We found one that said he could get it, but it was a stipulation with a delayed delivery. So the contract was awarded, because he was the only vendor that could provide it and we need the skis. So we're expecting the first one to be Page 89 FC-8 April 13,2021 delivered hopefully by the end of this month. And then he said the second one possibly in June, but he couldn't give us a definite timeline. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. So quick answers, or quick questions and quick answers. How many on this island of those type of crafts do we need? How many do we actually have? MR. OKINAKA: So we had four. We currently have two in service, right now. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And how many if the wish list would be four, six, or eight? MR. OKINAKA: Six. The wish list is six, because the goal was to start a second crew in Kona, in West Hawaii. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And then rough cost, I mean we're not going to hold these to you, but this is budget here and we got to know where we're headed. MR. OKINAKA: We're looking at around between $15,000, and $20,000 per ski. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And the reason we're asking you these questions is because we're talking about funding coming through the Recovery Act and the JOBS Act(Jumpstart Our Business). There may be stuff, and this is the kind of stuff we can get shovel ready. Keep looking over at Director and she's nodding vigorously. So with that, personnel, I know—and this probably comes MR. OKINAKA: Can I just make one point, before we move forward, sorry? MR. RICHARDS: Sure. MR. OKINAKA: So we've purchased two, we have two that was awarded. I just got an email from Laura Sayre that she has funding for two more I believe. So we're looking at I have to get her again, a vendor that has it. And then she'll go and make the purchase. So we should be getting two more. So if that all goes through then two more is what the wish list would be for. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And this is the kind of stuff that we need to know, and this is kind of on the heels of what Councilman Chung was talking about. What do we need to get things whole? You know, I think it's very appropriate right now to give a big shout-out to the Sayre Foundation for all the support they offered our fire crews. And they have worked, I mean I tell you what, Sayre, that family has worked diligently to support us. So again, thanks to them. Page 90 FC-8 April 13,2021 Which comes up to the personnel. I know we're running some crews. I don't know what the official terminology is, but there's a national standard of how many people on a piece of equipment. And I know that in some areas we are pushing the envelope as far as that goes. And this probably again, comes back to you Chief, as far as we look to the personnel numbers. I know sometimes our drivers or firemen double as drivers whatever the case may be. What is the number of people we need to make that one with the recommendations? I know they're not hard and fast guidelines, but the recommendations. How far away are we from that number? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So first of all, with our new Battalion Chiefs put into place in February, we had a Battalion Chief operations meeting. And one of the topics that I wanted covered was our staffing. I wanted to ensure that staffing was consistent, consistently done on each Battalion each shift the same way with our leaders, and our Battalion Chiefs of operations, they manage the staffing on a day-to-day basis. And so that happened. Chief Okinaka leads that division. And so the meeting was held, and we increased certain station staffing, within the means of our staffing. Because right now well as of February 1st° we only had one firefighter vacancy on the whole island, all other firefighter positions were filled. So knowing that our staffing was heavy we wanted to make sure that we move our staff around to support the operations so we can operate safer. And so we did that, since then we've also had our paramedic class start. So there's seven firefighters that are in paramedic class for a year, so that's seven vacancies. On a daily basis, well not daily basis, they're on different shifts. So there's seven vacancies there, so eight vacancies. We've also seen some light duty assignments for various reasons. And so our staffing has dropped a little, and so there's definitely going to be, you know, that's going to definitely affect our ability to beef-up staffing at our stations. Now if you're talking about the national standard of staffing, that is a recommendation. And so if we're going to move towards national standards, we're looking at having to get about 117 firefighters. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And that was the question, because it's coming from Chief Rosario previous when he was talking about going forward. And again, to me, obviously our county can't afford to hire 100 new firefighters. But again, direction, where do we need to start walking towards and how we're going to get there? So I appreciate that. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So I have another thing I can add to that. This year the Safer Grant, is a grant that we're applying for. The Safer Grant is paying there's no match to that grant and there used to be a match. And so the Safer Grant has offered a three-year payment of personnel. And so I met with Mayor Roth, Managing Director Lord, and Finance Director Sako, and we looked Page 91 FC-8 April 13,2021 at where we could support in three years, what we could support in three years? Because what it is the Safer Grant would support for three years, and then the fourth year we'd have to cover it. And so Mayor Roth came up with a $1 million amount. That attributed to nine positions. So it's six captain positions and three firefighter positions. Six captain positions—we've got four stations that are not staffed with a captain. We call them supervisory stations. Those are Ocean View, Laupahoehoe, Paradise Park, and Waikoloa. If we had the Safer Grant two of those stations would receive captains, because there would be three for each station one for each shift. And then we would have three firefighter positions that we'd need to place somewhere. And so that's where we rounded out the million dollars to. And we believe that the captains at the stations is very important because of the leadership that they bring and the experience they would bring to that crew. And so that's a promising thing for the future. We need to secure the Safer Grant first of all. But, you know, working with the Mayor and obtaining, you know, the ability to grow in three years to at least a million dollars more of a budget. That's a great thing, a step in the right direction. Obviously it's not 117, but it's nine. That's nine closer to where we need to be. So that's something that we're doing that we've applied for. It's in the works, and we'll see what happens with it. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And appreciate that. Chief, final area I want to touch on has to do with the payroll and the conversation about overtime. And last year the numbers, metrics, were about 75 percent of the overtime in our County went to Fire Department. And overtime is one way of managing need. But if we need more people so there's less overtime there's a metric in there. And it's not as simple it's just to say more people, less overtime. So can you just answer that question and how that would—if we had more people would that affect our overtime financially in favor of reducing overall cost? It won't lower your budget, but I think you understand. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: I believe it would and I think we've shown that it does. So we were up to 50 vacancies, I believe, in about two or three years ago. And slowly but surely have worked, you know, with the help of retired Chief Lance Uchida, was a strong push, we had two recruit classes a year. And we got to this point of no vacancies, technically. I say it's one firefighter in February, but that's just because we couldn't predict how many people were retiring last year. We were close, we missed it by one. So we would have had a full complement of personnel. So, you know, it does reduce overtime cost. We see it on a daily basis. I'm sent a roster and you can see the recall, and recall is overtime. And you can see that it's down, right? And so that is very—having proper staffing, having our personnel come to work, right, building morale, making sure people coming to work is very Page 92 FC-8 April 13,2021 important to affect our bottom line, our financial effectiveness. So we need to encourage that, we need to build our teams and ensure people are coming to work. We as Administration need to fill positions, we need to recruit, we need to do our job and get those positions filled. And then that's going to help save money and it shows on a daily basis. I remember a year ago, we had 17 people a day on recall, now we've got maybe one, maybe two. Our paramedics are short right now. We're down I think 10 or 11 paramedics short. And so we're going to see overtime there. But as far as our firefighter positions, you know, we've done a great job in getting them filled and that helps with our recall. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, thank you very much. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Chiefs, thanks for being here. I think like my fellow colleagues, we're all on the same line. But I had some questions, because we always talk about funding and you guys are doing a wonderful job with, you know, the philanthropical dollars along with grant funding. But I was wondering if you guys have ever tried to utilize the sponsorship agreement when you guys are seeking funding? Maybe that's something you guys should look into. I also noticed that you folks have a strategic plan, which is actually very exciting to me. You're one of the few departments with a strategic plan, because we actually can see where you guys are going. My other question was around crowd sourcing for equipment and/or gear. You know, you guys have a very strong union, you know, across all of our municipals. And I was just wondering if any thought have been given to crowd sourcing some of the equipment that I know is required for all the departments across our State. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So we do piggyback with Honolulu Fire on the bid for firefighter gear. You know, and up until November, the apparatus replacement program was run by Chief Rosario. And so we were bidding those out. But I believe that we as a department need to look at all opportunities of purchasing vehicles. And maybe we need to look at going to a different program like a national program or some other program where, yeah, you may not get exactly what you want. You may not have it built custom to exactly what you want, but if you, you know, find something that works you may be able to standardize what works, yeah. And so we've been looking at that in the ambulance side too, where you're going to get some cost benefit by buying, I'll just use the word cookie cutter, right. And you might save $50,000 a vehicle, or $30,000. I'm not sure exactly on the Page 93 FC-8 April 13,2021 numbers. But obviously we know that when you buy like that or in bulk you're going to save. And so that's stuff that I believeI'm just going to say it. The next Administration is going to have to take on and look at because we're going to have to continue to do more with less. And, you know, not so much saying less, but even with, you know, we're using our taxpayer's money. So we got to be good about that, and we got to make sure we're doing the right things and not just buying what we want verses what we need, yeah, and trying use something that we can have. And we want good stuff, because it's going to last. But we need to explore ways to get our products and, you know, look at the different avenues for that. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah. And I know with the procurement law the wat that it is, I know crowd sourcing for purchasing across the State might be a little wonky, but I think with some concerted effort there actually will be huge opportunities. And if you guys can crack that nut or at least unlock it a little bit, we might be able to see some of that across all of our other agencies. I did have one more question around of course the permitting process and I know that's—Chief Perreira is smiling because that's something he took care of us for a very long time. Where are we? And I ask this question because there's a big push related to EnerGov and standing up the building or our Construction Code process. And we all know Fire has a piece in that, not only in the issuance of our Construction Codes, but also with our Subdivision Code. And we heard earlier today that Director Kern is looking at an audit as it relates to Chapter 23, which is a portion of our Subdivision Code. Where are we on the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association)? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So currently Acting Battalion Chief Kyle Vares is working on reviewing the State amendments and working on the County amendments. And that's a big undertaking. I've had some meetings with him and trying to share my insight because I used to be in that division. And being the Acting Fire Chief, basically, that falls on my shoulders. We're going to need to continue to push that forward with the next Administration. And, you know, that's going to require some collaborative effort. You know, we've built a good relationship with the Finance Director and the Finance team. And one of the areas that held us back from moving forward with that was our plan review fees. And I believe that we need to move that forward in whatever fashion is decided on by the Mayor and the Finance Director, whether those funds go directly to the General Fund or those funds get partially sent to the Fire Department so that we can help support some of our programs for the community or some of our efforts for the community. That's something we're going to have to sit down and talk about, because that's held up our process before. And I think we're in a good position right now to move forward with that. Page 94 FC-8 April 13,2021 And, you know, it's going to take a lot of effort on the Prevention Bureau right now to put together that amendment package and go before you folks, and the community, and get that County amendments for the Fire Code pass. MS. LEE LOY: So what year are we at with the NFPA? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So currently we're in the 2006, with amendments. We are actively working on the 2018 with the amendments. So we've skipped through the `12 which the State went to and we're actively working on the amendments for the `18. MS. LEE LOY: And so, Chief, when you talk about holding back, right, the plan review fee was holding us back, is it a requirement that NFPA be adopted just like the rest of our Construction Codes? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yes. MS. LEE LOY: Okay, so ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So technically at the County level right now an applicant can use the 2012 NFPA I as the Fire Code. MS. LEE LOY: Okay, great. And you know, Kyle's awesome, he really is doing an awesome job. Have you folks engaged in any of the EnerGov conversation? And I'm asking because you guys are one agency that needs to kind of dip in and out of that. A couple of us on this dais are looking at that EnerGov process and we see it as a pathway to resources. The quicker we go vertical, the quicker we can tax. The more we can tax, the more funding there is for all you good people. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yeah. So the Fire Prevention Bureau, we were actively involved in that whole process. And I'm just going to be honest, lately it seems like it's been a quiet process. They haven't involved us as much. And so knowing that it's going to get rolled out soon, you know, Acting Battalion Chief Vares, will need to start working together with Public Works and Planning to get involved. We were involved with knowing what type of equipment we needed to purchase and those kinds of things. But, you know, it's been a long, drawn-out process that seemed like it fell off the radar for a while. And so hopefully, you know, their moving that forward now with the new Administration. And, you know, the Fire Prevention Bureau is ready to move forward. We've implemented a 24-hour program that we've seen many great benefits from. We've increased our output of plan reviews, about 100 more a year we were able to put out. So that's great. We've reduced the time that our community is waiting for their plans to come back from the Fire Department. And so, you know, we've Page 95 FC-8 April 13,2021 seen nothing but good improvements in that area. So we continue to work hard. I mean, you know, there's influxes of plans. One month you might have 200 plans come in and the next month you might have 800 plans come in. It just depends. But the staff is ready, and they know the importance of getting those plans reviewed properly, number one properly; and then number two, getting them out there quickly back to the applicants. MS. LEE LOY: There was a little bit of a shift too, right, with the understanding of the plan review room and fire. I think there was a time where it was done either after hours or after duty. But there was a business decision to be made or has been made that they could do it even on a weekend. Is that correct? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So yeah, that's where the 24-hour program has kicked in. Where our personnel are there up to 8:00-9:00 o'clock at night, working on it weekends, holidays. Their office is actually in the room. They have a phone, printer, and everything there. At times they'll sit there all day, it just depends on the need. They manage that, they look at the influx of plans coming in and they adjust to the need. I've been there. I've been in that bureau. I've ran that bureau. I see the need and I know that's a priority. And so I've insured in my position as Assistant Chief of Support Services and then Deputy Chief and now Acting Chief, I've always push to make that a priority. And obviously there's other priorities that come up, a fire happens they have to go investigate they need to leave. There's inspections that have to happen for construction projects. So they have to balance it. But, you know, the directive is there. Get it done, you know, spend time in there, and that is key component. And since I've been in the last six months, I haven't gotten any phones calls in the Chief's Office saying, "Hey we waiting on these guys." You know, they've been doing the work. So it's good. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah. And I've been here sometimes late or on the weekends and they're in there. So yeah, they are working hard. You know, maybe as part of your strategic plan going forward from 2021 through 2025, you know, that maybe some attention be given to allowing Kyle, or whomever after, the permission to continue to engage with EnerGov, because it really is a critical link to funding. Real property tax is our largest source of funding. And I want all the departments to recognize their intrinsic relationship to that, even if it might be small or just one touch point. You know, the other part as it relates to EnerGov is the training on the back end. We heard earlier today Director Kern talk about future plans, whether it was a change of zone, whether it was SMA (Special Management Area), inspections, or subdivision applications. That's when you guys are going to jump back in. So whatever that funding might look like, you know,please give some thought to that going forward. Because there's going to be need for training, and as people Page 96 FC-8 April 13,2021 advance, you know, you're going to need onboard them and train them. Because Chief Perreira, you know, these are very complex codes. A number of people have their own lens on how to pick and choose what they want to utilize. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Chiefs, for being here today and of course everything you do, and your team does on a daily basis to protect our community. A lot of the questions I had have already been asked. But Mr. Richards mentioned funding coming in through either the American Rescue Package or the American Jobs Program and I noticed you guys have four CIP (Capital Improvement Projects)projects, different fire stations, you spoke a little bit about HPP (Hawaiian Paradise Park) already. But could you just give a brief overview of one, if any of these are close to being shovel ready or what's needed to get them shovel ready; and two, the urgency. You know, we've been talking about how to prioritize. You've got to prioritize here in own set of four, but how they need to be prioritized with respect to all the other CIP requests out there. So could you speak to that please, thank you? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yes, I can. So if you look at number one, I believe it's the Kea`au Fire Station. And how I prioritize that is that we recently had to relocate our Kea`au Fire Station to two houses in Kea`au ag lots because we had a roof leak and we had asbestos in the tiles. And so the Police Department is also looking to rebuild Kea`au. And so knowing that they have that as priority one, I felt that we should align with them and make that also our priority one as a CIP project. I feel like that's probably the biggest CIP project, aside from all of the repairs and maintenance we need to do at Central. But we also have on that list, is Hawaiian Paradise Park. And I really feel like Hawaiian Paradise Park is probably the lowest hanging fruit. If we can get the plans for Hawaiian Paradise Park completed and the permit issued, I believe that we could get that project done this fiscal year. And that would be a great benefit to our department. I believe Honoka`a Fire Station is also another one that we have on the list. And, you know, we talk about Paradise Park Fire Station and the guys having to sleep in such tight quarters. Honoka`a Fire Station is no different. There's personnel there that are sleeping bed next to bed, they can hold hands. And everybody's in the same room and with COVID, you know, that's not a good thing. So Honoka`a is a priority. And then I believe the last one is our mechanic shop, yeah. And so, you know, our mechanics they serve our whole island, and they do a lot of good work. And we need to expand that couple bays for them there. It's also very close to shovel ready project. Believe it or not in 1993 there was plans. I didn't know about it until about two months ago. So we actually had plans to do what we want to do at Page 97 FC-8 April 13,2021 the mechanic shop. So those are being redone because the person that did it doesn't qualify anymore. It's old already so they have to start all over. But somebody had the foresight to add in the roof and the power and the lift over there. And so hopefully we can move that 1993 foresight to today. And we have funds in the there's so much things running through my head but the fair share. So because the mechanic shop manages our repairs from all districts, we can take funding from all districts to support that. So we actually have some funding that we could use to start that project. Yeah. MS. KIMBALL: Great. So just to make sure I've got this clear. Of the four HPP and the warehouse and storage is what it's listed in here are the most shovel ready in terms of being at a place where their getting permits. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Sorry. Not the warehouse and storage, it's actually the mechanic shop. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. What's listed in the budget is warehouse and storage. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Okay. MS. KIMBALL: In this Capital Improvement budget. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yeah. There maybe a littleI'm not sure if the mechanic shop one is a CIP project because of the fair share funding. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: But the warehouse and storage, you know, currently our warehouse, we went vertical in the warehouse and so it's better than it used to be. But the warehouse and storage is on there because the warehouse needs to be expanded. Where our fire dispatch center is going to be, there was plans for a warehouse there. But I believe there maybe plans for Civil Defense possibly to be located there also. So we may lose our warehouse there. So that's why we're trying to locate a spot for the warehouse, which maybe—Schultz Siding has been offered. So we may be looking at that. So on the CIP list, if you went down that list, then our Hawaiian Paradise Park would be the most shovel ready. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. For the Kea`au Fire Station are you looking at a combined facility for you and Police there? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yes. MS. KIMBALL: That doesn't have any work done on it yet? Page 98 FC-8 April 13,2021 ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: No. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. And then the Central Fire Station, not on the CIP budget, you mentioned $8.5 million or something. Is that because it's historic, is that one of the reasons for particularly high cost? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: It's historic. I believe 1940. But this has been years of, I'm just going to say it, neglect. You know, we've got roofs falling down, we got leaks; and we've got electrical issues. We're running on a residential power, and we should be on commercial power. And so the power's got to be relocated to Ponahawai Street of the building. Currently we're coming off of Kino`ole Street and it's only a 100-amp service and we need to be 400 amp. We need a backup generator, we need paint; we need ADA, hardening. Hardening means doors, windows, yeah, there's a lot of work. MS. KIMBALL: Is that particular location something that can be made shovel ready fairly easily? Again, with this mindset that we're looking at infrastructure investment, I can see a lot of it being directed towards folks that are first line, you know, frontline workers as you guys have been, through this COVID ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: We could immediately relocate them. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, understood. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: That would mean that we'd need to find housing in that area. But we could immediately relocate them if they told us the project was moving. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. But are the permits in place? Or you had to go back to the drawing board because the design needed to be redone. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yeah, so it's in Public Works hands right now. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. Thank you all for that clarification. I just want to get my mind around where this is, and again, thinking of directing money your way. Sue talks about the need for EnerGov with respect to funding and revenue. I think about it in terms with the need to complete Public Works projects like fire stations and bridges, and bridges, and bridges. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: And even our Aupuni Center there, their roof is also leaking. You know, there's a lot of projects around the County that we need to do. Page 99 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. KIMBALL: Yup. So we are subject to the permitting process just like everybody else is and expediting it for everyone means Public Works projects get done faster as well. So mahalo for your time and appreciate it. I yield, Chair. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Ms. David, go ahead. MS. DAVID: Thank you, Chair. And Chief, thank you very much for being here today. And I think the explanation, your presentation, and everything that being discussed right now it just brings to light how important and how so behind in all of the improvements that I think really you folks and the Police Department are deserving of. I've seen the Police Department barracks in Captain Cook, and I'm just appalled that our very frontline people are being asked to stay in situations such as that. And so I'm really glad to hear that, you know, although we need to pretty much change the way we see things so we can at least get things done, that's important to you folks, because you folks are very important to keeping our island safe. I don't have a magic wand, but I just really believe that the discussion that we're having today brings awareness to everybody. Not only this body, but the community as well. And anything that we can probably do from now between our end of budget time, let us know and help us in trying to find some kind of solutions. I really want to thank the Sayre's also. I miss those attending the Sayre Foundation. It's such a beautiful thing that they do. And so that's one of the positive things for the department. And I just want to express my appreciation for you guys and for what they do. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yeah. And please don't get us wrong. We're thankful because over the last few years we've gotten, or numerous years we gotten new Fire Stations. And, you know, from Pahoa to Makalei to Haihai, you know, millions of dollars. And now Ka`u Fire Station roof is being funded to repair. You know, so we're thankful for what we're receiving. And, you know, we know that we have many needs, and the County has many needs. And so we're thankful. And we want to work together and that's what we've been doing. Ever since I came on board it's about building relationships with the other departments and agencies and the Council, and just how we can do this together and move forward what we have to move forward. My kuleana right now is the Fire Department. But, you know, it's not like we don't see all the other needs that are out there too. So thank you guys for your guys' support. MS. DAVID: Yes. And thank you. Chair, I yield. Mahalo. Page 100 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. David. Mr. Inaba, go ahead. MR. INABA: I'll keep this short. Okay. We talked about the shortage of Paramedic's 10 or 11; we don't get short overnight. So what's kind of a strategy that we might be trying to employ to prevent or to kind of counteract that shortage? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So I'm going to say why the shortages happened and then I'm going to turn it over to Chief Honda, because he has a lot of answers. MR. INABA: Okay. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: The shortages happened because, you know, paramedics went to school for a year, they're highly trained, skilled, and they manage the Emergency Medical Services calls. So they're responding to the majority of the calls and they're running those calls. When I say they're running those calls, they're managing those calls. And they become experienced, and they become good leaders; and then they get promoted to a driver on the fire truck. And then we lose them. And so I'll let Chief Honda know, he can explain how we're going to combat that. MR. HONDA: Thank you. You know, it's a tough situation, but we firmly believe that, you know, the paramedic program is a great leadership program. It trains you to mitigate situations, delegate, and it's not easy. And that's what we learn in paramedic school. But one of the things that we've started probably about eight years ago, is we started a marketing program, marketing our department, going to the EMT (Emergency Medical Technician)programs across the State, who we are and what we do. And what we saw once we started that, we started seeing State licensed EMT's applying for our department, which was a cost savings for us. And also, we identified that those individuals had a strong interest in EMS. Percentagewise, the EMT's that came in licensed into our department pursued paramedic school. And what we also do in recruit class is we ask as they graduate, "Who's interested in EMS field?" We stay on top of them, we help them; we follow up on their prerequisites that are required by Kapi`olani Community College. And as we get closer, we help them apply. And we start hosting MICT (Mobile Intensive Care Technician), or paramedic prep courses. That started, geez, must be 12, 15 years ago in my garage. Guy's that wanted to learn would come over and we'd go over anatomy,physiology, deceased processes. And through Chief Oliveira it started to become a formal program. So with that we'd try to keep the interest of the individuals, get them into class. Page 101 FC-8 April 13,2021 And prior to myself getting into the EMS bureau we would see class of three or four paramedic students and over the years we've seen those numbers increases five, six and up to 10 at one time. Couple classes ago they only took 12 and couple of our guys didn't get in. So we've seen the interest. Currently we have seven in class, and we have another possibly five that's going to start this August. So two paramedic classes going on simultaneously. So we're working with Kapi`olani Community College, who's the only agency that can teach or certify paramedics in the state. Because it has to be an accredited program to become a State Licensed Paramedic in the State of Hawaii. With that of course when our paramedics are online, we try to support them as best as we can with training equipment things like that, and support them, and make sure they're appreciated out there. And we're also looking at other options for rank incentives to run and come back to fill open vacancies for long term. So we're looking at multiple different things. And of course we started the career ladder in 2010 to increase upper mobility if you chose to go down the Emergency Medical Services pathway for promotion in the future. So those are some of the things that we're doing to help with that. And of course we're always trying just burn out, decrease call volume, low QD (Qualified Disabled) call programs, community paramedicine prevention programs. Of course our CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management Program, along with Captain Domingo implementing suicide prevention, or awareness with our CISM Team. So we're doing many different things to help recruit and also help with our retention program. And then as Chief mentioned that we do see a lot of them promote out. And the question we get is, how do you guys feel about that? I'm all for promotion. I think that's great. Because it strengthens our department and our service. So now you got State of Hawaii licensed and nationally certified paramedics on fire trucks or utility vehicles. So whenever you go to an incident there's a high probability that there's a paramedic there who can do a good assessment, which ultimately makes it safer for our personnel as well as the community. So it does strengthen the program, yes. MR. INABA: Okay, you mentioned Kapi`olani Community College being the only program in the State. Do we have programs outside of the State that we're able to tap into that would allow the certification here within the State? MR. HONDA: Yeah, good question. So we did look at different agencies and we looked on the West Coast and I looked into Southern California area. And one program that really stood out was the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles)program. So we actually made contact with the program as well as some private colleges in the San Diego area. What would it take for them to do an online synchronous or asynchronous course here? The options were open. And we also asked how much it would cost to have an instructor come and teach Page 102 FC-8 April 13,2021 here. Could we pay for the instructor to teach here and stay here for the duration of the didactic portion which is about four months or so? You know, they weren't too fond of that idea. But you know as far as online training, about two years ago when we were looking at it, it wasn't as popular as it now. Like currently because of COVID, and because of EMS as whole across the country we see a shortage of instructors, which there are some challenges here in the State as well. So we're currently doing for the first time ever asynchronous paramedic program. So meaning our paramedic class is going asynchronous training with other islands through Kapi`olani, which is something we're doing for the first time. So we're seeing how it's going to go and trying to support our staff as best as we can, yeah. MR. INABA: Okay, thank you. And then as a follow up to this shortage if you will, I've had concerns raised regarding shutting down medics when we don't have a paramedic. So how often are we doing that, and is it multiple stations per shift? Is there a rule against that? Sorry so many questions about that, but we know that's kind of your primary kuleana here is the safety. And it's scary, scary business, it sounds like if we don't have those paramedics. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So again, I'll start and then I'll let Chief Honda give all the technical numbers. But, you know, we saw this problem coming. And so I met with Managing Director Lord and Finance Director Sako. And I think the key component with this is that with our personnel reaching what we call double time, that's 36 hours of work. So now their working more than 36 hours of work. And we feel as, or I feel as the department head, that 36 hours of work and having somebody continue on further is not safe. They could be tired, they could make a mistake, they could, you know, hurt themselves or someone else, God forbid. So we have to make that decision to say okay, no double time, and that cuts somebody off from working more than 36 hours. We cannot support it. Financially obviously that's also not a good thing,but I think the key thing is the safety of our personnel_ If our personnel are putting in that much time, then we should break them. We're working with our state EMS to amend our contract to allow us to downgrade to BLS (Basic Life Support) instead of ALS (Advanced Life Support). And this is where I'll hand it over to Chief Honda for more of the details about how often this is happening and how we're moving forward. MR. HONDA: Yeah, so that question comes up. And as far as the support services side, what we're really focused on is what do we need to do. And our recruit retention program definitely is high on the list. And we hope that we can increase amount of staffing out there as far as paramedics to fill these voids. And one thing that we're looking at is a rank incentive program. So that is in the process. Currently we're near completion to that. And we're confident and Page 103 FC-8 April 13,2021 hopeful that we're going to see rank personnel meaning drivers and captains filling into these positions. And we strongly as an administration feel that it's a win-win situation. It compensates our individual personnel that would take a long-term vacancy well. It saves our department money, and bottom line as it fills the slot and that way, we don't have downgrade to basic life support ambulance. So that's kind of some of the things that we're taking towards this challenge that we have currently. MR. INABA: Okay. I have one more question. I think it might be for you again, Chief. Regarding public education, I know because of COVID we're not in the schools like we normally would. But are we doing any kind of outreach? Because you know our keiki, and my background is in education, love you folks. So I think there's still opportunity for that public education. I'm just wondering if there are any ideas on that moving forward. MR. HONDA: Yeah. So we—training specialist or person that took over training. That was my previous role project, and promoted, is Captain Domingo. And yeah, she's been in the schools doing all the virtual programs. Recently there was a really great video that she worked with Kea`au High School. And they created I believe was a hands-only CPR video and they're doing great things. And I believe just yesterday, she was part of a career fair with multiple different schools online. So we're doing things virtually. And of course on a regular basis we do get calls in the EMS program about careers, opportunity. What is it like, what's it takes to become a paramedic, what are the jobs outlooks? And, you know, the common questions we get are like, do you have to be a fire fighter to be a paramedic? And the answer is no. Because many people that grew up on this island only see our system because we're the only Fire/EMS-based system in the State, every county is different. Maui and Kauai are private. Honolulu is City and County Ambulance, and City and County Fire, and we're Fire/EMS together. So we're a dual-role agency. It's an all-hazards department and we try to break it down and explain to them. And you know, I think we're doing as much as we can in the schools now. And we're also doing other things partnering with private agencies, State agencies on suicide prevention, mental health, things like that; opioid awareness, human trafficking. We partner with federal and county on education on opioids and fentanyl, which is a huge concern for us here on our island. NARCAN training, Naloxine training. So there are multiple different things. I say we're always involved in education, yeah, and in the schools, it's a big one that we're involved with. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So to add to that, the Fire Prevention Bureau back in September during Fire Prevention Week, we actually call it Fire Prevention Page 104 FC-8 April 13,2021 Month here on our island. We created a video that was sent out to all the schools. Because we usually visit the schools. When COVID wasn't in place we usually visit 20 to 25 schools and usually kindergarten through sixth grade. And so this year they created a video and sent it to all the schools so that they could send it to all the students. And they actually did a station visit. They actually talked about stop, drop, and roll, and different fire prevention topics. They got some soccer kids involved and did a stop, drop, and roll, at the soccer field. And so even with COVID we found different ways to get involved with the community. And then on the big part is with COVID our Fire Prevention Bureau and along with other staff, that was on the taskforce or is on the taskforce that educated the community on COVID, and visited businesses, and helped to, you know, inspect the businesses and help give them ideas on what they can do so that they can open up. And that they can continue to generate income for their families. And, you know, it's been a tough year, but at the same time with everything else happening as a department we had to kind of morph into, you know, how we can help the community in a different way not only responding to their 911 call. But also to educating them. We had a bunch of people involved with the testing, and now the vaccines, right. And so that's all ways that the Fire Department is helping educate and serve the community. MR. INABA: Okay. Sounds like you folks are working on the concerns I had already. And we know there's all kind stuff going on across the island, especially with the facilities. And it sounds like my colleagues here are in total support of trying to be as helpful as we can to address some of those especially the conditions in which our first responders are having to stay in. I've also seen Captain Cook and even Kailua-Kona, and I had my comments that day. But I'll end it with this, it was a crazy year and I want to mahalo you Chief Perreira for, I don't think there's any other department that a person had to operate in both number one and number two positions. So kudos to you and we appreciate all that you've done. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Thank you. Thank you for your support and thank you, Council, for your guys' support. MR. INABA: Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Rebecca, do you have any questions, any concerns? MS. VILLEGAS: I think you guys have covered it and I kind of sound more like wookie than a person right now. Thanks for covering it. Thank you everyone for Page 105 FC-8 April 13,2021 all your questions and answers that the Fire Department has so thoughtfully and strategically brought forward for us today. Really appreciate it. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Okay, gentlemen I have some questions for you. Just quick for me, how many calls COVID and, you know, now. Or pre-COVID, COVID did you see a huge decrease? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So initially we did see a decrease in call volume throughChief, was it like March, April, May, kind of with the tourism? MR. HONDA: Yeah. Right when COVID started March or so last year we went down as low as 25 percent call volume reduction. And I would say December, January, we started to see an uptick. And right now we're almost par. I think it has to do with tourists returning, more people on the road, businesses opening. So we're definitely seeing an uptick there. So I think we're almost back to pre- COVID, call volume-wise. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: And don't forget more residents. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I was wondering about that; I was wondering what your guys' call ratio is fordo you track tourism verses resident's calls? MR. HONDA: That's hard to track. That's sometimes a little challenging. As far as if they live here or not, we could probably query the data with State Department of Health, Dr. Galanis. But we do monitor monthly, and then we do breakdown the call volume like when COVID started. We're breaking down like flu symptoms, pre-COVID verses COVID, and then we did see an uptick in flu symptoms. And it could be people calling more, because they were paranoid at that time. They got a cough, so they think they had COVID, so they call 911. And through the public education that we're doing, hey you don't need to call 911 if you just have a fever. Because what we were worried about is inundating the hospitals and the 911 system. And, you know, so through education we saw that it was working. With working closely with Department of Health and brainstorming Statewide, not just County-wide. We banded together as a state to give one message working with Department of Health, CDC (Center of Disease Control), best practice and things like that. And it seems to have worked, but we were very data driven on call volume; types of calls; admits, ICU admits;people on ventilators; daily. So we want to be ahead of the eight ball. We even had a contingency plan of what we do if our hospitals couldn't take any more patients. What kind of pamphlets were we going to do, where are we going to take them, the mortuary issues and things like that. We just wanted to be really Page 106 FC-8 April 13,2021 ahead just in case we got to that point. But knock on wood, hopefully we don't ever get there. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I agree. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So on that point though, about visitors verses residents. With our ocean safety, Hapuna and Kua Bay we do have stats on residents verses visitors in injuries. And I think that's something we keep you know, so certain ones we do keep, because we know that when we're asking for money from the state, we know that, hey these are visitors that are coming into the island and getting hurt. And we need that support from the TAT (Transient Accommodations Tax), or wherever it may be from. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Especially when they cut our TAT and threaten to cut our funding for ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yes. So we do have some of those stats being kept in certain areas that we feel that we need them to help the data for what we're looking for. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Good. And then whose idea was it to do a line item by item, by item, by item budget analysis for you guys? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So that's me. You know, I've been leading this department for about six months now. And as Deputy Chief when Chief Rosario, you know, before he left, I just saw that we're moving money around and it's not properly budgeted. Like if I needed $150,000 for PPE(Personal Protective Equipment) I should have a line item that says $150,000 for PPE and not$9,600 for PPE. And where do I get the $141,000 from. So that's something that has been a goal we set. UnfortunatelyI'm just going to say it, our Accountant IV has left us. And so we're recruiting for a new accountant. And so I think it's a good thing, because we need to start fresh, we need to get that budget in order, and we need to be able to manage our budget and pay our bills. So, you know, that's a focus that I've always seen our finances as one of the big areas that we have to improve. And it's hard to improve when you don't know how much you're spending in what area. And so we have to do that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Good job. Looking through your budget, you know, you—I don't know who, but you guys really shaved some of your overtime. I mean really substantially across every department. I was impressed actually. I mean given what we heard in 2019-2020, "This is our lowest number, these are our lowest figures; we can't go any lower than this." But you brought some—look at your first line item on your first page you took it, not your first Page 107 FC-8 April 13,2021 one, sorry. But your fire protection salary and wages overtime, you dropped it by $600,000. That's impressive. And the next one, miscellaneous salary wages, fire protection. You dropped $500,000 on that. I was very impressed by how much you're willing to cut. In the end you guys came up almost balanced, you're plus a couple million dollars. But I think you did that by really affectively addressing your overtime in a few different departments to give yourselvesI mean plus what? From 2019-2020 to what you're looking at 2021-2022 you're only increasing your budget by $1.2 million. I'm impressed with what you guys did. Thank you, Chief. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: The only place I saw increases were your, I mean some heavy increases, looks like was the helicopter safety, is that right? Ocean safety saw some increases but, helicopter services saw some pretty substantial increases. This is the total. So you went about$300,000, what was the reason for that? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: We had some major repairs that needed to happen there. We replaced the turbine on one of our helicopters. And I think Chopper 2, our air medical, had pretty heavy redo of a lot of parts in that chopper also. It's old so there was a lot of parts that had to be replaced. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And then, thank you for touching on it earlier, Ms. Kimball. Your number one priority coupled with Police Department was the Kea`au Fire Department, correct? Or a joint facility. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And where are you at with that project? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So we still need to find land. If we can find the land I think, you know, we can use any one of our latest plans whether it's Haihai maybe cutting that back a little bit. But once they can find land, we can work together with DPW (Department of Public Works) on the plans. But I think that's the first step, is we got to know where it's going to be and then we can look at the property and the design. And obviously the fire trucks, so we need to make sure we can properly get in and out of there safely on to the main road. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. We discussed that. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yeah. Page 108 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And I went around and briefly discussed with DPW, with Police. Police is on board. I briefly discussed with Shipman, they have a general plan for the Kea`au community as well. They actually set up some land, although they want us to lease it long term. But I think the next appropriate step then would be to actually kick it to Finance and Property Management and make sure that they're looking for a piece of property and get us a good deal on property. I mean the reasoning behind that though was interesting. What's going on at the Fire Station in Kea`au right now? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So currently we lease that from Shipman and, you know, the station is small. It's got roof leaks. They repaired it. They redid the floor, covered the floor with new tiles because of the asbestosis in the old tiles. But the style of the roof and the way I guess the additions were made, the apparatus roof when it rains hard flows over onto the station roof and then water flows into the office. And so it drips right over the computers and right into the office where all the work happens. So DPW was looking at a new design of the roof. So like a whole total redesign of the roof. And I don't support that. I feel like we shouldn't be putting money into somebody else's building. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I was just about to ask you, why are paying for improvements to a building we don't own? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yes. So I don't support that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We had to move guys out of there recently too. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yes. For three months we moved them out so that we could do that work. The repair of the roof worked a little bit, but it didn't work 100 percent. So there's less leaks, but there's still leaks. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So we still have a leaking roof? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yup. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And I mean your facility is right next to the Police Department. I think I heard the same thing from them. Their roof is leaking, and their files are being ruined via water damage. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And we lease all this from the Shipman Group. And we have leaking roofs on a County facility. Page 109 FC-8 April 13,2021 ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Yeah. And so we need to move that forward. I mean Kea`au and that area is expanding and developing so call volume is big out there. Even with the new ambulance at Station 18, we haven't seen it drop much at all at Kea`au. You know, the call volume is there to support the personnel and the need for the facility and future increase of personnel. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Puna has experienced a huge amount of growth. So per capita we would need—is that an increase of personnel? I mean Tim touched on that earlier. Is there a personnel increase that's needed or is it just more the facility itself? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So anytime you're going to add—like so, you know, out there we have a small brush truck, a fire truck, and ambulance. And so if you're going to staff all that, obviously there needs to be more staffing. Now it just depends on where we have the apparatus, yeah. We may add a tanker there, we don't know. If we had a tanker there, then that automatically would increase staffing or the need to keep staffing there. Sometimes the staff there will fly to another station to cover for shortages. So it just depends on the apparatus as assigned. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I think a good question for Deanna then would be, is how they push that to Property Management. But she's not here so I'll get her when she comes back. Yeah, so again, your attention to detail was impressive during this budget, because I've been through, this will be my third one. The last two years was quite a different story, but this year I'm very impressed again. I did notice in the beginning of the budget you have 60 positions that are vacant but budgeted. It looks like they're recruits. But what's going on with the 60 positions? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: So those positions I think if that's the recruit, the TP (Temporary/Permanent)positions, that's just positions that we have for vacancies to hire so we can hire. So say like right now we're expectingI think we have seven or eight that we know of that will be leaving this year. And so we're working on the recruitment right now for firefighter recruit. But we can't put them in the positions that ranked positions that are filled. So we use the TP position temporary and then they go in there for their probationary period of one year, and then after that one year they move into a permanent firefighter position. And so that's where say, we had six Captains retire, in that period of time we need to make sure that we promote six Drivers to Captain, and then Firefighters to Drivers, so we have those six vacancies at the bottom to fill our recruits into. And so that was a very challenging thing this past year because we we're down to one position. And so we had to make sure that Battalion Chiefs promoted up, Captains promoted up, Drivers promoted up, Paramedics were promoted up into Page 110 FC-8 April 13,2021 the position so that we could fill at lowest level Firefighter from those temporary positions. And that's what you're seeing there, I believe, is those temporary positions. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Just checking. Thank you. And then what was your strategy behind adjusting for OT (Overtime)? Did you just go by a percentage base, or per station and what you've seen in the past, what was that? ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: You know, I honestly cannot take credit for any of that. I honestly feel that the staffing being where it was, that's just the fruits of that of having adequate staffing. And then obviously I'm not sure exactly what you're looking at with those numbers. But, you know, we're seeing a cost savings because we're getting some funding from the CARES that is being paid back to us for our charges that we used. So someone had overtime might have been CARES funding, CARES overtime, that we got funding back. So that maybe some of that. So there's kind of been a combination I believe of staffing being there. And there also because of the taskforce and the weekend work with some of our personnel, we've had some overtime that's been paid back to us from CARES to help us balance our budget. So Deanna would have the best answer for that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Deanna, actually get two questions for you, if you can come up. Thank you, gentlemen, sorry. Yeah, don't go too far. (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. SAKO: Hello. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Hello, again. Good afternoon this time. I really feel like they did a really amazing job at cutting back on the overtime. You know, we went through 2019-2020, I remember that we talked about overtime it was a big discussion point actually. MS. SAKO: Yup. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But in this one I mean they come back with adjusting I mean almost 40 percent, 30 percent of their overtime and shaved it off. And I've seen they made room for some of their regular S&Ws (Salary and Wages) that they had as well. Is that just departmental, is that CARES funded or what? Page 111 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. SAKO: A bunch of it is CARES funded when it comes down to the actuals. So several departments when they were working for CARES, we were able to charge that overtime to that specific GL (General Ledger) account number. So I would have to run a different report to kind of show what the original overtime was for each department. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: How many departments that does that apply to? MS. SAKO: Well definitely like Police, Fire, Public Works, Parks probably had a little bit, you know, especially on that earlier days when we were doing a lot more of the sanitization. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then follow up for the Kea`au Fire/Police facility, is that being pushed to property to take a look at? MS. SAKO: Property Management, yes, it has been told to try and find a sight. Is that? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yes. MS. SAKO: And then we'll see if we have enough funding. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I did talk to Shipman briefly. Again, they're looking at a lease. We currently lease property from them, but as I've just learned, and I've heard before actually, we have leaking roofs at those facilities. And we're leasing something and it's unusual to hear of a lease where we're being requested to fix the building itself. Not a usual lease agreement. MS. SAKO: Well we built the building. We're leasing the land. We're not leasing the building. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: There it is. Okay. So our building is falling apart on the Shipman land. MS. SAKO: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Interesting. Okay. Yeah. And I think, you know, giving just going to say this, given that new stop light I think that's imperative that we get some people on the other side of that stop light to help in an emergency because there has been too many times now when that is gridlocked, and we're stuck on the back side of that stoplight. So it'd be good to have this facility in many ways. But I'd love to see some forward movement on this. We talked about it last year. Understand times are Page 112 FC-8 April 13,2021 tight, but given population density in Puna, services that we offer, the response time from Pahoa to upper Puna, and just a number of other challenges we face in Puna. This is a great way to get a project moving that needs Fire Department and Police Department. So thank you. Can you follow-up with me regarding Hamana (Ventura) and our Property Management? MS. SAKO: Yeah. I will talk to the Mayor. I mean definitely there's a lot of priority projects. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But this one listed number one, by two departments in underserved area that is clearly needing some help. So hope it doesn't need too much coercion to see the good in this project. Okay. Thank you, Deanna. MS. SAKO: Um-hum. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, gentlemen. Thank you very much, appreciate it. Any further questions by the Council, good? Okay. Thank you for your time, appreciate it. And then I'm just going to call you, Chief, but you're doing a wonderful job. Thank you. ACTING CHIEF PERREIRA: Thank you. And I just wanted to bring up one last thing. You know, we're thankful for the joint dispatch center that has been approved that is moving forward for our Police and Fire Department dispatch. You know, that's a big project and much needed project. So thank you guys for your support and, you know, obviously the Mayor and the Finance Director on that also. So thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Good time today, good job. Do we want a quick recess? Okay, we're going to recess until, I'll give you five minutes. So I'll see you back here at 3:50 p.m. Recess: At 3:44 p.m., the Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 3:50 p.m. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Aloha, and welcome back. Rebecca, can you hear us? MS. VILLEGAS: Yup, I'm here. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We are going to do Office of Aging next. And we have the Director here. Come on up, sir. Introduce yourself and you as well please. Page 113 FC-8 April 13,2021 (6) Office of Aging: (Note: At this time, Executive on Aging Horace Farr and Administrative Assistant Christina Raine came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. FARR: Hi. I am Horace Farr. I'm the Executive on Aging for Hawaii County Office of Aging. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. MR. FARR: And this is Christina Raine. She is our Accountant and HR(Human Resource) person. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Awesome. Thank you for being here today. I believe you submitted a presentation for us as well or did you not? MR. FARR: No. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Sorry, some did, some didn't. Okay, you didn't. So why don't you briefly kind of bring us up to where you're at with your budget, what you submitted this year and then we'll go to Council questions after that. MR. FARR: Okay. We exist because of the Old Americans Act of 1965. So we are the designated area agency for Hawaii County. We are part of a 650 Triple A network across the country. We belong to that network and our national mission is as we are part of federal, state, and local agencies, is to provide services that would help ensure older adults to live independently at home and in their communities for as long as possible. And so that is our major mission. This past year we've learned some lessons because of the COVID situation and how that affected some of the way we deliver our services with contract. We are heavily grant funded. Our County I think with salaries and wages and a few things we've 17 percent of our budget is County; everything is State and federal. We are guided by the State. So the State is the agency that can defund us, if anything. But it is one of our most important purposes is to have good relationships with the State because I think 56 percent of our funding comes through the State. And so we work with the State very closely. And we want to always thank the Council for the opportunity of the support that you guys give us, you know, in the work that we do. The County has been always very supportive. What you folks do cover allows us to put those service dollars back into the community so we can leverage those dollars a lot more by the help that you guys give us. And so we, again, appreciate all that you guys provide for us and do for us. Page 114 FC-8 April 13,2021 As we are an attached agency, and you don't see us in the Charter, but we are attached to the Mayor's Office. And we are, like I said, the program service area for Hawaii County and the designated Triple A. And we're happy that we are tied with a government agency verses being with a private nonprofit. It gives us more flexibility in the funding, because our funding from the federal and the State as it comes down to us, is very restrictive. We're guided by certain principles. So we can't just take our money and put it to anything it has guidelines that come down with it. So we're responsible to meet that compliance that comes down whether it's federal or State money's we are bound by guidelines that come down and how we expend that money for the services that are mandated for us. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. Questions from the Council? Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Actually I have one question that had to do with kupuna transportation, which is a service that you guys' cover. And the reason I raise it is because we have a contract, you know, to provide kupuna transportation. We also got a big ask for our nonprofit grants in aid to support kupuna transportation. We also put money towards the Mass Transit Agency. What are we doing wrong with transportation for kupuna, where we have three different pools of money being requested? And I'm still getting calls, I don't have enough services to get to my doctor, to get to the store, whatever. I'm not trying to put you guys on the spot or be accusatory towards you. I'm just trying to understand why we have three different requests for the same functionality. MR. FARR: Okay. Well for our funding which comes through ACL, American Community Living, which comes from the federal and then it comes down through the State. Those monies—so they're earmarked for transportation through the Area agency. And some of it goes to transporting to the nutrition site and then the other one is the regular transportation, which our guidelines is point-to-point transportation. So those monies that come through us have to be used in those areas and the criteria is for Title 3, three being monies is that they have to be 60 plus. That's the regulations that come down for our services in that. In the last year our transportation services has decreased because with the COVID situation the State is requiring us especially with the mask and social distancing. So where we could buy and we buy those services, so we don't provide the services, but we buy the services, we contract out for the services. But the State has guided us and said that, because you have to have social distancing in place, where we would normally get may be eight to nine people in a van and transport them, we now are lucky if we can four in there. So in order to transport the same amount of people, it's twice the cost, right? Because you can only take four at a time. You can't take the whole eight like we used to before. So our transportation services has gone down. Page 115 FC-8 April 13,2021 The request for some of those services have gone down but as people are feeling more comfortable as vaccination have—we anticipate that our providers should start coming back. I think we were this past year we were down almost 35 percent in availability or usage that people were not as much calling for the service. And then also because we had to do some out of the box thinking on trying to get meals out. So it heavily drew on our transportation providers, which is the County. Same provider to shift resources to get the meals out delivered, because we could not open the meal sites. Our meal sites were closed. So it was a heavy draw on resources and so as much as the State would allow us, we would reshuffle our resources and try to fill those gaps. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, thank you. I'm just going to try and sum up what I'm hearing you tell me thumbs up or thumbs down, that basically for you folks you have some solid constraints on how you can spend the money with respect to transportation. And some of these other folks are filling in the gaps that you are not able to do due to those constraints. MR. FARR: Correct. MS. KIMBALL: Alright great. Thank you for your time. I appreciate it. I yield, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Ms. Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Aloha, great to see you folks,just a few questions for you. You know, with COVID so much of our kupuna had to stay home because they were vulnerable. And what really worried me was the lack of social connectivity. So I know you guys were fabulous at helping to ensure that our kupuna got critical meals they relied on. But,you know, over time, what are ways in which you worked creatively to continue that social connection with our kupuna? Whether it is making a weekly call to check in if they were okay or getting keiki to create cards and mail them to them just to let them know that community is thinking of them. Again, really curious what you guys have done to ensure that we remain connected and socially support our kupuna. MR. FARR: One of the contracts we have is an outreach contract because of the COVID situation. So part of what we did was to have our provider follow-up and call on them;just do a follow-up. From within our office from the ADRC (Aging and Disability Resource Center) we would go down the list periodically and call people,just to check on them. In everything that we mailed out of our office, we would make sure we put information that they could call us. One of things, we did get a grant from the State, and that was to help with the social connectivity to try to get cell phones or whatever out to them. So we did get that grant, but the Page 116 FC-8 April 13,2021 State had trouble getting it to us so we're under some time constraints right now to get that project going. But we have tried under our resources to still keep that connectivity with them. A lot of it happens, for the programs that we provide for, a lot of it happens at the nutrition sites, right? A lot of them go there more for the socialization than the meal itself. And couple of sites, the guys told us, "You know what, we like is the socialization more, not so much the meal. So you know what, you guys don't need to bring meals to us. We'll just kind of wait it out." And so those are some of the elements that we've been trying. We've been trying to work with some of the nonprofits. Our ADRC works with Vibrant Hawaii and some of those—Community First, we've tried to keep up with the advanced health care directive. So we've made our facility available for them. You know, we had to do a lot of thinking out of the box and some of that has been drive-thru advanced health directives, right? Because we kept our building pretty much closed, but we've had to provide ways to do that. So we worked with them, we've worked with AARP a lot especially during this tax season. Previous year when it all started, they had to shut down doing taxes. And so our seniors couldn't get their taxes done. This year we did drive-thru taxes again. We're working with AARP to allow them to use our space so they can do processing. And then the seniors can come and drop off and their questions. So we've been trying our best and we've been learning along the way, what adjustments to make to try still get services out and still meet the requirements that the State has on us. They kind of dictate, they give us the box, this is the size of the box, and you can move anywhere in the box MS. KIERKIEWICZ: But stay in the box. MR. FARR: But stay in the box, right. So we've been trying different corners of the box, so to speak. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thanks for being so creative and leveraging those strategic partnerships. Just a couple more questions. Administrator, I remember once you were before us you said that, you know, your office has a pulse on about ten percent of the kupuna on island. So I was just wondering with COVID has that list expanded, and what have you learned in terms of needs our kupuna need and where we can fill in the gaps as a community? MR. FARR: One thing we learned with those that we deal with, is that, especially our population, they're a lot easier to work with. You know, when you explain things to them, they're pretty much, "Okay, we'll stay home. You know, we understand these things." So we've learned that they're much more amendable to accepting what we share with them. But it has been a challenge with the COVID Page 117 FC-8 April 13,2021 on how to adjust our services to reach out to them and to meet their needs. Most of it has been, you know, social and as we've worked with thema lot of our seniors are creative, so they enjoyed the vaccination thing. They liked the drive- thru vaccination thing, so they would get four of them in a car, and schedule all their appointments go one time, right. And at the same time they're getting their social life. So we've been guiding them. So we've been telling them, well if you guys want to do that and you guys can keep the—own your own sign up for the drive-thru. Then you guys can be all together right there. So it's kind of hard to in-capsulize how much outside of our norm that we can step into. But we've tried, we've tried many things this year and we've learned a lot of things. And some of it was hard to meet, because you can't expend especially when the things just started. Family members didn't want workers to come into their home. So even our frail and vulnerable clients, though we had money and we could get the services to them. But if they refuse the service, we can't get service. And then we also had a capacity shortage, because people didn't want to come to work. They were afraid. We even tried providing as much PPE as we could for them. So we learned that until people kind of settled in it was hard to get services out to them even though we had the ability. Then we had capacity issues. And now it's kind of still hard to get workers to come back in so that we can again get our services delivered. So it's a there's many factors in trying to get our service out that come into play, and if the client says, "Not at this time,"no matter what we do we cannot go in and provide that service until they're ready or the family says so. I'm not sure if I answered your question. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: No, you did partially. But I want to back to the first part where you talked about having a pulse on ten percent of the kupuna population. Just again, curious about how much that list has expanded because of COVID. MR. FARR: As far as the expansion, for our services we don't really normally get the well seniors. The well seniors pretty much take care of themselves, and they like to go to the Zumba class. I don't know if Zumba is still around yet, I not too sure. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I know kupuna that Zumba, yeah. MR. FARR: They like the recreation classes. And they're for the first 10 years if they're a well senior they pretty much don't want to associate with our services. Because our services start taking you when you need that more extra assistance. So I would say that in all the years that I've been at Office of Aging, and this is going to be my 31"year, and all of years previous to this I was the Information System Analyst person, so I looked at numbers, it pretty much had stayed you know, we get the numbers that's coming in and the amount that transitions out, Page 118 FC-8 April 13,2021 we're pretty much touching each year between 4,000 and on a good year we might get to 5,000. And that number hasn't changed over the years as they move from one level to the next. And so the majority of our services are usually by the time they get to 68 or so is where we start time. But in the meantime, you know, we get so many that attrition every year. So I'm not sure if I answered your question. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: No. That really helps and it actually kind of helps to answer the final question I had, which was with our growing population of the number of kupuna that are achieving that kupuna status, right, I was just curious around the strategic plan of your office to scale up any of those programs to meet ongoing and future needs. MR. FARR: And we—our guide is, you know, in the planning function, right? And that's a big part of our office is to do planning. And so every year we need to look at where the numbers are going, and how numbers are coming in, what's trending, and then we need to make sure that those federal and State dollars are available, and how we're going to leverage them. So yes, as a planning office it is our responsibility to you know, we're guided by the four-year Area Plan (Area Plan on Aging). And so that is part of our requirement. Without that Area Plan we do not exist legally, so that's very important. And so as a planning office we need to not only watch the numbers on what we're servicing, but we need be out there working with other groups and finding out what's impacting them and try to work with. It's good to work with community first, and some of these others that are dealing with the younger, I call them younger seniors, the well seniors. Because it gives us an idea that the people that are involved there will probably be same ones that would be used to, and then when they will attrition, you know, when they move up, they will be familiar with what services we have. So our goal is always to try to anticipate that number and plan for that number. We try our best, but there's a lot of variables that are impacting. And then again because our dollars are so restrictive, you know, we can only work within that week. Our dollars are service dollars. And with services dollars you can only do service, right. And that's the restriction. So it becomes a challenge, but challenges are good. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: You find a way to make work. Thank you, Administrator. Appreciate your time and details and the hard work of your office. Thank you. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Ms. David, go ahead. MS. DAVID: Thank you, Chair. Administrator, thank you for being here today. And I just basically have one question, and you mentioned that 17 percent of your Page 119 FC-8 April 13,2021 funding comes from the county and the rest is State and feds. Are you being cut by any means on your budget from the State and federal funds? To your knowledge, have you been MR. FARR: Yeah. So again, there's three more weeks till the Legislature. MS. DAVID: Right. MR. FARR: We were informed by the State that they wanted us to do a practice run. Meaning do a ten percent—what happens if there was a 10 percent cut, 15 percent cut, and 20 percent cut. At the beginning they were not sure what kind of cuts we're going to take. But we went through, and we did our runs and we then planned, and having a good relationship with the State is a plus. So they worked hard to try to, monies that were available, to try to get that to us. And with that happening we then tried to do our planning. Our goal in our office was to see where the cuts would—if we had that amount of cuts, where would it affect us the most. Our goal was to get to 2023, and we are required on the federal level to do a maintenance of effort. So we are required to try and hold a level of services. Anytime we go below 10 percent up or above then we have to file a variance and why that happened. So we did our work, and if we took the 20 percent hit, we would survive. So with the funding that we had, and Christina did a lot of hard work, we planned out that for our maintenance of effort if everything crashed, we would be okay till 2023. And we planned that, and we worked hard at it, and so far we're okay. And at the end of this three weeks we find out what the Legislature—if everything stays the same for us on our end then we'll start planning 2024. And so we tried to assure that whatever cuts came down, we were fortunate that on the federal level some things came down through the State which helped us out. But we took it upon ourselves to try to come up with a budget that would get us all the way through 2023 if the funding stayed the same or even if it dropped. Then we found out that during the COVID crisis, demand for services went down. So that brought us down, which gave us a little more cushion, which then we had opportunity to push back to the programs, right? You know, we can push the money back to the programs. So that's what we did over the course of the pandemic. Wherever I could hold the union rate higher, I held as long as possible. Where we could increase through the contract, we did it. So our goal was to monitor that and where we have that extra cushion, we would be pushing it back to our providers so that they could help them. MS. DAVID: Well thank you for that and for explaining that, because that would be a concern if, you know, your department or your division would be further cut Page 120 FC-8 April 13,2021 and stuff. So that's kind of reassuring that you can still provide your services. And that's all I have. I yield. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. David. Rebecca? MS. VILLEGAS: I'm doing okay, thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Rebecca. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you. Ms. Kierkiewicz got me on to a line of thinking that I want to expand upon a little bit more, which is this 10 percent that you're reaching. And certainly there's going to be some folks that don't avail themselves of your services. What I'm curious about, and I think maybe this is where she was going, are there people we're missing? The people that we need to reach out to, kupuna that could definitely use your services but are not aware? MR. FARR: So that's why we have the outreach contract. Part of the outreach contract is that they will go out and, for a lack of a better term, beat the bushes, so to speak, right. And one of the incentives is they get a senior citizen I.D. card. So we're asking our providers to be aware. We get referrals. The ADRC gets a lot of referrals. And so as people are being referred then we follow up on them. But we do have a specific contract that hopefully we try to get five to a thousand new people every year, signed up and registered into our program. So we do set aside that to try to get out there. You know, our providers are pretty much out there in the communities, especially because they're all over. And our providers are pretty well known, and they pretty much know who they're picking up and everything. So we feel pretty good that we try to get as much as possible. Of course we won't get them all, you know, but we try as many as possible for those especially who are looking. And then people who are making referrals, we will try to follow up on those individuals. MS. KIMBALL: Are the funds that you get from grants, are they typically per capita based how many people you serve or are they for specific programs regardless of the number of people that are served? MR. FARR: It comes down to, and it's a portion by a funding formula. So the federal funds come down to the State and then it's a portion to each County, each Triple A by a funding formula. And then with the State dollars, the State has pretty much chosen to use the same formula. There are some grants that come down that are specific, like for Better Choices, Better Health. They are specific for that element. Title III side for nutrition, those are specified for congregate. And for HOME-D, we are only allowed to spend that money in that avenue and Page 121 FC-8 April 13,2021 we're very restricted on how much we can transfer between them. So some of the monies come down very specific. But again most of it comes down through a funding formula that the State sets up. MS. KIMBALL: Is that formula based on like census data? MR. FARR: It's based on a number of elements. Living alone is one, greatest financial need, population, rural versus urban. So, you know, Oahu is very urban, right, and they have a large—and then most of the outer islands, we're more rural. So I guess in all the years that I've been there I think there's been like three times where we've worked on the funding formula. But it's a give and take between the four counties and the State, because somewhere along the line somebody's, you know, going to take a loss, right. So one element for us, we felt living alone was very important for us because of our size in rural. On Oahu they don't think living alone is that crucial because they got a lot of people, right. And people might be in an apartment complex where it may not be the same here. So right now the funding formula that we've been working under has been, I guess, for the last at least ten years. But the State is the one that determines when they'll go back, and they'll sit down and redo the funding formula again. MS. KIMBALL: Yeah, because I think what you were maybe trying to get at, Council Member Kierkiewicz, is this real shift that we're seeing and their population demographics. And there was a great graph in Civil Beat a couple days ago that showed that shift over time and how our population is making that shift towards the aging demographic. And we want to make sure we're caught behind the eight ball in terms of providing, you know, the services that you folks do with an underestimation of the need in the population. And I'll just add that I think all of us want to support our seniors in our communities and if there's outreach programs, you know, all of us have our networks either as Council folks or in other organizations, and please utilize us as well in terms of getting your messages out. So mahalo, thanks. I yield, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. Thanks, Horace, for being here. I was wondering, you folks have the Committee on Aging, and that's a mandate, right, to ensure the funding. Are you guys okay over there? I know that's not a budget question, but it's all related and I need my colleagues to understand this. MR. FARR: Yes. So we did get names, not quite enough to fill the quorum, but we're working on that. And I think part of it was maybe, I, you know, with all the gray hair on my head sometimes I assume too many things. But with a new Page 122 FC-8 April 13,2021 administration, you know, I realized I needed to explain to them a little bit more how important the Committee on Aging is, because it is specified in the Old Americans Act that that committee, we must have in place to be in compliance. So the way things are, the way the bylaws and everything, there all coterminous with the Mayor. So when the Mayor leaves, everybody's gone. We don't have any carryovers. So they have applied again, people have to apply again and then they're vetted by the Mayor's Office. And so I think finally I was able to get that message to Pomai and so she started working on it. Part of it is that the makeup of the committee needs to be a representative of the island. So we're still kind of working on that. But I think we have nine now, and so right after we finish with budget here, I need to get them online, I need to get them trained, I need to get them their binders, and explain to them what needs to be done so that we can continue to be in compliance with our Area Plan and the State. MS. LEE LOY: Great. And thank you for that. I think we forget, right, the compliance pieces with the Older Americans Act. That's how you get all of the funding. And so it would be sad if we just were in noncompliance because we don't have that board in place. You know, I really didn't have any questions around your budget. I just always appreciate what you folks do with, you know, providing for our seniors. And, you know, as Council Member Kimball mentioned, if there's anything we can do to help share your message or maybe even try and help find people to sit on that Committee on Aging, you know, please reach out to use. Please use us as a resource. Alright thank you, Chair. I yield. MR. FARR: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Any further questions, comments, anything? Nope. Okay. Sorry, I'm thinking. So Area Plan on Aging, Miscellaneous Contract Services, you went up pretty substantially, is that due to, I mean it looks like grants coming in? You got it all broken down there and detailed. But these are dedicated to different things. So delivery, meals, transportation, each one has a dedicated amount and that's for the entire fiscal year 2021-2022, correct? MR. FARR: Yes. That's correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And so we can count on that funding. Is there any other sources of funding you're able to pull from or you see that, you know, coming down the line that you may be able to grab? MR. FARR: Within the allowance of where we can shift funds, that's pretty much where, you know, for the services that we're mandated to do. So we have done pretty much the shifting that we can do. But like I said because we found Page 123 FC-8 April 13,2021 that the demand wasn't as high, it gave us a little bit more wiggle room from what we had anticipated. So I anticipate up until 2023 that we would not be coming to the Council and saying, "Hey, we ran short of money and we're stuck." Like I said, in three weeks when the Legislature closes, we will know for sure how much, if it's a 20 percent cut or a 10 percent cut. The State's kind of saying it's more of a conservative 10 percent cut. If that happens, we feel we're still in good shape because we've planned to work with that. And so we're hoping that in three weeks when we find out what it all comes down to, that we can come back and say that we're good till 2024. And that's our goal. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And that's for the State grant side, correct? MR. FARR: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: As far as your County budget, yeah, it looks like you got a little bump from $584 from 2019-2020 to $723 for salary and wages. MR. FARR: On the County side I think, Christina can correct me, but I think that just allots for the increases, raises. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. FARR: You know, that— CHR. hatCHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, we've seen that across the board. MR. FARR: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So no new hires, no new staff? MR. FARR: Not on the County side, no. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then it looks like you have about a $5,000 decrease in your miscellaneous charges, Older Americans Month Committee on Aging meals. MS. RAINE: I think I can explain that. So the actual expenditures for last year and some of that$12,000 was for CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Wait, you've got to come a little bit closer to your mic. MS. RAINE: Sorry. Page 124 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: They can't pick you up for the captioning and all of that. MS. RAINE: Okay. So part of that$12,000 for last year was some of your contingency funds that ran through our office. So we don't obviously budget for that, so that's why it's a little bit—what we actually budgeted was less than what we spent last year. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, okay. And then the Area Plan on Aging, I mean this, sorry just to repeat, this is grant funded, correct? But your travel went up pretty substantially. Are you planning on doing a lot of travel or are you going to be doing it by Zoom? I'm just asking because I've seen this in multiple departments, usually decreasing in their travel budgets, but not increasing. MR. FARR: So for us (inaudible), and Christina can kind of correct me. But when the State says we must attend a meeting or we must attend a conference, they carve that money out for us and we go, right. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: You have to go. MR. FARR: We have to go because they're paying for it, right, it's part of the grant and everything. So we bumped it up but then COVID hit, I mean, and we're doing a lot of things now by Zoom. But if we don't use it, we just turn that money back into services. And we don't anticipate until things kind of start lifting, we don't anticipateI haven't even gone to a state meeting in Honolulu for over a year. So we haven't traveled at all. We don't anticipate on even attending any conferences and I don't think the State is indicating for us at this time that we have to attend. And some of those conferences, you know, they can be like two in a year and some of them are in Washington DC and stuff, or in different areas. And so sometimes it's a higher cost, but we don't anticipate this year doing any travel, even next year. It would be very minimal if anything. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So what do you do with the funds then? Because you got$21,800 MR. FARR: It'll go back into services. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. FARR: We will shift it back into services. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Services? MR. FARR: Whichever service, you know, we see the need in. Page 125 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Or any of these other grant-funded services that you do? MR. FARR: Yeah. Mostly, if it's State dollars it would go back into State programs. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, so you can take it and shift it back in wherever you see fit? MR. FARR: Yeah. Right. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, good. Good. Okay. You have one just following up from what I heard before. How do you get in touch with our kupuna? I mean, how do you know where they are, or do you just wait for them to contact you? MR. FARR: No. Again, for us as an Area agency, we do not provide the direct service. We're prohibited from providing the direct service. So we are purchasing the services. But it's through our programs that we contract with, it is through outreach, it is through mail-outs or working with the aging network. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: How do you know who to mail to? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Well, everybody gets registered. You know, whoever needs to get services or wants to services must get registered into our database. So we keep track of that. And so people are referring, Legal Aid is referring, or our network is referring people to us, and as they get registered that's part of the requirement, is that they get registered—and we're part of the State mandated database, we're connected to that. So as people come in as they get registered for services or even anything just to get a senior citizen ID card, they get registered into the system. And that allows us to know where they are, how many is in whose district, how many is in your district that are getting services; and we begin to, with using the census and some of these other items, we can kind of get an idea of where people are. But we are trying always to promote services and getting people out and trying to get them at health fairs, all of these. And then we try to have our people there that are encouraging them to take advantage of the services if they need it. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, good. I think in many ways, I mean, you can almost define a society by the way they take care of our kupuna. So the best that we can do, that's what we should be doing and more. So thank you for what you do. Appreciate it. Any follow up questions from the Council? Nope, nope. Okay. Thank you for your time today. Well done. Page 126 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. FARR: Thank you folks very much. We appreciate all that you guys do and your support. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Appreciate it. Thank you. MR. FARR: Please don't hesitate to call us if you have any questions. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you very much. MR. FARR: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, Council, do we want a brief recess before we take Public Works? Brief recess? Okay, let's take a ten minute and then we'll come back. So I'll see everybody back here at 4:41 p.m. We're in recess. Recess: At 4:31 p.m., the Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 4:42 p.m. (7) Department of Public Works: CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, aloha. Welcome back. We are at the end of our day for the Special Committee on Finance for the budget hearings. The last department is the Department of Public Works. We have the Director and his staff here as well. Want to come up and join us, sir? Good to see you. Make yourself comfortable. And did you guys submit a PowerPoint presentation as well? (Note: At this time, Public Works Director Ikaika Rodenhurst came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. RODENHURST: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. So let's get going on the PowerPoint presentation. And then just a reminder for Council Members as we move forward, especially given the next the couple days and being on time and keeping out of here on time, let's try and keep our questions very pertinent to the budget and not get too carried away in other things going on so we can stay in the constraints of the data we have. Mr. Rodenhurst, when you are ready, go ahead. MR. RODENHURST: Aloha. My name is Ikaika Rodenhurst, Director of Public Works. Okay. Rebecca, can you hear me? Can, okay. Right on. So we are the Page 127 FC-8 April 13,2021 Department of Public Works. As you know we have a various list of tasks that we cover. One of our goals is the building, operating and maintaining of the public infrastructure for success and growth of our County. We have six divisions: the Administration Division, Engineering Division, Traffic Division, Building Division, Highways Maintenance Division, and the Automotive Division. We have four of our six chiefs here today. Two are available via phone. Our Engineering Division handles our design and investigation of regulatory, our land surveying, our lands rights acquisitions, blueprint management, construction regulatory inspection, and our bridges. Our Traffic Division handles our signs and markings, our signals and our streetlights. Our Building Division handles our building inspections, our building maintenance, our general services, the facilities projects that we have here, as well as the highly publicized of highly anticipated plan review process. Our Highway Maintenance covers the repair and maintenance of our roads and the safety of our roads during emergencies as well as the maintenance of our right of ways, including maintenance of landscaping and maintenance of trees and drainage. Our Automotive covers a majority of the fleet of our County, the repair and maintenance and the inspection of our vehicles. And our administration covers our outreach, our contracts, and goes over our budgets and goals for our various divisions. (Note: At this time, Director Ikaika Rodenhurst came forward and provided a PowerPoint presentation to the members of the Committee. For viewing of the presentation, see the DVD copy of the proceedings on file in the Clerk's Office, or navigate to the Council's video archives from the County's homepage online at www.hawaiicounty.gov. A hard copy of the presentation is made a part of the record. See Comm. 103.8.) MR. RODENHURST: So at this time, since you all have our budget in front of you and we've all gone through it, I'll be more than happy to take questions. For the most part, this is who we are, this is what we're doing, and I appreciate any questions and I appreciate any critiques that may be here today. I thank you all for your time. I know it's been a long day, but we're here to answer your questions. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Director Rodenhurst. Who wants to go first? No one's jumping at this one. I cannot, somebody give me Tim Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: I cannot jump, I'm too slow for that. Okay. Thanks, Director. Couple of questions. You know, we've talked pretty much all day about funding going forward and where you want to take the department and what we want to get ahead of us. And obviously the theme throughout this whole thing is Page 128 FC-8 April 13,2021 maintenance and repair, and I think we have, what, 800 miles of county road or something like that. And I'm always thinking about—every time you say bridges, I look at Council Woman Kimball, because of so many bridges in her district. That being said, we have that partnering software with the State DOT (Department of Transportation) and they were surveying the roads. It was my impression that report was going to be done sometime late fall or early spring. What is the status of that report? MR. RODENHURST: So the Manli system actually takes the data and the current data we're using is from the end of 2019, and that data is populated in their system. We have access to it, and it gives us an idea of what the road condition is. We have a visual representation as well, they have pictures and video we can go through. It also lets us know the level and estimated cost. We're confirming really if those estimated cost numbers are accurate for the current fiscal year, because as we know prices, especially regarding paving, change with the oil cost. But we are analyzing that and providing a system for our department to use it for our various divisions including Traffic, Highways, Engineering, as well as share that data with other departments. I know that some of that data is vital for Planning and Finance. And so we are setting up the meeting with State Highways to go over some training so that we all have the capabilities to go through there and use that data to its fullest. But at its current state, it is not being used to its fullest. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, so that report—because that's supposed to have, as I understood, help us prioritize which roads should be attended to first, correct? MR. RODENHURST: Correct. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And there's never enough funding to address all the roads but going forward the theory was we'd hit the ones that needed it most and then start chipping away at that. And this comes back to, again, the theme that we've been talking about, is shovel-ready, ready to go, because if this funding comes before us, and this is something to work with State DOT and (Ed) Sniffin; again, he is the one that liked to have things ready to go. Where are we with having roads ready to resurface or to undergo? I mean, are we ready to grab some of the funding that we're pretty sure is going to be coming forth for us, are we ready to use it? MR. RODENHURST: Yes. We have three shovel-ready projects. I touched on one, which is Waianuenue. That's our current one that we have federal obligation acceptance from the State, waiting for the federal highways to provide their final signature on and then we're good to go. The other two we have are Waikoloa Road rehabilitation and Hina Lani Street rehabilitation. Those two are Page 129 FC-8 April 13,2021 shovel-ready but they are, they're kind of quite a price and we definitely need federal funds for those. So we have provided those already for some consideration to Congressman Kahele's office, as well as having them ready for any other federal funding. And taking a look, like I said, I just was aware that raised funding put forth today. I going to take a look at that and see if they're eligible for that. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And then the other roads, meaning, are we prioritizing? How quickly will that list be prioritized? And I think we as a Council would be curious, in our districts, what's the highest priority and then relative to the County as a whole, how it stacks up? And it sounds like you are getting there but not quite. So when can we except at least a first draft of that report? MR. RODENHURST: Sorry,just to clarify, first draft of the report to the Manli system, or first draft of our shovel-ready Federal Highways eligible projects? MR. RICHARDS: You know me. Both. MR. RODENHURST: Okay. Well, we have a list of our projects and design that are classified as our STIP (State Transportation Improvement Projects)projects. And we are taking a look at what we have. I would say for that schedule, I think we can have something by June for that, as far as what our priority list is, if not sooner. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. If you could get that to the Council, because again, for us to advocate, and it'll probably be at the federal level—or even if we go through the State, even when we go through the STIP funding, we need to know what we're advocating for. So we need that coming forth. I also know there's some infrastructure money proposed as it pertains to bridges. And I'm very sensitive to Ms. Kimball's bridges and the fact that most of these bridges are beyond retirement age. Where are we with evaluating the bridges? MR. RODENHURST: So for evaluating the bridges we have about 129 bridges that are on the federal list. We do have quite a lot in Hamakua and in Hilo. Kohala has its fair share, ten. Kona has about eight. Ka`u has three. Puna has four. And we're going through the list to get the prioritized list of that. We can get something together around the same time. As far as bridges that are eligible now, we still have some bridges that are eligible and currently in the FEMA process for repairs. And we are pursuing those bridges that are in design such as Kolekole Bridge repair. We have other bridges as Ka`ie`ie Stream Bridge and the list goes on. We have quite a list of bridges. Some of these are smaller so they've actually been grouped together in the FEMA request. So I can get a prioritized list at the same time as we get our roads, in June. Page 130 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. RICHARDS: And the reason I ask for that is that there may be some input that we as Council Members can give you meaning, I don't know, historical knowledge or we know something that may bump something up or something down depending on what's going on. So I would ask that coming forward. I'm going to stop now and turn it over to you, Chair, and let my other Council Members who I'm sure have a few other questions. So thanks, Chair. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Hi. How are you doing, Director? I'm going to just dovetail right off of where Council Member Richards started us in terms of prioritization of projects,particularly roads and bridges, and would like to understand what factors you guys are taking into account as far as prioritization for both of those types of projects. MR. RODENHURST: Well I think the biggest factor we have is the use of the bridge. We've had to shut down a couple bridges. Recently, we had to shut down a couple bridges. Recently, we had to shut down Makea Bridge. Kahakini Bridge was recent, you know, in a fair time recently shut down as well. And that's something that's based off the critical findings of those bridges. So I would say that our priorities are one, to make sure that those bridges that are near critical findings, they be handled. But also the bridges that have been shut down and the bridges that are—some of the community members only access outside of their house. We need to make sure that our public has access. And so we're there to we're going to be looking through this list and seeing what bridges have limited access where there are no alternatives. That being said, some of the bridges we talked about like Kolekole Bridge rehab and Kahakini and some of those bridges in the Kolekole-Hakalau area, we're aware that the State is coming up with bridge projects and because of that, in case of an emergency or some kind of catastrophic incident, they're going to need to have alternative routes. So we want to make sure that those are available in those areas as well. So I think that those are our top priorities when addressing the bridges. And then, you know, when we're dealing with federal funds making sure that the bridges that have access to FEMA funds, that have access to any kind of federal funds to leverage, we use those bridges to stretch our dollar because bridges don't come cheap, and they are important. And when they fail, they fail. A failed road is still traversable. There are a lot of roads that are questionable on and off County property. But as far as bridges, you can't have a bridge that's failing and still use it. That's not acceptable. Page 131 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. KIMBALL: Can we talk a little bit about prioritization of roadways and how that happens? MR. RODENHURST: Yes. MS. KIMBALL: What are the criteria? MR. RODENHURST: So again, it's very similar. You know, making sure that we leverage our federal funds where we can, to stretch our dollar. Like I said, the Manli system, we're going to be implementing that data to adjust where our roads are needed most. Where the repairs are needed most, I'm sorry. That's going to be vital. I know when I talked to Neil Azevedo, kind of on board. And I asked him, "How do we check some of our road conditions?" Some of it was based off of what our Highways crews see on a daily basis. And that's not an accurate way to determine the quality of our roads. And no slight to him, they do a really good job. They work hard. But in my experience as an engineer, I've walked roads to determine the level of deterioration and I've seen how that goes. It really depends on the weather; it depends on a lot of things. And with this Manli system and their ability to identify the status of the road, it's a vital tool. And one thing I want to make clear is that the tools that are Manli and EnerGov, it's not a miracle solution to our problem. It's just a tool and that's what it is. And I think we need to make sure we're using our tools properly and to their fullest extent. So using that Manli system is really going to help us prioritize and provide an accurate plan on how we get our roads paved in the County. MS. KIMBALL: So can you delve into whatever algorithm are in the Manli system that it uses to prioritize? This is my reasoning for asking this you know, I'm sure this is true in everybody's district, but it's certainly true in my district. There's various areas that need to get paved, repaved, or repaired. It's difficult to explain to a community, "We can't do yours now," if I don't understand the criteria that you folks are using to choose which project is next. And so that's why I'd like very clear guidance in terms of how prioritization happens whether it's through Manli or if it's through your administrative process. So can you elaborate on Manli's mechanisms? MR. RODENHURST: Yeah. So Manli has identified—again this this through the 2019 data. It identifies what level of repairs are needed, whether it be a severe or minor repaving and those are you know, for severe if I'm not mistaken—so they have prescribed methods on there for the level of the road where it can be a crack-seal, slurry-seal. It has minor and severe which is, if I'm not mistaken, a two-inch mill and fill paving, and a four-inch mill and fill paving. And I also have beyond that, which will be an entire reconstruction. They have that available through of data. And so we can use that to identify and prioritize where Page 132 FC-8 April 13,2021 our roads are at and how we can best handle them and use techniques available and feasible to extend the life of our roads. MS. KIMBALL: So what I'm hearing is that it's primarily mechanical from the standpoint of the condition that the road is currently in. Are there factors such as what you talked about at other alternative accesses, protection of health and safety, people being isolated, level of traffic, number of businesses that are on that I mean these are the social criteria that I think Mr. Richards was indicating that we as Council people can provide the knowledge of our areas, is any of that included in the decision-making process? MR. RODENHURST: Yes, it is. After we identify the level of the road and we get our baseline priorities based off of that, we would have to identify in each district how best to make our dollar go and how best to serve the people of that district. So yes, I believe that's something that would be beneficial to discuss with each Council Member and their district is, you know, give an idea of where we're going and hear your input on that. MS. KIMBALL: So do you allot a certain amount per district? Is that how it's done, or do you take an island-wide view? MR. RODENHURST: So with your Highways Maintenance Program there is a certain amount per district based off of that. It's in our program budget. And then as far as our engineering budget, that's something that we typically leverage our federal funds with in our STIP projects and other funding qualified. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. Thank you for those answers. I want to understand a little bit more about inventory as a whole of bridges, road, coverts, facilities, all that. I've asked for some of that and I've also looked at what's available either through County resources or State resources, particularly the bridge files through the Office of Planning, which just on preliminary cursory look for District 1, is missing in quite a number of bridges in identifying bridges that don't actually exist. So I'm a little curious about the quality of that particular dataset. What have you guys been working on as far as building an inventory and an assessment of the quality of the main pieces of infrastructure that we're responsible for as a County? MR. RODENHURST: I'm sorry I need to clarify. When you're asking that you're talking about the bridges still or about— MS. boutMS. KIMBALL: I'm talking about all inventory across bridges, roads, coverts, you know, basically everything that you're responsible for. What are you doing as far as compiling an inventory that's accurate? Page 133 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. RODENHURST: So in our Engineering Division we do have a list of our bridges and we have a list of the current inspections and the statuses and whether they're in design and whether they're eligible for certain types of funds. I believe you requested that and it's something that if I'm not mistaken—did we get that to you? MS. KIMBALL: No, you did not. MR. RODENHURST: I will follow up on that. MS. KIMBALL: Which is why I'm asking you. MR. RODENHURST: I appreciate that. I will get that to you by the end of the week, our current status on that bridges. But yes, as far as our drainages and our roads, we do have a list of all the roads that are maintained within the County. We also have through the GIS mapping and our other technologies, we have a list of where those are, how those are in relation to our County right of ways and the maintenance of those. You know, one of the things that we discovered, and this is again of no fault to the Highways Maintenance Division, but we found in the past that there have been a lack of documentation that's really prevented us from getting some of the federal funds for some of these bridges. And so, we're working with Neil in the Highways Division to address that and make sure that we provide that documentation, and we get that up and ready so in the event of an emergency or something, we have documentation to get eligible for all those funds. MS. KIMBALL: I'm glad you brought that up because that's pretty critical. Even if we're not doing active work to maintain thoseMakea Bridge is an example. There was clearly recent work done on that, but I know that we were rejected the first application for federal funds because there was no record of that maintenance. And so I'm glad to see that that's a focus of the department. I had a chance to go out with Neil and inspect some roadways and bridge areas using the iPad GIS mapping system which, you know, I was all gaga about of course. Is that integrated with Manli; is that part of the same platform? MR. RODENHURST: No. The GIS isn't currently integrated with Manli. That's something that I wanted to bring up to State DOT and see when we coordinate with them for training for the other divisions and departments that are going to use the Manli, if that's something we can pursue coordination with in the future or something we can do at the County independent of that. MS. KIMBALL: I see this as being a really powerful tool. It was really impressive how Neil was able to use it, capture a picture of what was going on, identify what work needed to be there, and I think it's worth the investment of Page 134 FC-8 April 13,2021 time to make sure we have all accessible data in that. And I know Asia was primarily responsible for setting up where we are now, which is kudos to her. But I'm just encouraging you to add any additional relevant data and of course some of us would love to be able to have access to that as well at some point. I'm going to just one other temporary bridges and where are we on that? MR. RODENHURST: So I was just discussing this with Keoni about temporary bridges. We have something in place. We are looking at getting an idea of a file number, how much it's going to cost us to acquire a bridge and get that going especially for Makea because that is their only access for the County to their homes. So I don't have a file number today, but we're getting very close to that and I'll definitely keep you posted on where that is. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, thank you. I actually wanted to pose a question to Deanna on the temporary bridges. Just a concern about funding for something that is considered temporary and if there's any issues that we as a Council need to resolve,just because of the terminology and the types of funds that could be put towards something that's called temporary, which will actually probably end up not being permanent necessarily in location but permanent in terms of a piece of inventory we have use of. (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna S. Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. SAKO: So basically any kind of equipment, which this might end up being classified at, I would have to dig into it a little bit more, we cannot use bond funds for that type of thing. So it needs to be a permanent-type structure, you know, not something movable or something considered equipment. So that would be my best advice at the moment. MS. KIMBALL: Alright. Thank you for that clarification. Appreciate it. And I will yield, Chair, as the timer has gone off. Thanks. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Director, for being here. I'm not going to elaborate on it. But the bottom line is this body would like to see a needs assessment of our roads, of our bridges, of our assets, whether it's a building, a Quonset hut. Whatever DPW is in charge of, we need to see a needs assessment. You know, along those lines what we're asking for is a metrics. How is that business decision being made? Because the road might be in bad shape, but if it's not meeting any kind of carrying capacity, why would we focus funding there? So I'm just going to leave it right there. That would go a long way for us. Page 135 FC-8 April 13,2021 So that being said I'm looking at the budget in Engineering, you know, because we have $1.5 million and I'm assuming that's where our needs assessment would come out of from our engineers in that division who's tasked with evaluating some of that. And what I'm homing in on is some of the regulatory review as far as applications reviewed and plans reviewed. And that's in your program budget as program measures. I'm not sure what page it is on for you, but it's on page 277 for us. What I'm a little, maybe, misunderstanding is the way it's folded out in that table—and maybe Haku, you can help us too. We have actuals as far as numbers, but under regulatory review we have percentage. So is that 90 percent of the time or is that 90 actual applications that have been reviewed by the deadline? MR. RODENHURST: It is percentage. MS. LEE LOY: Okay. And see, this is where it gets wonky, right. Because we have numbers as far as projects go and then we go to 90. And so, you know, we're looking for some hard information so we can make some good decisions. Further down we go into design and investigation with review, survey, construction drawings, subdivision applications, and so I'm trying to understand the efficacy and the timing of review because we keep hearing how long things are taking for review. And so when you look above, the representation is those things are done 90 percent of the time on time, and it's been the experience from the public that it's not. And then we go down to these are the totals that we're reviewing. And so by my math we're about 500 various application there. Is that an accurate assessment? MR. RODENHURST: I'm going to have to get back to you on whether that's an accurate statement. But I promise you, I'll get an update on that. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah. Thank you, Director. I think what we're looking for is just a consistent measure, because then I reflect that back to building, who's done the same thing and they've done it differently. So it's really hard to assess your six different divisions because everybody is presenting the information differently. And so it's challenging to help your department and provide the funding that we need, or you guys need, when the information to us is getting presented scattered. I had some questions around how that compares, how your plan review as far as survey, construction,permits, apply to the EnerGov system. Earlier today we had Director Kern and from what I can see he's tallied the number of applications as far as regulatory permits that he provides. And my total is about 150 or depending, whether it stays in-house ministerially with Planning Department, or just overall. So his overall totals is about 350. But you guys say in your program objectives that you folks provide review of various regulatory permits. And that's under the Engineering Division. And so something our nonprofit grant-in-aid Page 136 FC-8 April 13,2021 talked about was this cross collaboration and how we can amplify dollars, right. And so I'm trying to find, which I think you guys do well, is synergies between Planning Department and your Engineering Division and get an accurate assessment of the amount of work or plans that are being reviewed. I'm going to yield because there's my time and see if my other colleagues have more questions. MR. RODENHURST: Can I respond? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, go ahead. MR. RODENHURST: You know, I appreciate your input on that. And I think you're right, we do need to make sure that we're consistent across how we present our information and, you know, we're improving our communication to make sure that's the case. So I appreciate your comments and we'll take that to heart for sure. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Director. Ms. Villegas, do you have anything you want to ask? Sorry, you're on Zoom so I keep forgetting about you. I'm sorry. MS. VILLEGAS: No, no. You're not forgetting. I could holler if I needed to. Thank you. Yes, actually I do have a couple of questions. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Go ahead, Ms. Villegas. MS. VILLEGAS: Thank you. Okay, let me dig myself out from under this, all of these books. I'll go ahead and start with—first off, I want to say, huge mahalo to Neil Azevedo and his team and the Highways Division and the repaving that they've done at Lunapule Road. The people in Kona that live on that road and utilize that byway are extremely grateful to have that paved after years of waiting. I had a question about and wondered if it was included in here. In one of my recent conversations with the Highways Department we were talking about"No Parking" signs on Alii Drive and one of the topics that came up was a project plan to do a parking plan essentially for the makai side of Alii Drive. And I wondered where that was included here in this current budget. I see Aaron now. You're muted, Aaron. (Note: At this time, Traffic Division Chief Aaron Takaba came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. TAKABA: Ikaika, did you want me to provide some feedback for you? MR. RODENHURST: Yes,please. Sorry about that. Page 137 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. TAKABA: Sorry, Rebecca, it's not in the budget but basically we need to do code amendment to address yup, you're correct, the makai side of Alii Drive to revise the no parking areas along the road. So basically it was something we were going to do just within our operating budget. So it's not specifically earmarked in this current budget that we were talking about. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay, great. So I'll follow up with you on that and any code amendments. MR. TAKABA: Yeah. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay, thank you for clarifying. I appreciate that. Great. Second question is, Mr. Rodenhurst, in looking through this budget—and I apologize for my squeakiness here, is it fair to assume that listed under Flood Control, when it says, "OCE-Agricultural Supplies for Vegetation Control," is that the herbicides used for spraying on the side of the highways? MR. RODENHURST: Hold on, let me take a look. MS. VILLEGAS: It's under Flood Control, OCE. Page 99, in the black binder. MR. RODENHURST: I'll have to double check on that. But I would at this time I believe that is where we would house our herbicides. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. So that's under Flood Control. Then my second question relates to, under Engineering, OCE. I see albizia; unsafe for albizia Hazard Mitigation and Roadway Drainage Program. And the Roadway Drainage Program has a budget line item of$60,900. Can you explain what that line item applies to? MR. RODENHURST: Yes. The Albizia Program was started some years back and it is an opportunity, it is a vehicle for us to remove unsafe albizias that are posing a hazard to the community. It is a way for the public to request for our office and sometimes we issue letters to residents that have unsafe flora, specifically albizias, and it gives an opportunity for us to address that. As we all know in the past in some of the storms we've experienced, albizias have been a hazard to our community. And this is to address that hazard. Is there anything you need me to go into deeper on that one? MS. VILLEGAS: Well I understand that—because this seems to say Engineering Division and it implied Miscellaneous Contracts. So these would be contracts associated with albizia, for line items one and two, but then the roadway drainage program, can you explain what that is? Is that contracted to somebody? And the purpose of my questions is trying to identify where, if this other line item under Page 138 FC-8 April 13,2021 flooding is the only line item where—and just so you understand, in a prior time I've been trying to get answers and numbers to where the specific amounts resided that where the money is spent on herbicides for roadside spraying ended up being housed. And so is this where—what is roadway drainage program? MR. RODENHURST: I'll let Keone Thompson answer that question. (Note: At this time, Engineering Division Chief Alan Keone Thompson came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. THOMPSON: Okay, so no. This has nothing to do with herbicides. So if there's any drainage issues that we see that needs to be addressed and then we use this money to address that. So Miscellaneous Contracts. So if there's like a drywell that we have to put in someplace or we have to fix a ditch somewhere, we need to do it. And this is for where we'd hire a consultant or contract to just address this issues. That's what the drainage contract would be, yes. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. Okay, thank you. Is there—and I've tried to look line item by line item, am I missing another one where it would be listed as supplies of some kind of agricultural or weed maintenance supplies. MR. RODENHURST: It wouldn't be under Engineering. That would be under Highway Maintenance because Engineering doesn't do herbicide. MS. VILLEGAS: If you want to just provide me with the GL (General Ledger) number, I'd be happy to look it up after. I just didn't see it here. MR. RODENHURST: Deanna will help me with this real quick. MS. VILLEGAS: No worries. MS. SAKO: So basically, it's in ag supplies as far as I know in pretty much all the different divisions. So even in Highway Fund,under Highway Divisions, whether it's Hilo or Kona or the various divisions, it's under that, 216 Agricultural Supplies. MS. VILLEGAS: That's under the Highway Fund separately, not listed under DPW? MS. SAKO: Right. I mean, DPW has funding in General Fund and Highway Fund. MS. VILLEGAS: Gotcha. Okay, that's what I was missing. Thank you for clarifying for me. Page 139 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. SAKO: No problem. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay, that takes care of those two. Another one is, my question, Mr. Rodenhurst, is if you were able to include the repaving of the Walua Road Park trail in this budget. I know that Parks and Rec has talked to you about this a couple of times and it's something necessary for—I just wondered if I would be able to find that in this line item. MR. RODENHURST: It's not directly put out into this budget. But I'd be more than happy to work with Parks and Rec and yourself and discuss where that can fit and see what we can do. MS. VILLEGAS: That would be awesome. We just need a small portion of one of the only walking paths we have on the west side, repaved where there's been damage done. I'll go ahead and let my colleagues, in lieu of my weird voice, ask other questions about EnerGov because much of that heavy lift seem to have been implied to be landing on your shoulders as we head into that interesting season. My last question as I see here in our budget relates to a Deputy Director position. I am heartbroken to no longer have Merrick Nishimoto serving as our Deputy Director representing here on the west side. And I'm wondering at the timeframe of his replacement is that will affect your budget line items moving forward in the next year. MR. RODENHURST: Correct. That will be affecting our budget and I am currently taking applications for the position. And I don't have an exact timeline on how that is pending applications. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. Thank you. And that's it for now. Thank you. MR. RODENHURST: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Ms. David, go ahead. MS. DAVID: Thank you. Hi. Welcome, Director Rodenhurst. I just have one question. I'm trying to find it in this list but—guardrail maintenance. Where would that be? MR. RODENHURST: That would fall under Highway Maintenance. MS. DAVID: Highway Maintenance. MR. RODENHURST: Yup. Page 140 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. DAVID: Okay. So how is that prioritized actually on either installation or repair? MR. RODENHURST: So we are in the process of standardizing how we prioritize our guardrail system. So at this point I don't have a direct way to, well I don't have a system to provide for you on that right now. MS. DAVID: Okay. MR. RODENHURST: But I have talked with Chief Neil Azevedo on that, and we are, you know, I told him that we will be maintaining our guardrails as needed. MS. DAVID: Okay. MR. RODENHURST: And so we will be addressing that,providing a system how to address it. MS. DAVID: Yeah, I would appreciate it. There's, especially in my district I know Ms. Kimball's district is bridge related, and I think my district basically has a lot of areas where the roadways are very dangerous. There's curves and drop-offs with hardly any easement area and that sort of thing. So there's quite a few requests for how do we go about having guardrails installed and stuff. And if you could get me that breakdown on how do we prioritize, because some of these requests do fall under the public safety aspect. And especially when our roads are either where a guardrail is needed to prevent cars if they go off the road, from going into someone's house. And then there's liability issues and stuff like that. So I'm very curious how we can get on that list and how you prioritize that. So if you could get it to me, I'd appreciate it. MR. RODENHURST: If I may respond to that. If we're talking about guardrail maintenance, it's housed under Highway Maintenance. If we're talking about guardrail installation MS. DAVID: Yes. MR. RODENHURST: on a road that's going to fall under our Engineering Division, because a lot of times we're going to need to make sure that there's enough land that'll slope behind that for the guardrail to be placed. So that's going to take a little bit more work than the replacement of a guardrail. MS. DAVID: Okay. MR. RODENHURST: So for new guardrails we'll need to work with Engineering Division on that. Page 141 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. DAVID: Okay. And there's already a method or a process to request someone to go out and access or how does that work? And how much funding do you have in that? Because it's an island-wide issue, right. MR. THOMPSON: Currently, it's based on complaint requests and then we go out to investigate. But currently we don't have a budget for per se to—we just have to request for money for whatever guardrails we have to install at this point. There's no set program for it right now for Engineering. MS. DAVID: Right. So Engineering has no funds for installation of guardrails right now? MR. THOMPSON: Well we were just recently tasked with taking the lead on the new installations for around the island, investigating these additional places where there are inadequate guardrails and stuff. Yes. MS. DAVID: But at this point if I would give you or refer some requests for inspections, basically you guys could just go out there and inspect but there would be no funds to actually do the project? MR. RODENHURST: If I may? MS. DAVID: Sure. MR. RODENHURST: We don't have a direct funding stream for guardrails specifically. It's tied in with our other regulatory work and our other work with our roadways. So as far as a system established, where are we going to put a guardrail, there's no standardized process for that at this moment. We are working on that. That's something we are doing. But like Keone said, it's really based off of complaints and our investigation on what the current status of the road is. And we're working together with our Traffic Division to identify what the traffic history is in the area and making sure that we provide the adequate guardrail that's needed there. So we will be providing something when we have it available. It's just not ready at this time. MS. DAVID: Okay. So in the meantime, I would just email you the requests and complaints, the Engineering Department? MR. RODENHURST: You can put in a complaint to the general DPW system, and we will redirect it to the Engineering Division. MS. DAVID: Perfect. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you, Chair. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. David. Mr. Inaba. Page 142 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. INABA: Aloha, Director Rodenhurst. I just wanted to follow up on some of the comments made by my colleagues regarding prioritization of these projects island-wide because we know from the bridges of Hamakua to the roads of Kona, you have quite a lot under your purview. And I wanted to mahalo again, Chief Azevedo, provides updates on the paving projects that are happening in Kona. Lunapule for as long as I can remember was, I would call it, rattling. It was a rattling experience driving down that road. And I've gotten emails consistently about Hina Lani, so I'm glad you mentioned that earlier. But when we can get those prioritized lists, at least we can know and advocate or explain to our constituents what's going on. Because it's funny but it's not funny, there's saying that the County is letting Hina Lani go back to gravel and, you know, for the not many roads we have in Kona those roads are heavily used. There's about a thousand ways to get where you're going here in Hilo but just a few in Kona. So if we can get that information, it would be helpful especially in understanding how the finances of your department are working. So I'll leave it at that, no need to respond. Thank you. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Mr. Richards. MR. RICHARDS: Thanks, Chair. Just a quick question, statement. When we took office four years ago, they said the repaving cycle for the County roads was about once every 70 years. Half-way through, so about two years ago, we've improved that and cut that in half. So it's only once every 35 years. And I know it relies a lot on funding. When you get the other information, the priority like that, can you give us an idea of what the repaving cycle? Because I know it's related to funding. And coming back to what Mr. Chung said, what's the direction and what more funding do we need to improve the roads? So Mr. Holeka does not get more rattled, let's say that. Thanks, Chair. I yield. MR. RODENHURST: If I can respond real quick? You know, I agree, we need to make sure that we provide that criteria and what we're doing. And like I mentioned earlier with the Manli system and some of the different methods, you know, we need to make sure that we're using cost-effective methods to extend the life of our roads where it's necessary. We don't have enough money to address every single road in our County within a year, and I'm not going to stand up here and tell you we will because that would be a blatant lie. But we are doing what we can within our budget to address our roads as needed, and we want to provide you a logical and a clear and concise method of how we do our business here, because it's what's right. So I look forward to getting that to you and any comments or any input on that I'm more than willing to take from any of the Council Members. Thank you. Page 143 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, sir. Okay, Ms. Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. Aloha, Director. Great to see you. And, you know, you can take off your mask if that's a little bit easier. Okay, great. First, I want to just mahalo you. Every time that I've reached out to your department you've been really responsive with providing me with the information that I needed. And I know my district is incredibly grateful for the work that you and your team are doing to support lava recovery. I appreciate the decisions that have been made, the very ambitious milestones and goals that you've set out for that, and just making the business decision. You know, if things have to be contracted out in order to meet those deadlines, thank you for making that happen so we don't have to have community waiting any longer for roads to get back home and to farm. So thank you. I just wanted to mahalo you for that. And, you know, I'm not going to beat a dead horse here. You know, this body for a number of years has just been given lip service, right, about we have the data, but it hasn't been shared in terms of conditions of roads and bridges and other assets. So once that information is available, please share it with us and do share the methodology that you are using so that we can share with our constituents how those decisions are being made. And I do urge you to do everything in your power to get projects shovel ready. We've got that federal money coming and we want to make sure that we're ready to go. A few questions I have for you very complex department that you are leading. And so you don't just have a peek behind the curtain anymore, right? You're behind the curtain. And so I'm just wondering walking in, what are some of the deficiencies that you observed and what are your plans to address them? MR. RODENHURST: Yes. Well first off, and this may sound like a joke but it's not, our roof. I walked in there and our roof was in shambles, and it currently is. And I've currently heard from various departments of issues with their roofs, and not only in Aupuni, but in our aging buildings, in our fire buildings, in our facilities that house the people that work for the County, not just in my department, but within the other departments of the County. And I find that completely unacceptable. I mean, how can we expect our fellow County employees to serve the County when they're battling the elements inside a building? So, you know,prioritizing our building R and M (Repair and Maintenance) and our building infrastructure, or our building design list and making sure that we're holding our Building Division accountable for keeping that list moving. That's one of my priorities. Another thing that I found is there are a lot of hard-working people at DPW, and they don't get the credit they deserve. All these chiefs behind me, they work very Page 144 FC-8 April 13,2021 hard. I appreciate every single one of them, Haku, David, even (Aaron) Takaba, Randy, Keone, Neil, and Aaron. Sorry about that, Aaron. I said Takaba already? MS. KIERKIEWICZ: You did. It's been a long day. MR. RODENHURST: It has been a long day. But yeah, like I said, we have a lot of employees, and not just at Aupuni but also at West Hawaii, and not just there, but also at the various baseyards and the General Services building. We have a lot of people servicing not just our department but other departments in the County. And so they deserve all the credit for all the good that goes on at DPW. And I want to make sure that they know that and that they understand that they have a purpose and that they're contributing. And I think that's where that communication comes through, communicating to the public what we're doing, but also communicating to our department what our department is doing for the County. So that's a big thing for us, is the communication. And then I touched on it earlier but standardizing our operations on how we do things so there is no confusion. You know, I know we had a lot of talk about EnerGov and our permitting process. And, you know, one of the things that we implemented is requiring our reviewers indicate specifically what section they're talking about when they provide comments on rejections so that there's no confusion or assumption that it's a preferential treatment or it's a bad day or a long day for a plan reviewer. But it is something that's required by our code and the various codes that we adhere to. And that again it falls back on communication. I mean, I can't say it enough, communication is key and making sure we're consistent on that. And it's no easy task, you know, we all know how the game of coconut wireless is played, and we have a very diverse department, so we need to make sure we are communicating well within our department as well as into the other departments, as well as to the public. So those two things, standardizing our operations and communicating are really our biggest goals and it's easier said than done. Is there anything else on that that you'd like me to clarify at this time or go into in depth? MS. KIERKIEWICZ: You know, the standards of operations I appreciate you bringing that up. You know, a few of my colleagues elaborated on our County leaving money on the table because we didn't have data or information. So just curious if you could lean into that a little bit more. How are we ensuring that we have the information that we need so that if federal money does come available, we qualify because we have the data and maintenance schedules and what not to approve that? How can we better support of divisions to make sure that happens? MR. RODENHURST: One of the things that we're going is we're supporting our improvements to technology and using our electronic data. I know earlier today we talked about issues with you brought up issues with our server and making Page 145 FC-8 April 13,2021 sure that we house our data. You know, that was unfortunate what happened with our server, but for the most the divisions were able to recover. They're still in the recovery process. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: What did you lose? MR. RODENHURST: A lot of data from the past couple months. A lot of things input. And for the most part we were able to recover it because staff had their own items, or we were able to recreate some of that data. So while it may not have led to any extreme direct impacts, it has led to impact on our staff due to having to switch gears and recover and redo what they've already done. So it definitely has impacted our efficiency. But, you know, hats off to the DPW staff. They're resilient and they come back, and they do the hard work. But going back to that is that making sure we house our data, and we know how to really identify our data. And one of the great things, there's always opportunity especially when you make a mistake or when you have something that doesn't go right. It shows you either a deficiency or something that can be improved on. And like I mentioned earlier, you know, I hate to go back to it but, you know, talk about the bridges and eligibility for FEMA funding. You know, again, nothing against Neil and the Highways Division, but our previous history shows that we just lack the records to prove some of the necessary facts. And now that we know what needs to be done, now that we know what marks need to be hit and what data is vital, we're able to identify that and put that onto our reports and input that into our system, because that's important to identify what's going to be necessary and where we need to store that so we can access that information without interrupting our services, without interrupting our operations. I think that's the key thing here, is not having to go back like we're doing now and recreate data from what we already have in our backups. But we're able to just move forward and when the time comes able to pick it up and go and not have to run double duty on doing what we are currently doing plus trying to get backup documentation. And I think standardizing and streamlining those processes so not only does our leadership and management staff know what to look for, but also for the rest of our staff. They know what the goal is, and the expectation is so they can achieve, and also to understand that there's a purpose behind it. I mean if you tell someone push a button every day for 365, they're going to be like, "Why? It's just a button." But when you tell somebody what the purpose is and why they're doing what they're doing then you'll be able to convince a little bit more of why it's valuable and it's not just some mundane tasks that was assigned to them on a whim. There is some purpose behind what we do. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you for that. Just a couple more questions. You know, Matt and I represent Puna and the traffic can be pretty horrendous. So just Page 146 FC-8 April 13,2021 wondering if at some point in the very near future, I know that you're incredibly busy with standing up EnerGov and, you know, other issues in your department. But would love to have conversations with Ed Sniffen or partners on the State side to just talk about how we serve the needs of that growing population in that region. It's just horrendous. I mean, I hate leaving at 6:45 every morning, you know, many families do, young kids, to bring them to daycare so we can get to work on time. But there's got to be some traffic calming measures and other investments that we can take advantage of, particularly with some of the federal money coming. So I know that you've got great relations with DOT, so I just want to put that on the record that I do want to make sure County and State are collaborating in that arena. MR. RODENHURST: Yes. And we do have a biweekly meeting with DOT on island as well as a contact with Ed(Sniffen) and some of the initiatives coming down like the broadband connectivity. And we have been in talks about how we can update our traffic systems to capitalize on some federal funding. Again, no specifics at the time but definitely keeping those lines of communication open so we can discuss that. And to further add to the DOT relationship, we have been in contact with DOT about our bridges and seeing what DOT does across the State and how we don't have to reinvent the wheel to handle some of these issues. You know, we want to be efficient in what we have and address the needs of the community. So yes, definitely working together with the State is key and working with Matt and yourself to address the needs of Puna. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thanks, Director. And do keep us posted on the investments for broadband. Huge parts of Puna, Ka`u, Hamakua, are without connectivity and it's super critical for folks to build a connect for not just work and school but health appointments. Last thing. I would love to go to work with you to find a way, some sort of mechanism to invest in bringing lights and signage to the main thoroughfares HPP (Hawaiian Paradise Park). Tricky, because it's private subdivisions. But do want to look at how we make that happen, what kind of partnership. It's hard driving home late at night, no signs, no lights. And I think about our police and firefighters having to respond in those conditions. I hit a pig once heading home. That was very scary. And we need to address it. I mean, so many people are moving into the area so just want to make sure it is safe for residents but also for our essential personnel who have to respond when they're called. MR. RODENHURST: Definitely. I cannot confirm there's anything we can do at this time other than let's have that conversation and see what's available and see what's available to us within the County to act upon. So, definitely. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yeah, and if it means that we need to lobby the State to make some changes to statute, let's put all that on the table and get ourselves Page 147 FC-8 April 13,2021 ready and set ourselves up for success so that we can advocate for that during the next legislative session. Thank you. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. Thank you, Chair. Director, I'm going to keep diving in a little bit and moving a little bit kind of down into the weeds with the budget. And Haku, maybe you can help with this also. Part of the costs from your department is water spigot maintenance, and that's a lot. And I'm not saying I don't want to do it. But has the department looked at some cost sharing as it relates to the maintenance of these? I know that it was stood up back in the 80's, I think out in Puna but it's expanded to other areas. Has the department explored some of that? MR. RODENHURST: We have not yet at this time. MS. LEE LOY: Regarding your computer equipment, and this is going to jump right into EnerGov. You know, I'm trying to find the areas in which we can be successful with EnerGov. And we heard throughout the day, you know, all the different departments including Fire. You know,just kind of having a piece of it. But all of that funding is with the department. And so starting with the department, I don't see a budget that really addresses the electronic piece of EnerGov, especially with staffing. Whether it's larger scanners, more RAM (Random-Access Memory), or just more information to just store these large plans with inspections, I don't see it. And we also know that we implemented a new fee structure in the Construction Code. And so I'm just wondering strategically if it's not in this fiscal budget or this year's budget, what the plan is to enhance those things. Because it's one thing to stand up EnerGov, but it's going to break. And when I say break, we're going to find things that we need to do better. But I also see that there's going to be a need to enhance the equipment that our employees have. So what's the plan for that, Ikaika? MR. RODENHURST: Well there's actually a bunch of issues to cover on that one. If you want, I can start off with interdepartmental portion of EnerGov. Yes, we are currently housing the cost of EnerGov within the DPW budget. What was inherited is what we have, and it's is what we have as we implement the system. We have had discussions with Planning about, and we're starting to—well, you know, it is what it is. We are starting to discuss how we are going to move forward once this is up and running, how the costs are being held because this is something that we share with Fire, this is something we share with Planning. And, you know, we want to make sure that the fair share is going around. As far as that's going involving the fee structure,we still have yet to determine a lot of that. Especially, some of those fees that will be implemented once EnerGov Page 148 FC-8 April 13,2021 goes online. We have estimates but no real hard metrics at this time to back that up. Something we're consideringI think we talked about it previously with Planning about our data storage. And that's also something that's very concerning because depending on what method we go with, there's obviously always pluses and minuses. You know, one method might be a little bit more expensive but also one might be a little bit more dependent on an outside company to store some of these sensitive data files. So we're really identifying that to get us in a better place. Our goal right now is to make sure this is functional, up and running this year and then we can, you know, have something that floats and maintains direction and that we can continuously adjust. So we're not unaware that there are going to be some breaks that we have to fix. But we're trying to get in front of it now and address it before it becomes a dire issue. As far as a structure for EnerGov moving forward and the data and the devices, you know, we just had a meeting with our plan reviewers and our inspectors on Monday. I sat in on that. And one of the big questions that came up was, if we're bringing an iPad on the field with the plans on it,what's our standard operating procedure? We're currently finalizing that and we're getting some feedback from our guys on what might be something they can handle. You know, anything from do they download it at the beginning of the day; at the end of the week; is there a deletion process to maintain data size; are we doing a cloud-based app? There's different avenues to go through at this time that we're considering, and we don't have a clear path at this moment other than that we do need to address it because it is vital for the implementation of this technology from the plan reviewers to the inspectors. So we are considering it. I really wish we had a little bit more clarity at this time for that. But we will provide that as soon as possible. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you for that. I think being aware of it is half the challenge, right. And you talked about a leaking roof, right. We don't want this system in parallel to something like a leaky roof because we didn't invest in kind of looking ahead and coming up with a strategic plan to address that. The other question I had really is around, you know, the different positions that you have and just trying to understand the rationale. I know we need some engineers. You know, but there's a lot riding on EnerGov right now, especially with plan review. And I was just trying to understand if we had to phase in some of your positions, you know, what the priorities would be. Again, a needs assessment, right. So you have any thoughts around that, Director? MR. RODENHURST: Yes. And something that I covered earlier is that contrary to some people's beliefs this isn't a miracle solution to our efficiency at the Building Division to get permits out. And also, it's not housed directly in DPW alone. It's housed across the board. But what we can do within our department, within our division, is making sure that we standardize those procedures, we're doing all the things that we need to be doing and providing the additional support Page 149 FC-8 April 13,2021 in getting an additional plan reviewer on board. We are working on that as well as, you know,just making sure that this system, whatever benefit it comes to us that what we have leftover we're being efficient with,with our staffing. I don't want to bring on additional staff and then all of a sudden, they become obsolete because there's not enough but that's not really the case at this time. We have a lot of permits that are reviewed. Our guys work very hard, and they go through hundreds, if not thousands of permits. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah. And I completely understand. It really started as a building permit tracking system. And we've done the work to refine Chapter 5, which is all of our construction codes. But I also know DPW touches, I think it's, Chapter 10, Chapter 27. I think Chapter 23 is another one. And, you know, if some thought could be given to looking at the other sections of our County Code which impacts it, I think it would go a long way. You know, it's about needs assessment and strategic planning so that as we budget, you know, going forward, budgeting for outcomes. And I know there's a couple of people here who understand that. You know, we want to get to a place where we're making smart decisions and investing wisely. Yeah, if some thought could be given around that; if there's a need to do some policy shifts around those specific sections of our code also, you know, I welcome the feedback. Those are my thoughts. I do have one request though. We talked a lot about how the budget isor the programs was laid out to us in summary. And if you could get something retooled to us by May, so that when we're actually going through the budget—or at least some consistent look, Director, between the different divisions. That would be a lot more helpful, I think, as we make some of the decisions going forward. My time is up. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. Sorry. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you. Thank you for your endurance. I know it's a long day already. And appreciate, as my other colleagues have mentioned that you have a very complicated department with several different divisions with different challenges each. I want to go back to EnerGov just real quickly. Training, so that was mentioned. I don't know if Director Kern told you he threw you under the bus but said all the training is your responsibility. So where is that in the budget? I'm not seeing it. MR. RODENHURST: So that's housed in our EnerGov cost. So the EnerGov implementation is housed under, this would be page 98, of the General Funds. It's under 5232.02, line 111, and it's the Building Permit Software Lease. And it's under the implementation contract of EnerGov, and it's part of our agreement with Tyler to provide training. That training is spread out across the contract through training our technical experts and implementing the system and customizing it and Page 150 FC-8 April 13,2021 (inaudible) it for our County as well as they're in user training, training our subject matter experts in how to use their systems to the fullest and how it's supposed to be used. And then from there our staff will train the remaining staff. And I think that ties into our relations with the Fire Department. Under the training they're considered plan reviewers. So while we are, you know, testing and tweaking the plan review configuration and algorithms, we will be including them as far as how they would go and do their work. And they are on our list of people that we need to loop in when we get those processes a little bit more refined. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, great. I was going to highlight that that came up in our conversation with them today that they were not feeling looped in at this point. With the remaining funds available through this current contract with EnerGov, do think it's enough for the training that's going to be needed? Just asking for a general assessment. MR. RODENHURST: Well I know that we were talking about previously getting some more consultation hours and some funds for that. And I believe that's a separate subject, correct? MS. KIMBALL: Yeah, that was for the reporting and the consulting for development, if you will. I mean I'm asking because we want this to go well. I think we've made that clear and I'll talk about the fact that it's not a miracle solution in a minute. But we want to set you up for success as best as we can. So is what's left in the contract for training enough, do you think, to bring everybody on board. MR. RODENHURST: Currently, as I've been updated, it is enough. What I think the unforeseen that's not housed in these numbers is the commitment and buy in from staff and our messaging from leadership to understand that this is where we're going and we're here to support our staff in getting geared up. We keep talking, it's not a miracle solution. It's a tool to be used. I think I brought up the analogy in previous conversations where, you know, if you have seven guys digging a trench, they move fast. But if you can get an excavator on there, the guy can move pretty fast. But to get a laborer to an equipment operator is going to take training. Put a laborer inside an excavator, it's going to be clumsy, it's going to be clunky. But once you get that guy up and running, you're moving more efficiently. And that's kind of how I view this system. It's not something that's going to solve our issue. We still got a trench to dig. We're just going to give us another tool in our tool bag to address it. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you for that. And you kind of segue into first, good analogy. One of the things that Director Kern talked about, and I'd like your assessment on too, is the attitude in the department about this transition and you kind of hinted at that but can you elaborate on that please? Page 151 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. RODENHURST: It's mixed. My understanding is a lot of people have seen technologies that have not had the commitment and support of the administration at the time or of a management leadership at the time. And a lot of technologies that weren't used to their full extent. I mean we talked about it earlier that we need to be more optimized with Manli, which is the system that we've had in place. So it's an uphill battle to prove not just to the public but to our staff that this is something we're committed to, something that we can use. But we are committed to it, and we will be using it. And we're providing every opportunity to hear feedback along the way and to implement some of those changes. And some of those changes we may not implement. You know, I like toagain, I'll tell you another analogy. We went from blueprints that were made with blue ink and different inks. And we went to AutoCAD and I'm sure at that time a lot of people were upset. I'm sure a lot of people didn't like that. I've heard a lot of people didn't like that. I've been through the college classes of someone telling me I'm not a real engineer unless I use a slide rule every day. MS. KIMBALL: You know what that is, right? Okay. MR. RODENHURST: I understand with new technology comes a lot of pushback on people that are engrained in their ways and that's understandable. And I would say that's our job as leaders, our job as directors, to find ways to convince staff that we are committed to this and that we do believe this is something that's going to help benefit them in their job. And I really do truly believe that. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you. And nobody uses AutoCAD in the industry anymore. They've all shifted to Reddit. So everything keeps moving. And I like your analogy of the excavator because it's an excavator no one in the County has ever used before and the user manual is in a foreign language. And so there are lots of barriers to implementation. And so I'm just going to say this for the benefit of your staff and the benefit of the public, there is an expectation that there will be bumps in the road once this is implemented. But you have our full commitment to support getting this implemented because of many reasons: access to revenue, making sure Public Works projects have been effectively; better data collection, better prioritization. Recognizing that it's not a miracle solution, recognizing that there may be bumps in the road during installation, we do want to see this implemented and are glad to see the alignment between the departments, the administration, and ourselves to make that happen. I want to just talk about going back to Highway Maintenance. There was one objective; "Continue island-wide in-house resurfacing program and resurface total of 20 miles." And then, "Zero miles were resurfaced. ED, form as an additional step for approval to proceed on projects and delay in allotting from fuel tax due to transitioning of positions." This is in your six-month progress binder. The reason Page 152 FC-8 April 13,2021 I bring it up is just because I've had some questions about what are the limiting factors. Are we limited, and this has to do particularly with roadways, are we limited by equipment, staff, funding, or to an extent all three? MR. RODENHURST: I would have to say to an extent all three. I mean, without the proper funding we don't have the availability to get the asphalt, we don't have the availability to maintain the vehicles, we don't have availability to gain vehicles that are aging out. You know, I think we have a pretty large list of equipment for Highways. But I think it's necessary to do the job that needs to get done to provide service to our roadways and our rights-of-way. As far as staff, you know, we have staff. But like I said earlier, with our current budget we can't address all the roads within the County within a year. You know, and I don't know there's any county that can do that. But we're trying to do the best we can with what we have. So ifI mean I'm sure anyone would want to have a bigger staff, bigger budget, and a bigger availability so we can achieve these goals. But we are doing what we can and being as efficient as possible with what we have. And I think that's what I appreciate most about this department, is that they're about to function and do their best job with what we have available. As far as, I'm sorry if I missed the third MS. KIMBALL: Staff, equipment, and just funding in general for materials. Yeah, I probably shouldn't have given you the fourth choice of, "All of the above." And actually asked you, "Of the three, which is the greatest rate-limiting factor?" MR. RODENHURST: Sorry, I forgot to touch on maintenance of vehicles. We do have—some of the equipment is specific. And if something breaks down, which it inevitably does, we don't necessarily have the availability on island. You know, right now we have two pavers up and running. We have a third one waiting on some parts that just aren't available within the State and we're waiting on those to be delivered. And so there's some kind of, I guess, uncontrollable factors based off of shipping, and those things that we just have to work around. But for the most part I think that they do a great job with the funds available and the maintenance of the equipment we have. I think that's key to ensuring that we're able to maintain services is as our equipment ages out and becomes a higher maintenance cost, be able to provide options such as buying new vehicles or, you know, less used vehicles that we can use to really extend the life and not have to incur so much maintenance breakdowns. And I think that's key in getting rid of some of the older machines that are just a constant issue and making sure that those don't happen. And implementing a standardized maintenance plan on that is going to go a long way. MS. KIMBALL: In addition to the needs assessment, this is another needs assessment kind of thing where we want to be on top of the cycles that some of Page 153 FC-8 April 13,2021 these pieces of equipment go to which actually is going to cycle me back to another question about training which I didn't go into before. But career and technical training, training particularly for your Automotive Division, if we're going to upscale our fleet to more renewables potentially. Where is that in the program; is that factored in in this budget? MR. RODENHURST: So that's not factored in this budget. But we are in talks with R&D about how we go about upgrading our fleet and what we can do in the Automotive Division to address that with our mechanics, making sure we have the people on island rather than having to wait to fly someone in to do something. So it's definitely a big task, but we're also able to take, like I mentioned earlier, work with other departments and work with other municipalities, and even the State. I mean, I got some advice from Ed Sniffen on what we can do as far as purchasing fleets and some of the initiatives that they're going through and maybe some of the pitfalls that they may encounter, so that we can avoid those we we're able to enter into that. And that's something that I think is important. And like we said, making sure that we're aware of it ahead of time is a big deal. So working with them and keeping in contact with the State and the other counties and how they're implementing their upgrades to their fleets is important so that we don't have to—like I said earlier, recreate the wheel. MS. KIMBALL: Great. Thank you. And that's particular in response to my question regarding Automotive. But just in general through the department. You know, obviously, yours is one that is changing rapidly all the time. Where's the budget for training to keep everybody up to date on the latest building codes from, you know what I'm saying; where's the training? MR. RODENHURST: And then I'm glad you bring that up. That's something we also discussed as we have new building codes coming out. We have new building codes being adopted by our code. And we have not just our plan reviewers go over this but also our inspectors, making sure that when they're on-site inspecting, they know what to look for, they know what code this is under. And so we are standardizing a process on how to train our staff in that. We have a lot of young staff, either inexperienced or in age. And so that's something that definitely important for the longevity of this department so that we don't have to come back and do this again every time we have a new employee. That being said, some of the challenges we've had to overcome is lack of engineers, especially licensed engineers, at the IV and V level. And what we've been able to do is we've been able to recruit at a lower level, but due to the licensed engineers in charge of them guide them, through this process and train them up in how to properly address some of these circumstances, whether it be through the regulatory process, whether it be through the contracts process and the various ways that we use our engineers at DPW. I think that it's important because Page 154 FC-8 April 13,2021 it gives them a guided route on their development as engineers especially working with the County. I think sometimes, you know, Civil Engineering is such a broad discipline that a lot of times, you know, if you learn one aspect of it a lot of the other ones fall off to the side. So I think it's really good that we have such a diverse group of engineers that are in the IV and V level that address different matters at the County and we're able to give these new engineers training in those. And so we're definitely supportive of their abilities to get the training as well as go after their license and be able to move up. And I think that's something that I'm trying to make clear with our staff, that I support their growth as not just individuals, you know, as people; as their jobs, but as people. MS. KIMBALL: So, you know, I'm thinking, you know, what we've talked about here needs assessment for various infrastructure, needs assessment for the equipment the County is responsible for. I'm hearing another needs assessment potentially to make sure that we're training, and our staffing levels are appropriate, which would all ultimately become part of a strategic plan five years, ten years for the department. It's a big lift, but I think that's what we're looking for here and we're looking for it reflected in at least these general statements about your plans for the budget as well as consistent metrics across. And I realize that you've got a lot on your plate, but I think that need for consistency for planning for the baseline assessments is something that we're all looking for in the next round. So thank you, Director, for your time. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. And along those lines, because what we also have to look at is the CIP (Capital Improvement Projects)piece. And what we're seeing is, yes, the agencies have prioritized their programs, but they haven't been prioritized to us. They're just on there. And so we are desperately looking for that metrics, right, what really is the priority? I know from a bigger lens, island-wide lens, maybe something from DEM (Department of Environmental Management) might need to go first because it impacts our environment and actually getting our arms around that saves us a ton of money from getting sued. But I think that's what we're trying to get to. And, you know, there's a new administration, it's a huge opportunity here to learn a lot of lessons not only from COVID, but how we redo the budget or maybe look at the budget at a more consistent pace. And that's all I wanted to share. And if, you know, we get half a step there with this budget, but make it part of our program goals and objectives, I think that would go a long way with the years to come. So that's all I wanted to say or comment on. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Nice discussion. Good job. Rebecca, do you have any more comments? Page 155 FC-8 April 13,2021 MS. VILLEGAS: Nope. Just enjoying the sun. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I don't know if you sound like a wookie. I don't know what you sound like. Okay, thank you, Rebecca. Okay. I got a few questions. Actually I've got a lot of questions. I'll try and minimize. If there was a want for an improvement district, are you ready to take that on? In particular my district. But in any district, if there was an improvement district that was to come up, I think there's a need to have funds in the improvement district, for lack of a better word, fund. Deanna may know the answer better. But are you prepared to take something like that on? MR. RODENHURST: Well I'm definitely prepared to work with Deanna and see if that's something that we can house and something we can work with for sure. I would have to be specific to really determine at the time if it's something we can do. But open to it for sure. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Deanna, do we have funds in that account? Thank you. Sorry. Thank you for being here, Deanna. You've been here as long as us. (Note: At the time, Finance Director Deanna S. Sako, came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. SAKO: I think you're referring to the Improvement District Revolving Fund. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. MS. SAKO: And there are some monies, not a lot. But either way the improvement district would have to pay back the County if we did front the money for some of those initial costs. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But there is money in the revolving fund? MS. SAKO: There's only a little bit. So I mean it probably wouldn't be enough to do an entire project. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Okay. Thank you. Traffic Division. The Traffic Division has been on my radar for a little while, watching different things happen. For instance, some of our technology we use as far as the loops in the ground or the web-based systems. Are there more traffic camera systems that we can do? And just the contract that is happening, give me your thoughts on that. What's going on with Traffic Division? MR. RODENHURST: Yeah. So one of the things I brought up was the traffic upgrades and the technology that the State wants to go forward with. And if that's Page 156 FC-8 April 13,2021 the case, especially since we help service the traffic signals that intersect with the State highways over here. We'd definitely be ready for that. And so I have made sure, and I've tasked our Division Chief Aaron Takaba with making sure we're eligible for those when those come around and making sure that we're using not just what's up to date, but what's up to date and that's usable with our County. There's some adjustments that need to be made on some of our detection methods. Some detection methods in the past have proven not as useful as we intended. So we're making sure that we don't fall into the same pitfalls in the past but also making sure that we capitalize on the newer technologies. So we are trying to do our best to keep up to date with our controllers, with our detection systems, and making sure that they're reliable as possible. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, loops seem to be prettythey break down quickly whereas the web systems that we're using, and the cameras seem to do a really good job as long as they're maintained and cared for. This is a step in the next generation of how we deal with traffic management, yeah. So I want to make sure we're moving in the right direction there and not stalling. I mean I've had intersections that were broken for six months. And I know we've got some contracts out there to do loops in the ground versus systems that are above ground. It's easier, it's faster, it's easier to maintain. I see a lot of pluses there. I don't know the in and out. I'm not an engineer. But I know that the maintenance of those systems is easier. So I'm hoping to get your commitment that we can start moving towards that versus methods that were used, you know, a couple decades ago that have been outgrown. MR. RODENHURST: Yes and CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I see Aaron behind you. So I know he probably wants to weigh in too. MR. RODENHURST: Yeah. Aaron, if you want to weigh in, by all means. (Note: At the time, Traffic Division Chief Aaron Takaba came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. TAKABA: Yeah, no. Ikaika, you pretty much covered it. Yeah, we do have primarily loops installed in the ground. Contrary to I think what was mentioned earlier, it is relatively reliable. But every type of detection has their pluses and minuses and that's what we've got to really weigh and also evaluate the new technology to make sure, like Ikaika said, that we're up to date and compliant with whatever requirements the State might require. So that's something that we're looking at as far as camera detection and kind of making sure that if we're going to start using it more, we have the proper training and expertise on how to set them up and maintain them on a regular basis. Page 157 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Takaba. Water spigots, what's covered in that cost? Just so I'm aware. I know you got your maintenance, and you got your electricity, water cost. But Puna has a lot of them and a lot of times they need gravel, or they need fill where the water has worn away and traffic has worn away the roadside. Can we count on the funds that have been put aside for maintenance to cover costs like that in the future? MR. RODENHURST: So we do have our budgeted funds for the spigot. We do have for the maintenance around it, we have for the spigot costs, we have for, if I'm not mistaken, the electricity for it, you know, for the lights in the area just to make sure it's lit up. Yeah. So for the most part that's where it covers most of the costs. If there's anything additional off of that, anything that's out of the ordinary, that's where Highways Maintenance comes in and maintains that section. So we actually have a little bit of support from Highway Maintenance on some of those unfamiliar, unaccounted for. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And that comes out of the Water Spigot Maintenance Miscellaneous Contracts or MR. RODENHURST: No. On top of that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: On top of that you have extra funds? MR. RODENHURST: No. If there's something that's out of the ordinary on the maintenance of the water spigot there's—if a sign goes down, if someone runs over the spigot, we have some funds that we use our guys to maintain those and to fix those. But those are not something that is your typical wear and tear. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I ran through your budget and one thing that caught my attention is you have some drastic reductions in looks like your Engineering Division. I'm trying to wrap my head around what's going on with your Engineering. You have really substantial decreases in what you're expecting as far as expenditures. Okay. That's what I was wondering, because I saw some movement. So it was moved over to the Highway Fund. So from here on out, the Highway Fund is paying for all Engineering? Just parts of engineering? And how is that broken up? MR. RODENHURST: So Engineering Division has acquired the bridges section. The bridges is part of the Highway Fund. It's eligible for that. And so that's housed under engineering right now and that's why we've acquired some things. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. But like non-bridge Engineering would still fall into? Page 158 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. RODENHURST: So there's also some of our highway engineers that do work upon the highways that are paid out of the Highway fund. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then Highways, do they have their own engineers? MR. RODENHURST: No. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Looks like there was a line item for that in the past but it's never been you know, forgive me I'm running through multiple books trying to keep track of what's what. MR. RODENHURST: Could you indicate where that is? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah. Give me a second. Sorry. MR. RODENHURST: No problem. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I lost it. It's in here somewhere. I know, sorry, Highway Maintenance, 5302. It's in the Highway Fund, but it got zeroed out or has been zeroed out. I was just wondering about that one. It's under the Highway Fund. MS. SAKO: So I think that was a section that was developed at some point, but it actually hasn't been used in a long time. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Okay. So it's basically deleted then? MS. SAKO: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then running through the Highway Fund, I ran through the numbers, I mean, you have different—what was the thought pattern regarding OCE and Salary and Wages for these different divisions within Highway Maintenance? Some went up, some went down, some OCE went up, some went down. It wasn't consistent for different areas. MR. RODENHURST: I'm not exactly sure. Is there a specific one that you want me to touch on? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Like Puna Roads, OCE, stayed pretty consistent; $491,000 in 2019-2020 and $490,000 in 2021-2022. But you have like Ka`u, $203,000 dropped down to basically about ten percent to $183,000 for 2021-2022, I'm just wondering about the thought pattern there. MR. RODENHURST: Is this primarily to the salary and wages? Page 159 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: No. This is OCE. MR. RODENHURST: Overall OCE. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah. This is under your Highway Maintenance within the Highway Fund. MS. SAKO: So you'll notice that the budget for the two years are pretty consistent if you look at FY 2021 and 2022. But the actuals for FY 2020, it could be for a variety of reasons. You know, maybe they did more work in the area and they had to transfer in material costs or something. So a lot of things can factor the actuals for any given year. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I'm looking at 2019-2020 because 2019-2020 was probably our most realistic year, whereas 2020-2021 is going to be kind of out the door because we were all over the place. MS. SAKO: But when you compare actuals to budget, you know, it's similar, but it could be that Council transferred in contingency funds. That would impact the actuals. I mean there's a lot of different things that can impact the accounts and the actual numbers in any given year. MR. RODENHURST: And if I may, too? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Go. MR. RODENHURST: Yeah. So, you know, depending on the positions available, the positions filled, that will impact a lot of things especially work getting done and the level of work getting done as well as the reactionary nature of some of the work that Highways does during the emergencies definitely will make a difference in what areas are affected and where the work is needed. So there's a variety of factors there that we can attribute some of that to. But as far as something that we can pinpoint as the reason why it went up or down, there's no one factor. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Roads in limbo. We got$400,000 set on the side. That was kind of an interesting point there in 2019-2020 budget. Are we planning on working on roads in limbo or are we just setting the funds aside for possible work? MR. RODENHURST: So it's not a top priority based off of the fact that it is a road in limbo. It is not clearly a County road. And so that's something that we're addressing the roads that we regularly service. So while it is not a priority, it's definitely something that we have the ability to do and to service in need. And I Page 160 FC-8 April 13,2021 think that's also been a contentious subject in the past about what level of service we provide at those roads. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah. There's been a lot of discussion. I've come across a lot of information. What it comes down to for me and what I've learned so far is road in limbos have been "gifted"to us from the State. Yeah, you're smiling, too. But any road in limbo that we've touched in the past, we can maintain again. That's what I've come to learn. And me and David, he went back—and before I get too far, I just want you to know, you got a wealth of information behind you right now, which is good. I hope you utilize that. MR. RODENHURST: Well we are, and very well appreciated. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But, back to the point. Roads in limbo, if we maintain in the past we can maintain again, correct? MR. RODENHURST: To my knowledge, yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. That's what I understand, too. Thank you. Ms. Lee Loy brought up a good point. We have a problem with getting permits out the door. We've had it for years. They come in, they get stuck, for different reasons. What I've watched continuously over the past couple years is we keep hiring Inspectors and the Plan Reviewers don't seem to change. I noticed in your budget you submitted you've got, for the Building Division, you've got four Inspectors expected to start 4/1/2021, and you've got two Examiners. So you've got two Examiners and four inspectors. I'm trying to wrap my head around why we keep hiring more inspectors. I've always had a good relationship with your inspectors in the field and they've always been quick to get out to the field. I saw your program objectives describe them as getting to that field in usually 2.3 days, which is over the two days you're hoping to get. The .3 I'll give you. But I mean I have never yet heard someone say they're happy with the amount of time it takes to get a plan back. So why is it kind of lopsided when we look at how many Inspectors we keep hiring and how many Examiners we hire? MR. RODENHURST: Well, our Examiners actually do review quite a lot. I think it's in the program budget. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I mean I looked at, I mean the program objectives there too wasn't really glowing. It wasn't a glowing report of how often and how frequently we get the plans out. And I got numbers from Neal Tanaka from last year when we had the Building Code amendment and those numbers were even worse than the numbers that you submitting to mesorry, that are in this six-month progress report on program objectives. Page 161 FC-8 April 13,2021 MR. RODENHURST: So I have some numbers here. And, you know, assume the metrics we're getting it's—we're getting a lot of information and really sifting that information is key to making sure we understand what we're looking at. We have had in the past in the past three months, our Plan Reviewers have reviewed 3,671 permits. They have completed the review of 3,479 of those permits. Now here's the thing that's kind of interesting is we haven't issued—in the same amount we've issued this is residential, by the way, residential permits. In the past few months we've issued 594 permits. That's across the County. That's not restricted to Hilo or Kona. That's off of three months. Now if we look in the past nine months, they have received a total of roughly 2,100 residential building permits. They've reviewed roughly 11,658. And that's, you know, that is aI would want to put an asterisk on that number. That includes multiple reviews and includes having to go back and review every submittal. They've completed the review, though, of 10,678 permits and they've issued a total of 1,829 permits in the past nine months. And that's residential permits. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I'm more worried about the time. I know you guys are going to get them and you're going to review them, but what is the time that's happening? How long is it sitting in building? Which is therefore why we're not hiring more Examiners. MR. RODENHURST: So CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I've always wondered this, but I realize this is the right time to ask that question. MR. RODENHURST: Well and that's part of the reason why we're standardizing our process. And what I appreciate about the EnerGov System and the tool it is, is that we're able to identify exactly for everyone across the board, same process. This is what we're supposed to be doing. This is how we do our work. From there we're able to provide metrics on how efficiently are we processing this, and it gives us the metrics to say, "Hey, we're doing all we can, we need more help. Or to say, "Hey, this tool has helped us, and we've achieved efficiency." So that's really what this is going towards, is standardizing those procedures. And like we talked about for training on the inspector side, making sure that we standardize that. Part of the reason why we have a lot of inspectors is there's a lot of land to cover. This is the Big Island, and the reason we call it the Big Island is because it's big. And there's a lot of ground to cover for all these inspectors on the Kona side and on the Hilo side. So while they're covering all this ground, there's only so much time you can cover that's limited by distance. Our plan reviewers are able to Page 162 FC-8 April 13,2021 from the Kona side or the Hilo side or back and forth, review these plans, then with the electronic plan review, they're able to review it without having to go back and forth for some of them. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But I have to say you inspection time is sitting 2.3 days, yeah. So your Inspectors as was reported already, not now but what you put in this six-month objective report, you're already kind of hitting the benchmark for that. So we're hiring again. We're hiring four more inspectors and two examiners, and we're hoping that EnerGov is going to kind of solve the problems even though we just talked about EnerGov not being the fix-all for all this. MR. RODENHURST: Well, not hoping that EnerGov is going to solve the problem, we're hoping it's going to clarify the problem. Is the problem that we're reaching top efficiency with our staff and we need more staff, or is the problem we just need to standardize our procedures and that was all we needed? And that's really what the clarification's going to be. I can't tell you at this time without those metrics with a level of confidence that that's where we're at. And in hopefully six months or so we'll be able to get a better idea of where we're at. But yeah, I think our Plan Reviewers, like I said, they do a lot. And like you said, we probably need some more Plan Reviewers so that's something that we are considering. But with this current budget, we're working with what we have and prioritizing as best possible to achieve this work. I mentioned in the beginning, this is a status quo financial budget where we're trying to pivot and really work with the hand it dealt us. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I'm going to disagree with you on that one. I thought and I think still we need more Examiners than Inspectors. I've been in the field, I've called the inspections, the guys are there that day, the next day or the day after. They're quick. But examinations, all I hear from the contractors that I work with, and that I have been on the contractor's side, but working with the contractor, plans take forever. MR. RODENHURST: I appreciate that, and I'll definitely consider it. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Yes, ma'am? MS. SAKO: I just want to clarify something. You know, when you're looking at the position page and it has the expected start date, those are the positions that are vacant and they're in the process of filling. But the rest of the blanks are actually filled and have people in them. So really, the ExaminersI mean part of the problem is we only have a total of five and two are vacant. So he only has 60 percent of his staff. But there's like 90 percent of the inspectors are filled so that's why that's going quickly. Page 163 FC-8 April 13,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yes, understood. Okay. We got the positions on there. He's got two coming, but we've known for years we have an issue getting plans out the door. So it's not that we just learned this year that we needed to get more Examiners. MS. SAKO: But these aren't new positions. Never mind. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: No, no, no. I got you. They got new positions coming in. That's your new hires. And I like that versus just a vacant position or whatever else it would be. You're telling me when that position started. And that's good that we're bringing them in. That's wonderful that they've been filled those positions. Correct? MS. SAKO: Well they may have been filled right up until the time we did the budget, actually. And some may have been vacant longer. I think there's just— when ustwhen I'm sitting in the back it just sounds like there's a lot of confusion. And maybe it's just because when you're saying new positions, I guess maybe new hires CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yes. MS. SAKO: Because they're not actually new positions. Those are identified differently. Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, it's the way I'm saying it. So yeah, the positions that we've just filled, maybe not new, but to me new hires, I mean we've needed those I think for a long time. So I'm glad to see them filled in this. I keep watching the Inspectors get filled but not the Examiners. That's been irking me for a while. Thank you for the latitude, folks. I've been listening to you, wanting to ask some questions. Okay, all in all, thank you. I like that you broke down the funding for your department. That's good. Again, you've got a wealth of information behind you. You got some good people behind you. Make sure you take care of them so they can take care of the County. Appreciate it and MS. KIMBALL: I have one last question, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Go ahead, Ms. Kimball. Go ahead, go. MS. KIMBALL: Yeah. Are you outsourcing or contracting any of the reviewing either in Building or Engineering? MR. RODENHURST: Not at this time. Page 164 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. KIMBALL: Okay. That was it. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: If we're done, we can go to recess. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Let's do it. Let the record show we are in recess until 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. Mahalo for your time today. Recess: At 6:48 p.m., the Chair called for a recess until 9:00 a.m. on April 14, 2021. Reconvene: The Special Meeting of the Committee on Finance was reconvened in the Council Chambers, Hilo, at 9:03 a.m., Wednesday, April 14, 2021, 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 (came in later) (via videoconference from Kona) 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 (via videoconference) 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.) DEPARTMENTAL The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, BUDGET AND Departmental Budget and Program Reviews. PROGRAM REVIEWS: 1) Office of the Prosecuting Attorney: CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I think we should go to the first department of the day. Here we have Kelden Waltjen and then you also have with you introduce yourselves for the record as well. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. FC-8 April 14,2021 (Note: At this time, Prosecuting Attorney Kelden Waltjen and First Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Stephen Frye came forward to address the members of the Council.) MR. WALTJEN: Aloha, Chair, Council Members. Mahalo for the opportunity to meet with you all today to discuss our office. I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Kelden Waltjen, Prosecuting Attorney of Hawaii County. Here with me today is First Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Stephen Frye. He's also the supervisor of our Kona office. I was born and raised on this island, and it really is my hope that, through the service of the Prosecutor's Office, we can make our home a better and safer place. With us also via Zoom today, we have members of our team. We have Business Manager Lisa Faulkner-Inouye; our former Business Manager; interim Business Manager, that assisted with our transition in our new Administration, Nancy Kelly; we also have our Accountant Kayla Ogawa; our chief Investigator Daniel Pang; our Circuit Court Supervisor in Hilo, Kevin Hashizaki; and our MIS (Management Information Systems) Administrator Kelvin Ono. The Prosecutor's office is composed of three physical locations. There's seven separate units and we have about 122 employees. Our mission is to pursue justice with integrity and commitment. We seek justice for victims of crime. We stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. In order for us to achieve our goal of making Hawaii County a safer place, we need to apply a multi-faceted approach on crime. First of all, we'd like to identify, seek stiffer penalties for repeat, violent, and serious offenders, including drug dealers; promote rehabilitation and treatment for those suffering from addiction, where appropriate; and collaborate and utilize available resources in our community toward prevention, education, and reintegration. So, we're just looking at trying to hit crime from, essentially, all angles. I just want to, with the permission of the Council, I just want to say that Steve and I really work as a team, and I'd appreciate he have the ability to just jump in freely throughout this presentation if that's okay. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's fine. Go ahead. MR. WALTJEN: Thank you. Crime trends are on the rise. People no longer feel safe in their homes and that isn't right. There have been spikes in the distribution of illegal drugs such as methamphetamine, heroin and, most recently, fentanyl. With the growing drug influx, we've seen a rise in burglary, theft, domestic violence, prohibited possession of firearms, as well as violent crimes such as Page 166 FC-8 April 14,2021 robbery and murder. In December, a Puna man was charged with the murder of a father of three who was shot and killed in the Puainako Town Center. That suspect was also charged in connection with another previous shooting that occurred out in Papa`ikou at the transfer station, where two men were shot at. One man was struck seven times. That suspect was charged. He remains in custody. And through our office's efforts, he's held in custody without bail. Last month, a visitor was killed in Kona by his friend during an argument within their Kailua-Kona condominium. He was charged with manslaughter. He has posted $250,000 bail and pending his arraignment in Circuit Court. Last month, a Puna man previously identified by our office as a career criminal with 38 prior felony convictions was arrested and charged with attempted distribution of methamphetamine and heroin, as well as felony abuse charges. On Tuesday, a Volcano man was charged with sexual assault and kidnapping charges. He remains in custody in lieu of$189,000 bail pending his preliminary hearing scheduled for, I believe, tomorrow. And yesterday, a Kona man previously identified as a career criminal who was recently released from prison was arrested for several property offenses. At the time of these offenses, he was already facing charges for violent crimes and had been granted release as a result of pandemic concerns. At this time, I'd like to talk a little bit about the COVID (coronavirus disease) pandemic, but I'd like to turn over, I guess, the mic too,just to Steve. MR. FRYE: I just want to give the Council an update on the real-world challenges that have been facing our office, the courts and the Criminal Justice System since the COVID pandemic was really started to feel effects throughout the County and the State and the nation back in March. In March of 2020,jury trials and a lot of other court hearings were completely shut down. Jury trials, specifically, were shut down until December of 2020. As members of the community, I'm sure everybody knows that crime didn't stop, but the tools that we had available to deal with that crime were significantly hampered. And we're feeling real-world effects and real-world stress from all of those changes that happened. Grand jury was suspended. Grand jury's one of the three ways that we can get serious offenses before the circuit court. We have preliminary hearings. We have grand jury, and we have information charge. So, unless someone is arrested, charged, and taken before the court for a preliminary hearing, certain offenses aren't allowed to be information charged, which means if there's no grand jury, there's no additional process to get those charges into circuit court. So, the fact that we couldn't have a grand jury for all of 2020 added to the backlog of cases Page 167 FC-8 April 14,2021 that were sitting there waiting for courts to come back online, grand jury to be empaneled for us to proceed on these cases. Regular pending trials in March of 2020 were put on hold for nine months. This is murders, sex assaults, attempted murders, violent crimes that were waiting for trial. Many people are incarcerated. Some people are not incarcerated. But there's a real backlog that we're working through right now with the court system to try to get caught up. Because of the backlog, defendants didn't have immediate consequences. Without the possibility of going to trial, we saw real-world consequences for our ability to negotiate cases to plead cases out because there is no penalty without the possibility of trial. So, in conjunction with all of this, our caseloads have increased by almost double. Our Kona deputies typically have 20-25 cases within a three-month window set for trial. Those have nearly doubled, and these cases are still set for trial. So, you're talking about 12 weeks, and attorneys in that office have nearly 30-40 cases that they're trying to manage, set for trial, within that short period of time. Probation department has affected our ability to manage offenders that are on probation. Drug testing has been restricted. So, even when post-conviction or post-disposition of the case, probation has had limited tools in testing individuals in making sure they're compliant with their terms and conditions of probation. In August of 2020, the Hawaii Supreme Court issued an order that presumed release for everybody but nonviolent offenders. This, again, had a significant impact in our traditional arguments to maintain bail. As Kelden just mentioned, the individual in Kona that was recently arrested had gotten out of prison, was facing charges. That's an individual that typically would be held, but because of the Supreme Court order, he's released. He has the ability to re-offend. So, our tools have been restricted. Thankfully, we're getting back to normal. The Supreme Court is reviewing that order, and they're in the process of, hopefully, issuing a new order that will allow us to get back to business as usual. Jury trials have commenced again in December. We're in back-to-back jury trials, and we're trying to prioritize the cases that go to trial, making sure that justice is hard for the most violent, dangerous individuals first. Kona's currently in an attempted murder trial where the victim is a police officer on duty, and Hilo's currently in trial for a domestic violence case involving the firearms. So, we're trying to prioritize. The courts are trying to prioritize, but we're managing—we're trying to get through these real-world affects that the COVID pandemic has had on our office. MR. WALTJEN: Also as a result of the COVID pandemic, the State's finances, as we all know, have been severely impacted. On December 21st, 2020, we were Page 168 FC-8 April 14,2021 informed by the Attorney General's office that our career criminal prosecution and victim witness assistance programs' funding would be cut to zero. What is CCP? So, CCP, the Career Criminal Prosecution Unit was created by the Hawaii State Legislature and is mandated by statute. What the Legislature found was that a disproportionate amount of serious crimes—and I agree—are committed by a limited number of these multiple and repeat offenders that we call "career criminals." Our office has used CCP and victim witness funding to fund nine positions at a total of about$420,000 per year. I'd like to credit Senator Dru Kanuha. He did submit a bill to provide CCP funding for our office. Unfortunately, the bill was deferred by the House Finance Committee. And I also mahalo members of the Council who also submitted—for your support and seeking the funding with us. That goes a long way. We reached out to lawmakers. We reached out to community stakeholders but, unfortunately, it wasn't enough. But we did plan accordingly under the guidance of our Business Manager Lisa Faulkner-Inouye as well as Nancy Kelly. We did—knowing that there was this uncertainty with CCP funding and victim witness funding, we submitted our proposed budget. Review of the fiscal year 2019-2020 funding. In the past, the Prosecutor's office relied on the flexibility of additional allocated salaries and wages to offset overtime expenses. I've carefully reviewed the salary and wages for our deputies. When we came in December, Steve and I sat down. We took a look at that. We made adjustments where we thought was appropriate. And those adjustments, as well as looking at what was budgeted for the positions, I think would be—we made these—what we looked at as, I guess, realistic amounts for any anticipated overtime expenses as well as realistic amounts for any anticipated—if there were to be some kind of salary fluctuations. To put it simply, we aren't asking for an additional $420,000 to fund these positions. We're simply asking to reallocate funding that the Council had previously given our office to fund some of the positions that we are going to lose as a result of the loss of the CCP and VW (victim witness) funding. Our office needs to be fully staffed in order to serve our community and seek the best interest of justice. MR. FRYE: I think the Council has heard before about some of the other issues that our office is dealing with. Over the years, the Hawaii Police Department has transitioned into the Spillman system. Spillman's their new records management system. And that transition for the Police Department has resulted in some expense and that relates to us. Spillman is the portal, how we get our information. And over the years, that has led to an increasea change in what we feel as the Prosecutor's Office and working with that system. It's learning a new system and trying to work with Spillman. Page 169 FC-8 April 14,2021 The Prosecutor's Office is also dealing with transitioning our records management system, which was previously called HITS (Honor, Innovation, Teamwork, Security). We are still operating on HITS and we're looking to transition, and we have been looking to transition for a while now into a system called LegalEdge. LegalEdge, we're currently hoping to roll that out in the summer of this year. LegalEdge is designed to interface with the courts, criminal justice data reporting centers, and police officer the Police Department's Spillman system, to hopefully lessen some of the workload that we're currently dealing with in trying to work with Spillman without a system in the Prosecutor's Office that's interfaced. But that is still in the development phases, and we're still working to roll that out. For our technology department, that's an additional major project that they're having to deal with on top of all of their other work. Information technology systems also had a major shift this year in that the Hawaii Police Department initiated the use of body cameras, which everybody looks at as a positive thing. And it is a positive thing. It has also resulted in additional discovery obligations for our attorneys and an additional information systems strain for our office. We have two people in MIS (Management Information Systems) and they're working on LegalEdge, regular technology issues on a day- to-day basis of running the office, and body cameras and LegalEdge new projects; and they're feeling the strain. MR. WALTJEN: I just want to take the opportunity really to send a mahalo to our MIS unit and all the different challenges that they've been undertaking throughout this transition and helping us get up to speed. They're really doing a tremendous job, given the number of projects they have going, and working in the three physical locations at our Hilo, our Waimea, and our Kona offices. So, I wanted to just send a mahalo to them. Given this 2021 legislative session, there was another bill that I think is pretty important to our office and it's related to asset forfeiture. The goal of that bill, what it does is it aims at redirecting finances that previously would have come to organizations such as the Prosecutor's Office and used for the purpose of law enforcement and training. Those funds will be going to the General Fund. As a result, we'll have to look for funding for those types of functions from a different source. Last year, we received approximately $65,000. So, it's something that we have to keep in mind and keep into consideration. But with the advent of—with the pandemic one of the positives that I think the pandemic has showed us is that the availability of webinars, Zoom conferencing, and things like that in our office, our deputy prosecutors as well as our other staff members have taken the use of training opportunities via the internet to its fullest advantage. Page 170 FC-8 April 14,2021 Steve, you want to talk a little bit about the ? MR. FRYE: Just some of the other effects that—the State budget is under significant strain, as I'm sure everybody knows. One of those things that's being cut is the Big Island Juvenile Assessment Center (BIJAC) in West Hawaii. They focus on juvenile prevention, intervention, connection of resources in West Hawaii. We call that BIJAC. It's just another example of what the theme has been basically because of the financial circumstances we're in. It's not that we're not going to do the work. The work doesn't go away. We're just trying to do less with more. And so, that's just—losing resources is causing us to find other solutions. MR. WALTJEN: With that, I really would like to, I guess, kind of take you guys on a brief preview of what we're looking at, where we're going with our office, and some of the changes that we've made as far as moving forward together across the island in 2021. In this first four months of our new Administration, we focused on making essential, internal office changes to promote positive changes in our work. These internal office changes focused on structure, policies,procedures, with the ultimate goal of streamlining promoting efficiency and accuracy, which will ultimately result in better prosecutions and decreased overtime expenses. I understand past concerns with our office were large overtime expenses. It's something that we tried to look at to see how we could come up with creative solutions and alternatives. In order to accomplish this goal, in addition to looking to the community, we look to our staff for suggestions. Our business managers implemented a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) approach. And what they did was they met with all the different units in our office, and they spurred discussions with staff about what they identified in our office as strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats towards the productivity of our office. And what was great about these discussions where we were actually able to implement some of their suggestions. With respect to overtime, it's my understanding that in the past our office paid out approximately $90,000 in overtime, over 3,000 hours to members of the unit because of a need to address workload and caseload. Our changes aimed at cutting these expenses and being more resourceful with our time and our staff. So, what we did was we encouraged flex-work schedules to address court-related time constraints. We brought people in early, let them leave early. Other people would start later, leave later. And that has to do with there's just different time restrictions that are imposed with court deadlines and having attorneys coming to and from court. As a result, I think we've been able to be more efficient. We've been able to focus on utilizing staff members' strengths. We were able to redistribute duties and Page 171 FC-8 April 14,2021 assignments. And we focused on cross training members of the units so that they're able to cover in the absence of one of their other members. That way we don't fall behind. With having reviewed policies and procedures within our individual office units and implementing changes, we alleviated unnecessary work and further prioritize the best use of resources and staff. We looked at all the different—the workflow of how papers moved in the office. We tried to identify what was necessary, what didn't need to be done. Sometimes, there's things that may have—what I like to tell my staff is,just because we've done something for the last 20, 30 years, doesn't mean it's right. Times change. We need to be fluid. We need to look forward and see; make necessary changes where appropriate. And those are some of the things that we looked at doing. In our intake, our screening unit, as a result of changes that were implemented by our Administration, we've addressed a backlog of police report updates. So, when a case is charged, the discovery process is ongoing. Police will continue their investigations. Other police reports come in and they come over to our office, and they're fed over through the system in the interface. As a result, when our new Administration took office in December, we were looking at a backlog of approximately 5,500 police report updates. I am pleased to report as of todayI checked this morning—we were at 479, with the oldest report updates dating back to the end of March. In December, our case referrals. Case referrals are cases that the Hawaii County Police Department initiates. And if the case isn't arrested and charged, they will route the case over to our office for review. In December, when we took office, the referrals were back about six months. This morning, I checked and the oldest case referral that hadn't been in taken by our office was the last week in March as well. So, we've made tremendous efficiency movements forward with positive changes, and I am hoping that we can continue to increase productivity and better serve the public as a result of these types of, sometimes, out-of-the-box thinking kind of ideas. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: If I can, we're having a little technical issue that they wanted to address,just in our computer site. MR. WALTJEN: Oh, no problem. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Can we take a quick five-minute recess? MR. WALTJEN: No problem. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Page 172 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. WALTJEN: Thank you. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Sorry for interrupting. We are recessed for the time being. Recess: At 9:25 a.m., the Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 9:30 a.m. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Aloha, welcome back. We're out of recess. Mr. Waltjen, excuse me for interrupting you. Go ahead. MR. FRYE: Mr. Waltjen sort of left off at where we were at with addressing the backlog issues and some of the changes that we've made to certain units. I just want to fill you in on some of the changes we've made in our attorneys' units. We've implemented a policy where the supervisors of all those units are going to be working supervisors. They're going to be leading by example. Our supervisors in both the Hilo, Kona district court, circuit court offices are the attorneys that have the most serious cases, and they're the ones that you can go to for knowledge and experience because they're handling the cases, they're actively working. They carry full caseloads. And we've seen positive morale boost from that change. In Kona, we split into two separate units. One unit is focused primarily on victim- related offenses, sex assaults, assaults where there's a victim. Another unit is focused primarily on drug offenses, traffic-related offenses, things that require more technical evidence. And the two teams split categories of offenses that don't really fall into either, sort of like property offenses and things of that nature. The specialized nature of that allows each of the supervisors in Kona to provide training opportunities for their team members, and it allows attorneys to focus on issues that they're most motivated to serve and to prosecute, which we've had some positive feedback with that change in fostering people's natural abilities. MR. WALTJEN: In addition to our sexual assault unit and our domestic violence- focused deputy prosecuting attorneys, we have assigned deputy prosecutors to the Police Department's specialized units, including the vice section, traffic enforcement unit, and the special enforcement units. As a result, the deputies have established a well versed and knowledgeable understanding of the relevant law related to those types of offenses. And they have good working relationships with the detectives, resulting in what we like to look at as better-quality prosecutions. Also, one of the things that we try to focus on within our new Administration is, in order to improve efficiency we looked at work environment and facility improvements, and addressing some facility concerns at our office. So, I'd just Page 173 FC-8 April 14,2021 like to send a mahalo to the team over at Public Works for their assistance in addressing some of our facility needs and repairs. One of the other things that we were able to address, and we're hoping that we can get this done in the next couple of weeks, is we had a copy machine in our Kona office. Steve, you want to kind of explain it a little bit. MR. FRYE: So, we're thankful to have a new Kona office that opened in September, which put us in close proximity to the new courthouse. Prior to that, we were in Kealakekua still the old courthouse that was creating a commute that was a significant delay. It took a lot of hours out of the attorneys' schedules when they were driving back and forth to court over that distance. In our new building, one of our major copiers, the copier that does most of our workload and most of our printing, required a 220-volt plug. It was upstairs and all of our clerical is downstairs. The copier that was upstairs couldn't go in the downstairs copy room where the clerical works without rewiring the outlet that was down there and making physical room with the removal of the cabinet. So, Public Works really stepped up and they took on that project in the last couple weeks. And we're going to get a new copier downstairs that can handle the workload that's going to prevent our clerical from having to go up and down the stairs. It just improves efficiency. MR. WALTJEN: We're also focusing on improving relationships with other agencies and fostering what we like to look at as a more cohesive Hawaii Island law enforcement with the overall goal of making our home a safer and better place. I'd just like to send a mahalo to Chief Ferreira and Deputy Chief Bugado. Each month, we meet with them for a face-to-face police-prosecutor meeting. We actually met with them yesterday. There, we get to discuss different concerns, cases, policies, other issues that are popping up. And together, we can kind of address how we can work together to serve the community better. In the past, the police-prosecutor meeting that was scheduled was a quarterly event, but we realized that having more frequent meetings will just lead to having a better understanding and keeping up to speed of what's going on. And we also wanted to have more open lines of communication with the Police Department's Administration, because we just recognize the need that it is crucial for us to have that type of direct contact with one another in order to serve the community in the best possible way. So, our police-prosecutor meetings are smaller, more intimate meetings. Steve and I meet with the Chief and the Deputy Chief, and we're just able to kind of hash out any concerns that may have popped up through the ranks. The things that we've heard about and address them in a more timely fashion. Another thing that we're doing is we're working with other State, Federal law enforcement partners and agencies in joint initiatives and operations aimed at Page 174 FC-8 April 14,2021 reducing crime in our community. So, we're trying to partner up with other agencies and kind of keeping them abreast of what's happening here and learning from other trends in other counties. Our investigators unit has transitioned to implementing more law enforcement- related functions, and we're taking ownership of our own cases. They're assisting HPD (Hawai`i Police Department) in serving subpoenas and penal summons, complaints, and conducting follow-up interviews and investigations. They assist police in drafting of search warrants and executions of search warrants on digital evidence, and we're also aiming at addressing noncompliant sex offender registration violators. I was at a meeting the other day with the Attorney General's office, and what they informed us of was that on Hawaii Island we have over 400 registered sex offenders. And at present, there is a concern that there is a large number of noncompliant violators. So, it's definitely a concern that was brought to our attention, and our office is looking to make improvements on how we can address this. And our investigators unit has stepped up. So, mahalo to Daniel Pang and his team. Another thing is, by assisting our police where we can, we hope to free up officers, alleviate unnecessary burden, and do our part in making better resource of our County's already limited resources by having our investigators assisting and doing things that maybe we can free up the police and allow them to better utilize their time. And the department has just been—HPD has been very cooperative, and we just thank them for continued—and we look forward to working with them. Our victim witness assistance unit is essential to our office's ability to provide the best service to our community. They assist in the coordination of our witnesses and the support for our victims. Mahalo to Deborah Chai and her team. This goes without being mentioned: I talked about this earlier about our multifaceted approach. And while a lot of times people don't realize within the Prosecutor's Office, besides attorneys, we do have other functions. And one of the things that we focus on in our office is prevention and intervention efforts. So, our crime prevention and justice assistance group collaborate, and they engage community stakeholders on issues such as substance abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, prevention, and education. We also have a restorative justice program. I know you guys have probably seen presentations by Tim Hansen and his team. They do a great job. They assist and restore healing and closure outcomes for our crime victims through different options, including diversionary efforts. And as a result of their efforts, they have a very high success rate with their program and the types of things that they're doing. Very innovative. First program like that in the State. And we really are looking at utilizing their team's efforts in how to best serve our community. Page 175 FC-8 April 14,2021 One of the things that's newer with our office is we've been working to create more open lines of communication, provide the public with information. So, what we've done is we've recently created an Instagram and Facebook accounts. Mahalo to Special Projects Coordinator Allen Bartolome. He's one of the main people who's been working on getting those updates to the people. These outlets serve to provide the public with information about what's happening in our community as well as what's going on with our office. So, I'd be hard-pressed not to take this opportunity, but please follow us: Instagram, Hawaii Prosecutor's. And our Facebook account is County of Hawaii Office of the Prosecuting Attorney. And one of the last things I just wanted to note was, speaking of open lines of communication and public information, as you all know, we're recently assigned deputy prosecutors to each of the nine County Council districts. In fact, some of you have already, I think, met with our deputies. So, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules and trying to address community needs. They also will be working with the community police officers and school resource officers, and we just hope to establish better, more open lines of communication and strengthening connections within our office to the community and other community stakeholders. Just the ultimate goal of reducing crime. Lastly, I just want to take this opportunity to thank our budget review prep team, especially our fiscal unit and Accountant Kayla Ogawa, for all their assistance and putting up with all of my questions and concerns and comments. They really did put a lot of time and effort into helping us, as well as the past Administration. I'd like to thank Lee Lord and Mitch and Dale for all their support and assistance in getting us prepared. In closing, mahalo to all of our staff for all of their hard work. Each member of our staff is an integral part of our office `ohana. And basically, I think we've all touched on this a little bit, and I'm sure the other departments are looking at the same types of concerns that we have with the budget and financing. And one of the things that we all are having to do is we are all being asked to do more with essentially less. But in order for us to keep our communities safe and make it a better place to live, our office really just needs to be fully staffed. We just ask for your support. Mahalo for your time. Does anybody have any questions? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you very much, gentlemen. Very nice, thorough presentation. I would like to say welcome to the new position. I know you just took(inaudible). MR. WALTJEN: Mahalo. Page 176 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And I'm going to turn it over to the Council for questions from the Council Members. Mr. Chung, go ahead. MR. CHUNG: Good morning, you guys. MR. FRYE: Good morning. MR. CHUNG: Kelden, can you just briefly explain how, you know, you guys touched upon the records management system, how that's working out. The coordination between you guys and the Police Department. Any glitches? Any problems that might cost us money? MR. FRYE: Currently, right now, the biggest hiccup between the records management systems linking up is the IT (Information Technology) Department for both departments the police and our IT department—and the designers, the contractor the LegalEdge designers just need to all get on the same page, to work on the mapping of how things are going to come across. How the databases relate to each other. That's where the project is hung up right now. MR. CHUNG: How long has that problem existed? I think we've heard this before that's why, right? Is there some kind of proprietary issues involved with the vendor? That becomes problematic sometimes. I mean, do you think it can be worked out? Because it predated your time there, right? How much of a problem is it? MR. WALTJEN: Right now, I think we have the right people at the table. One of the biggest issues, I think, that we've had in the past, I think, is it's important to have the right people at the table at the right time to make the decisions necessary to move a project forward. And I think what we've done is we're really trying to identify issues and concerns with what has happened and what's taking so long. I know you guys are like, what's taking so long? Why can't we get this going? It's definitely a concern for us. But I think what we've had to do is we need to just identify and be more specific in making decisions as to what types of needs and systems that we want the programs to do. And I think we are moving in the right direction, and I am very optimistic that we can get this going sooner rather than later. I watched past budget presentations that I know this has been something that's been on the table and something that our office has been working with. I think what has happened is there's just a number of projects that kind of took priority, especially with the Kona office move and things like that, of that nature. With our MIS team when we opened up our new Kona office, it involved coordination with having to be able to shut down an office on a week and be able Page 177 FC-8 April 14,2021 to be up and running with custody calendars and things like that the following Monday. So, having the servers and those things setup properly with Spillman interfacing with our LegalEdge system, our supervisors have provided input. And I think we are on the, what I like to look at as the downhill of getting this thing rolling. MR. CHUNG: Okay. Go ahead. MR. FRYE: For some additional context, it's in the testing phase. So, LegalEdge is up. It has dummy data that's loaded into it. Our staff is actively running tests and working with the LegalEdge developers. So, they're doing bug testing and they're providing input. And like Kelden was saying, it's going to the supervisors to make sure that efforts are being put forth to make sure the system is as useful as we need it to be. So, it's in that final phase and bridging the gap between police and LegalEdge to have the updates just so the data flows over, and it can go from dummy data to live. So, I think we are in the closing stretch, and we're hopeful that we can close out. MR. CHUNG: This situation is not unlike what other departments face. For example, yeah, we heard this before and it's still existing, right. But I'm bringing it up not for the purpose of highlighting any failings or anything. It's just so that we can understand and invite you to engage us if you need more resources or help. And that's all, really. Okay? Because the last thing we want to hear is you guys come back next year and the problem exists, right? If you guys need help,just reach out. Okay? But right now, you think you guys have a good handle on it. MR. FRYE: I think we do. MR. CHUNG: Okay. That's the main thing. And you guys are young. You guys are new at this thing. But I've got to say this—and, Kendall, I mean Kelden, I told you this: After your inaugural speech, I thought it was excellent. You gave an explanation of where we're at and what you and your Administration plan to do going forward, what the public should expect of you and your department. It was great. And your presentation followed suit. No more fluff. You guys got right into it. I've got to admit, even as an attorney, there's a lot of stuff we couldn't understand, okay, but it was information, very important information. And I like the way you've come and made your presentation. I think you're getting off to a good start, and we want to support you as much as possible. So,just let us know whatever we can do to help. MR. WALTJEN: Mahalo for your words of advice. Thank you. Page 178 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. CHUNG: So right now though, then, in a nutshell, this budget that you guys have is enough for what you need to operate? MR. WALTJEN: Yes, we believe so. MR. CHUNG: Okay. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Chung. Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. And I just want to disclose for the record I've known Kelden since we were five. We have both attended St. Joseph School, and I don't always have this opportunity to say this, so, "Go, Cardinals!" Kelden, excellent job. I think former Prosecuting Attorney Mitch Roth really led the department well. You and your team are really taking it to another level. Really appreciate the time that you've taken to engage staff, improve the culture. And you taking the time to just engage partnerships, including community stakeholders, the Police Department, in very thoughtful ways. I feel like all partners are really aligned and engaged on a common vision and mission, and that's to have healthy, safe communities. So, thank you. I appreciate you talking a little bit about Spillman and LegalEdge and where you are with that. I do just have to ask, though, how are we going to make it more efficient? And the reason why I ask is because I've done a few walk-throughs with Prosecutor's Office, and I saw fax machines, which I thought were a joke, but you guys actually use them. So, talk about what the purpose is and if there's a way that we're going to transition away from faxes and go to email because we all have email these days. MR. CHUNG: Let me address that for you guys. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thanks, Aaron. MR. CHUNG: I cannot speak for everything, but the court still takes only faxes, believe it or not. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I see. MR. CHUNG: That's why we need to have the fax machine in place. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Wow. Okay. MR. CHUNG: Yeah. Page 179 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. WALTJEN: I can, I guess, update a little bit. So, in the past, in the morning, our district court, our custody clerks as well as our circuit court custody clerks, they would get all of these faxed over documents from the Police Department. A big mahalo to the cellblock staff at HPD because they'd go and they're jamming all these documents through, and they send it all over. So, one of the things that was done, and this was actually done under the prior Administration, to just make things a little bit more efficient was they started to scan those things in. So, those documents are being shot over via email to our staff. Because as we all know, when you get a hundred faxes coming through, when you come in in the morning it's just all strewed all over the floor. Not a good sight. I think probably kind of a little upsetting for the staff, they have to go and try to put it all together. So, that we have done. But, yeah, as Aaron has mentioned, unfortunately there are some things that we just need to have the fax in place for. One of the things is correct that the courts as well as other agencies, including Mainland agencies, utilize a fax to send certain things as a more, I guess, secure form of processing and transmitting information. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. Thanks for taking the time to explain. Anything else to add, Steve? MR. FRYE: And I think if your question goes beyond just the fax machine, because things have been done recently that have eliminated the fax machine. With Spillman, we do get some of the documents from the custodies over electronically. So, it's just the custody logs that we're getting, the number of faxes has decreased. But in general, if you're talking about the use of paper, we use a lot of paper. We use paper in discovery processes. We print things. We have massive files. We have massive storage of paper. So, I think the thought of doing whatever we can to eliminate that and move forward to electronic discovery. And as Kelden was talking about, when we're meeting with police, streamlining anything that we can convert into digital is the goal moving forward. It's just going to take small steps as we go. But that's the vision that we have moving forward. With that in mind, we just need to make sure that our backups are in place. As we all might know, the County had that issue with redundant—not being backed up and losing some of the data. So as long as it goes to electronic, but we have redundancies in place to manage any issues, we should be going in the right direction. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Great. Yes, we are aware of that major hiccup. Yeah, I mean, there's just so much paper in your office. You can create cubicles and I see attorneys crossing the street over to the courthouse with, like, boxes that they're attached to. So, okay, thank you. Page 180 FC-8 April 14,2021 Fiscal year 19-20, we increased personnel within the Police Department. Puna, many parts of the island got a number of officers, which we really needed. How has that impacted your department? Any need for additional personnel to kind of support that? Just curious. You said you're good with this budget, but we want you to be realistic here because we can't help you if we don't understand what your challenges are now and thinking into the future. Don't be shy. MR. WALTJEN: I think if I didn't take this opportunity and ask for more positions, I think my staff would be pretty upset, especially our support staff. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Don't go crazy but. MR. WALTJEN: Yes, we do feel the increased amount of cases that come to the office as a result of the increased positions within HPD, but at the same time, we're realistic in our expectations. We understand the limitations of the current financial situation. We have tried to make adjustments where necessary. And with what we have proposed, we think we can make it work. We're just thankful that we have a very great team over at our office. Our clerical unit, I can't thank them enough. They spend so much time, and the amount of dedication that they put into each case is, it'sI can't say thank you enough to them. Our attorneys, they're salaried employees. To say that a Deputy Prosecutor just works from nine to five or 7:45-4:30 is that's hard to come across. Oftentimes, you'll see deputies fielding calls on the weekends, late at night. Steve and I, we're both line prosecutors. For a number of years, we carried full caseloads. We both still carry caseloads. We try to do our part to help carry the weight of the office. We still field calls from the police for conferral calls or things of that nature. And as a result, we know what it's like to have to put in the time necessary. And I feel like we have a team of prosecutors that likewise have the same goal and vision and are dedicated to our community and really do put in whatever time is necessary to make sure that we can get the job done and do what's best for our community. So, that being said, yes, if we could have funding for additional personnel, we would jump at that. We do have ideas on how we could utilize assistance. One of the things that we did put into our budget is, given the number of employees we have, the three physical locations, as noted by Aaron, past concerns with the new LegalEdge office management system, and all the other additional requirements that have come over the years with the judicial electronic filing system and the utilization of the bodycams, HPD's new records management system, Spillman, what we realize is we could really use additional help for our management information system's team. And having a position out at our Kona office, to have somebody on-site would just be essential, I think, to really just be Page 181 FC-8 April 14,2021 more efficient with our office's resources, and our IT department. That's one of the areas. The other areas that if we're—our clerical unit is stretched very thin. We ask them to cover a lot of responsibilities and handle a lot of work. Some of them are assigned to—our circuit court unit right now, our clerical unit, is short staffed. We have the supervisors are stepping in to take on attorneys, which is great, you know, leading by example, and having to process a lot of work. So, if we had the funding for additional clerical positions and support staff positions, that would be great. It also would be helpful if we were able to get assistance for positions that are, I guess, more like non-traditional. A lot of time that we spend in our office, with Steve and I and working with our special projects' coordinators, we've got to think outside the box to get things done. I mentioned this earlier about the social media. Really, that is our Special Projects Coordinator Allen Bartolome and myself and a bunch of other people in the office who are going and taking the time to do the posts and things like that. During the legislative session, we have our special project coordinators jumping in. And we also look to all our individualized units and our attorneys to keep abreast of different topics and issues of concern. So, if we were able to have the funding for assistance in that administrative type of level, whether it be a public information officer or something like that, that would be a tremendous help. Another thing that our office MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Kel, in the interest of time MR. WALTJEN: Okay, sorry. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I'm going to stop you there. MR. WALTJEN: No problem. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: But do you want to suggest, you know, we've got a lot of folks in college, university that would leap at the opportunity to potentially intern with your office and help with your social media. So, I just want to put that out there. MR. WALTJEN: Okay. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Oftentimes, they're doing it for credit. So, that would be something where there's really no cost involved on our end. But I will follow up with you to kind of talk story with you and Director Sako about what we can do to support your department. I really do think you are an excellent investment. I just love how strategic you are with how you position your resources. Page 182 FC-8 April 14,2021 A couple other questions I have. This one's more of a statement. I appreciate you mentioning the work you're doing to engage stakeholders around domestic violence underlying issue for so many criminal activities. I do want to follow up with you on what that multi-sector plan looks like, and how my colleagues and I can help with any other programming or any funding or whatever engagement. So, I'll follow up with you. Real quick answer here. Status of getting through the sex assault case backlog. I wasn't sure if you'd cover that. MR. FRYE: So, the sex assault case backlog, are you talking about uncharged cases? MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yes. MR. FRYE: There's a sex assault deputy. The sex assault kit initiative is a grant that our office has. We have an assigned prosecutor and an assigned investigator that specifically work on cases that are generated from sex assault kits. So, DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) testing kits that come over, and that's part of his caseload. So, all of those cases that are in that backlog are assigned to one attorney, one investigator. There's a multi-disciplinary team involving the forensic testing VAU or Victims Assistance Unit, police. And there's monthly meetings to talk about the progress of those cases. So, those cases are actively being reviewed. They're being charged. One recently went to trial in late March in Kona. So, those are being actively addressed by the SAKI(Sex Assault Kit Initiative) grant. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, great. Thank you. Final question has to do with our Pahoa office. I think, Kelden, you and I have a shared dream of community court there at one point in the future, hopefully. But before we get there, the idea of creating a hub of resources for community, can you just talk real briefly about what we're trying to get to community through that office and how we're engaging the Police Department in that work? MR. WALTJEN: Sure. Recently, it's been brought to my attention, in speaking with Lieutenant Derr(William)with the community policing division, that one of the concerns or how we could better serve our community is, in the past our office had assisted in providing workspace for a Neighborhood Watch coordinator who was situated in our Hilo office. But as we all know with COVID concerns and things like that, available workspace is really prime, and it's highly sought after. So, at the current time, we can't really accommodate that workspace. Page 183 FC-8 April 14,2021 So, in speaking with Ashley, one of the things that we had looked at was how the Pahoa office could be a possible community resource hub. And we reached out to Lieutenant Derr, and I think we got the ball rolling in the right direction where we may be able to have an East Hawaii Neighborhood Watch coordinator situated in the Pahoa office. And I think there's several candidates or people already in mind who actually live in the area. So, I think it's great. They are looking to see how we can also set something similar up in West Hawaii. And I'll probably be reaching out to the West Hawaii Council Members to see if they have any ideas on possible locations or as well as possible people who might be interested in kind of laying the front on the coordinator position. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Great. Thank you, Prosecutor Waltjen, Steve. Really great to see you guys. And again, thank you for assigning deputies to our districts. I was able to catch up with Nathan and Sylvia. They're excellent. Your team's excellent. Thank you. Great job. MR. WALTJEN: Mahalo. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mahalo, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Mr. Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. Thanks,prosecutors, for coming before us, talk story a little bit. Shifting gears but playing off of what Ashley was just talking about, the domestic violence. There's been a little bit of an issue with that. I know East Hawaii and West Hawaii, but then we have north and south. And I know of situations where the investigation, if there's been a crime, there's been some stutter steps where people end up having to go to Hilo or Kona to be attended to, and that's not the right thing to do. I know you're fresh in the seat, but I also know you're carrying over. Are things being done to be more sensitive to that, since it's a very sensitive subject, to better attend to the needs of the victims? So, who do I ask that to? MR. FRYE: So, specifically for North Hawaii, we do have the Waimea office. Are you talking about VAU(Victims Assistance Unit) counselors or counselors in ? MR. RICHARDS: Probably the whole package because I know it's beenI know of a situation where a woman was attacked, and she was told she needed to drive to Hilo by herself. MR. FRYE: For court? Page 184 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. RICHARDS: No. To have the samples taken and all. And so this is not the appropriate thing. And I realize this is a joint thing between the police and the Prosecuting Attorney, but it's the bigger topic that we have to solve. And so, if you're not aware of the issue, but I think you probably are, are we taking steps to address that? Because I know YWCA (Young Women's Christian Association) was working on that with the cameras and all that. But is this a priority? Because it's an issue. MR. FRYE: So, we have a standing meeting—it's by CAPSA (Community Abuse Prevention Service Agency)that addresses the concerns. It has YMCA (Young Men's Christian Association), it has police, and it addresses SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner)nurse testing and making greater availability. So, that's police that issue specifically is driven by police, but we're involved, we're certainly at the table by CAPSA. And that's a general issue, a known issue, where there's a shortage of SANE nurses that are available. And they the police have a contract with them so that they're on call so that they can go and service victims. But it's an unfortunate circumstance if an individual does have to drive. MR. RICHARDS: So, this is a known problem, and you are working on—I mean, I'll ask the Police Chief as well. MR. WALTJEN: Are you also talking about the closing of the CFS (Child and Family Service) office? Is that one of the other—the Child and Family Services office? MR. RICHARDS: You mean in Waimea? MR. WALTJEN: Yeah. MR. RICHARDS: It was never really open. I think it was two hours a week or something like that. So, it's an issue. I realize in Kona and Hilo it's better attended to, but I'm worried about North Hawaii and South Hawaii. Ka`u is an issue as well. So, I'm throwing that out there as a concern, and we need to follow up on that and probably move that agenda item along better than what we've intended to. MR. WALTJEN: Our office also coordinates a domestic violence interagency committee monthly meeting, and we also do an in-office meeting. And we do meet East and West Hawaii. So, what I'll do is I'll make sure they put it on the next agenda and maybe just start the discussion. That would be the best, appropriate place to do it because we just have the right people at the table. So, thank you for bringing that concern to our attention. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. So, I appreciate that. I'll shift over a little bit. Agricultural theft. You had an investigator, Shane Muramaru, and I know that Page 185 FC-8 April 14,2021 was, I think, a State-funded project. And like everything, I'm sure there's no funding left for that. Hawaii County, we are retooling towards a strong agriculture economy. And on a GDP (Gross Domestic Product) basis, agriculture—well, nationally GDP out of agriculture is less than 1 percent. Very important. Without it, we starve. In our State, we're about the same level. But this County, I think as nearest I can figure it, it's about a four times level. Agriculture is very important to the County. The problem is historically agriculture theft has been a misdemeanor and so, therebyI get it. The police are busy. You guys are busy. But this impacts people's lives. And if we're true and serious about food self-reliance, we have to be very serious about protecting agriculture. I know now there is, and I have the number, it's a felony for very low threshold. What is your priority initiative for tending to ag (agriculture)theft? Because, we have to put real teeth into the enforcement, number one; but then number two, prosecution of this. And with that is also the trespass laws. People trespassing on ranch or farmlands. And as well, they're not really hurting anything but that's not the case. And I think recently in Ka`u we had, because of trespassing, I think there was some injury. I think it was a gunshot. So, my concern is that, like so many times, agriculture gets sort of pushed to side because it's not a huge amount of money on the wholesale basis, but it is a livelihood. And if we're not going to support it, then we start seeing vigilante law come along. So, what is your initiative when it comes to ag theft and protecting agriculture to go forward? MR. WALTJEN: We recognize that agricultural theft is definitely a serious concern in our community as you mentioned earlier, especially with a lot of members of our community making their livelihood. We met with a family out in Ka`u, coffee farmers, and they explained to us in detail the effects of what it's like to lose one harvest, essentially. And it's just the impact that it has on not just their operation, but their family and their ability to food on the table. It's something that we definitely recognize. It is a need and concern that we will be working with the police to address. One of the issues and concerns with agricultural theft is, when we look at a criminal statute or criminal law we hear the name of the offense, but what we also have to keep in mind are the elements related to that offense. Agricultural theft has very specific elements that the prosecutors have to prove in order to charge the case. And it also has to do with weighing items, having a scale available. One of the things that, and I think the frustrations that are had in working, and the police are frustrated, they didn't have, like, a calibrated scale available so they could weigh Page 186 FC-8 April 14,2021 items that were stolen. And as a result, it impacted the ability for us to go forward with the case. Other things are having properties enclosed in a manner that is easily identifiable to an intruder that this is a fenced-off area or whatnot. Some of the properties didn't have those types of barriers constructed and things like that. But that being said,just because someone commits a theft on an agriculture property, that doesn't mean that we couldn't go forward with charging a simple theft, unauthorized control, whether it be unauthorized control or receiving stolen property. So, there's other avenues that we can look at, other types of offenses that we can look at charging. You mentioned criminal trespass, but this has been a concern that's been brought to our attention by numerous community stakeholders. We're actually looking in our office to see what we can do to assist. And one of the things that Shane actually had worked on in the past was looking at the possibility of utilizing other forensic type of evidence. And we are in the process. We're starting to look to see how we can implement this, but this is something that we have to work through with the Police Department. But we definitely do recognize the issue at hand, and we will be making steps to hold these people accountable. MR. RICHARDS: I know Shane was working on I think it was called "Smart Water" MR. WALTJEN: Yes. MR. RICHARDS: Where you can spray and then track. And we talked about the scales because I did talk to him about the scales as well. As Councilman Chung pointed out, if you need these resources, let's get after this and get it on because ifI know the whole criminal trespass. And ag theft typically, most of the time, happens when people are criminally trespassing. And I know there's guidelines pertaining to you have to put up signs and say, "No Trespassing,"which is, to me, kind of a no brainer if there's a fence. But I know land managers, whether they're the owners or leasehold, are struggling with the whole trespass thing. For instance, I think it was last year time gets away but we had the University of the Nations, they trespassed across Parker Ranch and then we ended up sending our Fire Rescue people in during the flooding to get them out of Anna's Pond. And the liability because potential is severe, but then Parker Ranch is the one that is pointing, well, you know, they shouldn't be able to get there. I mean, we have to put more teeth into it. And thankfully, Parker Ranch went after and filed a complaint. We need to put more teeth to protect agriculture. And so, I'm putting that out and I'll come talk story with you, because I've got some thoughts on this. But I think this needs to be a high priority now that we Page 187 FC-8 April 14,2021 have some law to back it up to make it a felony. And then, we need to put some teeth into it because I think he's talked about the coffee farmer in Ka`u. Waimea, I've kicked people out of Luis Rincon's strawberry field, and it was, "We're just taking some strawberries." That's not the point. You're stealing. So, anyway, those are my big concerns right now, and I'll come talk story with you later. Oh, one other thing is your—sounds like you've been working on systems to increase efficiency, which is excellent. I just wanted to give you a shout-out on doing that because, looking at what you have, looking at what will streamline things to make it more efficient so you can get more volume through the system, which is critical. So, anyway, a shout-out on that. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Prosecutor Waltjen, First Deputy Frye, excellent presentation. And I'm going to take off from where Council Member Richards left off, which is you guys did an excellent job of what I would describe as journey mapping. You guys have identified strategic, critical pinch points of your department and how to make them effective and efficient. And so, I want to walk over to a lot of the grants that you folks have. First Deputy Frye, you touched upon it and so did you,Prosecuting Attorney Waltjen. You mentioned some of the cutbacks at the State. And I'm asking more from, not just this fiscal but the next fiscal following up. We're seeing a lot of need in our grant-in-aid committee that provides a lot of support services. When some of these crimes are happening, they're downstream. And so, you guys are upstream. And so, if we can get more funding to you folks upstream, some of the underbelly of community that we see that are being supported by our nonprofits, whether it's drug addiction with BISAC (Big Island Substance Abuse Council), right, domestic violence, some of those things. Hopefully, we can begin to alleviate some of that and start finding more solutions. And so, in your grant revenue piece, you have the JAG (Justice Assistance Grant) grant, the training grant, the BIJAC (Big Island Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center) grant. Are they going to be there, not this year, but the following year? And I'm asking to kind of think around the corner a little bit. MR. WALTJEN: We presently are of the position that that funding will be there. If something were to occur and we'd have to make adjustments, then we would gather our team together and we would see how we would best alleviate any financial burdens associated with the loss of those grants. But at present, I don't have a concern about those except with BIJAC. That funding is gone. So, we'll have to see how we will be addressing the needs of that group in West Hawaii. Page 188 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. LEE LOY: Okay, great. Yeah, because I see it as a crest, right. We talked about the decisions that the CJ(Chief Justice) made with shutting down court, all this kind. So, you guys were able to catch up on a backlog but there's going to be this crest, right. As it past you folks, we're going to actually see it back in community. And so, I'm trying to kind of take temperature on what that might look like in 2022-2023 as we begin to feel those effects down in community. And so again, if we can try and get more money upstream to you folks, whether it's through assistance at the Legislature with helping support funding over there or, as Ms. Kierkiewicz mentioned, some of the work for staffing. I think those are good tools that we could use so that we end up lifting community, actually, if we put the resources in the right places. And then, I did want to offer, as we go through our nonprofit grant-in-aid committee, there's some work that's going to be happening throughout the year. And I just want to engage your department to come and sit down with some of those nonprofits who are asking for tools, and actually provide a lot of the education that you guys are charged with, too, around crime and the justice system. And so, if we could partner you folks there, that would be huge because then we actually, as Ms. Kierkiewicz always says, leverage our social capital around that, right. Because what we really do well here on the island is we network well. And then, I do want to thank both of you for taking on the social media piece. I think that's an excellent tool. I do want to say, on top of everything you folks did, you guys have incredible heart. Kelden, I've got to say your tribute to Sheri Lawson was phenomenal. Thank you for honoring her in such a fantastic way. So, with that, Chair, I yield. MR. WALTJEN: Mahalo. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Oh, did you want to respond? MR. WALTJEN: I just want to say mahalo. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Ms. Villegas, go ahead. You had a question? MS. VILLEGAS: Sure. Just a couple of questions here. First off, thank you and congratulations on this role and in presenting such a thorough budget explanation, list of needs and services, and the transitions and changes that you've made to improve on that department. I wondered if you could tell me what percentage of cases go to trial. Page 189 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. FRYE: So, we're seeing what feels like more cases going to trial than ever before because the fact that there were no trials, especially jury trials. The percentage is hard to put a specific number on. It's just not something that we've ever tracked. Nationally, you hear things around 90 percent of cases are determined without sort of a trial. So, maybe 10 percent of cases go to trial. We have in the tens of thousands of cases that we handle on a yearly basis. A bulk of those are in district court, traffic-related cases. So, in district court, you see a lot of cases that are DUI(Driving Under the Influence) related, OVUII(Operating a Vehicle Under the Influence of an Intoxicant) cases. Those cases have become more difficult to prosecute over the years based on some appellate decisions. MS. VILLEGAS: Gotcha. Yeah. MR. FRYE: So, they're highly contested. So, you see those cases going to trial a lot. Certain other cases like a"driving without a license" case are going to go to trial much less because there's less of a defense that someone can raise. With the more serious cases where someone is facing a lengthy prison sentence, sometimes those are less likely to go because the resources police are able to put into them are significant. The evidence against the defendant is significant and the risk the amount of time that an individual could face by going to trial and being incarcerated without pleading guilty, they decide to plead guilty and cut their losses and throw themselves at the mercy of the court. So, you see a lot of cases resolving by way of plea agreement in cases that are strong. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. And my apologies. Perhaps I should have created the frame of reference for this. Now, is it correct that you guys predict salaries for the prosecutors based on future cases? I'm just wondering how are you able to do that when you're not sure of the future cases. If you could just help me understand that connection. MR. WALTJEN: One of the things that we use when we're looking at determining salaries of our deputies, we look at their experience level, the types of cases that they handle, their current assignments, the seriousness of those types of cases as well as what they bring to the table as far as their past experiences and where they've come from. And we also do an assessment based on performance. And those are the types of things that we take into consideration. One of the things that was really important to Steve and I taking on a new Administration was accountability and making sure that salaries were appropriate based on the type of work each individual attorney is handling and their performance. Page 190 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. Thank you. I appreciate. So, it's based on past experience and then, looking into the future, their capacity and capability for handling future cases and what that caseload would look like based on experience and knowing how to navigate those things. That's helpful to understand. Do you guys come across a lot of open-and-shut cases? MR. FRYE: Yes. There's a lot of open-and-shut cases. There's a lot of people that are caught red-handed. But that doesn't mean that someone will come into the system and plead out immediately. If you have a felony case, someone can't get arrested one night and come in and plead guilty the next morning. You still have to go through the process where that matter is committed up to circuit. They're going to be afforded an attorney. It's very unlikely that someone's going to be able to waive their right to an attorney. They can but it's a lengthy process to have the judge go in and waive that right. So, even in the most clear case of an open-and-shut case where there is no defense and there's nothing but evidence against the person, there's still a lengthy court process and a lot of work that's dealt in managing that case, especially at the felony level. MS. VILLEGAS: Right. Would you say that efforts are made to avoid going to trial if it's viewed as an open-and-shut case? MR. FRYE: No, I don't think there's any efforts to avoid trial. Certainly, the effort is focused on doing what's in the best interest of the community. The more serious the case ismurder, sex assault, any kind of community safety risk we're taking a hard look at those cases. And those are the cases that often go to trial because there is so much risk to the defendant for spending a very long time being incarcerated. So, we do have to make tough calls sometimes on which cases we're going to be seeking the longest punishment possible on because there's more cases that are possible to take to trial in a calendar year. And we're up against time constraints in Hawaii where a case has to be taken to trial within 180 days, and we have more cases than the courts could accommodate. MR. WALTJEN: Another thing I'd just like to add is a lot of times people there's a misconception that just because we go to trial and are successful and win, that the court is mandated to impose the maximum penalty by law. If a certain case or offense is charged in a manner that has sentencing provisions structured like that, that is the case. But oftentimes, it's at the discretion of the court. The court would make the determination as to what the final sentence would be. So, that's just one of the misconceptions about trial. Page 191 FC-8 April 14,2021 With respect to plea negotiations, one of the things that's very important to us is having the input of the police as well as the persons affected, the victims in the cases, that we do take their input and what their desired outcome is into consideration before we extend offers in cases. I know oftentimes—sometimes the public may become upset because of what they see as maybe too light a sentence or leniency. We just would like you all to know that we do take input and we do take into consideration before we make decisions. MS. VILLEGAS: And just so you guys understand my line of questioning, based on this being the joys of budget time is wanting toI'm asking these questions in order for the public to be able to hear and gain a greater understanding, because sometimes there's a perception that going to trial costs a lot of money. But the way that you're answering is very helpful in explaining the need to continue to go to trial even if some might perceive that that's an open-and-shut case, that's a waste of money, you know, tax dollars, prosecution, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah. But thank you for your clarifications and your detailed explanation of the need to follow through and take to trial even cases that may be perceived open-and-shut cases in order to ensure that justice is served, and the right sentences come down in the courts for people that have to go to trial for the things that they've done. So, thank you for answering that line of questioning for me and helping to explain that. I appreciate it. And with that, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, Chair. I just want to tap into something that I think I heard Council Member Lee Loy grab onto with this budget, is that it's pretty clear with some extraordinary circumstancesCOVID that you guys are treading water, right. But I think all of us have an interest in seeing future budgets that include greater emphasis on dealing with things upstream, right, before the domestic violence situation, before the kid gets involved in drugs, before they start stealing cars and whatnot. Basically, we'd love to see you guys work yourselves out of a j ob. But the understanding is you guys are catching up right now. I certainly appreciate that. I wanted to just ask a couple of specific items. The Aid to Victims, I see has been zeroed out. Is that something that came from the State, that you were not getting as well—you may have mentioned it in your presentation, which was excellent and very well prepared. You are clearly attorneys. I may have missed it. I apologize. MR. WALTJEN: Yes, the victim witness program is being cut. Page 192 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. KIMBALL: Okay. All right. And what's theagain,just my lack of knowledge about these things the forfeits, both the State and Fed(Federal), those were significantly less than what was budgeted. Why is that? MR. WALTJEN: You're making reference to the asset forfeitures? Is that—? MS. KIMBALL: It's this item in the budget I see Deanna coming up; maybe she can answer it—but Items 5271.44, 5271.47, Prosecuting Attorney Forfeit State and Fed. They're budgeted for $200,000 and $50,000, respectively, but were significantly less in the (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the members of the Council.) MS. SAKO: So, that's one of the accounts they were talking about that there's legislation at the State as well, but they can only spend what they receive. So, there's an offsetting revenue account to match that expenditure account. And so, we only let them spend what they get. But to have it appropriated already if they are fortunate enough to get the funding, then they can go ahead and spend it right away. MS. KIMBALL: I got it. So, there's are really just placeholders. Great. Thank you for the clarification. I do want to emphasize as well that the ag theft issue is definitely a concern in Hamakua. I did have a chance to talk with Shane a little bit about it. And one of the things, Council Member Richards, we can share with our constituents is to make sure that folks are reporting. That was one of the things that I got from Shane, was that there was people would report a couple of days later and say, "Oh, yeah, somebody came,"rather than reporting immediately. So, that's another message I want to put out there to the public. I'm curious about incidences of gun violence. We know that from some of the testimony from the Police Department with the grant for the registration, tracking that sales have gone up significantly with COVID. Are we seeing any increase in gun violence cases? MR. WALTJEN: We've definitely seen an increase in gun violence cases. We've also seen an increase of illegal possession of prohibited firearms. So, illegal guns as well as what seems to be common is felons in possession of firearms. A lot of times those types of offenses come coupled with possession of illegal narcotics. Oftentimes, drug dealers, distributors, they're armed to protect themselves, I guess, from and to facilitate the distribution of the illegal narcotics. So, yes, we have seen that. It has been a concern. One of the other things that's been a pressing concern is the number of what we refer to as "ghost guns." Ghost guns are firearms that are un-serialized. They are Page 193 FC-8 April 14,2021 not tracked. These are firearms that people are putting together via kits that they buy. And oftentimes, a person that would have a ghost firearm is a person who is prohibited by law from owning a firearm. So, not normally a law-abiding citizen seeking to exercise their rights. So, yes, it's been a definite concern. We've been working with the police as well as Federal agencies and hoping that we can try to curb the issue and concern in our community. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you for that. I'm quite concerned about some of the reports that I'm seeing about an increased escalation of violence, particularly with domestic violence, which is a priority for me to work on. With people having to stay at home, many of the DV(domestic violence) cases escalated to a much more serious level before they were addressed. And again, another thing where I hope in future budgets there'll be more money put towards those preventative upstream measures. I certainly will support that, and I think some of my other colleagues would like to see that as well. Mahalo. Thank you, Chair. MR. WALTJEN: Mahalo. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball_ Maile David. MS. DAVID: Good morning, Chair. Mahalo. Prosecutor Waltjen, I just wanted to say, first of all, thank you for that very detailed presentation for your department, and I appreciate all the work that you've done. And I don't really have a question, but I just wanted to let you know that, primarily, I want to echo Council Member Richards' concerns regarding ag theft. My district's primarily ag. My district is strictly ag. Coffee, ranching, and various other kinds of ag products. And we've been hearing that there's a lot of theft going on, and I know it's a difficult thing to get evidence on because they normally hit at night. And farmers really have little or no options to prevent that. So, I just want you to know that it's a very important issue, and I appreciate any efforts that you folks can do in addressing this very serious problem in rural districts. And I do have one inquiry. How many cases that comes through your office have to do with crimes against our elders or kupuna? MR. WALTJEN: It's interesting that you bring that topic to light. Just the other day, it was brought to our attention about a pending incident. And it definitely is a community concern. We want to hold people accountable who abuse the elderly. The incident that I'm talking about was an assaultive nature, but there's also crimes where elderly persons are taken advantage of. At one time, we had an elderly abuse section in our office that was grant funded. We don't have that funding anymore. But that is something that has been brought to our attention by different community stakeholders, and we will be working with Page 194 FC-8 April 14,2021 our deputies to make sure that, where appropriate, looking at the sentencing provisions and seeking enhanced penalties for those types of offenses where appropriate. By statute, there are enhancements if certain elements are met, depending on the facts and circumstances of each case. MS. DAVID: Yes, and I appreciate that because I raise that issue because, in addition to all the domestic violence and crimes against our children, I really believe that crimes against kupuna have basically been unnoticed by the powers that be. And I really would love to work with your department in trying to seek solutions to this. It's something that does not get reported a lot, and I think that's one of the major issues. So, I just wanted to raise the issue and bring it to your attention and offer to work with your department in any way that I can to address this issue. Mahalo. I yield. MR. WALTJEN: Mahalo. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. David. Ms. Villegas, you had a follow up question? MS. VILLEGAS: Yes,just a quick question here. I believe it was about two years ago we voted as a Council to join on to litigation related to the opioid epidemic and holding opioid manufacturers responsible for much of the damage that's been done throughout society based on addiction and the addiction rates and kind of what it caused in transitioning from pharmaceuticals to illegal drugs. Now, in watching the news, there have been some verdicts that have come down, which I believe the last one I saw allocated was it$80 million to the State of Hawaii to help mitigate some of the damage caused by the opioid epidemic? And I wondered, from a budgetary standpoint from the Prosecutor's Office, if any of that funding was going to be headed in your direction in order to help mitigate many of the challenges and the tragedies caused in an association with the opioid epidemic, and to help serve people who may have been harmed. So, I'm wondering if you guys are seeing any of that or if any information about that funding and resources has been made available to you at this point. MR. WALTJEN: Mahalo for bringing that to our attention. No, I haven't seen any of that type of documentation coming across my desk, but that is something that I can have our office look into maybe as a possible resource. So, thank you very much for bringing that to our attention. MS. VILLEGAS: Sure. It just seems like it could be, especially as youI can see such a heart for service and making sure we're taking care of victims and the support necessary in order to help them navigate legal processes that happen. My apologies; truck going by. Page 195 FC-8 April 14,2021 So, I just think that would be great. And as a County as ideally, hopefully we see some of these resources being allowed to come downstream to the counties. Hopefully, some of this will become available for the good work that you do. But it doesn't sound like there's any specific numbers or anything included in this budget. Is that fair to say? MR. WALTJEN: Yes. Yes, I'm sorry. MS. VILLEGAS: No worries. Okay, great. Thank you for answering that, and I am, once again, hopeful that we'll be receiving some resources to help support the people who, unfortunately, suffer the repercussions of the opioid epidemic. All right. Thank you. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Okay, I don't see any comments. Oh, Mr. Chung. MR. CHUNG: Kelden, I'm going to ask you, I mean, since we kind of segued into broader topics. You don't have to talk too long on these things. I just wanted you to share some of your thoughts. I know you guys are not the enforcement arm of the County. Basically, it's the police who has to do stuff and then you guys get pressed into action, right. But what are your thoughts about the potential for race- based crimes proliferating here? We're kind of unique, right? But any thoughts on that? Just briefly. MR. WALTJEN: I think wehonestly, we live in the, what I consider to be probably one of the most diverse communities anywhere in the world. I'm a firm proponent in believing that we don't have race-based crimes occurring on a regular in our community. Are there cases where a statement or a slur is made as a part of the facts and circumstances that come out? Yes. But I haven't seen, like, a spike in any specific group that has been brought to my attention. MR. CHUNG: Okay. MR. WALTJEN: Steve, did you want to ? MR. FRYE: I haven't seen anything either, and I think, in general, I think that our County is very lucky in that respect. From a national perspective, certainly there's disagreements but I don't think there's any targeted violent acts or property offenses that are being specifically targeted against a particular group of people. But that's not to say that we don't look for it— MR. tMR. CHUNG: Right, okay. MR. FRYE: And that we don't take it seriously if it ever would be reported. Page 196 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. CHUNG: Right. And we are unique, right? Second one, what's the state of organized crime in the State of Hawaii? I know there was a big push, right, to dismantle a lot of so-called operatives. But at the same time, and not saying that I'm a supporter of organized crime, but I've often said that what happens when you take out that mechanism of organized crime, then what comes into the void is disorganized crime. And what's your thoughts on that? MR. WALTJEN: It's funny. I think I remember you and I having this conversation one day. I think,presently what seems to be at the forefront as far as what looks to be organized is distribution of illegal narcotics. That seems to be organized. And, yes, there is some sentiment with that when you have certain level offenders feeding the poison in the community, it does invite—addiction rates are up. As a result, there's a lot more petty crimes and things of that nature occurring. I think that's what you're kind of getting at as far as with an unorganized hierarchy among criminals. MR. CHUNG: Well, not only that, too, but I'm really disturbed about the number of shootings particularly against police officers nowadays. I'm totally unfamiliar with that concept, and just recently there's just been a growing number of these things happening. I mean, you will see maybe three of them a year. Before, no such thing really, yeah. MR. WALTJEN: What's come to light lately, and it's a lot of the cases that I've worked on at least in the last couple of years is situations where I can tell you where people—typical traffic stops where officers come into contact with a person who has a firearm within arms' reach. It is a concerning number of these cases. I can tell you there's also a concerning number of cases where there are other situations where there's a firearm in the car that the officer can't see, but maybe they see drugs or drug paraphernalia. And as a result, that person is placed into custody and arrested for a drug crime. Later, subsequent, a search warrant is executed and then, as a result of that search warrant, they find firearms, multiple firearms, multiple types of ammunition. And then, it's brought to light that that person who is driving the car is also a convicted felon. It does seem that there are a concerning number of criminals, repeat offenders, felons, career criminals, who are in possession of firearms, and it's something that I know law enforcement has taken very seriously over the last years. And we're hoping that we can continue to, in our ongoing efforts, to address those types of concerns. MR. CHUNG: The last thing would be gangs, both locally and maybe from outside. Any idea on what's going on there? Or if that's a problem or it's a potential problem? And just briefly. I'm just kind of picking your brain. Page 197 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. WALTJEN: Right. In the Hawaii State law enforcement community, as far as gangs go, the growing concern or the greatest concern involves prison gangs. So, these are organizations that manifest themselves within our correctional institutions, whether they be out of State, in Honolulu, or even here on our own island. These different types of gang affiliations do create a means of people who enter into them for means of protection and things like that. There's initiation processes. But the growing concern is how that relationship or that affiliation will affect the community when this person is reintegrated back out into society. A lot of times, these people are marked and identified, and they have a code that they live by. And there's a means in which they are connected to this group, and it does impact them in the long run. But these types of groups a lot of times have been identified as causing certain types of disturbances, and there's been assaults and things like that within the correctional system that have been brought to light at least lately. But the public safety department as well as other law enforcement agencies do take a lot of time in trying to identify these types of members who are affiliated with these different prison gangs and groups. MR. CHUNG: I just wanted to chat with you about those things. But thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Chung. Council, any further comments, questions? Okay, seeing none, I have a few questions of my own. Thank you for taking care of sex offenders in our community. You made that a priority and thank you for doing that. I think it's very important. Along that same line of thought, there was some discussion last year about exploitation or trafficking. We have our new State trafficking, our human trafficking coordinator Sha Talebi. What are your thoughts on exploitation of keiki, but also anyone in our community? MR. WALTJEN: This is something that's been brought to light, especially in the last year. And you're very familiar with the issues arising out of this. In the Legislature right now, they have—Representative Ichiyama did introduce bills related to human trafficking, and our office did support that bill. And it is really looking at just setting up coordination efforts and really reaching out into the communities. And our office has the buy-in, and we are willing to do whatever we can to help alleviate some of those concerns. The other thing is with human trafficking, I know we've started to attend monthly meetings with an organization here on-island, and just kind of bringing us up to speed. Because one of the things that, I think the first step in taking a step in the right direction is being aware of the issues at hand in our community. So, I really thank Melody Stone for inviting us to participate in her meetings. But that's kind of where we're at. We're looking at all the different tools, and we're working with the Attorney General's Office to hold these types of offenders accountable for their actions. Page 198 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then, looking to our revenues for General Fund, there's actually a line item for "Child Exploitation Task Force," but we weren't funded. I mean, is there thoughts that we'd get funding from the State or from the Federal level for any kind of exploitation measures? I mean, I know even Trump made it a priority for his Administration. What are we looking at from there? Do you have any idea? MR. WALTJEN: One of the things that our office is this is something that we've been recently working with the Juvenile Aid Section, with the Hawaii County Police Department, and our investigators unit. And I believe there's things that are coming into a plan of action that hopefully will come to light soon that we can share with you and hopefully successes that we can share with you on the types of steps that have, I guess, come to fruition through the cooperation of our office, the Attorney General's Office, and the Police Department. As for the funding question, I think it's just that if funding was available, this is definitely something that we could prioritize and have people in the right places. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Another one I wanted to check on. You talked about the career criminals, kind of, portion of your budget. I think you said it was $420,000 a year that you had MR. WALTJEN: Yes. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Been shorted. And I'm looking in the budget for revenues, and I do see a zero for 2021-2022, which is what you're trying to make up, correct? MR. WALTJEN: Yes. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But it's a fairly substantial increase from 2019-2020 where they only granted us—really received as revenue $183,000, which I find interesting. That's good. I mean, so, they're stepping in that direction then. But this year, due to the budget at the State level and Federal level, we just didn't get anything. MR. WALTJEN: That's correct. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Touching on what Tim Richards talked about earlier, there's a line item here, too, for your agricultural crimes projects. This year's estimate would be $106,000. How are you utilizing that to take on agricultural theft and crimes? MR. WALTJEN: Where is that? Page 199 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It's under revenues under the General Fund, 3305.94. I think Deanna's coming up. Deanna may be available. MR. WALTJEN: I see Deanna coming up. I think this one was cut. Yes, this is one of the grants that was cut. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, so, yeah. So, in the budget it's showing as 106. So, that's actually going to be a zero. MR. WALTJEN: That's correct. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And that is not included in your guys' budget that's in front of us right now? MR. WALTJEN: That's correct. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I wanted to commend you on what I saw you do as far as your overtime, and you touched on that briefly in your opening statement. You took off$100,000 for your Prosecuting Attorney's Salary and Wages, Overtime. That's pretty commendable. I've seen that from a lot of different departments. So, mahalo for doing that. I did see a pretty substantial increase in your budget for your telephone, for Kona side specifically. And I'm really gauging by 2019 and 2020, which is a normal year. This year has been all over the place. So, I'm not really looking at this year as far as a guideline for what to expect. But looking at 2021-2022, what is that? It's almost a $30,000 increase. MR. FRYE: It might be tied to the Kona courthouse workroom. So, when the courthouse was built, there's an area in the courthouse for the prosecutor to have a dedicated space. And we have to shoulder that expense to have the phone line and the internet line in that workroom. And it was critical during the time when the Prosecutor's Office was about half an hour to forty-five minutes away to get documents timely to our attorneys that were present in court that needed to check cases, have internet access, and have that workroom there. And that workroom is still—even though we're closer, it's still a valuable resource that we can have that's just right across. It's on the third floor by the circuit courts on the south side of the building. And it's a tremendous asset to our attorneys that are conducting trials and are on regular calendar days, and I think that's a contract that has a duration. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Thank you. Understood. Ms. Kimball touched on it earlier. "Prosecuting Attorney Forfeits from the State." Can you just explain the use of that? Your actual expenditures in '19-'20 was $15,000, but we're budgeting $200,000 this year. That's a huge difference. So, I want to understand the difference, what's that being used for. I can see the line item in here but what is that? Page 200 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. WALTJEN: The asset forfeitures is like—we're likely not to get anything from the State. I think that's what Ms. Sako was touching in earlier as far as the amount. The amount is there if it comes in, but we're likely not to get anything because the asset forfeitures will likely just be going to the State General Fund this year. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It's important for us to know because it's in our revenues and that's a substantial that's $200,000. There's another line item as well there. MS. SAKO: So, yes, it's in the revenues but there's the offsetting expenditure. So, if you take one out, you take both out. It doesn't really impact the budget. It's treated like a grant. So, there's the revenue side and there's the expenditure side, and that's where I was saying earlier: Only if they get the revenue, then we allow them to spend it. But it's not impacting the total revenue for the General Fund because it's treated like a grant. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So, as a grant then, I mean, because it's in the Prosecuting Attorney's budget. And it covers, I mean, you've got furniture, equipment, subscriptions, miscellaneous charges, advertising, contract services. MS. SAKO: If they were to get it— MR. tMR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Travel, training. MS. SAKO: Then they would spend it. But if they don't get it, they don't get to spend it. And that's true of any grant in the entire budget. If they don't get the revenue, then they don't get to spend it. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And that goes for the "Prosecuting Attorney Forfeits Federal" as well. MS. SAKO: Yup. MR. WALTJEN: Yes. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So then, grant then, total in 2019-2020 was $15,000. MR. WALTJEN: That's my understanding. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It's right here. Our budgets are actuals. So, then, 2021-2022, though, we looked at$200,000 as a possible grant revenue. Page 201 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. WALTJEN: I think we just projected in the event that it gets to that amount. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It's a pretty substantial increase in your projection, yeah. MR. WALTJEN: I think it was just in an abundance of caution that we picked that amount number. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. What other funds do you guys use for your account, I mean, sorry, what other streams of revenue do you apply to your department? General Fund? What else? MR. FRYE: The best person to answer this question might be our Business Manager Lisa Faulkner-Inouye. If she's on maybe she can field that question. (Note: At this time, Business Manager Lisa Faulkner-Inouye came forward to address the members of the Council.) MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Lisa, are you there? MS. FAULKNER-INOUYE: Hi. Hi, all. Thank you. Hi, Matt. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Good morning. MS. FAULKNER-INOUYE: So, the question was, what are our total revenues or total amount of grants that we have? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: No. What are your revenue streams for the department, for the most part? I mean, not a detailed list but just kind of break it down for me. MS. FAULKNER-INOUYE: State and Federal grants. So MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: You've got General Fund. MS. FAULKNER-INOUYE: Pardon? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: You have General Fund. You have grants. I mean, kind of break it down for us. MS. FAULKNER-INOUYE: Okay. So, we have several State and Federal grants that allow us to do all of our innovative programming, and the remaining comes from our General Fund from real property taxes. Page 202 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then this year, due to State grants dropping, we're increasing the pull from the General Fund. Does that sum it up? MS. FAULKNER-INOUYE: Say that again? MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Because we're losing State and Federal grant revenue, we're more dependent on the General Fund this year. MS. FAULKNER-INOUYE: Yes. We're more dependent. And, unfortunately, as State revenues get reduced, some of our innovative programming also reduces accordingly. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. That's unfortunate because that's the programs that really help out the community from what we just talked about too. MS. FAULKNER-INOUYE: I think it's really important to know that the majority of our innovative programs for the community are grant funded. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Thank you, Lisa. I appreciate that. Thank you. Just to ask, Kelden, marijuana; we have kind of a promotion of the what are they called—hemp industry, but what are your thoughts towards marijuana in the community? MR. WALTJEN: Our office takes a very low priority look at marijuana, simple marijuana possession offenses. In fact, you know,the legislature decriminalized simple possession of three grams or less marijuana, making it a violation which means it's not even an arrestable offense. What I've noticed, with respect to marijuana if you want to look at it on the side of how it relates to other crimes and things like that of that nature, sometimes you see marijuana as a tag-along offense charged with another number of offenses, usually possession of more hardcore illegal narcotics like methamphetamine. And that's just as a result of users who use methamphetamine, they will smoke marijuana to come down from the high. And so for the most part when I see cases involving marijuana charges being filed which is pretty rare nowadays, especially in Hawaii County. It's usually only charged in conjunction with other offenses. I haven't seen a standalone single count simple possession marijuana violation charge out of our office probably in a year, maybe longer. I think we've really taken a perspective that it is a very low priority. Now that being said, if it's a larger quantity of marijuana, we have charged those commercial promotion charges of marijuana where individuals are possessing, you know,pounds or multiple pounds of marijuana that's also comingled with firearms or large amounts of U.S. currency. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Good. Thank you. I just had some people in my community asking. Page 203 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. WALTJEN: Yeah, I mean, there's a misconception. I mean, there's a lot of people who'd say that there's people incarcerated at HCCC (Hawai`i Community Correction Center) based solely simple possession marijuana charges. I can tell you that's not true. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I remember hearing that. That came up as we discussed releasing prisoners due to COVID, and then releasing for simple crimes. And in that discussion it came out, you know, we'll let out everyone who's been arrested for a marijuana offense out. And I remember, I think it was Mitch, saying there really isn't anybody in there for just a simple marijuana crime. MR. FRYE: Sort of in relation to the marijuana issue,just some things to keep in mind going forward with that issue. As the marijuana laws change, the Police Department currently has a section of their vice unit specifically for marijuana and that's when Kelden was mentioning the commercial promotion, those are still actively being enforced. A lot of times when you see those cases the growers might have partial licenses or expired licenses. So you deal with people that might be trying to do the right thing but are not complying with all the requirements, so we'll charge those cases because there's a requirement that they follow the law. One thing to keep in mind, that impaired driving cases, marijuana impaired driving cases are still going to be a safety concern. And as the law changes,just a reminder, that marijuana can impact your ability to drive, and currently our OVUII laws require us to prove for drug offenses that it's a scheduled substance. So if marijuana is ever removed from those scheduled substances that's going to impact our ability to prosecute impaired driving cases on marijuana. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, like driving under the influence basically? MR. FRYE: Correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Working with police to keep offenders off the streets, I think you mentioned that in your opening remarks. You know, Puna, you went through your opening statement, and you said the word, "Puna"three or four times as far as where the guys were from. We know we get some problems in Puna, too. But, I mean, what can we do to help address that and take care of our community? I mean, in going back to 2018 and Officer Kaliloa, and then we've had some really interesting people get arrested in the middle of our subdivisions there. Some of our police officers, CPO's (Community Policing Officer), have been absolutely amazing in coordinating with neighborhood watches but, you know, what else can we expect from your office when it comes to cracking down on crime and increasing public safety? Page 204 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. WALTJEN: You know, one of the things that we're trying to focus on is smarter prosecutions. And what I mean by that is,when looking at the facts and circumstances of cases in our case evaluation and assessment, we look at all the facts presented, and we see if there are certain sentencing provisions that are appropriate where we can seek certain enhancements or penalties that make the crimes more to hold these types of offenders accountable for their actions. And hopefully the message gets conveyed to, you know, these offenders that we're taking a position that we're trying to make our community a safer place. I really feel that in the progress we've made, you know, with the Police Department, we really do have a unified front here on Hawaii Island with our law enforcement community and we are in a more cohesive environment, working together and striving for common goals. And one of those priorities, I think, that has been addressed is just making Puna a safer place. You know, the thing with crime is—crime really isI mean, crime is the Prosecutor's Offices' responsibility, the police's responsibility, and judiciary. But much more than that, crime is really a community concern. It's all of our kuleana. It's all of us working together and just sharing the want and the desire to make our home a safer and better place. You know, what I've realized in, at least in this first four months is, it seems like the community is really coming together. It seems like people are supporting one another. You know, I was talking to one of my deputy's this morning and she was telling me about how a community is rallying around a victim and supporting her and trying to make her feel safe in her home, because she was violated and doesn't feel safe in her home. And now her neighbors are trying to help her, you know, spending time with her, and doing their part. And it's really touching, and I feel like that's really how we as a community can get behind one another and support each other. So really just, you know, to the members of the public, if you see something happening, you know, say something, you know, do something. Be part of the solution, not part of the problem. And I really feel like that's kind of the direction that we're trying to encourage, you know, which direction our office is moving forward in, the Police Department, and I feel like the community is getting there as well. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you for that. There's always a push and a play between prosecuting and police. We arrested them, prosecution let them go, or there was a problem with the case. Do you ever go back and kind of troubleshoot those and say, "Hey, what happened; where did it go wrong, how can we help the police understand what we need on the back end?" Do you have like, you know, an informational session with them or document that's provided? I mean I'm sure, you know, what are you doing for that? Page 205 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. WALTJEN: That's a great question. We touched on this briefly earlier. You know, with having deputies assigned to the different specialized units there's just a rapport with the deputy prosecutor and the assigned detectives from the unit. They can work together, really open a line of communication and talk through, you know, issues and concerns about cases. You know, in the past,just exactly what you just mentioned, you know, there may be a situation where the police were dissatisfied by a prosecutor's decision on a case. What we have impressed upon our attorneys in our office is the importance of, you know, reaching back to officers when there is a concern or an issue or what happened or what made them, you know, come to the decision they did regarding the filing of the charges. And as a result I think that improves our relationship with the police department. But more importantly what that does for these officers, it provides them a guideline and a point to move forward on and really look at it from a perspective of, "Maybe I should've done this differently or that differently," and really improve the overall quality of the types of investigations that are coming in. And you know, I just credit the officers, too, because now I feel like a lot of these officers now feel comfortable to reach out and call a prosecutor and just having that outlet to just be comfortable to talk to the prosecutor about, you know, what happened with their case. So that's something that we really have tried to impress upon our deputies and just our office in general. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Is that list provided to the public at all or the neighborhood watches and community associations so that they too can understand what builds a strong case when they're dealing with a, you know, disorderly neighbor or, you know, someone who's been a continuous sore spot in the community or,junk yards or, you know, drug houses. So I mean is there a way for the community to understand that as well so it's not just—you don't have too much of a chain of command where the because you know, the police are understanding what you're needing but does the community itself understand what it takes? A lot of times neighborhood watch groups come MR. WALTJEN: Right. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: How to be a good witness? But in this case, you know, how to set up a case so that's it's going to work out in your best interest in the end? MR. WALTJEN: You know, this is a great question. You know, I had one of our special project coordinators had brought this to my attention some time ago, that someone had brought this exact same, you know, "Oh, what can we do? How can we help each other? How can we make a better case?" And well, this special projects coordinator had pitched me as an idea was, "Hey, can we make some Page 206 FC-8 April 14,2021 brochures? Can we do some online posts, maybe we can create something?" And that's kind of what spearheaded the whole thing of getting a social media presence. So that's one of the things that we're looking at, trying to do, as also providing that type of informational assistance to the public about things that impact cases and how we can get things done. So that's definitely something that we're working on. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, good. Good. Because I get questions regarding that and along that line, and people always wanting to know what they can do to help. Sometimes I don't know what to tell them. And I reached out to your office, and you were waiting on your deputy prosecuting attorneys to come in and begin serving districts. So that's always what's happening. Squatters, what's going on with squatters in our district? That was another thing I reached out to you earlier on. MR. WALTJEN: Last week we met with myself, Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Kevin Soong, and our Special Projects Coordinator Allan Bartolome met with Captain Briski, Lieutenant Watanabe, and Community Policing Officer Eddy Cardines. We had a really good talk story session. We discussed everything from Seaview Kalapana Estates to Kehena. And one of the other things that we touched on was the squatter issues. And I really think, you know, with squatters it's a community problem. Often times it's civil in nature. You know, I explained to Captain Briski, you know, that our office is here at the table. We're willing to work with what we have available but, you know, my suggestion was that if we could get members from the Corporation Counsel as well as the Mayor's Office. And I think if we have those people, we have all those right players at the table, I think we could actually make some headway and make some lasting positive decisions. And maybe some of those decisions might be something that where, you know, the Council can assist us in as far as, you know, in your capacity. So I'm looking forward to meeting actually with all of you regarding your different areas. But I think this is something that looks like it's going to be happening really soon. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Talk to me about Kehena and Kalapana. What was the outcome of that discussion? Because Kehena is a State facility with a County parking lot, on a County maintained road. And you know, the communities are back and forth. It's real split down the middle of what they want to see. What did you guys discuss? MR. WALTJEN: Right. So that's exactly what was explained to me and then, you know, we had the opportunity to get down there and really see things. Because one of the issues, I think, is exactly what you mentioned. It's jurisdiction. State versus County, private, it's a number of concerns. But what seems to be the overarching concern is just general crowd control Page 207 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Public safety. MR. WALTJEN: Public safety. Those are the two things that seem to be larger than the bigger issue at hand. And I think, in speaking with Captain Briski, you know, what he described was, you know, this is not a situation with Seaview Kalapana Estates, it's not a situation where you have 250 uncooperative, disrespectful people who are combative with police. It's a situation where you have a large group of people there's a number of them who are noncompliant, with mask violations. So what the police have been doing is they've been going down there, and they've been passing out masks and reminding people about COVID restrictions. So through our discussions what, I think, came to at the end of the discussions was the next step is really having a sit down with Council, with the Mayor's Office, and Corporation Counsel, as well as the Prosecutor's and Police, and seeing what we can do as group to weigh out all the different options available and try to come to some kind of decision as to what's the best course of action. Because it's like you said, it's really split right down the middle. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It is. MR. WALTJEN: So it's really trying to balance those interests and trying to come to the best decision. So it's a tough one. I can't really tell you what's going to happen. But all I can tell you is you're going to be getting a call soon. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. It was good to hear. Thank you very much. Okay, I don't have any further questions. Mahalo for what you guys do to keep our community safe. Thank you for being here today. Seeing no further discussion from the Council, thank you for your time today. MR. WALTJEN: Mahalo to you all for your time. Thank you. MR. FRYE: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you very much. Okay, I'm going to give everyone a—let's go with a ten-minute recess to go to the bathroom and do your thing and we'll come back here and reconvene at 11:25 a.m. Recess: At 11:16 a.m., the Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 11:29 a.m. 2) Department of Human Resources: Page 208 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Welcome back. I'm going to call this meeting out of recess. Our next department for our Special Committee on Finance is Human Resources. Thank you for being here today, Mr. Brilhante. PowerPoint presentation or are you going to just present to the Council? Okay. Why don't you go ahead and get started, introduce yourself. Thank you for pushing the button on the mic. If you want, you can take your mask off. Okay, go ahead. (Note: At this time, Director of Human Resources William Brilhante came forward to address the members of the Council.) MR. BRILHANTE: Good morning. William Brilhante, Director of Department of Human Resources. Thank you very much, Chair David and Committee Chair Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder and the rest of the Council Members. Today following, you know, I had a concern that the change between Mitch providing his presentation for the prosecutors you know, my chair. Let me take a second here. You know, with Kelden taking the place of providing the presentation for the prosecutors as opposed to Mitch it would've been a much shorter presentation. But I'm glad you guys didn't let me down. I hope you're all tired and you're looking to get to lunch soon. But anyway, again, you know, our department is a very small department, but we have very dedicated and hardworking staff and they're very conscientious and mindful, you know, from a fiscal standpoint. And we appreciate the guidance we get from, Deanna, and the Finance Department as well as the Mayor's Office. Today accompanying me here is our Administrative Services Division Manager, Deeann Sadayasu. So thank you very much for coming here today with me as show of support. You know, like said, very small department. Our budget doesn't fluctuate much. We're able to, you know, maintain status quo as much as possible with small fluctuations up and down depending on the environment that presents itself. One of the things we do, and I just wanted to touch upon is, when you look at the overall budget of the County, you know, you look at the totality of it, it's $590 million. Out of that$590 million total, roughly approximately 65 percent of that budget goes to salary and wages. And the reason I'm bringing that up is because that's pretty much in your ballpark. It's in your strike zone. The departments, they have no control. The department heads who come here and they present their departmental budgets, the portion of their budget that remains fixed and they have no control over is salary and wages. And the only time that issue gets addressed is through the labor negotiations. June 30'h of this year, this coming June, all of our collective bargaining units expire. Every single one of them. Police, Fire, all of the HGEA (Hawai`i Government Employees Association) units, as well as UPW (United Public Page 209 FC-8 April 14,2021 Workers); every single one of them. We're in the process of negotiating those contracts as we speak. The reason I'm bringing that up is because that's 65 percent of the County budget. And the ultimate decision makers regarding that, the entity that has control over that portion of the budget is you. And the reason I say that is because as we negotiate these contracts, it's a statewide negotiation. The Governor has four votes, and each of the County jurisdictions have one vote. So that's a total of eight votes; majority rules. So when we enter into negotiations, one of two things are going to happen; either we're able to find middle ground and we're able to settle and enter into an agreement with the respective union going forward as to what the next contract terms and conditions will be like, or we can't find an agreement and we go into arbitration. And our arbitrator makes an independent determination as to what he or she feels is the fairest and most appropriate issues with wages and the like. At the end of the day, because of the way the votes are set up, the County of Hawaii with our one vote doesn't have much say as to, you know, what the ultimate outcome. We provide input. You know, I'm fortunate to be at the meetings. We give our input, we give our concerns, we raise issues, and we raise questions, and those items are discussed. But ultimately the Governor holds the final power as to whether or not, you know, things go forward. So with that, as these agreements are either entered into or they are set by our arbitrator, each jurisdiction, pursuant to the HRS (Hawai`i Revised Statutes), each jurisdiction whether it be the State Legislature, whether it be, you know, City and County of Honolulu, Maui, Kauai, or ourselves, the various county councils need to approve these contracts before they go into effect. So if any one of those entities don't approve the proposed contract, pursuant to the statute, the HRS, that matter goes back for additional negotiations. So as it relates to that 65 percent of our County Operating Budget, it would be any one of those, the entities that I discussed, any one of the jurisdictions can reject the contract if they feel it's not fiscally sound. And then that matter goes back for additional the entire contract goes back for additional negotiations. So with that, you are the ultimate determinators of whether or not on these contracts, 65 percent of the budget is, you know,properly addressed. Is it fiscally sound and is it appropriate? And that lies on your feet. And I just wanted to say that as, you know,just food for thought going forward for each of you. With that, again, this is the cliff notes version of my presentation. I'm happy to address, you know, any questions that any one of you may have in regard to our specific budget. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Brilhante. I really appreciate that cliff notes version. There is some truth to that. There's also an Page 210 FC-8 April 14,2021 entire realm of politics that plays into that as well. But you really pointed of something that's incredibly important which is, 65 percent of our budget is spoken for from the minute we set it out. So thank you for saying that. Council Members, who was first? Ladies first, Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Mr. Brilhante, thanks for being here. I just had a couple of questions. You know, with COVID I'm sure there was a lot more safety training, right, or need around that? And we've learned a lot of lessons. And I'm asking that question because I know part of your department does like training, right, fitting of masks, those kinds of things? Will we have to adjust a little bit more around that training piece? You know, at the end of the day, you know, my career actually started in the worker's comp division when I was 20 years old. And we would see so much of our funds kind of out the door because of worker's comp. And, you know, an ounce of prevention, right,just goes a long way. And so I just want to see how we can amplify maybe frontloading some training so that we can actually save money on the back end with worker's comp. MR. BRILHANTE: Thank you very much. That's a really good question. That's one of the areas that was going to be in my extended presentation that covered worker's comp. You know, each year when I come, I think this is my fourth time I'm giving a budget presentation for our department, you know, worker's comp is an area of concern. And the reason for that is because we're self-insured in that area. So every dollar we pay out is, you know, a dollar that comes from someplace else within the County. You know, and that, to me, is problematic. I've felt for a long time that division was kind of running on autopilot and not significant enough efforts and energy and attention was being paid to it. And therefore, I felt, there was an unreasonable large amount of money that was going out and it could've been addressed. Like you, Ms. Lee Loy, you indicated, I'm a strong believer in, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." And that's, you know, one of the areas that, you know, I've been talking to my staff where, you know, there might be the possibility of maybe a submittal of a supplementary budget, you know, requests related to shoring up our Health and Safety Division. As you know, historically well you may not know. But historically our Work Comp and our Health and Safety worked together under one, you know, manager. And they supposedly work together, you know, safety side, help offset the accident, you know, the prevention side and the like. But you know, one of the things we did was we separated the two. We found a great manager for our Work Comp Division, Summer Tokihiro, and she's been doing an outstanding job. One of the things, you know, for Work Comp specifically that we've been, you know, paying a lot of attention to is closing cases. And the reason that's so significant is as a case, you know, remains open it Page 211 FC-8 April 14,2021 stays on the books so we continue to pay salaries and continue to pay all these, you know, secondary expenses related to the case, as opposed to when you address a case you get the employee rated and you come up with a solid, you know, groundwork, you know, game plan as to how we're going to best address the injury and the treatment. Then, you know, that case gets closed, and we can close the dollar figure, hopefully on, you know, some of that. So it's imperative that we close cases. The negative of that is that because we're closing more cases there's more upfront costs associated with that, of closing the case as opposed to, you know, letting it linger. So we're closing more cases. That's one way of addressing the problem. The second way of addressing the problem is to provide more safety training, you know, whether it be for employees or more safety inspections for our facilities. And you know, those are the two areas in which I really want to put, you know, greater emphasis in moving forward. And, you know, addressing that situation. I think with that, hopefully, the outcome would be reduction of accidents, you know, and the like, moving forward. And then we'll start realizing savings, you know, in that regard as well. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you for that, because I noticed in your six-month progress report there's a highlight of health and safety, safety inspections for seven County facilities. Is that the program that we're trying to address, right, looking at our facilities and identifying areas of risk, right, and minimizing that risk? Is that accurate? MR. BRILHANTE: That's exactly on point. Yes. It's seven, I want it to be up to twenty. MS. LEE LOY: And here's why, because we had a very protracted discussion with DPW (Department of Public Works) having a needs assessment of their failing assets. And I think if we use your department with this health and safety and helping them identify that, along with, you know,just a fair, good, poor rating of the facility itself, I think we get to a better metrics on how we amplify the dollars. MR. BRILHANTE: Exactly. I agree. MS. LEE LOY: Perfect. One other thing is your ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Coordinator, that's housed in your department, correct? MR. BRILHANTE: That's correct. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah. When did that individual start? Because we're seeing a lot of upgrades to our facility for ADA compliance and I'm actually getting some Page 212 FC-8 April 14,2021 concerns around our beach parks and making them available. Share with me a little bit about that role and how we can maybe have that particular individual in various stakeholder conversations so we can actually get our park facilities or any facility to a place that is kind of universal design. MR. BRILHANTE: We had a position like that, the ADA Coordinator position for over a decade. It was originally housed in the Mayor's Office but under Mike Ben the position was transferred to HR. And, you know, some of you may be familiar with Teri Spinola-Campbell. She was our long time ADA Coordinator. Currently we have Tasha Hoggatt, who is our ADA Coordinator. She came from the State of Washington where she served in a similar capacity. She's been doing an outstanding job. One of the issues that you're referring to is our—Ms. Hazel. And, you know, that's a very delicate situation you're dealing with, not just a delicate situation, but you're dealing with a delicate individual. And she has to be handled carefully and respectfully. And I think Tasha has been doing a great job with her. We have engaged our ADA Coordinator in those discussions, so she's been meeting regularly with the individual, you know, in addressing her concerns. And actually the MD (Managing Director), and the Parks Director, and you know, the Head Planner and myself have been, you know, regularly meeting with that individual and we're trying to address the problem. It's a very unique and, you know, it's not just a simple yes and no answer. Because as you know, when it comes to our beach parks the County only owns the property up to the high-water mark. And then after that, it's state land. You know, and when you're talking about installation of railings and access to the water, you're actually talking about access through the State land. And that's the problem we're have is the primary responsibility is the State. But, you know, trying to serve our citizens, trying to serve our populations, our constituents, you know, we're trying to figure out a way in which we can come up with some type of plan that will help address that issue. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah. And, you know, she makes great points because actually some of the lessons learned there we can actually apply and use it in just even a gym or, you know, other things because she's looking out for the elderly community. But we can't forget about our disability community. And so,just some of those, like I said, universal designs but also the jurisdictional issues. And if we can crack through, right, that process and come up with a model, then we can implement them all over because, you know, I might have some in my district, but everybody has a beach park and maybe that can just become a model. You touched on it a little bit, which is we're self-insured. You know, I know other municipals, other jurisdictions aren't. And just wondering if you had some Page 213 FC-8 April 14,2021 thoughts or pros and cons as to whether stepping away from self-insured is something we could do and if there would be some cost benefits to that. MR. BRILHANTE: You know, that's exactly what came to mind, you know, based on your question is that cost-benefit analysis is, you know, when you're dealing with insurance premiums are always a factor. You know, as we relate it to the size of our County, the amount of individuals we have within our workforce, that's pretty significant. Not only that, we're talking Police, Fire, you know, Public Works, we're talking some job titles that are very, very hazardous, you know,just in itself, you know, as you go forward. And I think, unfortunately, those types of jobs and those type of responsibilities for the County make the insurance premiums incredibly high and unattractive. And I think, you know, I'm sure Ms. Sako can probably speak better to this. But when you do that cost benefit analysis, I think right now the seesaw is tipping, you know, in favor of the self-insurance because, you know, once you get caught with those high premiums, regardless if you have one claim or 100 claims, you know, you're still stuck with those premiums. Whereas, with the self-insurance, if you can develop mechanisms to reduce the cost aspect of the side, you know, the amount going out, then that would be a benefit to the County in the long run. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, which makes that risk management piece even more important, right, if we're going to stay self-insured? Okay. MR. BRILHANTE: Exactly. MS. LEE LOY: You know, I remember when we were going through our cabinet appointees you mentioned a lot of the work that is related to JPR's (Job Performance Review) and, you know,just handling people problems. Has that number come down as far as grievance processes that you're having to deal with, you know, through the Merit Appeals Board. You know, what's your temperature there? MR. BRILHANTE: It's really hard to say, you know, to really pinpoint without actually looking at the specific numbers. I will say this, we have initiated a process already. As a matter of fact, yesterday my Labor Relations Manager had a County-wide meeting with all the HR reps, you know, throughout the County to specifically address the revisions to the JPR so that we could come up with a uniform process, uniform criteria, and uniform outcomes and in the hopes that would make it a more understandable and palatable process. Not just to the managers for them to follow as they rate their employees but for the employees to understand so that they feel they're being treated fairly, they're being treated equally, no different than any other employee. You know, and from my standpoint that's the best we can hope for. Page 214 FC-8 April 14,2021 So we started that process. The discussion started yesterday in the meeting. Ms. Noda met with, she had two sessions yesterday with the HR reps County-wide. And that's a process going forward. As to the number of grievances, I can just speak to, you know, what I see. And, you know, I think right now if I were to capture the number, those results would be a little skewed because we're seeing quite a bit of issues that were specifically related to COVID. And you know, so I don't want to say, "Yes." I can't say yes, I can't say no. I think overall in general, my sense is that there's less grievances being filed. I know for sure there's been less hearings at the MAB (Merit Appeals Board), you know, especially as it relates to our permanent employees. The two most recent, you know, Merit Appeals Board hearings that we've had involved non-selection of, you know, the regular public applying for jobs. And so I haven't really seen the quantity of, you know, complaints or grievances associated with labor relations. We took a real proactive view and as it relates to labor issues, you know, and our staff has, you know, we've been communicating much more frequently. I meet weekly with my Labor Relations Manager, and we address all the issues that come up. And if possible I try to have discussions with the union, you know, business managers. You know, Scott Cullins has been a tremendous person to work with. He's been, you know, really reasonable and, you know, I really enjoy working with him. And that's HGEA. That's our largest group of workers. You know, so I appreciate that, and I think as long as we maintain those relationships going forward,positive relationships, and we make it less adversarial and more cooperative, I think in the long run we'll be much better off, you know, from a labor relations standpoint. You're not going to you know, when it comes to negotiations or when it comes to, you know, reaching agreements, you're not going to always get 100 percent of what you want. But hopefully you get enough of what you want where it's palatable. It's, you know, we can accept it. And that's my approach. And you know, under the HRS, I'm tasked specifically as the Human Resources Director, to maintain harmonious labor relations with the various unions. And you know, I enjoy that aspect of my job. So thank you. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah. Thank you. You're doing an excellent job. I know, a number of attorneys would say, that's the art of compromise. It's when everybody doesn't get what they want, they just get what they need. Thank you for that insight especially around our self-insured piece but highlighting the need for more training up front and risk management up front. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Mr. Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Thanks, Chair. Thanks, Bill, Director. Now I'll call you Bill. And I think to your point to paraphrase, you said two-thirds of our expenditures Page 215 FC-8 April 14,2021 with the County are related to payroll, salaries and wages. And that, did you say all bargaining units are coming up for renegotiation? MR. BRILHANTE: Yeah. You know, the perfect storm. All ten units. MR. RICHARDS: And when does the contract expire? MR. BRILHANTE: June 30'h of this year. MR. RICHARDS: Peachy. MR. BRILHANTE: Yeah. MR. RICHARDS: So given that and given that you're sitting at the table, you know, I fully appreciate County Government is people taking care of the needs of our communities and that going forward, we'll work on the compensation packages going forward. That being said, it's kind of a weird year. Is there indications of what we're going to do right now? Because we're looking at the budget. We're trying to figure out where we're going to go. We have a proposed budget. But if all collective bargaining units are coming before us, we may be off base. We're trying to get a handle around that. Any thoughts or comments on that? And you know, historically we've seen like a three or five percent increase. Is there something we can think about as we go forward? MR. BRILHANTE: You know, that's a very good question. You know, unfortunately because of confidentiality concerns, I'm not at liberty to address the specific proposals that are on the table right now. We are in active negotiation. The County's position, and all of the other jurisdictions are in unison, is our zero percent raises, status quo going forward. And I think, you know, we're pretty steadfast on that. There's been some discussion about reduction but, you know, again that's not confirmed or specified. But worse-case scenario is, our top line is status quo going forward. There will be some cost increases which are just out of our hands as it relates to health insurance. You know, as you know, the employer provides a percentage of, you know, the monthly coverage for premiums for our employees, and that's going up. We've already, you know, received—it's going up. Some minimal increases as relates to that. So historically the employer bears some of that burden as well as the employee, you know, those small items, the minimus items are going to be addressed. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. Thank you. And just touching on what Ms. Lee Loy talked about, the worker's comp. Like she said, Fire, Police, I'm very familiar with, cowboys—very high-risk jobs and finding the worker's comp to cover that. I can appreciate the fact that if we're a big enough entity, self-insurance may Page 216 FC-8 April 14,2021 actually work for you. But that's why we ended up with HEMIC (Hawai`i Employers' Mutual Insurance Company) because we couldn't get the worker's comp coverage. And again,just to verify, your expectation that, that doesn't appear to be changing, we're pretty much taking care of the needs and you don't see much change in that cost to the County going forward? MR. BRILHANTE: That would be my opinion, going forward, yeah. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And again, grant this isyou're the closest one with the finger on the pulse of that. And as we are trying to figure out how to predict going forward for our financials next year, that's why we have these meetings. So thanks, Bill. I appreciate all those answers. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Kona? Rebecca? MS. DAVID: Yes. Sorry, Chair. This is Maile. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Hi, Maile. Go ahead. MS. DAVID: Yes, hi. Good morning, Director Brilhante. Thanks for being here. Thanks for your explanation. As always, very detailed and comprehensive. I just have one follow up question regarding the negotiations that you just spoke of. If for some reason the status quo scenario survives, what would be the term for the status quo? Is it an annual thing or would it extend further than a year? MR. BRILHANTE: Thank you very much, Chair David. The current proposals on the table for duration of these contracts are 4 years. But historically when we come into a, when we're, you know, historically what has happened is when we're in uncertain economic times like we are nowI think the newspaper described it as precarious. To me, that's optimistic. But you know, when it's uncertainty, generally we enter into two-year agreements so that nobody really gets hurt, you know, in the long run. You know, and so like I said, right now the proposal on the table is four years but it could be a two-year agreement. MS. DAVID: I see. Well thank you for that because that pretty much tells me that there is thought into being compromising in this situation given the COVID issues and all that. So thank you for that, Director. And I yield. Thank you, Chair. MR. BRILHANTE: You're welcome. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. David. Ms. Villegas, go ahead. Page 217 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. VILLEGAS: Yes. Thank you for being here, Mr. Brilhante, and for your just really transparent and bold statements as you started your presentation. I just had a couple of questions about that so that I could understand better. One of the first things that you said was that we should fire somebody. Can you explain better who that is and just kind of what you meant and how to navigate that? MR. BRILHANTE: I'm just reflecting back. Often times I say things that I don't recall saying. But I think that's not a comment that I made. I'm not sure what you may be referencing. I don't think we should fire anybody. MS. VILLEGAS: No, no, no. I meant you were talking about it in the negotiating of union contracts. I thought that you said something, it comes to us, and we should, what I gathered, was something about firing somebody who does the negotiating for our municipality, for our County and perhaps I misunderstood what you were trying to say. MR. BRILHANTE: Yeah. I hope I didn't say that because that would mean I'd be firing myself. MS. VILLEGAS: Sorry. Thank you for that. MR. BRILHANTE: I'm hoping for a little more job security than that. MS. VILLEGAS: I think you're doing just fine. I think you're probably you're right in there. So for a better understanding, who currently represents us at the table when we go into those negotiations? MR. BRILHANTE: Right now it's currently me. And that's pretty much the assignment for all the jurisdictions. Each of the HR Directors represent their respective County. And then the Governor has his own HR Director, Ryker Wada, who represents the State entities. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. So then he gets four and we get one, each County gets one, correct? MR. BRILHANTE: That's correct. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. So, and if I got your suggestion correct, you recommended that if there are, I mean there's extenuating circumstances right now because it looks like we're going into freezes of any kind of raises, which I'm grateful to hear. But as you were talking when you first presented to us today, you recognized that over 60 percent of our County budget is already allocated, and we don't have control over based on these negotiations that happen with bargaining units. And you said that the power then resides with us to approve or not approve it. And it sounded to me like one of your recommendations was if it comes back Page 218 FC-8 April 14,2021 as too much and puts undo pressure on our County budget, that the recommendation would be to send it back, to deny it? MR. BRILHANTE: Maybe I misspoke. What I meant to say was that as the contracts come back to us and to you for ratification, I would ask that, you know, what I was just putting on the table was that you provide, you know, the proper scrutiny and you give it the proper review, and make a determination as to whether or not the contract itself is fiscally sound, if it's reasonable, and if it's something that the County can afford going forward. And if you feel that it is, then that's great. You know, that's what you're supposed to do, you ratify it. If you feel that there's concern and there's some issues that maybe need to be, you know, vetted a little greater, then what I was putting on the table was you have that power. You know, and that's all I tried to communicate. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. Thank you for helping me clarify that because that is part of the message that I got. And I'm grateful for that because kind of the prior belief system that I had been operating under and had been implied was that, you know, it is what it is and we get what we get, and we don't really have—well in theory we could not ratify it, then it just goes back and it just continues to go round and round. But it sounds like you're saying we actually do have a little more and it does behoove us. Because I, you know, consistently hear frustrations with so much of our budget being wrapped up in the salaries and wages and these contracts. So I just want to thank you for kind of pointing that out again, and it sounds like encouraging us to reclaim that possibility and that authority to hold bargaining units accountable for what is actually feasible for our County budgets to sustain when it comes to this amount of money. Because it's definitely really challenging when so much of it is already, it's already taken before our departments really have a chance to present what their needs are. So thanks for expressing that and encouraging us to diligently and boldly take those initiatives. And as we get closer to the summer months and the expiration of these contracts it will be very interesting to navigate that process. And I'm hopeful that you would be open to myself reaching out to you for some guidance and your perspective on what is actually feasible and reasonable for County budgets to support and sustain. MR. BRILHANTE: I just want to be clear. I'm not advocating for you to, you know, deny the contracts as they come forward to reject them. I'm just asking that we vet it, you know, closely and we make a reasonable, rational decision as to the fairness of the contracts as they come forward. So I'm not advocating to reject them. Page 219 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. VILLEGAS: No,just to vet them more effectively, efficiently, and with a keener eye. And I look forward to relying on your expertise and experience as that opportunity presents itself in the coming months. And with that, I yield. MR. BRILHANTE: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Aloha, Director Brilhante. Great to see you. I wanted to elevate something from a conversation we had about a week or so ago related to some goals and objectives of your department. I hope I understood what you were articulating correctly, so do correct me if I'm wrong here. But we had talked about what is a way in which County government can operationalize the themes of equity and inclusion in sort of our decision making. And I was excited because you said that was actually one of the goals that you had for your department this year. So just wanted to provide you a platform to sort of explain to my colleagues what that might look like and how we can help you. MR. BRILHANTE: You know, thank you very much, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Yes, that is one of my goals. Each year I'm required to provide goals to the MAB as it relates to my annual review for my job performance. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Sorry. And the MAB is the Merit Appeals Board? MR. BRILHANTE: Merit Appeals Board, right. They are the entity that oversees, you know, evaluates my job performance on an annual basis. So this year one of my three goals that I articulated was the recognition and the, you know, the mindset of including and being proactive as it relates to equity and inclusion. You know, that seems to be a hot-button topic nationwide. You know, I think, you know, Minneapolis is seeing it right now with their police officers and, you know, the protestors. And it's really unfortunate that a situation like that has developed, you know, that polarization between the community and the police. And that's something I would hate to see here. You know, part of that discussion was, you know, took place this morning with Prosecutor Waltjen. And, you know, I appreciate his response, you know, to a similar question as well and, you know, I support his response. And I think we are really fortunate in Hawaii that we live in such a diverse, you know, we have such a diverse population and, you know, we interact, and race is not a predominant factor as it relates to our daily activities, you know, and the perception is it's not. And I would just hate for anything negatively to impact that, you know, going forward. And so that's why we proposed this. Page 220 FC-8 April 14,2021 I engaged the services of, again, our EOO, Equal Opportunity Officer and ADA Coordinator, Tasha. And you know, we brought her in and we're, you know, in the process of developing policies. And by policies is, it's not rules. We're not developing rules. What we're developing is trigger points so that, you know, we can present it to our managers, we can present it to our workers, we can present it to our people with the understanding that we recognize this, we're mindful of it. We're not saying what we're doing is bad, we're not saying what we're doing is wrong, we're just saying as we go forward, we want to continue to keep this, you know, be mindful of these types of situations and,you know, address them accordingly. You know, one of the things I learned when I was with Lincoln Ashida is, when there's a problem it's so much easier to address the problem when it's a weed as opposed to when it's a huge albizia. Right now, I don't even think we have weeds. But before we do get weeds, I want to start to address, you know, those type of situations or issues. So that's what we're, you know, trying to accomplish going forward with that issue. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: That's really great. It's great to know that a guiding framework is in the works. I think it's important for department heads and other folks in leadership and just everyone in the County in general to keep these concepts in mind because that helps us identify more equitable distribution of resources and ensuring that we are getting to disenfranchise communities. So thank you for your work on that. We'll stay in touch on it. The other thing, I think you're not going to be surprised about me asking about this one. But a couple budget cycles ago we did talk about an auditor report elevating the need for a whistle blower program in our County. And I know that some work was put aside in fiscal year 2019-2020 budget to make this happen. And we've been reading what's happening on Oahu with the City and County of Honolulu with what's happening in their, you know, Building Department. We're seeing what's happening nationwide, allegations of sexual harassment. And so I'm just curious if this budget is reflecting any investment in advancing a whistle blower program. Just want to make sure our County employees and our community does have this safe harbor in the event that they feel they're being taken advantage of, or folks aren't acting in a professional manner. MR. BRILHANTE: That's a very good point and a very good question. Thank you very much. Again, I harken back to when we were initially looking at this program, the whistle blower, it was in direct response to the Legislative Auditor's report that come out where it identified some specific problems that were taking place with departments and the Department of Human Resources as it relates to hiring practices. Page 221 FC-8 April 14,2021 You know, I came on board and I took a very proactive, you know, stance to that, an aggressive stance, and you know, we changed a lot of our hiring practices. Hopefully, we've changed them for the better where we eliminated, you know, the possibility of, you know, those type of situations happening or even the perception that, you know, that situation was happening again. Because, you know, often time perception trumps reality. And I think as I've been in this job for over three years, going on my fourth year, I'm hopeful and I have a strong sense that we've, you know, started to gain the trust back from the employees as it related to hiring practices. And so when we looked at the program, I think we've had discussions with the previous administration and we also had some discussions with this administration, you know, as to whether or not we have, you know, funds available to allocate for that particular matter. As it relates to my department right now, I'm not sure I can say we do. The second, you know, aspect or, you know, item that we had to sit down and consider was whether or not there was still the same type of need in place for the whistle blower. During the pendency of this, you know, that audit till now the County has upgraded its violence in the workplace policy and one of the components or aspects of that policy is sexual harassment and we've made it clear now that if an employee feels like they're being harassed, there's a mechanism in place. There's a stated policy in place that they immediately report it, and the reporting manager is mandated to, you know, report it to their supervisor and the matter doesn't get swept under the rug. You know, it's directly addressed and it's investigated. And, you know, that policy has been strengthened and, you know, I think, you know, I haven't heard any negative input as it relates to that. You know, if there is some employees that feel like, you know, they're uncomfortable with it, you know, I'm more than happy to, you know, kind of sit down and have those discussions. But I'm just going to put it on the table, I'm not sure that, you know, if whether or not we were able to adequately address the concerns that the whistle blower program would have put in place, if we were able to address those issues now currently with, you know, the changes we made. I haven't heard that same type of, you know, outcry for a whistle blower. When I had discussions with City and County of Honolulu because they have a whistle blower program, I think, correct me, I recall the person I spoke to said about 80 percent of their complaints had to do with potholes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: With potholes. Yeah. MR. BRILHANTE: So I'm not sure. And I'm not discrediting the 20 percent that, you know, didn't deal with that. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Of course. Page 222 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. BRILHANTE: But I think now, you know, we have adequate safeguards in place to address the 20 percent if they were to come up here in our County. So that would be my response. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yeah. I mean I really appreciate all the work that's been done to be very resourceful with the resources you have and create mechanisms and frameworks to protect, you know, our workers and the community. I don't want to take it off the table. You know, we're in the process of hiring a new County Auditor,potentially. And maybe this is something they can investigate and see if there is still a need for a program like this because fully understand that we are under some significant budget constraints. But do see this as a worthwhile investment. So thank you, again, for your expertise, Director. Chair, I yield. MR. BRILHANTE: I appreciate that. I'll be happy to engage in that conversation. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Mr. Chung, go ahead. MR. CHUNG: Very briefly, Bill. I have to leave in a couple minutes. But, you know, you said that our salary and wages take up 65 percent, right, of our total budget? MR. BRILHANTE: An estimate. MR. CHUNG: Estimate, yeah. More or less. You know, yesterday Fire Department came and said, unless I misheard and I've been known to do that, but 85 percent of their budget was devoted to salary and wages. Anybody hear the same thing? Deanna, correct right, 85 percent? How do you explain you're a former fireman, too, what's going on over there? MR. BRILHANTE: You know, when it comes to public safety you're dealing with a different entity. You know, public safety isn't a good to have, it's a must have. MR. CHUNG: Correct. They made that point yesterday. MR. BRILHANTE: You know, whereas maybe HRs are good to have. You know, we can, you know, but I'm being facetious. But there's some other avenues that you could cut, and you know, the impacts on the public may be uncomfortable but they're not, you know, life threatening. MR. CHUNG: I'm just thinking though, what's the systemic differences between Fire Department and maybe even Police, you know, I don't know what percentage Page 223 FC-8 April 14,2021 of their total budget is devoted to salary and wages. But can you think of anything that would explain that? MR. BRILHANTE: I feel like I'm MR. CHUNG: I'm just kind of wondering that's why. MR. BRILHANTE: I feel like I'm a fish swimming in the pond and there's this big bait in front of me. Am I going to grab it? MR. CHUNG: No, no, no. I mean, I'm just curious. I really am. I really am. MR. BRILHANTE: No. With that, I think, and Ms. Sako can correct me if I'm wrong. I think a lot of that goes to two factors. One is, we have a huge island. We have a huge island, and we have very diverse population base. So with that, when it comes to public health and safety, response time is significant. You know, if the ambulance is going to take a half hour to get to the scene of somebody who's having a heart attack, that's significant. So I think what we need to do is we have an ambulance in HOVE(Hawaiian Ocean View Estates), right, because just in case. But the second part to your question is the fact that, you know, I think the way the contract is written, and I'm not giving away any trade secrets with Fire, and Ms. Sako can correct me, it relates with overtime. And the overtime is the rank for rank provision with Fire which is specific only to Fire. MR. CHUNG: Okay. MR. BRILHANTE: And that means if a Fire Captain is not coming into work MR. CHUNG: I think we've been over the rank for rank. So that's a plausible explanation. I mean, the reason why I brought that up is I'm just wondering if we're underfunding Fire in terms of the equipment that they need and other things. You know, maybe we have to beef that up so that, you know, you can bring that salary and wages a little bit more in line with what the rest of the County is. But you made perfect sense, what you said, the rank for rank. But now it gets me to another thing. You know, you brought up the matter about, you know, whether we have the ability to vote against a negotiated agreement. And I wanted to make this point because many years ago when I was first here, you know, I was working on for a better part of about two years, a Charter amendment. And I kept on going back and forth, back and forth, because, you know, Charter amendments, this thing is going to be set in stone and you don't want to make any missteps, right? I was working on a circuit breaker, you know, for salary and wages. But then the more I thought about it—and that's why, you know, this thing might be a red herring, you know, the percentage that we devote to the overall budget. Because the County, as every other governmental entity is, Page 224 FC-8 April 14,2021 it's a service organization. Therefore, for better or for worse, our most important resource is or are, depending how you look at it, our employees. We're not getting a profit; we're not profit driven. So we not taking that cut off. So we cannot use businesses as the model. We have to look at nonprofits. And I'm not saying that that's the only thing, because we have to see how things fit into our budget. I'm not just only talking about percentages. But before we start saying, "Hey, wait we're top heavy" in terms of salary in wages, we have to really look and look at the comparables, yeah? And understand what our mission is here. I just wanted to state that. But I have to go. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Chung. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you. Thank you, Director, for being here today. I just wanted to expound on the equity piece that Council Member Kierkiewicz mentioned and ask a little bit about gender equity. This last year was the first year that we've seen Hawaii actually increase in the wage gap between men and women. And additionally with COVID, more women left the workforce because of, you know, access to childcare. I myself have been watching the clock to see if I'm going to have time to run home and get my kid so I can drop her off at school before the next presentation. But what are some of the lessons learned particularly with COVID and what are some efforts that you're putting in place to improve gender equity within the County? Thank you. MR. BRILHANTE: You know, fortunately for the County of Hawaii and the other municipalities within the State, our salaries are set to specific classifications of work. So irregardless if it's a male or a female doing the work, the salary is set. And, you know, that is pretty much, you know, a parameter that we have to comply with. Same with our Directors and Deputies, the salary commission, you know, sets the salaries across the board irregardless of the gender. With one of the things I'd like to see, or for me, has been very appreciative, especially as a father with two daughters, is the fact that you look at the Office of Corporation Counsel currently, you know, it's a very prestigious department, you know, attorneys are highly regarded. You know, the public perception of them is, you know, give or take, but for the most part the perception is somebody worked hard to earn their law degree. And now we have a department where the Director, the Deputy, you know, both of the division managers are all females. You know, and I think that in itself speaks volumes as to where the County of Hawaii is and where it is going forward. I think your current administration is mindful of that. You look at the, you know, the Mayor's staffing, a lot of that is, there is a lot of gender equity in that as well. And I think for Hawaii County, I don't see this issue being as problematic as Page 225 FC-8 April 14,2021 maybe in the private sector, again, because of the safeguards I articulated. Again, like I said, if you disregard it and you put it aside, before you know it, it's going to be a problem. So I think just continuing to be mindful of it and, you know, keep a watch on it, I think, for us the best course of action going forward. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you for that. And the reason I bring it up in the context today is just as you're entering into the negotiations, one of those things that I think is valuable for those of us that are working moms or working parents is the ability to do flextime and some of those expanded options. And when you were introduced, Director, Deputy Director Lee Lord, you were introduced as a feminist. And so I expect this administration to make some innovative steps in that regard. But thank you for that and hopefully that will be part of the discussion with these contract negotiations with the unions. MR. BRILHANTE: Definitely. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Anyone else? Okay. Your budget looks pretty good, Bill. I looked it over. Your overtime is pretty much, I mean, you're pretty much status quo and you're real minimal compared to other departments. I see you had some travel bumps as far as what you're expecting in travel expenses and I'm going to attribute that to what's coming up for your bargaining unit contract negotiations, unless you already are? This is for 2021-2022. This would be next year though, correct? MR. BRILHANTE: Yeah. Fortunately, you know, we've been able to hold the line on travel expenses, because so much of our interaction with the unions and with the other directors have been through Zoom. But I think as the Governor is going to loosen the restrictions, especially giving vaccinated individuals more, greater latitude to travel. I think historically those meetings have been in person. It's been, you know, these Zoom meetings have been somewhat problematic, you know, for us because if one entity has a problem with their video camera, like we had earlier this morning, then it shuts everything down. And when we negotiate with the unions they usually have like, for example, UPW (United Public Workers), they'll have about 30 members present, you know, all tied into the Zoom communication line. So I think going forward that may be changing but I'm trying to stay home as much as possible. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I'm asking because in 2019-2020, you guys spent$7,600 on inter-island travel. Sorry, well on travel conferencing. But 2021-2022, you're estimating about$20,000. It's about a$13,000 increase there. MR. BRILHANTE: And some of that is we're upgrading that to a certain extent because although we're staying home and, you know, we've never traveled as much as a department. To engage the expense associated with, you know, signing Page 226 FC-8 April 14,2021 up for all the trainings that are offered, you know, all the certifications and all those type of trainings as well as trainings as it relates to our recruitment program, NeoGov, you know, and then the additional training, is that the EDEN? Those are, you know, still ongoing and we're still having to pay for those going forward. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And, you know, temp check for the administration, when you're talking about collective bargaining units, we have a say. But that's after you've come back and you present us with the final, yeah? So, I mean, what is the kind of temperature check from the current administration on what they'd like to see come out of these agreements? MR. BRILHANTE: You know, I think the fortunate, I think something that's, you know, really beneficial to us is that, you know, both the employer and the employees' group are really mindful of, you know, what the current environment is. And, you know, the initial proposals that came from the unions have been reasonable to a certain extent, not as reasonable to the point where we can say, "Okay, we like that. Let's go forward." But, you know, we're not talking about 22 percent pay increases. Some of the proposals on the table are much less than that single digit, you know, type issues. And I think the State is really engaged and really involved with the collective bargaining right now, because I think they're in such, not really dire but cautionary, you know, budgetary, you know, situation for them. So they're taking a very proactive stance and a very proactive engagement in the process. Whereas, historically, you know, the State, you know, they had a large amount of money, you know, the State has much more money percentagewise than the County. So, you know, the dollars and cents really wasn't, you know, as significant to them as it may be for us here at Hawaii County. But I think that's changed. I've noticed that change, you know, in that perception. And, you know, those issues going forward, which is appreciated, Hawaii County isn't the only jurisdiction claiming that we don't have any money. Now everybody is, except Maui. I don't know why, what's up with Maui. But other than that, yeah, so we appreciate that. I think the process had been much more civil. You know, there's been discussion as it relates to, you know, more consideration given to non-cost items, which you know is always good for both sides. You know, it's the quality-of-life type items that we have those discussions. So I think we're going to reach settlement with a lot of the unions. Unfortunately, some will go to arbitration and once that happens our hands will kind of be tied with that. It's somewhat outside of our control. One of the things that is an advantage to us is that we're so late in the process right now, I'm not sure if you're aware, but anytime the State employees, you know, they have to do contract negotiations, the State Leg has to ratify the contract, you know,just like similar to you. And as we get later in the year, the State Leg will be ending soon, so the likelihood of any contracts coming up before the end of this fiscal year are impossible. The only one who may is SHOPO (State of Hawaii Organization of Page 227 FC-8 April 14,2021 Police Officers)because they don't have any State, you know,police officers. Those are all County specific. And so they would be the only one who could ratify or enter into a contract without the State Leg having to ratify it. So, you know, with that it's giving us time. We have until the next legislative session until we start looking at real changes to contracts. The bad part about that is then when have to go back and do all the adjustments, you know, which we just went through with the last round of contracts. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And again, four votes for the Counties, including Oahu. MR. BRILHANTE: Correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And then four votes for the State. MR. BRILHANTE: For the Governor, correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So really unless we get buy-in from the State, the County is just screwed? MR. BRILHANTE: Unless the State gets one of the counties to buy in to them, they're screwed. I guess just, yeah, you're correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Yeah, you explained that to me a long time ago and I found that very interesting. Just to be real blunt, I mean, if you ask the Council to say no to some of the bargaining units, not that you're asking that but, you know, we mentioned it. You're basically looking at political suicide. MR. BRILHANTE: You know, I understand that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's part of that game. I know you understand that. But it's always been an interesting thing, is like you said, salary and wages are 65 percent of our budget. Whatever is left is what we get to use for projects, for beautification, or whatever it may be. So when you take the $590 million budget and you shave off 65 percent, that's what you're left with to play with. Not play with, that's not a good word. That's what you're left to build out what people want; roads, parks, it puts us in a bad spot. So there's always that back and forth. And it's something I saw first-hand during my first term. And I saw the repercussions at the end of my first term, and it's very real. So that's why I'm asking, you know, what that temperature check is across the Counties and in our own administration because if you're asking the Council to do that, okay, understood. But, I mean, you're going to have to supporteveryone's going to have to work together to come to some kind of mutual agreement of what's best Page 228 FC-8 April 14,2021 for the County and even the Counties, too. So I'm interested to see how this progresses. The way it was brought to me, and I think the best way to sum it all up is, looking at where we sit financially as a State and as individual Counties, and looking at our unemployment figures, and the state of our economy, and how many businesses have closed and gone out of business, and just our state of the County right now is this has to be a shared sacrifice going forward. It cannot just be, you know, you guys deal with it and figure out how to pay for it. Everyone has to understand that times is hard, and this is what you do when times are hard. And as a business owner, if you don't have money in the bank, you cannot project out like a government can. You make cuts on the spot, yeah? And that's always been that's where a lot of businesses are right now. So in the government world, a little bit different. But, I mean, we need these the bargaining units have to understand what kind of position we're in and it's not just a one-way street. It has to be a real solid negotiation this year. MR. BRILHANTE: And, you know, quite honestly, I have sensed, you know, that attitude with the unions. You know, like I said, with the proposals and with some of the rhetoric that has been coming from them, and it's refreshing. It's refreshing but then it's unfortunate that we have to go through this to reach that point. You know, I wish we could've reached this point without having, you know, this pandemic facilitating it or necessitating it. But I think it's a discussion that has to be had. And I don't think it's just because of the pandemic, I think, you know, as salaries and wages continue to increase, increase, increase, there's only so much we can do as a County jurisdiction to offset that, you know, increased expenditures. And I think if we just allow it to go unchecked, we're going to be in a problem in the very near future. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I agree. Deanna, can you come up please? I mean, following on this line of thought, and we've had this discussion before and, you know, you say this a lot. But, I mean, Bill's last comment, you know, given COVID, it's put us in an interesting position coming to our negotiations. Without COVID, we'd be in the same spot looking at three to five percent increases. But let's just say, COVID never happened and here we are. We come into our negotiations this year, they come back and we end up with our normal set of negotiations that we look at, and we approve them. If we did that this year and next year, I mean, what are you looking at budget-wise? Because I think ultimately, right now just give me an answer. What do you think, what do you think? (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. SAKO: You mean how would we fund it? Page 229 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, yeah, yeah. MS. SAKO: Or what would be the total dollar impact? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Not so much the dollar impact, but I mean MS. SAKO: How would we fund it? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: If you could give me a good estimate, I'd love to hear it. MS. SAKO: Well we've been in this position before, where—maybe not for every single bargaining unit but several might be, you know, coming up due in June, and we're not far enough along to know the estimate. But Bill's right. Because we know that the impact won't actually hit until the following fiscal year because the State won't be able to approve it in time, it's very likely we're going to end up with retro pay like we did this last time. So the impact is probably going to be the year after. So because none of the counties are going to budget for pay increases, you know, in the coming year. You know, I mean, it's not going to happen. You know, nobody has the money to do it, except Maui. And you know, so it's just not going to happen. But, you know, we keep in touch with Bill, and as we go through this budget process, if we suddenly become aware that something's changing or the tone is changing, he's definitely going to keep us involved, you know, and let us know. And so, we would budget accordingly. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Let's say that— MS. hatMS. SAKO: But let's say it's a different year CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Let's say it did happen, yeah. MS. SAKO: It's a non-COVID year. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah. Nothing happened. Business as usual. MS. SAKO: Then we would ask Bill for his best guess. But it really puts us at a disadvantage at that point, because then the unions know what we can afford because we had to put it in our budget. So, I mean, that's kind of the unfortunate part. Once we stick it in the budget, the unions know what we can afford. But at that point, you know, we have had to re-increase taxes to be able to do that as well. Page 230 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's what I was wondering. Because, I mean, that's where all these funds come from. Our revenue stream to pay for salary and wages comes from, for the most part— MS. artMS. SAKO: Well General Fund is, you know, over 75 percent funded by real property taxes CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Our general fund. So this year we're squeaking by. I think actually the entire time I've been in Council, we have squeaked by. And if we came in to look at increases again—and I understand, everyone wants a raise. We all like raises. But when government cannot afford the raise, it puts us in a real precarious position. That's really what I want to hear from you. So basically, the public needs to understand, if we look at substantial increases to our negotiations for our bargaining units, eventually there's a tax raise that comes with that. So that has to be the understanding. MS. SAKO: Right. But the public does understand because they also voted in the, you know, addition to the disaster and emergency fund. So, you know, they do have to realize that that means we have to find revenue from somewhere. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Some people understand. Some do not. MS. SAKO: I wrote up an entire fiscal impact statement regarding this. I went with every single Charter amendment, by the way. Just saying. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I've noticed, you know, a lot of people don't followI mean, I have people on a thread right now talking about Driver's Licensing and how inadequate it is right now. And they don't know that we discussed it yesterday for almost two and a half hours. MS. SAKO: They don't. And, you know, Steve reminded me that I forgot to say, you know, the reason we're behind is the shutdown of the County for those couple months, too. So, yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you for that. Okay, well thank you. And thank you for clarifying that. I think sometimes just making it really clear so that everyone can be on the same page as far as where we sit as a government. Expectations from the community is what we should be providing, what we can provide given our tax base, and kind of the repercussions of things like bargain unit contracts. So thank you for clarifying that. I appreciate it. Bill, mahalo for your time. Do you have any closing comments or anything? Page 231 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. BRILHANTE: No. Just thank you very much for giving me this opportunity to come and address you. I hope you guys have a good afternoon. And good luck with the rest of your sessions. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Thank you, sir. Thank you. Good. Okay, wonderful. See everyone back at 1:15 p.m. Mahalo. We're in recess. Recess: At 12:38 p.m., the Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 1:24 p.m. (3) Department of Research and Development: (Note: At this time, Research and Development Director Doug Adams, Deputy Director Sulma Ghandi, and Business Manager Debra Funai came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Aloha and welcome back to the Special Committee on Finance. Joining us right now, we have the Department of Research and Development. Please introduce yourselves for the record, and then we'll get started with your PowerPoint presentation. MR. ADAMS: Great. Thank you very much, Chair. My name is Doug Adams. I am the Director for the Department of Research and Development. I have with me the Deputy Director, Doctor Sulma Ghandi. Then also on Zoom, we have our Finance and HR (Human Resources) guru, Debra Funai. She's hoping that we don't have to talk to her. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you very much. Thank you for joining us today. MR. ADAMS: Right. So let me just start, if I may, with our brief presentation. Do I need to do anything or is it on? Right now it's just the title slide anyway. (Note: At this time, Mr. Adams and Ms. Ghandi provided a PowerPoint presentation to the members of the Committee. For viewing of the presentation, please see the DVD copy of the meeting proceedings on file in the Clerk's Office or navigate to the Council's video archives online from the County's homepage at www.hawaiicounty.gov. A copy of the PowerPoint is made a part of the record, see Comm. 103.2.) MR. ADAMS: We're ready to take the questions. Page 232 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mahalo for that very succinct and precise breakdown of your department. Who would like to go first? Anybody? Kona? MR. INABA: Chair, Holeka. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mr. Inaba, go ahead. MR. INABA: Thanks, Chair. Thank you, Director Adams and Deputy Ghandi. I have a question first of all with regards to the ag section of your budget. This is on page 38 of the black binder for everyone, 5161.22, subsection 115. This area of the budget has a total of$264,600, and to me as I look through most of the sections in your budget, I'm not super clear. I know you folks' kind gave an overview, but what exactly are we doing to support and develop agriculture on this island. That's question number one. And I did get a chance to read through the narrative section, but if you can boil it down for us what are the concrete things that we're doing to support and develop ag here. MR. ADAMS: The answer is we don't have a lot of money to be able to do much when it comes to creating more producers and diversity. We work with the funding that we have. So obviously the Soil and Water Conversation District, different funding than what's included here in the agriculture sector. That's grading and grubbing work and setting that up so that the work can be done and is a process for individual farmers so they don't always have to go through the permitting process. When it comes to creating diversity, we have through the innovation grant the ability to fund up to $25,000 on prototypes and also innovative processes that would then lead to the potential for producers to continue on if there is success. If there's impact, if there's results that matter. We're not the Department of Ag, and we're not USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). So that's where the real funds are and that's where the real bang for the buck can come. Our ability has to do with, you know, we're working on invasive species, so there's work that we do with that. We work with CTAHR (University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources) in a collaborative way, as well. Some of the things that they do, both in their extension agent as well as the education side of things. Then we have opportunities occasionally, depending on the availability of funds and the projects that come in. If the projects meet the innovation and the equity elements and everything else works out, then there's potential for them to be chosen. Again, this is a competitive process. But it does need to be innovation. So we can help, but it is limited as we heard in the listening sessions, and as you already know, Council Member, land and water and energy are huge elements to this. So our ability to support agricultural diversity, food security, all those things Page 233 FC-8 April 14,2021 that we consider really, really important, isn't going to be just tied to the small amount of funding that we have here. MR. INABA: Thank you. Obviously, we have constraints across all of the departments right now. Are you folks working with other organizations like Kamehameha Schools, who have initiatives like the `Rina Ulu programs throughout the State? For sure we have them here on Hawaii Island, to kind of develop the ag sector here. MR. ADAMS: So most of the work that we've done on there—and it is possible that our Agricultural Specialist Glenn Sako is going to tell me, "You shouldn't have said that we are doing that." But largely, it is in our food system and food access work that we have been seeing those kinds of connections being made. Obviously, Glenn knows everybody and everybody knows Glenn, so the conversations that they are able to have across and in collaboration with a variety of landholders, you know, that's terrific as far as it goes, but for the most part, because we just don't have a lot of money to be able to throw at these problems, they're primarily collaborative conversations. MR. INABA: Okay, thank you. Next question, tourism promotion. Here in the narrative section of the budget, you have two points under tourism. It says, "It's compatible with historic and natural resources and not intrusive into local communities." The second is that"It helps to strengthen community,private and public partnerships to build resilient and sustainable communities." I would say that's exactly opposite of what we've seen over the course of the last year. With $459,000 dedicated towards Tourism Promotion and Miscellaneous Contract Services, I'm a little concerned when the total department budget is $2.6 million. I know it has been higher in the past but is this a smart way for us to be spending money when we just understand that there's not enough money in ag, which is something that our community needs, and our farmers need support. We know tourism is making its way back already, so can you explain these three line items here under Tourism Promotion in a simple and concise way? MR. ADAMS: Well you've talked to me before, Council Member. I'm not sure that I'm necessarily concise all the time. I think the way to understand it from our perspective is that 2020 of course was an anomaly in a variety of ways. Not the least of which is that we did take a hit on the visitor industry. That obviously meant that many of the workers that we have that have their livelihood depending on that industry also took a hit. So when I take a look at the difference between our agricultural and our visitor industry, I do have to take a look at the number of workers that are in both of those industries. Now this is not to say that one is more important than the other, because all of these sectors are important if you're going to be able to optimize an economy, which is what we're looking to do. The focus of supporting our visitor industry Page 234 FC-8 April 14,2021 and thereby our workforce, that's part of the funding that's here. In addition, we know that we add back in 2019, we were up to a million and a half visitors a year, and the ability to make sure that those visitors are doing what we want them to do and not acting in a way that is not appropriate not appropriate when it comes to regenerative tourism, when it comes to being respectful of the `aina and the residents here. Yeah, there is some funding that's necessary to make sure that we work through all the issues. It's not just tourism, it's also landowners, it's government, it's our farmers, and it's our cultural and historic significant sites. All of those places that we know are important and that people want to see, making sure that we are developing some way to do that, that is actually supportive of the island and not taking away from it MR. INABA: Thank you. In the interest of time, Director, sorry. I hear where you're coming from, and is it possible to get a further breakdown of this section on exactly where Tourism Promotion, Marketing and Promotion, and these contract projects are going so we can understand where $460,000 is being spent? Because I hear you, but— MR. utMR. ADAMS: We can do that for the current year. We obviously can't do that for 2021-22, because that's an RFP (Request for Proposals) item. So we're waiting on proposals before the funds can be delivered. MR. INABA: Thank you, and I know thank you to the two of you, and you've been here only a few months as have L But if we're talking about how tourists are acting and whether they're respecting, I think I can speak for my community, the mana`o is they are not being respectful. So to know that these funds have been allocated to this section for so long, it's a little concerning to not ask, if I don't ask questions about how these funds are being spent. So I'm going to yield for now for any of my colleagues to ask further questions. Mahalo, Director and Deputy Director. MR. ADAMS: Thank you, Council Member. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Mr. Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. Thanks, Director and Deputy. Good to see you guys. You touched on it, Doug, is agriculture. And you and I have talked about this. Going forward, a little bit of what Mr. Inaba was talking about too, and I think we'll probably all be talking about this, research and development. You have the research side, but then development. You just stated the big funds for development are really going to be funded by outside this County, because if we're truly going to move the needle, that's not something that's going to come out of R&D. But maybe grant writing will. So first question is where are we with grant writers for R&D? What are we doing there? Page 235 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. ADAMS: So Mr. Richards, it's not just in R&D. It's got to be for the County. We have grant writing capability, but that isn't necessarily a mission that has been part and parcel of the funding, right? We haven't necessarily gone out of R&D to find money for R&D. We have had the opportunity occasionally to find funds for other departments and that's been terrific when that happens. So to get to your point yes, the idea is—it's more than an idea there's a project that we are in the initial stages of working on that will set up a grant writing capacity here in the County. Part of that involves the other departments as well, and their ability to provide support for that with individuals that know those departments. Part of this is technical training. Part of this also, as the Deputy is familiar with, involves structure. For example, the University of Hawaii at Hilo or the University of Hawaii system, they have an entire organization called RCUH (The Research Corporation of the University of Hawai`i), that actually runs the technical aspects of the processes of grants for the individuals that are a part of the University. That's because procurement's tough. So our ability to—we have to take a look at how do we structure ourselves so we're efficient and thereby effective in both looking for and working on getting these grants. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, because this is something that I've think we've talked about, grant writers as an initiative, as long as I've been sitting on Council. MR. ADAMS: If I may, briefly? MR. RICHARDS: Please. MR. ADAMS: So it's not just a matter the clich6 "it's not a matter of throwing money at it," it's also not a matter of throwing people at it, right? Part of this is because the understanding of what the need is in the departments' matters, we have to make sure that we're doing this in connection with the departments and at the same time, this just takes time. The Health Literacy grant itself for example. Just as an example, it started from scratch, it was understood we had to do it, they had to work the collaborations associated with doing that because there were specific requirements that whoever's providing the funding has. So you have to work through that as well. So I don't want to say that we're not working on it, because it is a this is vital because I heard the conversation that we had early about finances and where funding is coming from. We have to find other ways to fund projects that are really important here, and some of it can be really big money and some of it can be prototype-related types of grants. To be good at it, to be efficient at it, we have to develop a structure that allows us to do that. MR. RICHARDS: I agree with everything that you have said there. I've been thinking about this going forward. How are we going to make that shift—or I guess the trendy term is pivot, right? We have this initiative in the County, Page 236 FC-8 April 14,2021 actually in the State, to be zero fossil fuel by 2050-2045, cesspools are 2050. In order to get there, you know, you just talked about grants for basically proof of concept more than anything else. One of the things we're dealing with, the buses, we met on Monday discussing that, getting that forward, but now we've actually gotten to the implementation portion. Part of the Sustainability Summit talked about food self-reliance. I don't like the term "sustainability," I like it"self-reliance." But in order to get there, we're going to have to do something bold, something big, to actually make a difference. I think this you know you touched on the fact of infrastructure for water, land, energy, all of that is very important in agriculture and we have to structure going forward. I believe there's a lot of funding available through Rural Development funds if we go after that. I met a young woman who was a grant writer, and we were talking about our ag employees. One of the problems we have with our agriculture is we don't have migrant labor because of geography. I mean we do, but we don't. So we kicked around the concept of what if we had migrant crops. Meaning we have the same workforce picking different crops at different times of year. But in order to get there, we're going to have to start that. I think that's where government can come in to help stand that up, whether it's a cooperative or whatever the case may be. MR. ADAMS: It's also affordable housing. MR. RICHARDS: Well housing is part of all of this, right. And so, but we have to like I said, think bigger about this. For food self-reliance, we're going to have to be able to value add. But that will also build the economy of agriculture. MR. ADAMS: It would. Obviously, we're not going to get into philosophical because this is a budget meeting, but as you know, it's not just about value-added or high profit margin crops, because that doesn't build us food security. MR. RICHARDS: No. MR. ADAMS: Right. Those are important because it helps agriculture as a whole in the economy of agriculture, but when you're talking food security, you're talking about the ability that you're producing the kind of crops and other types of ranching products that allow us if the need came, we could sustain ourselves. MR. RICHARDS: Correct. MR. ADAMS: But those are not necessarily high profit margin either. MR. RICHARDS: No. Page 237 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. ADAMS: So we're trying to figure out what's the balance here. MR. RICHARDS: And it is a balance. To what Mr. Inaba's concerns were, I believe there's a future as we redesign our economy, we tie in tourism with agriculture. Because we've got poor public policy, because people aren't going to understand agriculture. So going forward, I'm glad I'm hearing building this grant writing thing. The question is though, do you have enough resources to develop that project going forward? I'm kind of looking at both Deputy and Director, because we're going to have to do something up front to get it going. We've done a lot of research, there's a lot of things that R&D have put out, but now we've got to jump at them. One example is the sharwill avocado. That financially is a really good deal, but we have to go after it. So how do we support you to help go after the big funds, and I'm thinking it's supporting this grant proj ect. MR. ADAMS: That's part of the way. Obviously—we've had the conversation about the way forward. Part of the way you help us is what you're doing right now, which is keeping our feet to the fire, right? When it comes to the development of structure and what that looks like from a financial perspective, we're not ready to tell you that yet, because we don't know. So it would not be really good for me to say this is how much I need, because that's just not how that works properly. We do need to figure that out, and the other part of this is, is the best way to do this structurally, or is there a more innovative approach to our grant writing. Do we have to hire our grant writers so that they are a part of the County or can we use outside professional services to do this work. So these are all questions that we need to address and do it quickly because we need the funding. And the other piece of this is if we do decide that we want grant writers inside, then they probably need to pay for themselves. So it shouldn't be you that's necessarily saying, "Here's some additional money to figure it out." They should be able to pay for themselves. MR. RICHARDS: I like that. It's easier on our budgets. But also, they're also bringing their own network when they come in. So I like that perspective. And we can have the same conversation when we're talking about agriculture, energy, water, tourism, whatever, because it's the same concept, how do we build the capacity going forward. MR. ADAMS: That's right. MR. RICHARDS: So we could keep going, but I'm going yield, Chair, because I thinkI like the direction this conversation is going and obviously we've got a lot more do discuss on this. But I'm going to yield. Thanks. Page 238 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Director, Deputy, it's great to see you and mahalo for your support of the Job Corps program resolution. Putting R&D to work with Office of Housing was very intentional. I think the work that you do with mutually reinforcing when we have a robust economy, we also need to ensure that our residents have access to safe affordable housing. Really, housing our kids can afford. So thank you. And just so folks are aware, HB 1176 (House Bill), which I got Rep. Sean Quinlan to work with me to introduce on the State level has advanced and is going to be going to Conference. So really, really excited and hopeful, optimistic, about the opportunity of getting funding to our County to support that program and really grow it. MR. ADAMS: If I may, congratulations. That's terrific. Also, we've been really happy to work with the Kilauea Recovery Team as well. Obviously, we work with them pretty well anyway, being collocated. But their efforts in support of this entire process of developing these pilots and ultimately hopefully some type of program, really, really good. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. There's so much work that your department is doing. I see it as the crown jewel of our County. Because there is so much work, it's very overwhelming for the community to really understand what you're doing. It would be really helpful if we could have you identify for us one to three priority projects each of your divisions or economic specialists are working on. Sulma knows this term, we're very familiar with the concept of"smallify." We have these big audacious goals, and you're setting these objectives and key results that folks are meeting. I love having goals, but if there is no deadline, no timeline to act, it just sort of lingers. Then people really lose hope and momentum in engaging in the process. So if we could get that from you it would be incredibly helpful so that we know where you're trying to lead this County in the next four years. MR. ADAMS: So if I may, Council Member. You know the way RFP's work, right? And that's where our funds go is through that process. So part of this is dependent on the folks that decide that they're going to go after these funds. And we are able to identify those that meet the requirements that we've established as a part of the, you know, the RFP, then absolutely we'd love to be able to tell you what those are. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, keep in touch. And I want to build up a little bit on what Council Member Inaba pointed out with tourism. Frecia has done an Page 239 FC-8 April 14,2021 excellent job in bringing forth the Pono Place making project. Engaging communities around the island to elevate the stories of their wahi pana. We need to find ways to fund their work. This is so that as we see more visitors coming to our island, they are approaching our sacred spaces with the right mindset. There are protocols, so we want to make sure community is in the driver's seat in designing these programs. Interpretative signage; that experience, so people are coming from a place of aloha when they visit. MR. ADAMS: Message received. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, thank you. Really appreciate the work that you're doing, Deputy, around mental health. I'm just wondering if you folks are taking a look at some of the work that was funded through CARES Act. Captain Stacy Domingo, Fire Department, worked really hard to design a mental health first aid certification process. So just want to make sure that you folks are connecting. MS. GHANDL Thank you for bringing that up. Yes, I've known Stacy, I've talked to her a couple of times and also with Janice, and so I know that we have 46 mental health first aid trainers across this island. So it's part of the amazing infrastructure building that's already happening that we will need to coordinate. So that's what my hope is, is that we have a coordinated effort on the different ways that we could do the training. There's a number a suicide prevention task force for this island, and they have other curriculums that they use. So it's about bringing folks together to work on that. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Great. Thank you. I just want to make sure that we are leveraging all the amazing mana`o and expertise that we have on this island and not reinventing the wheel. And if there are ways in which we can further infuse trauma informed care and the topic of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and BCEs (Benevolent Childhood Experiences) into some of our policy and decision making, I think we all are in agreement on advancing that. I'm a huge fan of the comprehensive economic development strategies. You know, through my work with Vibrant Hawaii, we've led numerous conversations and have developed our own set of action plans. Where are we in terms of this process? I know that HIEDB (Hawai`i Island Economic Development Board) typically leads the update of it. Are we waiting for State of Federal funding to sort of be unlocked before we engage in formal revision? MR. ADAMS: I'm not aware of the State funding requirement. We'll have to get back to you on where we are with that. HIEDB and the other island, because they're done by island, the other island agencies that feed the State's CEDS (Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies), they are gathering—we already know that Jacqui Hoover from HIEDB is doing that, already gathering information, so we're helping in that regard as well. So the parallel tracks that I Page 240 FC-8 April 14,2021 talked about before is, we're not actually telling you all different things. It's both areas where there is work being done in development of an island support version for the State, that's where we're providing support in both of those areas. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. MR. ADAMS: But, when it comes to where HIEDB is, I'll have to get back to you on that. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. I'd appreciate that. And you know, I just want to emphasize, and I Beth Dykstra works really hard to support the process. She's excellent at providing a lot of data that supports this document. I just want to make sure this time around we have an action plan that is attached to the strategy. It's really important that every single community stakeholder knows their role so at the end of the five-year cycle we can look back and say, "Look, everybody did their part and made a contribution, and we really did diversify and build a more resilient economy." I'm curious around how your department is going to be leveraging or not, Opportunity Zone. MR. ADAMS: So we're already you probably already do know this, but for others that may not, one of our specialists on the Kona side, Princess Agina, has been running with the Opportunity Zone opportunities, and has been able to connect with both stakeholders in the community as well as in the County. And we also have had the opportunity to already meet with some potential investors. So that process is, as it is right now, a relatively slow process. It does depend on making sure that we have connections with investors, but I'm happy to say that we actually made some connections with some investors. So we'll see where that actually goes, because it ultimately it depends on them wanting to put their money into these areas. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, that's great. I mean I know the State really dropped the ball, didn't really provide counties with leadership on this, so thank you for picking that up. And when there are wins, come and bring them before the Council. Nobody's going to know any of this is happening if you don't talk about it. I know local culture, don't want to brag or anything, but these are things we really need to be talking about so that folks know what R&D is driving. You talked about recovery, and you know, really helping our community and the economy bounce forward from this pandemic. We've got Federal funding likely coming our way. I mean, can we expect a three-point plan, a ten-point plan from your office about how we bounce our economy forward? Page 241 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. ADAMS: Sure. I can tell you right now that we have a no-point plan when it comes to the $19 million this year and the $19 million next year. Is that a fair statement? That money isn't going to be used for anything that we can do here. If the State was going to act differently—I don't want to throw my State colleagues under the bus but given the fact that it looks like they're going to use the $1.6 that they're going to get and not necessarily push anything down to us, and we're not going to see any of the Transient Accommodation Tax coming our way, and the OPEB (Other Post-Employment Benefits) is going to be part of this. Am I saying all this right? So what that all means is it's very nice that the Federal Government sent directly to the County and the island $39 million over two years. We won't be able to use it like we used CARES-1, when we had $80 million. It's not going to be used that way. So when it comes to economic recovery, the funds that we are looking for and we're looking at, and we don't have any information on yet unless we've got something in the last hour and a half, is the funds that are going to come through the Federal agencies. And so we know that there will be funding that will come through the Federal agencies like to the State, although some may actually be inaccessible to us directly. That's where we're going to have to find some of these funds. And then of course the American Jobs Plan will be another place where we expect to see infrastructure funding coming down. And we have an inside man, and we fully intend to use him. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Great. Sounds good. That's where I was going. There are other buckets of funding within ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) that we can be leveraging, not necessarily what's coming directly to the counties, but through other agencies. So thank you. Just a couple of other questions. I'm curious how your department helps prepare community to apply for the innovation grant. Here's why. MR. ADAMS: Okay. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Through my work with Vibrant Hawaii, very in touch with community and have realized over time they need help building up their capacity, building up their ability to articulate their ideas through the grant process. So what we've done, and we kick this off tomorrow, is we're leading an eight-series on building up a resilient business plan. You know, our collaboration with Kuhao Zane, Mahina Paishon-Duarte with AEEF (`Rina Aloha Economic Futures); Keoni Li, Hawaii Investment Ready; the whole idea is empowering our community. So I just wonder if there are ways in which R&D is working in this space as well. MR. ADAMS: Not in the way that Vibrant Hawaii is going after it. I think that's fair to say. Now we've been doing the innovation grant work for a long Page 242 FC-8 April 14,2021 time, right? The funds that you all have provided and the variety of mayors have put into the budget, we then have been able to use the RFP process to request proposals that come from the community in innovation ways. We've made a couple of changes this year. We've really focused on innovation, and we've focused on equity as a part of both the department goals and objectives piece. But when it comes to the training, we conduct a webinar that talks about the process itself, it explains what we're looking for, and then we have given it to them. This will be the one time in this particular conversationI hope it's the only time I say it—where we're just too new. We didn't have the time to do what I think is absolutely important, which is how do we train folks to give us what we want, which is proposals that are going to be based on things that are innovative, that are about prototypes or proof of concept opportunities. There is some training,particularly if we want those things, then we need to be able to help people provide those things to us as a part of their proposals. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. Chair, I have a few more questions, but I'm going to yield to my colleagues for now. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, and thank you, Director Adams and Deputy Director Ghandi, for being here today. And apologies for being slightly late to your presentation. I had the opportunity to sit in, in your budget discussion, so I know it pretty well. And also appreciate that we'd all love you to give you so much more, but I appreciate that you're really pragmatic understanding of your role—and I want to focus on—kind of growing from some of the comments that Council Member Kierkiewicz made about that role as connector. Not only within the County and between department, but one of the things that we saw and were looking for when we were looking at the grants in aid, which you guys have similar responsibilities, was first of all understanding there are so many people doing a lot of good work in the areas that we've identified as priorities. How do we get them talking to each other? How do we get them some of these capacity- building skills that they need? So you know, specifically with regard to the budget, I look at the Resource Center and some of the funding there. Any ideas on, you know, expanding that resource component, really focusing in on R&D's role as a connector entity rather than an execution entity. MR. ADAMS: So I think that's not necessarily the County's role completely, right? I think that there are plenty of folks out there that can take on some of that work and do it—I'm sorry I'm so loud—and do it maybe with more people than what we have. Right, so there's a cost associated if we would what you're asking us to do. We've talked about the idea that, that's a really important center for not Page 243 FC-8 April 14,2021 just our department, but for the County and potentially in some cases for the community. But it's right now a single person, and the idea of expanding—and we make great use out of the resource, that's Beth Dykstra, right, in the community as well as within the department, on things that are right now get this done kind of situations. Plus her knowledge of the variety of grant opportunities that are out there and then helping other members of the department. I'm not trying to—it may be rude that I say this but I'm not trying to build an empire. I'm not sure that government always is the best place for the kind of center that would provide the kind of information that you're looking for. We can make sure that there's access to that; we want to make sure that there's access to that. But I think this goes back to the grant question. I think that there's opportunities. I think that there's probably money out there that if we can find it, we can then leverage that to have somebody come in to do that work. MS. KIMBALL: Yeah, I appreciate that you're not into empire building, if you will. You know, really when we look at the responsibilities we have as a County and as a Council and as an Administration, public health and safety, infrastructure, R&D is, you know, it's an icing on the cake. Maybe a crown jewel if you will. But there are other places that have better capability, but I think what we do is that connection piece between understanding what is needed as a society, as a community for this comprehensive level of economic development, this diversity. So what I'm interested in is how do we expand you know, I think it may be misrepresenting what I was asking in terms of that connectivity building. Like you said, I think there are other mechanisms, other places that maybe do that better. How do we join into that? Maybe that's a better way to phrase that. MR. ADAMS: The ability for the County to join into any conversation is not hard. We say we want to join, and most people say, "Yes, we'd love to have you." Part of this is—but I'm not sure that I misunderstood the question or maybe didn't answer it fully previously. There are opportunities in our economy to do the kind of work that you were talking about, right? And I think that—the reason I shied away from that in a way is because I think that because that's an industry potentially that could find a place here, I would encourage that to happen. So I would look for the funding perhaps to enable that piece. I think the County's involvement—the County's pretty involved. Our department's pretty involved in conversations across all the sectors. Now we're adding quality of life issues because we think it's vital that we also have those conversations and are present for those conversations, whether they're State, or the nonprofit, or the private sector. So we're adding on to our ability to connect. And within the department, frankly it's our responsibility within the department to make sure that everybody kind of knows what everybody else is doing. That's the connection piece that is really important. We're working on that. I think there's some processes associated with that. Then as we build our connections with the Page 244 FC-8 April 14,2021 other departments, particularly Planning for example and their long-term Planning divisions, there are important connections that are being made there. There is a, I like to call it 21" Century Governance. There are opportunities for us to look at how do we have our staffs talking to each other. That's where the connections begin to be made in my mind, and making sure that we're doing that with processes that maintain what government's supposed to do, right? Be transparent, maintain accountability, and show some degree of efficiency. Those are but at the same time, you want people's best thoughts, and you want that level of collaboration. So when we're able to see that within government, that sets an example I think for the rest of the sectors, whether it be private or nonprofit, as well. So collaboration, connection is vital to what we do. It's intrinsic if you will to what we do. I just I don't want to leave out the idea that there are elements within the Resource Center that can help with the data driven aspects of that. Maybe that's where you're going with this. But there is actually the connection piece that's going to be dependent on, to some degree, something that's being developed right now, where we're looking at developing out of the Sustainability Summit, that is a directory. So there's some work that's being done on that as well. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you for that. I appreciate to this—we hadn't talked about it before, but the civic engagement piece about transparency, and really evaluating how we even govern, and you know, there's been a lot of discussion about how we need to break down those silos to be more effective, come up with standard operating procedures. I applaud you for adding that to your very long list of things that you're interested in. And I do think that there's an opportunity to provide some leadership in terms of how to do things a little bit differently. So it's great to see how that proceeds. But thank you again for being here, and I yield my time. Thanks, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Rebecca or Maile? Rebecca's ready. Okay, Rebecca, go ahead. MS. VILLEGAS: Hi, thank you for being here and for sharing the vast concepts, ideas, projects, programs and initiatives that you're working on. Also sort of the value systems that are driving that. Something that really came to mind from me as potentially being hopefully a supportive model all of these projects and programs that you're working on is a circular economy and the amount of information out there now, and different municipalities and even countries who are identifying that economic paradigm an system as being imperative to the success of our communities, of our government, of our island here as our island home, for us to be able to be able to achieve food resilience, energy self- Page 245 FC-8 April 14,2021 sufficiency, any kind of resource development here locally. And so I just kind of want to throw that out there and keep that front of mind. The Ellen MacCarthur Foundation has phenomenal information and guidance and training in kind of transitioning the thought processes in how to identify the value systems associated with the circular economy and how that will then dictate what best choices to make based on risk and reward. And while it holds us accountable to not fall for the shiny object that makes it all too easy to jump to a short-term economic solution that doesn't in the long run get us to where we need to be. You know, hearing conversations about agriculture, the first thing that comes to mind for me is the difference between industrial agriculture versus local food security. That's a very different model. You know, having met with a wonderful woman who works on a farm here in South Kona utilizing circular economy principles, utilizing waste from the stores around her, trying to put together a farmers' market with all local produce, and unfortunately the greatest challenge she had in that community is that the agricultural crops grown in that area are predominantly commodities. We've got coffee, which is fantastic, and we've got mac nuts and some other agricultural products, but there are products that are more apt for export and to be sold in other places, not just to be consumed here on island. So what I'm seeing is this disparity and the challenge of farmers. I had another woman on the phone the other day. They moved here a few years ago with this thought process that they could by a 20-acre coffee farm, and it could support them financially. And it's becoming a really tragic circumstance for them to come to an understanding of what many of usI know that, you know, Maile herself farms coffee with her family, but she works here with us as her full-time job. Wait this is supposed to be a part-time job, but anyway as another career. So that's kind of just an assumed,just a given. I also see the irony in us exporting our cattle to be then slaughtered and then re-imported. So I feel like there's got to be low-hanging fruit for R&D to identify ways for funding slaughterhouses, to supporting our mahi`ai. I've heard too many times that young people don't want to farm, they don't want to do it, and I say that's not right. There are a lot of people, but I really feel that it's going to take an honest and humble returning and questioning and bringing to the table those who have continued to live a subsistence lifestyle and aren't relying—and I myself am guilty in my current busy, everyday life of relying on the Costco's and the Targets, and the whatnot. But growing up, we had an outside garden. My mom sewed our clothes. We made curtains out of old sheets. That was just how you did it. Circular economy was done—well often times because of poverty, but it was resilience, and it was utilizing resources over and over and over again. And I think there's opportunity for us to decouple the need to use more, bring in more, acquire more, even sometimes build more. There are so many empty buildings in Page 246 FC-8 April 14,2021 Kona right now. And new shopping malls get built and then the old ones get left empty. I just really am hopeful that as you continue to navigate the mission and the values of R&D, that you will take into consideration and hold close to your heart—and I have lots of books on it if you want themI know Ms. Ghandi saw a bunch of them on my desk when we were able to meet. So I just want to quickly close with something that a family member who is living on Oahu right now said recently during a visit to the Big Island. And his comment was, "When you walk on this island, you can tell that the mana is still alive here. The spirits of this land have not been scattered and dismantled by over treading." I mean we get close, but that statement to me just really hit close to home and close to my heart and really regenerated gratitude and pride that our island is still this way, but also a renewed sense of responsibility and kuleana and commitment as we open up in certain capacities for visitors to return. But and Ms. Kierkiewicz said taking care of our sacred spaces. Making sure that we don't sacrifice the mana of this land for the almighty dollar and the spreadsheets and the numbers and perceived economic growth at the cost of future generations being able to live and thrive on this incredible island that we call home. So thank you for your efforts, your intentions, and your continued diligence to incorporate all of these value systems in the projects and programs that you're working on. MR. ADAMS: Did you want to say anything? MS. GHANDL Council Member, that was poetic. Thank you. That's the kind of community and County I want to live in. Mahalo. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Maile, do you have any—do you want to add to the conversation? MS. DAVID: Not right now. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Mr. Inaba, before I move off Kona? MR. INABA: No, I'm good right now. Mahalo, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Mr. Chung. MR. CHUNG: Doug, Deputy Ghandi, you know, in the private sector R&D is very important, right? And that's to develop product lines especially when the bottom line is getting slimmer. A little bit different here, right? You know, I Page 247 FC-8 April 14,2021 think I've told you and I've told every other director that I've worked with prior to you, that from my experience the direction and the vision of the department changes from director to director. It really depends on the leadership on the top. It can be focused on agriculture, on tourism, you know, and other things. I look forward to seeing what happens under your leadership. But all I want to say is very brief. I don't have much to say. And whatever I have to say I can talk to you later on, right? I may have mentioned to you that the deputy director's position was something that was initiated by the County Council. Prior to that, because the department was so small, they felt there wasn't a need for it. But we felt otherwise. The reason for that is this: You touched upon it, Doug. We have to get ideas from outside. As unpopular as it may be to the general public, one of you has to be free to go out into the world and to gather ideas and experiences from out there. It's so vital to the decision-making processes that we go through here. That was the reason why we created that position. So just take it to heart. We're giving you cover to do it. Not now of course, but when travel does start opening up, I would urge you to really do that. And that's all I really have to say. Thank you. MR. ADAMS: If I may,just briefly? And Councilman Chung, you've made sure I've gotten that message a few times. I would tell you that in the conversations that led to Dr. Ghandi becoming the deputy director, her accepting the position, part of that was associated with what you're talking about. An understanding that first of all we have to take ideas from wherever we can get them. We do have to understand, and I think everybody would appreciate this, that the ideas that are gathered are also gathered with an understanding of how they fit here, right, and so all the variety of layers that are a part of Hawaii Island and how this is going to work. And of course we're looking to the future. So what does that all mean. But we clearly appreciate the need for us to get out and about. It's not just about making friends. Frankly, it's also about making sure that we're able to bring back aspects of what's working out there to see if it's going to work here. MR. CHUNG: And I agree with you 100 percent. It has to fit here. But at the same time, we cannot isolate ourselves from the other ideas. Or insulate ourselves. Or be insulated, right? We have to get ideas and see if they match up with our value set here. MR. ADAMS: It's been terrific, actually. Probably all of you actually saw the final breakout session with the variety of world leaders from island nations as a part of the Sustainability Summit. That led me to be able to actually connect on the University of Guam's Conference on Sustainability that they've run now for a few years as well. Listening to some of the same people and then some additional world leaders from situations and conditions that are similar to ours, right, and the idea of being able to connect with those, understand where they're going, some of Page 248 FC-8 April 14,2021 the issues that they have, and you know, sometimes we can bring things to that to help, and then there are other times things that they've been able to do and work on that have shown some degree of success. We want to make sure that we're going to consider those as well. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Doug. Go ahead, Ms. Lee Loy. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Thank you both for being here. I'm just going to focus, like really take a deep dive into innovation grant, and Deputy Director, Dr. Ghandi, I just, we're doing a lot of work with the grant in aid, and we've begun to shift a lot of that conversation around some of that place making. Not only addressing the underbelly of community but helping them look forward a little bit and using some of the principles with trauma and informed care in our health pillar. But what I'm learning through that process is that there's no journey mapping. And Council Member Kierkiewicz touched upon this, right, "smallify." You guys have some ideas. But if we could smallify and see where some of these nonprofits could actually plug in a little bit, because they have wonderful ideas in what they're doing. And maybe with a little help with a business model or a business plan that Ms. Kierkiewicz is looking at, we could actually create economy for a nonprofit so that they could become sustainable. Not so much for you to answer now, but if we could just continue the conversation, because what I'm seeing is they're having to apply for grants at all various times of years. So they have a program budget for a year, but our money comes at a certain time, you know, other philanthropical dollars come at another time of the year. So if we could streamline that process, and I know this year was challenging because it's something, the RFP process that came to you prior to this Administration. But if we could work together, and as Ms. Kierkiewicz mentioned, is helping them capacity in this grant writing process, which will actually give them the hand up. Where I'm hopeful, and I think some of my other colleagues are, is that they actually kind of take control of their future a little bit more. But the terminology, the vernacular that they need to meet in some of those grants I think is where I would like to see some of the collaborative between the Council and this department. Then the other piece I just wanted to touch upon is with the grant in aid process, we didn't see a single applicant around government and civics. Maybe because it's not absent, but they didn't know. They didn't know to either apply or there are programs out there that are doing this kind of civic and government engagement, but they're just not in the mainstream or just not in front of us. So as we lift up community, you know, if we're not seeing it in the nonprofit grant in Page 249 FC-8 April 14,2021 aid piece, that's always going to be an anchor that kind of holds us back, because that's how we lift up community, is right, engagement across all the sectors. So I'd also like to see maybe some funding and/or some resources kind of put in that area so that people are engaging government in a thoughtful solution-oriented way, or vice-versa, right, where government is actually engaging community back at a level that is helpful to them. So those are just my thoughts, but anything really related to the budget, but as we look forward. Because we know the gaps that are coming, especially with the State funding, no funding actually from the State around grant in aid. So that was my only thoughts, but if we could just keep that conversation going, where they're not having the reapply. You know,universal forms or whatever that looks like. So that would be my ask, if that's okay. Chair—yeah? Go ahead. MS. GHANDL I look forward to having this conversation as soon as we finish this round, which is what I committed to you and I committed to our director about as well, that as soon as this round is completed, then the summer I'm diving back into it to see what I've learned from this process, in going through one round, and what we can do in that way. I absolutely agree with coordination, especially if the funds are coming from the County. How can we make it easier for our community members? MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, and then leveraging some of the information from the Sustainability Summit, because we heard those same barriers through the grant in aid process, right? Whether it was affordable housing, access to health care, trauma informed care, right, high suicide rate, drug use. You know, we're seeing it, and we've got to align a little better. I think we're all, as Mr. Richards says, pivot. You know, we're all going to pivot. I think if we could do that in a coordinated way, we'd actually amplify the dollars all around. But hopefully use that innovation grant for them to kind of become self-sustainable. So Chair, I yield at this time. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thanks, Chair. I'll make it quick. You know,just spring- boarding off what Council Member Lee Loy brought forward in wanting to make sure that we take every dollar, and we amplify its use. I mean when we were going through this GIA (Grant In Aid)process, we were very intentional around engaging Hawaii Community Foundation in how they've designed the Change Framework. I hope you're taking that approach as well, because there's a lot of money that's available through that foundation. Various trusts, other groups that have missions that are similar to what we are trying to achieve and so just really Page 250 FC-8 April 14,2021 encouraging those sort of partnerships. Because you talk about having lack of funding, there's millions of dollars out there. We've just got to go ask. MR. ADAMS: Right, so the RFP requires a match. Right, now it can be -kind, but there is a match requirement that was not required last year but has been in the past. We understand why last year, but we reinserted the idea that there has to be a one-to-one match. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: But I also think it's important to just stay in touch with them and share data. Because if we are getting certain applications, are not able to fill all the gaps, this is likely a way in which philanthropy can play a role. The other think, and I know we don't have time for it today, we would love a presentation on next steps with the sustainability listening sessions, and also the Sustainability Summit. You know, very captive audience. People really excited that the County is making this a priority to tackle. Again, people just want to know where they fit in and really curious around how these sustainability concepts are going to be advanced by the various department heads. So I'll end it there and we look forward to the conversation. MR. ADAMS: You and me both. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay great. Thanks, Chair. I yield. MS. KIMBALL: Can I jump in there, Chair? I will take partial—Chair David has asked us not to have any presentations, but Director Adams was ready to put one on our last GOREDC (Governmental Operations, Relations and Economic Development Committee) meeting, and as soon as we have an available spot after the budget hearings, look forward to your presentation and apologize that it hasn't been possible sooner. Mahalo. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you very much. Very robust discussion. Any comments from Kona? Rebecca you all set? Good, good. Hearing nothing from Kona side. I just want to follow up. Holeka brought up a good point about ag. And you talked about basically how you're going to go out to RFP. MR. ADAMS: We've already gone out to RFP. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So it's already public RFP language. MR. ADAMS: Yep. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. So I think then what would be good for us to understand is what the RFP language looks like so that we can Page 251 FC-8 April 14,2021 understand what kind of direction and directives you are putting for the community in the applications. MR. ADAMS: Okay, we'll get you the verbiage that's associated with the agricultural piece of the RFP. I don't think you want all 50 pages of the RFP. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, maybe not for all of us, if you could for those of us interested. I've come to learn that RFP guides the application. MR. ADAMS: Absolutely. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So when we know what's in that language, we can figure out what the direction was. MR. ADAMS: A lot of hard work going in to make sure this goes out so that when it comes in it's what we're looking for. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. MR. ADAMS: Right. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Budget-wise, your guys' budget looks pretty tight just like everyone else's. Yeah, your overtime is actually zeroed out which I like to see. The questions I had were actually brought up by other Council Members already. Tourism, you know, that's an interesting piece right now. There were some good points raised. MR. ADAMS: So the RFP in tourism does some of the things that we were talking about, right. It's not just marketing, right. It's about management as well. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, I read that in your guys' program obj ective. MR. ADAMS: Right. So we're looking to see what we get back. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Yeah, I mean just I mean just as I was thinking in my brain when we were talking about all this, we're seeing a huge decrease in revenue from the State mainly because we don't have tourism. So the budget that we're seeing is a budget based on no tourism dollars, in a way. So it's interesting to try and wrap your brain around well, this is what it would look like without tourism. I mean we're actually looking at right now and it's not beautiful, but here it is. So if we wanted to gage what it would look like without tourism and what that means to the economy, well here we are. Page 252 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. ADAMS: That also means nine percent unemployment, which I'm not excited about. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It does? It does, yeah. So next point. Really nice transition, cost of living. MR. ADAMS: We've had this conversation. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah. I mean, it's kind of a quiet killer behind the scenes for every household on island. Well not every household. Some people are doing just fine. But for most people cost of living is huge. Is there any component of R&D just in cost of living? MR. ADAMS: Yeah, energy for sure is part of that, right. Our ability to go after renewable but at the same time it needs to be less expensive for customers. So I mean I've been very happy to continue to have conversations with the primary utility on the island. We've engaged between 15 and 20 times already, and they're including us in their thoughts about where they're going. Energy's a big deal for us. We figure that if we can make some headway in those areas, that there's going to be a savings for all kinds of folks,not just consumers but also commercial entities, agriculture entities especially. So we're working really hard on that. And then we know that when it comes to cost of living, anything that we can avoid importing, we're going to lessen the cost to the consumers. So that means developing frankly, to coin a phrase, a"vibrant agricultural industry." We know that. So part of that involves Meadow Gold has come and talked to us. We're trying to work with them because there's dairy aspects associated with that, and some interesting things that they're talking about that. You know, you've got to have the processor. If you don't have the processing then you're not going to get the milk and then you're bringing it over, right? So and that's just an example, a small example. So agriculture, we know that education, health care, are going to be big numbers for us in the future. Making sure that we have the ability to be a part of the conversation that revolves around access to health care, in addition to making sure that we have the right number of folks trained to do that and that there's an industry that's taking care of our kupuna, of which I'm almost one. So you know, all those things are part and parcel, I think, of looking at an economy of the future. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. You guys addressed because it's interesting balancing what R&D does, what you can do given your budget, and how that fits into the community. So we talk about big, you know, lofty ideas, as far, you know, where do you guys' fit in. So cost of living-wise, energy is one, Page 253 FC-8 April 14,2021 shipping his huge. Do you guys' address shipping at all? We had a 50 percent increase in shipping rates. We're all seeing the effects of that, across every sector. It doesn't matter what sector you're in. If it's a no,just tell me no. MR. ADAMS: I mean, I think the answer is our ability to address any of that stuff outside the you know, whether it's our air carriers coming in or you know, Matson or Young Brothers coming in, we just don't have the ability necessarily to affect what is essentially international costs. So think the way we affect it is that we work on the diversity of our economy here, making sure that we're able to provide for our folks with the products we have here. We can't provide everything, but we can provide enough that it should lessen the cost for folks. Because part of the cost that we bear has to do with the fact that a lot of the containers leave here empty. So let's put some stuff in the containers. That then begins the process of increasing wealth, right, which is important. That helps with cost of living, but it also can help the shipping folks with the idea that, "Hey, maybe I don't have to charge so much just going one way." CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah. Now you touched on another one too that is interesting, which is kind of out of the bounds of normal thinking then I've even seen from R&D, but efficiency. And whether it's efficiency projects, whether it's government efficiency, whether it's the way we use paper, I mean whatever it may be. But that was interesting one that you caught me off guard with that. So I didn't see that I mean, I don't think I saw that in your program objectives. MR. ADAMS: Probably not. So let's understand efficiency from Adam's perspective, right? We don't maximize efficiency, right? Because maximizing anything causes problems down the road, right, or in other area. So you look where you can optimize. So there are good reasons that we do what we do in Finance, in Procurement, right, because there's transparency, there's accountability requirements. But do we have to do all of it. Are there ways that we can mitigate some of the issues that they're trying to avoid, and yet provide some of the support that Council Member Lee Loy was talking about when it comes to grants and nonprofit work and building capacity? So let's see, part of what we look at is not just the collaboration and breaking down stovepipes. The idea is, what are some of the processes that we can allow our private sector, meaning both nonprofit and business sectors, to engage with public sector in a way that doesn't make it so painful for everybody? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Even within government, we have room to be more efficient, in the way we do projects, the way we look at everything. MR. ADAMS: And we know, and we can tell. I mean this is part of what I think Council Member Chung talks about, right? There are lots of areas that are able to Page 254 FC-8 April 14,2021 do things in a minimum and a length of time, the duration of time that is in some cases much less than what we're able to find here. So we can rail about it, or we can try and figure out—so how are they doing that and are there pieces there that we can bring here? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: If travel was opened back up and because we're looking at budgeting Fiscal Year 2021-22, you haven't really set aside a lot of funds for travel. MR. ADAMS: Nope, we have not. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That may be something you want to look at as you move forward. I mean we're an island. So is Japan. Japan is years ahead of us when it comes to how they deal with waste, how they deal with moving people and transportation. Whatever it may be. So instead of inventing the wheel over here MR. ADAMS: Part of this is again, back to efficiency. Is it more efficient for me to actually show up someplace and get the dog and pony show or is it going to be efficient because I'm able to go and talk with somebody or going to have a conversation that I couldn't have on a Zoom call. I don't know yet, and part of this is making those decision. You know, it's a cost benefit analysis associated with it. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We did a sister city visit, pre-COVID, and we actually visited one of their waste facilities. And you know, I think for them it was fairly straight forward and simple. For me it was exact opposite of anything I've ever seen in my lifetime. Then on the backend of that visit, on a previous trip to Japan you know, my wife and I like to go to Japan—we visitedI forget, it was a huge site. You know, I would say somewhere in the range of 20 to 40 acres that was a landfill, that is now a rideable, walkable playground/park. You can't Zoom call that. MR. ADAMS: No,probably not. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And I think at that point, due to your department and kind of your goals and objectives, it may be worthwhile putting some travel expenses in there so you can go and collect those ideas and bring them back here and have them implemented, or else we spent a lot of time reinventing the wheel when we don't need to. That's what you're here to do for us. MR. ADAMS: Not reinvent the wheel. I understand. Page 255 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Oh, and to be our brilliant brains of the County. Well, I mean both of you guys. Anything else you want to add? MR. ADAMS: I really appreciate the opportunity. I do apologize for you guys having three lawyers in a row. I'm so happy that Scott's going to be coming up next. He breaks that angle. I apologize, Council Member Chung. I know that was a cheap shot. So we really appreciate your interest, obviously, in what we're doing. We are small. We know it. But we've got really, really strong people. And we're working on, with the funds that you all are providing to us and that the Mayor is providing to us, how we can make sure exactly what you're talking about. How we make sure that we're amplifying, we're multiplying with the multiplication factor, whatever the correct economic term is, the funds that we have so that we can turn, so that we can pivot properly. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, that's been a key word for a long time now. That's a nice word. I wanted to say, and mahalo for your guys' time today, but also your staff. And what R&D has done during the eruption, there's some key people in your office, Jane Horike was one of those. I am very sad to hear that she's leaving. I didn't know that, but I just wanted to take a second to commend Jane for what she does for the County. MR. ADAMS: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And she will be missed, I'm sure, by myself, I'm sure, as you as well. Because she's a wealth of information. MR. ADAMS: Absolutely. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So thank you for your time today. Nice to meet you in person, and we're going to go ahead and recess for a few minutes and we'll see you guys on the next round somewhere. MR. ADAMS: Alrighty. Thank you all. Thank you, Kona. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Let's take a 10-minute recess. Recess: At 3:09 p.m., the Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 3:13 p.m. Page256 FC-8 April 14,2021 (4) Department of Information Technology: (Note: At this time, Information Technology Director Scott Uehara came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We're back from recess. We have Director from IT here, and you are Information Technology. Good to have you with us. Thank you for being here. I know you have a PowerPoint presentation. Why don't you go ahead and get started, introduce yourself for the record, and then proceed with your PowerPoint. And we'll answer and do questions from there. MR. UEHARA: Thank you, Chairman. Good afternoon, Council Members. My name is Scott Uehara, Director for the Department of Information Technology. And on the video, I also have Support Services Manager and User Support Program Manager, Matthew Iaukea; Erik Lash, our GIS Program Manager (Geographic Information Systems); and Kevin Norris, our System Support Program Manager, also. This afternoon I wanted to provide a brief summary of the accomplishments our department has completed throughout the fiscal year and initiatives for moving forward for the upcoming fiscal, and that will be shown through the PowerPoint slides that I have. (Note: At this time, Mr. Uehara provided a PowerPoint presentation to the members of the Committee. For viewing of the presentation, please see the DVD copy of the meeting proceedings on file in the Clerk's Office or navigate to the Council's video archives online from the County's homepage at www.hawaiicounty.gov. A copy of the PowerPoint is made a part of the record. See Comm. 103.11.) MR. UEHARA: Before I move off onto questions, I did want to say something for the team at DIT. You know, I've had the pleasure of working with them, and it's coming from the Police Department, it's been very eye opening. You know, these guys work very hard. They put in a lot of hours. This past year has been difficult, but they've stood up to that challenge. They've put in a lot of hours. They've fielded over 300 computers to support remote work for our County employees. It took a lot of hours out of their day. The team on EnerGov has been spending a lot of hours. I'll be at the office until 6:00 o'clock, and they're still there working on it day in and day out. I'm really appreciative of everything they do there, and I'm in awe of how much time they give to the County. That's the last thing I had to say, and I wanted to open to the questions. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Sir. I appreciate that last comment, because Planning threw DPW under the bus, but nobody mentioned Page 257 FC-8 April 14,2021 how much work IT has been doing on that. How often are you guys there? How often have you guys been there and working through this with them? MR. UEHARA: For Planning? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Well, for EnerGov. MR. UEHARA: Okay, for EnerGov in general CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Briefly, briefly. MR. UEHARA: Okay. We've had one person dedicated to assisting Planning with their program narrative development, translating that from a paper workflow into an electronic workflow. That person has been working on it literally every day of the week. She has been dedicated to Planning and doing that. We have other staff that are doing data conversion to ensure that all the data from their Lotus system, their Magnet system and their Excel spreadsheets all get converted into EnerGov. And we have our GIS, that's making sure that GIS is integrated and working with the EnerGov workflows. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I did not know that. Thank you. Thank you for clarifying that for us. Okay, questions Council Members? Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Actually I was going to lead off with that, which is EnerGov. Thank you, Scott, for being here. You know, are you a Harry Potter fan? MR. UEHARA: Not particularly. MS. LEE LOY: They have these house elves, and they get everything cleaned up in the middle of the night, and you just come back to a clean room. And you know, I really see IT as that kind of magical hard-working crew that rarely gets recognized. MR. UEHARA: I'm glad you clarified that. I was thinking you were going to tell me I look like a house elf. MS. LEE LOY: No,just magic. You guys do magic. I did want to dive into EnerGov, because the Administration, the Mayor's Office, everybody has really made this a priority. So as Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder mentioned, you know, everybody's kind of pointing fingers at one another. After all of this gets stood up as far as EnerGov goes, I'm assuming or maybe you can help direct me, IT's going to have to manage it. Page 258 FC-8 April 14,2021 And I keep asking this question because everybody seems ready to handle it through this fiscal, but the phase two piece, right? What kind of funding is needed? How much training are we going to need? You know, we heard train the trainers. But we're going to onboard some new people. They're going to need training. Where does that fit in your budget assuming we get EnerGov stood up, and what kind of funds do we need to help you folks support this new platform for the Planning Department, Public Works? MR. UEHARA: Thank you, Council Member Lee Loy. You know, I did hear those comments through the other Committees, or through the other meetings that you had. Right now, there's nothing in our budget to cover EnerGov. In terms of training, we're looking at the other departments to continue to train the trainer, or what would more likely happen is probably on the job training. I'm sure everybody's aware of when you start a job, either you read a handbook or a lot of times it's you ask your coworker how do you do this, how do you do that. Right now it's looking like there's going to be a mixture of that. For the maintenance of EnerGov, that part, I don't think any of us have talked about it yet. Right now, the big emphasis is to make sure this launches and one thing that the team that's been working on EnerGov has been very appreciative of is that Mr. Rodenhurst, Mr. Kern, have dived in completely. They've been on the management calls, and they've really pushed hard with Tyler Technologies, to make sure that they understand that we're going to meet a go-live this time. There is no turning back, and everybody is putting all effort into this. That's something that Mr. Rodenhurst, Mr. Kern guaranteed, and they've been following through with that. Every meeting that I hear them on, they are always pushing the Tyler Technologies Management to make sure that we are going to successful go live. And even after go live, what is it going to look like. So right now, we don't have that answer today. But we are asking the questions to figure out how we are going to continue this so that it doesn't fall apart after we go live. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you for that. And thinking ahead a little bit, I'm going to leave it there and let those brilliant minds talk about that. The other part I wanted to talk about is how we dovetail a lot of what we heard. We have the Manli System, we have GIS, we have LIDAR mapping (Light Detection and Ranging), and then now we have this EnerGov. How is all that metadata you know, we had a MAGNET system—how is all of that getting uploaded and what kind of resources do we need in managing this after we go live? MR. UEHARA: In terms of integration, we're already integrating the GIS portion with EnerGov. The LIDAR system, I wasn't aware that we had a LIDAR system. And the Manli System, from what I take it listening in yesterday, it sounds like a road improvement system based on some criteria. Those we haven't been in Page 259 FC-8 April 14,2021 discussion about integrating those. Yesterday was the first time I learned about it. If it's something that we should be integrating, DIT would be excited to look at how we can get all of these integrated. The question really is, is it the right thing to do to integrate? A lot of times people ask us to integrate things, but there's no focus of why we're integrating it. It just sounds great to integrate, you know, to get all these systems talking to each other. But there needs to be a process to use all this information and to analyze that information. It's kind of like big data sets. We're taking all these different sets of data, but we need a system to ingest all of it and to help us analyze it so that we can make informed decisions. I think that's where you're leading, is having a system like that. MS. LEE LOY: You know, this is what this process does, right? It highlights all the money that are going into providing tools to the different departments. You know, we've heard about the Spellman program with Prosecuting Attorneys, which is something the Police Department uses, you know, GIS. So we're trying to look for efficiencies also. And I understand there are some guardrails around Police Department and Prosecuting Attorney's Office, but I've been here going on my fifth year now and I've seen a lot of money go to providing tools to the different departments. And I think this is the one area of the silos that we need to start breaking down. And you're asking the right question, right, do we integrate, and if not why. Or the exact opposite, is there something we can build better, you know while integrating those things. Yeah, I think you're on point and you've got a pulse on it already that those conversations need to be had. But if we don't put the resources there then it's going to fall short. And you know, we're delivering an expectation, and we're not going to meet that expectation. That's the bottom line. Regardless if we go live, if we cannot keep it going, it's going to be one more system that everybody's going to want to walk away from and say well, we should go back to what we had in the past or try something new. Maybe some thought should be given around that. I do want to, maybe using the same model of your Big Island hui, maybe doing that kind of within the County system first maybe, as a model. I don't know. Those are my suggestions. I'm concerned. You know, we heard earlier about a status quo budget, everybody's with a status quo budget, but if we're really going to move Hawaii County forward, this is a critical piece. We saw with the pandemic the need to work remotely. Yeah, let's give that some thought. Chair, I'm going to yield at this time. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Mr. Richards, your light is on. Go ahead. Page 260 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. And thanks, Director. Question on closing the loop around—do you have an explanation of why that hasn't been accomplished yet? MR. UEHARA: We haven't gotten an explanation from Spectrum. There are multiple companies getting into the national park to close their connectivity. Hawaiian Telcom is another provider that's going to be getting in there. From what I understand with them, they need to order some special equipment to finish up closing that gap. For Spectrum, they haven't given any details of why it hasn't been closed yet. It's interesting from the DCCA (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs) who does manage the cable franchise agreement, they told us that it would be completed in mid-April. When I spoke directly to Spectrum, their estimation is end of May. At this point, I'm not sure who to believe. I'm still waiting. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, and I think this was one of the first things you and I discussed, was closing that loop, and I'm very disappointed that it's not been done yet. But that's actually not a job for you, that's a job for us to investigate. That's the first thing. The second thing, Director, one of the big concerns across the nation for the counties was the cyber security. There's been a huge number of breaches, and it's my understanding and sitting in on these calls that it was in little jurisdictions like us where they could get in there because of probably maybe a little antiquated security measures, whatever the case may be. What is your opinion of our cyber security status and what do we need to do to correct it? Because this a huge topic for the National Association of Counties. This is the time to be frank. MR. UEHARA: I'm honestly impressed by our cyber security. We don't have a very deep bench for cyber security within DIT, but the person who does manage a lot of our cyber security initiatives is on top of it. With the solar winds chain attack, literally the data that came out, the individual had already updated our systems. Then we did investigate to see if we had any type of breach or exposure, and we found none. Then we had the Microsoft Exchange on premise security alert. That once again, our cyber security person was on top of it from the moment it was announced, it was patched that day already, and the person did investigate and again, did not find any types of breach. They found attempts to infiltrate the network, but nothing was able to get through. So I would say our cyber security is good. There's always more that can be done. Going back to the `90's, we used to call it the onion idea where you have defense in layers. So you keep on adding layers on top of layers of just defensive capabilities. Because people who want to break into our network, they'll break into the easy targets. If they have to penetrate through multiple security layers, they're eventually going to give up. They'll break through a few, but after being Page 261 FC-8 April 14,2021 met with multiple roadblocks, they'll eventually get tired and just say it's not worth their time to keep on penetrating or trying to penetrate. For the County, in the past they've added multiple layers, and they're all doing a very good job. So I would say our cyber security is good. MR. RICHARDS: And you feel it's funded well enough? MR. UEHARA: We could use some additional funding for it. We do have some supplementary budget requests that would continue our cyber security efforts. We did cut them out because of budget reductions, but we do have the supplemental requests. MR. RICHARDS: I'm going to agree with Council Woman Lee Loy on this. This is very critical, so paramount for success of the County with all the stay at home, whatever. So if you have a number there,please communicate it to the Council because these are the things we have to consider going forward. So with that, I appreciate it, Director. Thank you so much. Chair, I yield. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, Chair. Thanks, Director Uehara, for being here today and everything you do. Very excited about the broadband hui for Big Island. I'm happy to participate in that with you. Just let me know when you're meeting. You're not going to play the video for us, with Burt? Maybe another time. MR. UEHARA: I'd rather not. I hate watching myself in videos. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. Well, did you post it on YouTube? MR. UEHARA: Yes, he did. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, so go ahead and look. There was an announcement about the broadband hui, with Burt Lum from the Statewide broadband hui with Scott on it. I thought you did very well. I want to just keep on the cyber security because that's a big concern as Councilman Richards said for the National Association of Counties. And we do know that hackers are becoming more and more sophisticated in terms of their capabilities. And looking at some of the preliminary information about what's coming, what some of the guidelines will be for the American Rescue Package as well as the American Jobs Plan, there is funding for cyber infrastructure. Page 262 FC-8 April 14,2021 I'm curious, Deanna, maybe you can answer. Director Sako maybe you can answer this. Do we ask IT for their capital improvement requests? Because I don't see anything in here from DIT. Does that live in a different place? MS. SAKO: They can submit capital projects like any other department. They do have some, remembering that it's a three-year, three different capital budgets that are still active. So I think they do have some older projects, but in general they work with Public Works on their projects. So especially if it's a true capital project where we need to build or construct something then Public Works would take the lead on that. MS. KIMBALL: Got it. Okay, thank you for that clarification. Because we've talked about shovel ready, like physical projects, but I think there's an opportunity to have shovel ready cyber projects here, whether it's around broadband, whether it's around cyber security, storage of course, another big issue for us. Storage and redundancy, have you made any decisions yet with regard to all of the data that's going to be starting to pile up from EnerGov, whether we're going to do that as we're going to purchase storage or we're going to lease it? MR. UEHARA: I believe the decision was to lease it from Tyler. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. Is that going to go into Public Works or your budget, the storage? MR. UEHARA: I'm not sure. I'll have to check. MS. KIMBALL: Director Sako, do you know? Public Works or ? It'll probably go into the Public Works. Okay. We already had one server go down. I know that you still have others that are getting close to end of life. What are we looking at there in terms of getting additional funding for more hardware for you folks, and of course building that redundancy? MR. UEHARA: Right now because of the budget cuts, we've put them all into the supplemental budget request. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. What's that figure in the supplemental request? MR. UEHARA: The total request for the supplementals are $3,132,372, but that's all the supplemental requests combined. I didn't break it out by the end-of- life hardware. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. Just wanting to know so that we can be paying attention and some of this federal funding, if there's cyber infrastructure hardware around, Page 263 FC-8 April 14,2021 you know, our information systems, we have stuff ready to go to put in for grant requests and things like that. Just wanted to support you on the big data conversation and just kind of bring in this whole systems thinking approach. You know, one of the reasons that I've talked about with some of the other departments is determining the metrics and determining how we prioritize things, is because often in the arena with lots and lots of data, there's actually very few components of the data that you make the decision on. And so rather than saying we should integrate everything so we can have everything, and we can make decisions, really the place to start is, this is how we actually make decisions. Where do we have to pull the data from to get that answer? And so I agree with you fully that integration should not necessarily be the end all be all or the expectation, especially if it's a one-off question; we only need to know this for this one particular case but really to step back and think about our decision-making process before we go. So long story, but basically supporting the fact that there's protection of the data in that way as well from the cyber security standpoint to limit those integrations if they're unnecessary. So just wanting to back you up on that. That's all the questions I have. Thanks again for everything you do, appreciate it. I yield, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Ms. Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Aloha, Director. Great to see you. I just have a few questions and I'm sorry I entered the discussion a little bit late, so I apologize if you covered this, but maybe use it as an opportunity to expand. A couple budget cycles ago, this body asked the Department of IT to put together a strategic plan. I believe that was something that the former director was putting the finishing touches on. But just wondering if you could provide us an update on that. Again, sorry if you already did. But maybe expand upon it. And if it's not done, maybe just share with us any obstacles in the way preventing you from completing that. MR. UEHARA: Sure. I think the former director actually did complete the IT strategic plan and roadmap. I believe it's posted on the intranet, currently, on the DIT page. There are a lot of things I agree with. And of course being a new director, you asked Director Adams the same question. You know, every director has kind of their own take on operations. So while I agree with the majority of it, there are some things that I do want to make changes to. But again, my role is to make sure that I understand what we currently have, to try and do as little disruption as possible in the beginning, and once I get an understanding of the Page 264 FC-8 April 14,2021 people, the technologies and the reason why we're doing these things, then it's to start making some changes at that point. So I believe the strategic plan is done but I would like to make a few changes to it. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Great, certainly because you're leading the department now, and we do welcome a refresh at the appropriate time. The other question I had was related to some emails we've been getting about down servers. I did pose this question to Director Sako yesterday, because it was shared that about two months' worth of data was lost within Finance. So assuming a number of departments had been impacted,just looking for what the next step is going to be. My understanding is this pretty unprecedented with this volume of information being lost. Not looking at you to assign any blame,just looking to better understand what happened, what precautions are going to be put into place, and if any sort of audit of the situation is going to be conducted. MR. UEHARA: Sure. So what happened was on—excuse me, I'm going to take a look at my notes for a second. On the night of March 24h, inside of our server room, we had two AC (Air Conditioning)units go down. They just stopped functioning which caused the server room to overheat naturally, without any type of cooling. All the servers running, it increased in temperature. The server that did go down overheated and shut down on its own to protect itself. The morning of March 25h, we had our analyst self-dispatch out to go investigate. They found the room was overheated. When they restarted the server or turned it on, they noticed some of the hard drives were not operating correctly. So at that point we made the decision to decommission that server, because it wasn't sound operationally at that point. What we've done since that point is to take—we actually had planned on migrating data off of that server onto a newer server. So we had taken those copies of data and moved it off to the new server. Since then we've been working on making sure that everybody has the correct permissions to their data. After that, in part of the data recovery process, we have contracted with a data recovery specialist. We have sent the hard drives over to them and they're in the process now of investigating to see if additional data can be pulled off the hard drives. In terms of response for making sure that this doesn't happen again, we're taking a look at all backup systems, making sure that we check that they're working. Something that I'm working on is creating policies to make sure that we have staff taking a look at the backups on a daily, a normal working day process, to make sure that it's being run correctly and to make sure that we have more than just one staff member who understands how to do that. So that, again, because we have some staff shortages, to makes sure that everybody on the team understands how to do it. Page 265 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you for that. And I'm assuming that we're going to stay in touch with Public Works on AC issues so that this doesn't happen again. MR. UEHARA: Yeah. Sorry, I forgot to mention. Director Rodenhurst has been very, very active and he's made sure that the AC units have been repaired. So this past Monday a control board for the AC unit was replaced, and we did make sure that it went through fail-over testing. So if one AC unit went out, the other AC would still keep on working. So we made sure that test occurred, and it did pass. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. That's great. I mean, we all want to bring the services of government online, digitize our operations so they're much more efficient. But if we're not making these investments in the critical infrastructure, we're not going to be able to achieve that goal. So do keep in touch with us. I'm interested in getting a copy of your supplementals. Actually, Managing Director Lee Lord is here. Lee, I'm going to put forward a communication requesting that we get all supplementals for all departments. I think it's important for us to get a copy of that information that way we know what's on the wish list of the various departments and we can see what's possible if there are ways in which we can kind of move some resources around. But certainly want to make sure we understand what your needs are so that we can best support you. Thanks, Director. Chair, I yield. MR. UEHARA: Thank you very much. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Kona? Rebecca? Okay, Mr. Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Thanks, Chair. Just a follow up, Director. You're just touching on the backup and the equipment life of your backup systems. I assume you have staggered backup systems as far as age and their redundancy there. Again, do we have a planned budget to replace some of these backup systems coming forward? Because I know that was a big issue just very recently. MR. UEHARA: Yeah, before in previous budgets it was included. Again, when we call for budget reductions, we're at the point of keeping, what we like say "keeping the legs running." So we're paying bills for connectivity, communication for telephone systems. We prioritize those first on the budget, because we know we need to keep those services running. And we had to make some hard decisions, and this is where some of these decisions have led us. We know these equipment are about to become end of life and we still need it, so we put it on the supplemental. MR. RICHARDS: And maybe I missed it but rough number for specifically the backup. You don't have to quote it now. But if we—it reminds me of the Fire Page 266 FC-8 April 14,2021 Department and their planned equipment replacement each year. I assume we should be heading towards some program like that so we're replacing whatever, a certain level every year. If you could come up with number for that and whether it's in the supplemental budget or whatever. That's something I think we should know because the cost of losing the data is probably staggering. I don't even want to venture a guess on that one as far as man hours and all. So I think that's something this Council would be very interested in knowing what that cost would be. So thanks, Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. And actually this is more for Managing Director Lord. You know, we had a robust discussion around a needs assessment for DPW and this information about the air conditioning, I think we also need to add that in as part of the needs assessment. If you could share that, backpack through your channels, that would be helpful. Thank you, Chair. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Ms. Kimball. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you. Yeah,just following up on the comments from my colleagues. You know, one of the things that you did mention was a need for a data center upgrade. I think we've talked about it in other context but also whether or not we want to shift to storing stuff remotely or continue to maintain that need. Obviously, security issues there and access issues being in the middle of the Pacific. But what are your thoughts sort of generally on which trajectory we should take whether it's maintaining our own capabilities for storage or actually looking at more remote storage? MR. UEHARA: I took a look at that one. A lot of discussion was initially cloud backup. Everybody wants to move to the cloud. There are a lot of providers that provide cloud backup solutions. I found that a lot of them, while it's easy to send our data to the providers, they really hold you by the purse strings when you want to get the data back. So that is something that if we do want to go off-island, we definitely need to consider the cost to get the data back for us. Right now the thought is to keep data on-island, either in our Hilo data centers or our West Hawaii Civic Center data center. Right now, I believe the team and I agree, we should utilize both because right now it's a no cost option because we already have it. So we want to keep on utilizing that. MS. KIMBALL: Great. Thank you. So the $3.2 roughly million that you mentioned before with supplementals, does that include the upgrades for the data center that you have inquired or is that another pot of money that you guys are going to need? Page 267 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. UEHARA: Nope, that does include the data center upgrades, yes. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, great. Thank you so much. Tim, we should talk. You actually have a facility in your district that Hawaiian TelCom owns that could actually become a data center at some point if we need additional space. I don't know if you knew about that. But we should talk. Alright, thank you, Scott. I yield, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Anyone else? Hearing nothing. Thank you for your time today. I appreciate it. Ms. Kierkiewicz mentioned that somewhere last year, we had a pretty lengthy discussion about supplemental requests. I think it stemmed from a conversation that Mitch had with different staff members. And that transformed into a communication from Mr. Chung, so that we could all understand what each department had requested. But I don't see that this year, which I find interesting. Deanna, did we get a packet of supplemental requests? Nobody asked for it. Okay. Good. Okay, thank you. I guess you got your work cut out for you now, because I'm guessing it's not a small stack of papers. It would be beautiful on a nice spreadsheet laid out by department, you know, by district. Whatever it looks like, it would be nice to see that. It would be real easy to put together. But we do have to have a deadline for that, too, yeah. Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Scott, I think knowing what you need is going to help us understand where you need to go. I mean just for me, I ran the numbers in your budget, you're not asking for much more than you set out for in the previous years during non- COVID years. So I saw some of the contract increases, you know, where it could've been repair and maintenance. What is the Microsoft Government E3 Agreement? MR. UEHARA: So Microsoft changed their licensing terms. So instead of purchasing licenses one time, now they're moving to a subscription-based model. So instead of buying Microsoft Office or Windows just one time, now we have to pay a subscription fee to own the license. So it's going to be a continual line item on the budget. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: For a yearly thing, every year? MR. UEHARA: Every year. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Wow, so $364,000 a year. MR. UEHARA: Yes. Page 268 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's incredible. Thank you, Microsoft. That's wonderful. Cisco Smartnet maintenance, $161,000 a year. MR. UEHARA: That is for all our CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Or is that not per year. I misspoke there. MR. UEHARA: Yeah, so the Cisco Smartnet, that is our maintenance for all our network switches that power connectivity for all the County buildings. So that's to make sure that we get the proper firmware updates which cover us for cyber security purposes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. There is some very substantialI mean in this 5118.02, in 109, under that section. I mean are those yearly or are these going to be one times? Because you have some substantial ones in here, $88,000, $86,000. Should we expect to see that every year? MR. UEHARA: Every year, yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Wow, that's heavy. Okay. And that's, I mean $350,000 more than you did in 2019-2020. So this will be an increased cost forever on for this department? MR. UEHARA: Yes. It will be continued. And the reason why you see that difference is there was an increase. Microsoft calls it, "shoring up"the license agreements. So up until that point we're only paying for a certain amount of licenses, and then we shore it up, and then we had to start paying for all the licenses that we owned. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Ouch. How many licenses do we have? MR. UEHARA: I couldn't say off the top of my head. I could get you that number though. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Estimate, what do you think? Is it just like one per computer that we have? MR. UEHARA: It is one per user. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: One per user. MR. UEHARA: Yeah. So I would say, I'd want to say about 1,800. Page 269 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Wow. Okay. And then down to 111, you have a pretty substantial increase over the last two years; about$200,000. And I see that Nutanix lease and PC leases. MR. UEHARA: Yeah, so the big one there is the Nutanix lease for GIS (Geographic Information System), line item four. That one is new for this year. And that one is to upgrade our GIS systems. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And the PC leases? MR. UEHARA: PC leases. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: For $108,000. MR. UEHARA: That is our regular leases for our workstations for the whole County. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: For the whole County. MR. UEHARA: Yup. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And we're leasing PC's? MR. UEHARA: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Like normal personal computers. Lease to own? MR. UEHARA: Yup. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So that cost should go down. What's the terms on the lease, five years? MR. UEHARA: I'd have to check on the lease terms. But if anything this shouldn't go away because this should be part of a life cycle model, whereas PCs are expiring we're ordering new ones. So hoping to make sure this number doesn't fluctuate too much. The only reason why it would fluctuate is if we're adding on more users or we need more PCs for some reason. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. So a Nutanix lease, same thing? MR. UEHARA: No. That one should go away after three years. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Three-year lease. But the PC leases will be Page 270 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. UEHARA: Ongoing. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: An ongoing cost. Just to put it out there, Mayor, I know PCs tend to go out of style pretty quick. And you purchase something like a car, you know, you can purchase a car, you can lease it. But if you buy a car, you pay it off and you get another ten years out of it that's a big plus for, you know, your normal person. But so for a computer MR. UEHARA: It's a little hard when we do it that model because what will happen, and I've seen it time and time again with other government agencies, you purchase it and then because it's no longer a line item, nobody ever talks about life-cycle equipment. So I've seen government agencies that have 12-year-old computers that we can't get parts on. When people turn on their computers, they literally know to walk away for the next half an hour as it starts up and gets ready to do something. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's me. MR. UEHARA: So, you know, we're trying to avoid that situation. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: You have that problem too, Tim? MR. RICHARDS: My old one, yeah. MR. UEHARA: So we're trying to avoid that situation. So, you know, that's all work productivity lost. So even though we're saving a few dollars here and there, just imagine that every morning, five days a week for 52 weeks, you're coming in and for the first half an hour you're just not doing anything. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: You've got to get them warmed up like a diesel and get like an auto-start feature on your keychain and "boop" it on your way into the office. Okay. Dropping down, 115, you know, same thing, you've stepped up pretty substantially from 2019-2020. It looks like you have ESRI (Environmental Systems Research Institute) relicensing and MLPS (Multilevel Protection Scheme) Managed Services. MR. UEHARA: Yeah, the MLPS Managed Services, we received new networking equipment, or I shouldn't say new. We received equipment from Maui County and that helped us create a redundant network. So before with the County network, if we had some place in Hamakua go down, literally everybody from Hamakua all the way to Ka`u would not have connectivity until that location at Hamakua either repaired or rebooted. With the equipment that we got, now we can sustain those types of hits where if one site goes out, we can reroute the network and keep connectivity going. Page 271 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: You're talking about, I mean, not residential customers MR. UEHARA: No. This is for the County only. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: This is for the County facilities. MR. UEHARA: Correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. UEHARA: So that's what that contract service gets us, is maintenance on all that equipment to make sure we don't suffer those types of outages anymore. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And that is an ongoing cost from here on out. MR. UEHARA: That is an ongoing cost. And the Esri ongoing also, that's our GIS (Geographic Information System) licensing. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, wow. What's the big drop in your 337 account? MR. UEHARA: That I would need to research. I don't have the budget back from 2019 to see the difference on it. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, okay. Deanna, do you know? (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. SAKO: Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's where we moved the Microsoft licenses. It used to be under subscriptions, and we just changed the category. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then Deanna. Sorry, while I got you there. What I've seen with a lot of departments is they're able to pull from different funds or from different grants. Does IT receive no grants or any other funding sources other than general? MS. SAKO: No. Just General Fund. That's it. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Wow. Page 272 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. UEHARA: No, we do get grants. We have gotten Homeland Security grants before. MS. SAKO: Sorry. It's not in your guy's budget, yes. MR. UEHARA: Yeah, it's not in the budget. But we do get grant opportunities also. MS. SAKO: So Civil Defense's Homeland Security grant they—for like IT infrastructure and that type of thing or cyber security type of stuff. They do share that with Police, Fire, and IT. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So split up amongst all the different IT departments. MS. SAKO: Yeah. Each of them kind of do proposals each year and help to distribute that. But yeah, it runs through Civil Defense. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I mean, given the discussion we had and what's out there in funding, I'd like to see you guys shifting more towards getting some different funding opportunities so we can help cover these costs with grants. It's got to be out there. I mean, watching COVID, everyone moving to work from home. Do you guys, I mean, do you feel comfortable applying for grants and doing that? Do you do that? MR. UEHARA: Yes. We do apply for grants. Again, it's been through Homeland Security. Some of the discussions, very preliminary though, is the idea with some of these federal funds coming down through the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) or the new infrastructure plan, the idea is instead of sending money to the ISP's (Internet Service Provider) such as Spectrum or Hawaiian Telcom, the idea would be if we contract a third parry vendor to install fiber optic cables in some of these areas that do not have fiber optics, and then the County will own the cables and we could resell it back to Spectrum and Hawaiian Telcom. So instead of them having to lay out their own infrastructure we'd have what we call, "dark fiber" out there and we could actually rent it back out to these ISP's. Kind of the same way we do with radio stations and the radio towers. So that is very preliminary. I'm saying it but we haven't done a lot of research into this one. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's interesting. Sounds ominous, dark fiber. MR. UEHARA: Basically, with fiber optics you're shooting light through it. So when there's no light going through it, we call it dark fiber. So basically unused fiber is called dark fiber. Page 273 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So they install it, we install it. MR. UEHARA: Nope. The third parry would install it, we would own the cables, and then at that point we would get into agreements to lease it. And the third parry would still be kept on to do maintenance of the cables. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's interesting. MR. UEHARA: Again, very preliminary. I do not have a lot of details and call structures. But it's something that started asking about. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's cool. Thank you for looking into that. You know, during CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act) did you guys get funding to do with upgrades to the system at all, any of the CARES funding go to you guys? MR. UEHARA: Yes, we did. That is part of the 10-gigabyte infrastructure upgrade. We got$2.8 million to make that upgrade. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Good. Any other funding, Deanna, they can—we're out of CARES funding already. Anything coming forward that IT could use potentially? Okay, not that she's aware of. Okay. Well I appreciate your time. Unless there's any questions from any other Council Members, Kona, you're all set? Rebecca gave me the thumbs up. Thank you. Okay. Thank you, Scott. Appreciate your time today. MR. UEHARA: Thank you very much, Council. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's good thank you. We're going to move onto our next department. Anybody want a quick recess, or we could just go right to the Police? Okay, five-minute break. Okay, recess. Recess: At 3:09 p.m., the Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 3:13 p.m. (5) Hawaii County Police Department: (Note: At this time, Police Chief Paul K. Ferreira, Deputy Chief Kenneth Bugado, and Assistant Chief Samuel Jelsma came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Aloha and welcome back to the Special Committee on Finance budget hearings. We are going to get started. Kona, can Page 274 FC-8 April 14,2021 you hear me? Okay, Rebecca, can you hear me? Good. Okay. We have Rebecca Villegas joining us by Zoom. Holeka Inaba is in the Kona facility. And you have all the members here in Hilo. Chief, thank you for joining us today with your staff. Please introduce everybody and yourself. And then go ahead and break it down for us and we'll go from there with questions. CHIEF FERREIRA: Good afternoon, Council Members. First, I will introduce myself. Paul Ferreira, I'm the Police Chief. To my left is Deputy Police Chief Kenneth Bugado. To my right is Assistant Chief Samuel Jelsma from our administrative bureau. And behind me to my left, probably the most important person here for us is our Accountant IV, Ms. Hau`oli Aiona. She's the one that keeps up aligned fiscally, me especially. Before I begin on our budget issues, I want to thank the County Council for the proclamation recognizing the hard work and dedication of the Police and Fire Radio Dispatchers, during this years' National Public Safety Telecommunicator's Week, which began on April 1 lth, Sunday, and ends with April 17''. The proclamation was delivered to the dispatchers this past Tuesday during a small ceremony during the third watch. And I know it was greatly appreciated. So from them, from us, thank you very much for doing that. According to our message, I know no one wants to hear that it's a status-quo budget. But as we do enter into yet another fiscal year with a status-quo budget, the Police Department, like the rest of the County, needed to identify cuts in our operating accounts so as to allow County Finance to balance the budget. It's never an easy task, more specially because as was earlier stated and I heard some of the testimony, 60-plus percent of our budget is related to salaries and wages. And these are the only increases that we saw in our budgets. But now during this current upcoming fiscal year the difficult task is even compounded more, and I'm speaking to the choir, by the COVID-19 pandemic that is going on. When you review our budget submittals you will see a narrative that we have demonstrated with established specific objectives within each of our operational units to meet the goals of ensuring public safety. These include aggressive enforcement campaigns as well as educational campaigns. However, again because of the COVID pandemic, we've had to adjust our strategies in how we continue to provide these services while ensuring the health and welfare of our employees, their families, and the community members that we come in contact with. Again, like others in the community, we were faced with some unique challenges because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But I want to state that from the onset the Page 275 FC-8 April 14,2021 Police Department continued our 24/7 operations; we continued our business services, our operations, firearms, permits, registrations, records, disbursal, all of those in-person things that we do daily. All of our offices were open. We did have safeguards in place minimizing the exposure for our employees as well as the public, again, to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As with other first responders, our resources were strained during this time, not only from the challenges surrounding the health and welfare aspect, but we were also faced with additional enforcement challenges because of proclamations that were done and trying to ensure that we don't spread the virus any more than it was being. And now we're continuing that without any CARES funding. So we're continuing without any extra supplemental funds, using our own budget. I can say that through all of this I am confident that during this difficult time, the Police Department responded to the needs of the community and actively attended to achieving the department goals and objectives in serving the community. As the Police Chief, I feel that I am responsible for all the personnel within my department. I for one am very grateful for all the efforts that have been put forth by everyone in minimizing the spread and the effects of the COVID-19 virus. I am very thankful that within our department we've had very minimal, single- digit, positive cases and absolutely no deaths. During initial months of the pandemic I would read daily national reports of law enforcement officers that have lost their lives contracting the COVID-19 virus while on duty. Soto that extent, I wish to thank everyone that has done their part in minimizing the spread. Moving on. As in previous years with our revenue, the department consistently seeks out alternate revenue sources to augment our budget and allow us to continue our mission. These funding opportunities through federal and State grants should be identified in our budget submittals as well. And these funds provide essential training as well as equipment, and at times will also provide overtime necessary to complete our mission. I know what's on everyone's mind usually is what is our staffing like, how many officers do we have out there. Well, moving into this challenge, the sworn staffing for the Hawaii Police Department consists of 483 authorized full-time positions. We service an area of 4,031 square miles, again speaking to the choir. And you can put the rest of the State here and you'd still have enough room to build something else. It's like the rail. Sorry about that. I couldn't resist. As of April 1st, and this is not April fools either, the department has had 57 sworn vacant positions, ranging from a commander down to a patrol officer. But this number does not accurately reflect what's going on out in the field. We currently have the 93rd Police Recruit Class that consists of 18 police recruits. They are currently in the field training officer or the OJT (On-the Job Training)phase of their training. So if you add this 18 to the 57, it equates to 75 vacant positions out Page 276 FC-8 April 14,2021 in the field that we currently have. You're talking a little over—almost 15 or 16 percent of our workforce is vacant. Good news is the Police Recruit Class graduates or finishes their field training on June 16th and will hit the streets and will again supplement the different patrol positions in the various districts. We do an active recruitment and a very aggressive recruitment. And thank you very much to the Department of Human Resources, County. They have been helping my staff, our staff in our HR Division in doing these recruitments. We currently have two recruitments ongoing in various stages. The first was posted on June 24, 2020, and that is correct, 2020, almost a year ago. To start the 94th Police Recruit Class, we have 62 candidates remaining going through the process and we're targeting a June 1st°2021, class start date. We will hire as many officers as we can provided, they pass their screening. I know from past record, historically, we will not get 62 if we have 62 now. So we have a second recruitment that was just opened in February. The written exam was just given in April, the first week of this month. And for this recruitment we're targeting a class start date of the first quarter or the first couple months in 2022. That's how far ahead we will look. As for our department non-sworn personnel, civilian personnel, we have currently 155 authorized positions. Currently we have 25 vacancies. Again, almost 15 percent. The disturbing part is that 14 of these positions are Police Radio Dispatcher positions. I've come before this body before and had to answer questions regarding this. This is another challenge that the department faces. It's because of the stressors of the job, the position, the uniqueness of the job. But it's not something that is isolated to Hawaii County. It is a common occurrence across the nation for emergency 911 dispatchers. That's why it's so important when can recognize their dedication, that we do. The good news is we've just completed a recruitment for Police Radio Dispatchers and on Friday we will start a Police Radio Dispatcher class consisting of eight candidates bringing that vacancy down considerably. Unfortunately, like police officers, the retention once they get into the training, once they get into the actual nuts and bolts of being dispatchers, we don't retain all of them. They will leave. One of the things that has happened with our dispatch center that will help with our retention, I believe, is we recently did an upgrade in the dispatch center. If you've been in our dispatch center previously and haven't gone there since November of last year, then you should take a look. It's been upgraded. The consoles have been upgraded. It looks absolutely wonderful. But it's still not adequate. We still need that dispatch center,joint communications center for Police and Fire built on Moho`uli Street. I understand that it's going forward. It's a joint mission between Police and Fire. Bids are in. Hopefully we break ground soon. I'm just hoping for it. Page 277 FC-8 April 14,2021 One of the other achievements for the department during this fiscal year was the acquisition and deployment of our body-worn cameras. We were the last in the State to do it, yes. We waited for everyone else to make the mistakes, learned from their mistakes, and we pushed our program forward. So using funding from fiscal year 2019-2020 is how we purchased the equipment. The initial deployment was on November 9, 2020, and it involved our busiest districts, the patrol divisions of South Hilo, Kona, and Puna. Subsequently, on Christmas Eve we deployed the remaining cameras to the patrol divisions of South Kohala, North Kohala, Hamakua, and Ka`u. So all of our patrol divisions across the island and our traffic enforcement unit are equipped with body-worn cameras. We're currently asking for more funding through a grant to secure more cameras for patrol supervisors and our specialized units. So we are looking to expand the program. And again, the other item was the Police Communications Dispatch Center upgrade. That was done on November 2020, and it was utilizing funds from the E-911 board or the E-911 funds, State E-911 Fund, which is why it was so imperative when the legislature this year tried to raid that fund that we all provided testimony in saying, "We need this money,"because it funds a lot of programs for our department and our communications center. In closing, I would be remiss at this time if I didn't recognize the outstanding efforts from our Department's Administration and Finance sections in continuously monitoring our department budgets and making the necessary adjustments, making the necessary transfers, to make sure that we can operate effectively. When I said, Hauoli, was the most important person here, I was not kidding. I wasn't joking. I really meant it. She does keep us in line fiscally and for that I'm very grateful. I'm also very grateful to all of our command staff in the operations sections; our Patrol Division and Specialized Units and their staff for minimizing the cost that are out there for them; overtime, equipment, what have you, because without them we would be in dire straits right now. Keeping it short. Thank you very much for this opportunity. And I will leave now if you don't have any questions or stick around if you do. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I think there may be questions. CHIEF FERREIRA: Wishful thinking. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I'll open up to the Council. Thank you for that, Chief, and for the little bit of humor in the middle of that. It's much needed today. Let's go to Kona. Holeka, do you have any comments, questions? Are you there? Page 278 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. INABA: Yeah. Hi, Chief Ferreira. Thank you for being here. Just a quick question. Well let me make a quick comment first. This budget is so clearly outlined. So kudos to the department for putting something so clear forward. With it being clear, I see across the different stations what seems to add up as millions, I think, in overtime. Just if you could explain what is the department doing to try and keep that in line both this year and I guess over the long term? CHIEF FERREIRA: Overtime is always a challenge for the Police Department. I've come before this Council before and have been asked why do you budget, example, $10 million for overtime when you spend $20 million. It's an unknown. We don't know what our overtime is going to be like. So we minimize it by trying to adjust our work schedules. We minimize it by trying to keep officers well and healthy and not having them go our sick. We look at our schedules, what can we do in that aspect. We look at also when we schedule projects, that we give them ample time, so we're not faced with a collective bargaining situation where we have to pay penalties because you're less than 12 hours rest or less than 48 hours' notice. So those are ways we try to minimize our overtime budgets. Unfortunately, in our line of work, at 3:30 when they're completing their shift they cannot say, "Sorry, I gotta leave. Someone else is going to come back to takeover." So overtime is the cost of doing business in our profession. I hope that explains it in a sense. MR. INABA: Got it. Thank you. And I see some overtime is for, I don't know if it's officers on the line. It says, for admin services, for technical services. Does that explanation apply to them as well? CHIEF FERREIRA: We have an overtime budget assigned to each of our sections knowing that, you know, there will be overtime incurred. More specially, like our Communications Dispatch Section. Being 14 Communication Dispatchers down, we do have to overlap shifts, we do have to have them stay longer. As far as our technical services, that's where the dispatch center comes under. Our radio shop comes under the dispatch center. When there's a radio antenna goes down or if there's a natural disaster, like the heavy rains that we're having, and we have issues with our radio communications, we bring them in on overtime as well. So we always have placeholders in all of these areas for overtime to address specific needs as they come up. Anything that is not utilized is utilized for salaries and wages and strictly for salaries and wages. They cannot be transferred anywhere else. So we'll utilize any leftover cash that we may have to pay cash in lieu's when we have someone retiring and we have to pay out their vacation payroll, and those sorts of things. Page 279 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. INABA: Okay, thank you. And big mahalo to you because it seems you have a very good handle on what the department is doing. So, Chair, at this time that's all I have in terms of questions for the budget. Mahalo. CHIEF FERREIRA: One comment, sir. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: The Chief has a comment. CHIEF FERREIRA: Council Member Inaba, I want to also thank you for recognizing the Police and Fire Fighters on the Public Safety Committee meeting. I believe the Fire Fighter was this last month and the Police is coming up in May. Again, thank you very much for that. MR. INABA: Thank you for the opportunity and for providing that name already and being on it. Looking forward to working together with you for future awards. Mahalo, Chair. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That was a very nice thing that he started doing. So mahalo for saying that. Rebecca, you want to go ahead? MS. VILLEGAS: No thank you. I'll wait. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Ms. Kimball. MS. KIMBALL: I'll just ask a couple quick questions now. What is the CID-JAB-VICE, what is that category? CHIEF FERREIRA: Try again. MS. KIMBALL: CID-JAB-VICE, 5206. I'm just asking because I have no idea what that means. CHIEF FERREIRA: CID-JAB-VICE OCE (Other Current Expenses - 5206.02)? MS. KIMBALL: Yeah. CHIEF FERREIRA: Okay. MS. KIMBALL: What the heck is that? CHIEF FERREIRA: I'm sorry. Having done this so long, you know, you assume that everybody knows what our acronyms are, and I should've come out with an explanation. Page 280 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. KIMBALL: Not us newbies. CHIEF FERREIRA: I'm very sorry for that. What it is, is our Criminal Investigations Division. What we have is, the Police Department is broken down into eight districts. It's not following the Council Districts, it's more in line with the judicial districts. And we split the island in half, primarily. We have an Area 1, which consists of the Districts Hamakua, North Hilo, South Hilo, and Puna. And we have Area 2, which consists of the Districts of Ka`u, Kona, North Kohala, and South Kohala. In each district you have a Patrol Captain Division and Patrol Officers Assigned. In Area 1 and in Area 2, on each side of the island we have what we call the Criminal Investigations Division. That is the CID. The JAB is the Juvenile Aide Bureau. They handle all juvenile cases. They also handle all sexual assault cases. The vice is self-explanatory. It's our Vice Division. They handle narcotics morals. And CIS Division, Criminal Investigations Section is the adult version of the juvenile section. They handle all adult felonies, homicide, cases of that nature. They're our detectives. They're the specialized units. So that is where you see the CID-JAB-VICE. MS. KIMBALL: Got it. Okay. Thanks for that. CHIEF FERREIRA: No. No problem. Sorry, I didn't explain that earlier. MS. KIMBALL: I mean, there's lots of acronyms in this book. I'm going to have to get a cheat sheet for myself. The other question I had, came up earlier today in our conversation with the Prosecutor's Office. Just the ability for victims to, in some of the areas of the island, like Waimea, like the southern part of the island, particular talking about sexual assault. Mr. Richards brought it up, being able to get the testing done in some of these remote locations. What do you guys have in the books for improving that sort of access? CHIEF FERREIRA: Again, another acronym, SANE, our Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program. What we've done, and this happened quite a few years ago is, to do a sexual assault examination is very entailed, it's very specialized, it's become very specialized. And to hire a nurse with the department would be impractical, and probably impossible. So fiscally what we've done is, with one time we had a sexual assault nurse examiner coordinator. And we found out that wasn't working. So we went out through a grant through the VAWA grant, Violence Against Women grant, and we established a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Program, which is on both sides of the islands. And we have nurse examiners in Kona, South Kohala, and Hilo. Again, the exams that are done are very entailed, they're very detailed. So we have a facility, an area, to work out of at the Hilo Medical Center. We also have a facility in the Kona Medical Center, which are both partially State funded. We didn't have and we don't have an examination room in South Kohala. So it Page 281 FC-8 April 14,2021 wasn't a matter of being able to send the examiner there to do the examination. Unfortunately, it was that we had to bring that patient in to either Hilo or Kona to have the exam done. I spoke to Lieutenant Finkey (Sandor)this morning, from Juvenile Aide, after I cheated. I heard some of the testimony. MS. KIMBALL: That's allowed. That's called preparation. CHIEF FERREIRA: I followed up with him and I did confirm with him that a nurse examiners facility is in the works in South Kohala, attached with the North Hawaii Medical Center, if I'm pronouncing that one right. But it's a separate clinic facility. So right now, because of COVID and the amount of people that could be allowed in there were some hang-ups, but they are in the works. We do have an examiner out in the South Kohala area so it's not an issue of not having a nurse there. So yes, we do recognize that issue. We don't want to victimize the victims again as much as possible, but we need the exams done. And the sooner the better so we can get a successful prosecution. So yes, we are working towards getting a facility in South Kohala that will service that area. Unfortunately, I don't know that we have one in Ka`u or North Kohala, in that area. MS. KIMBALL: Along that same lines, what is the level of interest or potential for investment either at the County or the State level for our own ability to do the DNA testing that is related to sexual assault cases? Because we still send them to the mainland, right, to do the DNA analysis? CHIEF FERREIRA: We also send test kits to Oahu, the Honolulu Police Department. MS. KIMBALL: They do have the capacity there. CHIEF FERREIRA: They have a DNA facility there as well. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. CHIEF FERREIRA: It's just the turnaround time, certain tests need to be done off-island, out of State. I know the State as a whole is looking at what kind of testing facilities can be made available through the State Department of Health. I know there were discussions about a facility in Honolulu that they were looking at transition. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, because we're still kind of behind in the capacity to get some of those tests done. CHIEF FERREIRA: I believe we're still on track with, you know, trying to get the test done as soon as possible. Page 282 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. KIMBALL: Okay, okay. Anything that you guys in particular have that is being cut by the State that you would typically get some funding from the State this cycle? CHIEF FERREIRA: We haven't gotten notified of any funds that have been taken away, even from our current grants that we have out there. The one that was coming up on the chopping block that we were worried about was the 911 Fund. Fortunately, that died very quickly. Our other grants,pretty much we have been applying and we have been receiving the funding. We haven't seen it cut back. One of the issues that we'll see and I'm not sure if it's in the paperwork that we gave you is, if you go back and look at our grants for this fiscal year, because of the COVID pandemic a lot of grants are earmarked, the funding is earmarked for training, travel, equipment, what have you. Or even like the DUI grants, they're geared for roadblocks. But we're not doing those. We're not traveling, we're not doing the training, so we have this excess funds. Fortunately, for us, our Traffic Services Coordinator, Torey Keltner, is on top of it and he tries to reprogram these funds, trying to get more equipment, trying to get training, bringing the different type of training because it's spelt out in the grant what the training was. So reprogramming it saying, "Okay, we cannot go to this location to get the training, so can we bring someone here to do the training for us," and that kind of thing. So yes, we haven't seen any real drastic changes. And Hau`oli, correct me if I'm wrong. Again, she's the one that keeps me in line. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you. What's the turnover on the dispatchers? Like what's the rate of turnover, and for officers? CHIEF FERREIRA: As far as the turnover on officers, the retention it goes by spurts. The problem is we're always playing catch up because by the end of the year we have retirements. I know of two retirements that are not included in this projection. And right now if I look at all the officers that have been here a while that have 25 years or more that are eligible for retirement, I have 20 officers that will be eligible by the end of this year. The gentlemen with me, and myself as well. So, you know, it can happen at any time. There are many triggers for it, you know, issues that go on across the nation involving law enforcement is a trigger. When we had the very tragic incident involving Officer Kaliloa, that was a trigger. Anything can trigger officers deciding, "Okay, this isn't for me, I've had enough, I've seen enough. It's time for me to move on." Page 283 FC-8 April 14,2021 For our Communications Dispatch section, the turnover is during the training process. Once they get in there and they're there a while, we're seeing them stay. We're seeing them do the work, and they have a passion for it. I love them, they have a passion for it. They're very dedicated at what they do. I could not do what they do, and I tell them that. I could not deal with it. They're on an emotional rollercoaster that officers do not see because take a call, drop down, take another call, drop down. When officers see completion, they see a closure. So the retention or the turnover on the dispatch side is more on the recruitment side when they're first coming into training. And out of eight I would expect we may lose at least half. Out of a recruit class, police recruit class, we normally see if we start a class like this class of 18, they started at 25. We lost three at the very beginning, onset; 22 made it all the way through the academic training, went into the field training program, the OJT, and we lost four off the bat. They decided, "It's not for me." And it isn't, it isn't for everyone. MS. KIMBALL: I guess one of the gals I used to paddle with was a dispatcher for you guys, and the paddling was her calm down at the end of the day, you know, escape. And she ended up leaving. It was just a lot of emotional stress. And I'm sure Council Member Kierkiewicz will talk about some of the investment and mental health for you, your officers, and hopefully the dispatchers as well. Just one last sort of philosophical over-reaching question. We talked about it also with the prosecutors earlier today, is shifting some of the investment upstream, you know, before people need to get involved with you folks. De-escalation techniques, sensitivity training for folks. What are your thoughts on how the department is going to invest in the future? I realize right now everybody's just at the, as you say, status-quo budget. But what are some of the ideas for the future investment? CHIEF FERREIRA: You know, I've got to love coin phrases or current words that are put out there like de-escalation, what type of training they're doing. It's like verbal judo, is what we teach our officers. You know, how to talk to people. And I still remember when I took that class when the dinosaurs were roaming. They instructor came there and he said, "I'm not teaching you anything you didn't know, I just put a label to it." You do it every day of your lives. You deal with it every day of your lives. And as officers you learn to deal with it even more so. So we've been training in that sense all along. It's now we're putting labels on it. And we continue to train with it, we continue to see what's going on across the nation. And fortunately what we see across the nation is not transitioned here. You don't have the despise of the law enforcement community that you have in the nation. And I attribute that part to because our officers are part of the Page 284 FC-8 April 14,2021 community. They don't live in Oahu and work in Hilo. They live, work, eat, on the Big Island. And their families are also here. So yeah, we are doing more training. We are looking at more issues. We do use of force training. We also look at our use of force policies and I must say, we have been working very well with Prosecutor Waltjen and First Deputy Frye. We just had a meeting with them this past Tuesday and they're on top of it. What I love about it, is our guys call them directly. Our field officers call them directly. I have no problem with that, that they reach out to them directly and ask them for assistance. And Prosecutor Waltjen has responded directly to them, or he'll have his prosecutors come out. So I'm very happy with the collaborative working relationship we have with them now. MS. KIMBALL: Great. That's very nice to hear. So this is a closing out. I want to mahalo the community policing officers in my area. We did a series of talk stories, and some of the community policing officers came out and hung out with me and talked to the community. It was really great collaboration. So mahalo for that. And with that I yield, Chair. Mahalo. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Mr. Chung, go ahead. MR. CHUNG: Yeah, very briefly. Chief, I just wanted to say I really enjoy your delivery, you know, the way your address the Council and answer all of the questions very clearly and in an understandable manner. I really appreciate that, you know. And I also wanted to say thank you for all the good work that your department has been doing and not just over this past year, but throughout the years under your leadership and under, you know,past chiefs. But I wanted to thank Mr. Richards for letting me go. Because I have to leave and I didn't want to leave in the middle of you talking, you know,just out of respect to you. But thank you for all your good work, Chief, all of you. Thank you. CHIEF FERREIRA: Thank you. And like I told everyone, the accolades go to the guys that are working. The complaints come to me. Any complaints are about me. The accolades go to the guys that are working. But thank you very much. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Chung. Mr. Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. Thank you. Thanks, Chief. And I'll echo what Mr. Chung just said concerning that you were very clear, very concise. Couple of things. First of all, you mentioned retirement, and I know you're not on the list because you gave me a pinky promise you're not retiring until I'm pau. So just for the record right there, okay. Page 285 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHIEF FERREIRA: No comments. MR. RICHARDS: Bugs will back me up on that one. Couple things, Chief. You talked about you're down about 50 officers now. And if I recall a year ago we had the same conversation, you were down about 50 officers then and you had a big recruit class coming up. And so I know you guys are trying to fill the ranks, but what do we need to do to get more officers quicker? Because this seems to be a recurring issue and I know it's not for lack of you guys trying to get the recruitment. And as you said, triggers, you know, when we lost an officer that changes some people's thinking. But what can we do, or do you have any thoughts or opinions on that? Because we need the officers. I know you talked about it. We 483 in 4,000 square miles. And we are geographically huge, and so we're challenged by that. So thoughts on that. CHIEF FERREIRA: Yeah, right now we have 57 vacant positions. If you recall two fiscal years ago the Council, through the Mayor's Office, they put in for 20 new positions. Ten positions for Puna and ten positions for Ka`u. We also got supervisors, which amounted to 33 sworn position numbers. So if you look back, we're down around 24 from our original count way back when. It's a cycle. It's been a cycle for as long as I can remember. We can get the numbers up, but because of recruitment/retention we lose bodies. You say how can we get officers on board quicker. I for one will not compromise quality for quantity. I refuse to do that. We will put everyone through the proper screening process as much as we can. COVID has put a little damper on us which is why it stretched out a little while, because we had no in-person interviews. But how we can get the numbers up, it's not for a lack of not trying. Like I said, we have 62 positions. Just to give you an idea of how it plays out, for the 62 officers that we're going to be screening and hiring before June Ist, otherwise somebody's losing their job. Me personally, I think. The recruitment opened on June 28, 2020. It closed on July 7, 2020. Four hundred fifty-six individuals applied. Only 275 actually showed up for the written exam. Of that 275, 159 actually passed. Now it's an eighth-grade education test. It's not rocket science. It's more common-sense, knowledge, book learning a little bit. Out of that 159, only 154 showed up for the agility test, which is a physical performance test that we give to ensure that they're able to perform the duties and go through the recruit training. Out of the 154, only 94 passed. We have a lot of candidates that take the test, they pass it, they go to the agility and figure, "Last week I got off the couch, so I'm good to go." They're not going to make it. It's not going to happen. We have athletes that don't make it simply because of the way that they train. Page 286 FC-8 April 14,2021 Out of that 94, from the onset, 13 withdrew, six were no show when we brought them in for interviews, and 7 of them were dismissed from the very onset. So we ended up with 62 and that's what we're proceeding here now. Now we're proceeding into the critical phases of the recruitment, which is a polygraph examination, the psychological examination, the interview, a drug screening, and a medical exam. These are the critical components. If they make it through these, they're on board. Now they've just got to pass the training. So again, we're not going to compromise quality for quantity. How we're doing it, we're trying as hard as we can to keep the numbers up. And by saying we're not going to compromise quality for quantity, we do except transfers within the State. Because we're on the same bargaining unit, we pretty much have the same training across the State. We know what the use of force training, we know what the situation is across the State. And I feel very confident that I can pick up the phone and call any one of the chiefs on the neighbor islands or their deputies, or I can have my staff do it, and we're going to get the low-down on this individual. They're not going to send up someone that is going to create a problem. I don't have that comfort zone with someone coming from the mainland. I don't know half of the departments. A lot of departments across the nation consist of only 40-plus officers. That recent shooting that just happened where the officer pulled her firearm as opposed to her taser. They consist of a department of 49. Across the nation, our department with 483 officers are a considerable-sized agency and we cover a large area. So again, long story short. Sorry for the long explanation. MR. RICHARDS: No, no. But that explains it because the metrics over there, you start with 450 and you end up with only 62 actually making it to the training stage and you're going to have attrition there. So it's not like you don't have any candidates, it's just you're sticking to quality. And so I totally appreciate that. So that answers that one. Question about the station, and you and I have talked about this one before. I know you're building a dispatch, you know, with the fire and police dispatch, but we've got to do something about the station. And this may be part of a question for Deanna, because we are hoping that with the Jobs Plan, the American Jobs Plan coming forward, we're going to have infrastructure funding. How close are we—and maybe this isn't a question for the Chief, about how close are we to having a shovel-ready program? Because the station is pretty sad. We need to and it comes back to, it has to be the core CHIEF FERREIRA: I can answer part of that. We are currently meeting with Public Works. I know the engineers were there looking at our facility, looking at the electric issues, looking at the mezzanine, which is the area between the police Page 287 FC-8 April 14,2021 side and the driver licensing side, looking at putting a cover over that area. And that is funding through a Homeland Security grant, I believe. So it is being addressed, not to the level that anybody would want, I believe. But it is being addressed as much as it can. You know, and having done this long, you realize that when budget's get tight, which they have been going for a long time, the first thing to go is training and facility maintenance. That's the first thing. For police that the worst thing you can take away, is training. That is something you do not attack. But unfortunately, that is the way of the world. We are trying to address it. If you look at our Capital Improvements Project list, the joint Police Communication Center is off that chart already, because it's supposed to be getting done or it's supposed to be going shovel ready. The top of the priority is our care of the Kea`au police station, building a facility in Kea`au. The Kea`au I was assigned to Kea`au in 1982. That is the same station we still have that I was there when we only had seven to eight officers out there. So it's totally inadequate. It's been on our target list for a long time. And more so, if I give you an example. The Pahoa Police Station was actually built as a substation, not as the main station. But the Kea`au station could not handle the number of officers we had. So we had to relocate the main station to Pahoa, which is a problem for Puna because Kea`au is the central location between mauka and makai. Most of our issues may be in lower Puna for whatever reason, the population being greater, but we're still lacking services upper Puna because you have a station that's in Pahoa and you're having the officers having to come into Kea`au to respond up to Volcano. So again, long answer to a short question, but yes, it is on our target and for a CIP project right now, it is for a police station in Kea`au and it is a joint station. It's supposed to be a joint project with Police and Fire as well. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. Alright. I appreciate that. And again, you know, Holeka, Councilman Inaba, I do appreciate the recognition of our first-line people both fire and police coming forth. I think that's an outstanding thing. Regrettably, what happens is then they transfer good officers out of my district, and you took two of mine away. I'm proud of both of them. CHIEF FERREIRA: I also took your Captain. MR. RICHARDS: What was that? CHIEF FERREIRA: I also took your Captain MR. RICHARDS: I know you took my Captain. That was Captain Bird(Sherry). CHIEF FERREIRA: I made her a Major. Page 288 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. RICHARDS: I know. CHIEF FERREIRA: She's got a little bit more power now. MR. RICHARDS: I'm still fussy about that, okay, as well as Kelena Ho`okano. I'm a little fussy about that one, too. I know he's been promoted as well. But again, that quality of your leadership, your core, rank and file. I've seen outstanding coming through here. It's just that we gotta figure out how to get more sooner so you don't keep getting into this cycle. And I don't know what the answer is. But with that, I think it's enough questions for right now. So appreciate it, Chief. Appreciate it, Bugs. So thank you. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Aloha, Chief. Great to see you. CHIEF FERREIRA: Good afternoon. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I have one question, but really I just wanted to mahalo you. You've been incredibly responsive. I really enjoyed working with you over the years. I appreciate your frankness, you humor, and really just how quick you are to respond and make your department and various resources available. You've been a huge help to my district and my office in so many ways. Love working with Torey Keltner in the abandoned vehicles program, Captain Briski and your CPO's,just phenomenal. Really, really incredible team that you have. So mahalo for your work. And Lieutenant Derr (William) has been in touch with our office recently, as have many of your folks, when we put out that call for the vacant property's leadership institute, you know, our office is working to get our County some technical assistance with the squatter issue. Your folks were some of the first to respond and they put us in touch with the various neighborhood watches around the island. And all of that mana`o has been so incredibly valuable and I think as really helped to put our application over the edge. So thank you so much for all of that. CHIEF FERREIRA: Like I said, the accolades is to them. Any complaints about the department is me. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: But you provided entree. So thank you. CHIEF FERREIRA: But they are exceptional, they are. And I'm glad they are responding to you directly when they have to. Page 289 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yes. And with the help of Prosecutor Waltjen and Lieutenant Derr, we are going to be looking to find ways to activate the Pahoa County Office to get a Neighborhood Watch Coordinator in there and other community support. So thank you for your support on that. The question I had was related to mental health. We had talked about this over the years. There's a provision in the statute that the Department of Health is supposed to be providing support to officers in the event of the public calling and just suffering from mental health issues. So just wondering what sort of support has or hasn't been provided by the Department of Health? Just curious around it. CHIEF FERREIRA: Dr. Chapman, who was working with us for a while going back before the pandemic hit, was in place trying to provide training and put in a Department of Health employee here to do the outreach, where we notify them to come in and say, "Okay, does this person have a mental health issue that we can transfer them to the hospital?" But because of the pandemic everything came to a screeching hold. Recently, it was revived again the beginning part of this year. It's been revived again. Okay, we're still looking at if we still need it. The mental health services on Hawaii Island are very lacking, and I can say that for across the State as far as the neighbor islands. I cannot say anything for Honolulu, because I really don't know what's going on there. But for Hawaii Island, yes, the mental health response is very lacking. And we would like nothing better than to have mental health professionals available to us 24/7 that we can refer someone to, because a lot of times our officers are having to make that decision; transport the person up to the medical center. And because the medical center doesn't have the facilities or they don't have the staffing, the individual is released even though they are definitely having an issue. So what happens is in turn they become our problem again and then we have to deal with it. Unfortunately, when we deal with it, it's through the criminal justice system. But at times they do get the help that they need. I can give you an example. It happened about two years ago, pre-pandemic, where an individual was at the mental health facility at the medical center, and the doctor was going to commit him. When the guy went off on the doctor, the doctor went out and said he's too violent to be there. So he called police. But again, it's a mental health issue. It's not really a police issue. But we become the solution for the problem. So any mental health assistance we can get through the Department of Health we're going to accept. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. Yeah, I'm going to stay on that with you folks. And I know through Vibrant Hawaii and under the leadership of Captain Stacy Domingo with Fire, they've been able to train up a number of community folks to provide mental health first aid certification. It's like CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation) for mental health. And so if there are ways we can support your Page 290 FC-8 April 14,2021 department in receiving that training, if you haven't already had it, I do want to make sure that I'm able to make that happen. CHIEF FERREIRA: We received training for how to address the mental issues. What we're looking for is a step further, is having the mental health professionals available to respond and deal with it. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: That intervention piece. Yeah. CHIEF FERREIRA: If you look across the nation there are communities that are going towards that direction, bringing in mental health professionals, bringing in community professionals, taking that role away from law enforcement because it's really not—it shouldn't be a crime. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: To make that decision. CHIEF FERREIRA: It shouldn't be looked at it that way. Of course they're going to commit crimes and that we need to address, but that is something that you should also have those other services available that we are very lacking on Hawaii Island. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yeah, it seems like a prime workforce development opportunity. And I wonder if, because of COVID, if there are ways in which we can integrate technology into this. You know, Hawaii Island is so massive and if we're going to wait for somebody to physically respond to that situation, it's just unacceptable. I think there are ways in which we can leverage technology and make the process more efficient. So thanks, Chief. Of course you were super on it. Thank you for your hard work. CHIEF FERREIRA: Thank you. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. I got Mr. Richards' light on. Did everyone have a chance to talk? Rebecca, did you speak already? MS. VILLEGAS: I just have one quick comment if I could? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, go ahead. MS. VILLEGAS: Aloha, Chief. Thank you for being here. CHIEF FERREIRA: Good evening, ma'am. Page 291 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. VILLEGAS: Good evening. And mahalo to your whole team. I just really wanted to say how grateful I am for your community policing team here in Kona. And how they have pulled together even though they are understaffed and really come up with fantastic solutions and partnered with other groups and organizations who are working to serve our homeless community and help navigate getting them off the street and into shelters or sometimes some cases, returned home. I'm super excited about having Sergeant Mike Hardy, moving into his new position with community policing. And I just, you know, things have been a little different obviously because of the coronavirus, but the community policing in Kona, I continue to hear from residents of this district, their gratitude for the relationship building, the accountability, the initiative that's being taken, and just really the care that's being expressed, not just for those who have a home but for the homeless as well and getting them the services they need. So we are, while it's still an issue, your team has really been an incredible asset in working with public-private partnerships and our local business community. So thank you for that. You have an incredible team of officers in that department helping to serve here. And I would be remiss if I didn't take the opportunity for that. CHIEF FERREIRA: No, thank you. MS. VILLEGAS: Of course I'm hopeful that at some point in the future, they'll be able to be fully staffed. But until then, we are grateful. CHIEF FERREIRA: You and me, both. MS. VILLEGAS: Yeah. I'm grateful for their diligence and commitment to do the most even if they don't have all the resources that would be ideal. So thank you for that. CHIEF FERREIRA: Yes, ma'am. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Mr. Richards was first to have his light on. MS. LEE LOY: I never go. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: You never went yet. I thought you went already. Go ahead, Ms. Lee Loy. Sorry. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Chief, for being here. I do have to echo theI'm super proud of the community policing here in Hilo. And Ms. Kimball touched upon it a little bit. You know, we're trying to figure out a way to amplify our dollars and how we deliver services upstream, right, so that you Page 292 FC-8 April 14,2021 guys don't have to work so hard. And so I would just gently ask, maybe some considerations be given to give a little bit more money to community policing. And I say that because they really are kind of right in touch with community. I just know down in Keaukaha they come to all of our community association meetings, and they're networked with QLT (Queen Lili`uokalani Trust), with the charter schools, with the Native Hawaiian community, but they're also around the kids. And so maybe just indirectly they're actually shifting some of what might impact those kids later on in life, which will make your job easier as they get older. Just some considerations for that. But I did want to talk a little bit about the bodycams because you mentioned that deployment is coming out. But we also went last for good reason, right. We wanted to learn the lessons of what other departments have learned. And I just wanted you to expand a little bit about what those lessons are, because that's going to be an ongoing budget item and equipment. And then what the maintenance plans will look like or, you know, how we're going to be swapping them out, what technology we would need,just some thoughts ahead because I see a big equipment budget. And so I want to make sure that the success of those bodycams because of what we learned from other departments, but also going forward, again, making your guy's job a lot easier. CHIEF FERREIRA: One of the biggest lessons that we learned from the other departments was to ensure that we had the staffing in place before we implemented the program. And that's why during the two fiscal years ago we asked for two analyst positions and a sergeant's position to make the program take off the ground. And we've gotten those positions but again, I think we have harder retention of IT people than we do of police officers sometimes. But as far as the lessons we learned, we put in place having them in place before we bought the equipment. And we did test the equipment and see what was out there before we actually committed. We committed with the same equipment that is being utilized throughout the State, which is a good thing because the vendor is very amicable in dealing with what negotiated with what the fees will be. We are on a five-year plan for the equipment that we have. And pretty much we got the equipment free, right now, and we're paying it on a long-term lease. That is why you see those big numbers. Annually we should be asking anywhere in the area of$340,000 to continue the program going forward. The initial cost was $455,000 total, spread out over the five years. So going forward we're going to be keeping an eye on it, what do we need. We're also looking—in speaking with Prosecutor Waltjen the other day, he asked us about digitizing the rest of our digital evidence and doing it—because we use what is called evidence.com that we upload all the videos to. So he was asking about how we can do it, uploading those videos, the other videos or other digital Page 293 FC-8 April 14,2021 evidence into evidence.com to prevent us from burning CD's. Yes, we still use CD's. And turning it over to the prosecutors. Some of that is because of court protocol that we need the CD's, it can't be tampered with, things of that nature. But we can still store it on a different format. So we are looking at that going forward. And again, we're also looking at expanding the program. Right now it's only for our uniformed patrol officers and our traffic enforcement unit. Out patrol uniformed supervisors are not equipped with body cameras. We need to get them equipped. We need our Vice Detectives, we need our Juvenile Aid Detectives, we need other detectives to get equipped. They're use will be minimal compared to our street officers because, you know, detective's role, you may not want that body camera being turned on if you are interviewing a sexual assault victim or a child. You know, those are times when you're going to turn it off. The officers are going to have to turn it off. Or if you're in an undercover capacity you're not going to be taping the individual there. So yes, we are expanding the program. We do look forward to going for more money, but we're also looking for grants as well. We're looking at DOJ (Department of Justice), if they have any new grants that come out to support the body-worn camera program. A couple years ago there were a lot of grants involving body-worn cameras. We didn't qualify for them, now we do, and they're no longer there. So we're looking at DOJ coming out with more programs as they go along. More so because of what's going on across the nation. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah. And you know, it always starts like that, right, the equipment's free and then it's the maintenance and upkeep and life cycle that catches us on the backend. So thank you for thinking that through a little bit. You know, I also wanted to talk a little bit about the Spillman program. You know, I think it was last budget cycle, there was a lot of hiccups between your department and Prosecuting Attorney's and just the layers, right, the click, click, click. Has that been smoothed out as far as between your office, the courts, and then the Prosecuting Attorney's Office? CHIEF FERREIRA: The courts is something different because it's a State program, the State computerized program. As for as us and the Prosecutor's, it's been an ongoing issue going back and forth with us. Some of the hiccups that came up is we haven't been able to retain our IT people that have working on it, and they've been moving forward. But we are working closely with the Prosecutor's Office. And again, I've got to appreciate nothing against Prosecutor Roth when he was there. But with Keldon Waltjen, he's jumping in on top of it. He's brand new so he's got a lot of fire in him, and he's jumping in and saying, "Okay, we need this, we need this." And he'll pick up the phone and say, "Chief, we need this. Can we put someone in touch?" And we've been putting the IT people together, because me and him discussed it and he said, "We can talk Page 294 FC-8 April 14,2021 about it, but it's over our head at the technical level. So we need the guys that know what they're doing in there." So we are putting the right people together right now. And I don't see where it's going to be an issue. MS. LEE LOY: Great. And I think we took Scott(Uehara) from you, too, right? CHIEF FERREIRA: Yes, you did. MS. LEE LOY: So you took Tim's officers so we CHIEF FERREIRA: If you look at the IT section in the County, Micah (Cockett) came from us. He came from us and he went there. We had Matthew (Iaukea) from IT, he left us. Don Jacobs, he came from County IT. He stayed with us for a little while, he started a project and then he left. He went to the mainland. So there's a greater turnover in IT. And one of the issues, one of the problems that we see when we recruit for IT, and we recruit for specialized positions like criminalist that need a background and need some education, we don't have candidates here on island that are willing to accept the pay cut that they're going to be taking by coming into the County. It's no longer, "Yeah, the County is a great place to work," it's "You're not going to lose your job, they're not going to bankrupt, and a long-term retirement is what I'm looking for." They're looking for the money up front and we can't provide that, unfortunately. MS. LEE LOY: You know, I touched on those two programs because it's kind of shared cost, right, the bodycams and then that computer program. And I'm just wondering, because with the bodycams, they're being used across the entire State, right. How did you guys crack that procurement nut? Because I've been asking Fire, you know, how do we leverage all the other municipals when all the firefighters need the exact same equipment? And so I'm just kind of wondering how the State kind of got to deploy all of this body-cam equipment, you know, on all the different islands? CHIEF FERREIRA: It was all individual procurements. It wasn't one collective procurement. Axon, the company that we're dealing with is probably the leader in the field, so their selling point was, yes, they assist Honolulu City and County, Kauai, Maui. So it's an easy sale for us, you know, if we can go in that direction when looking at what they have to offer and looking at what kind of equipment they have to offer, what kind of services they're provide to us. It wasn't a combined that is a next to impossible feat, to get all four counties to make one purchase that will supply all of the divisions. And the reason I know that is when we were going through the 911 fund when I was on the board, there were things that we wanted to get in place across the State, and you're dealing with four different directors, four different procurement officers, and even though you have one procurement code everybody interprets it a little differently or a different challenge. It wasn't something special. Page 295 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. LEE LOY: I just see so much buying capacity, you know, we could buy so much at a reduced cost if we all put it together. But, you know, Chief, earlier Council Member Inaba was telling me, "Sue, how many stars he gets?" And I said, "You know what, Holeka, he's been in the department longer than you've been alive. So let's just leave it at that." CHIEF FERREIRA: Thank you very much for that one. MR. INABA: Times two almost. MS. LEE LOY: But thank you so much for all you do. And I know you're going to pass it on to your squad. But really, take some for yourself. You really have worked long and hard for this department. I think going on 39, if not— CHIEF otCHIEF FERREIRA: July makes 39 years. MS. LEE LOY: Congratulations, Chief. Chair, I yield. CHIEF FERREIRA: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Mr. Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. So you're going to finish up at 45 years, just remember that, okay. Couple of things, Chief. Touching back on the social service side, this reminded me of the situation that the department helped out with me in Waimea and the guy and the park and all. You know, I appreciate the fact that you handled him because he was breaking the law, but there's the bigger picture. And so I can't imagine that there isn't a national or at the very least a State program or trying to design putting social services together with law enforcement. Because, you know, the homeless issue and then the psychological issues of some of these, we need to tend to them. But I don't think we need to reinvent the wheel. We just have to find a program that might work for us. Obviously, it's going to take funding. But do you have thoughts on that, is there some way we can support that going forward? Because it's a bigger thing I know. Kona has an issue with it, and we need to deal with it. We don't need to pretend that it's not happening or whatever the case may be. CHIEF FERREIRA: There's something very new that's coming out where across the nation they're starting to shift to private or non-law enforcement response to these types of incidents. And some of it is being brought on because of what's going on in law enforcement across the nation. But there are models out there that we've seen, or we've talked about that you see communities looking at transferring that skill or those duties to someone in the profession of mental Page 296 FC-8 April 14,2021 health, social services, that. But these are municipalities that have the resources. They have the facilities that will take over. Unfortunately for Hawaii County, the State of Hawaii, we don't have those resources in place and that's the starting point. Like, Ms. Kierkiewicz said, once we can get Department of Health on Board to begin it, then we can start moving in that direction. And I think that's the direction we need to go in. MR. RICHARDS: Is this something that's being discussed amongst the chiefs? Because there needs to be a shift. We know that. But, you know, and I think everybody on the Council would be very supportive of making and help facilitating, which obviously means helping fund some of this stuff. But the people, the social services dealing with this need to weigh in on this and law enforcement needs to weigh in on this, because it's got to be, in my mind, a cohesive effort between. But we're not the ones to figure out what that cohesive effort is. So is that something that's being discussed? CHIEF FERREIRA: That's something that has been brought to the table before with the other chiefs. They're missing one big entity that needs to come to the table and needs to fess up and needs to take position. And that's the State. MR. RICHARDS: No, I'm not missing but they're missing at a lot of tables right now. CHIEF FERREIRA: True. But they're the ones that need to come forward. And that's why I say, having the State Department of Health take the initiative now, coming to us and saying, "Okay, we're going to put the resources here to help you address some of this problem," is a step in the right direction, in my opinion. Again, it's only my opinion. But that's the step in the direction that we want to go in. MR. RICHARDS: So that's actually what we as Council can do to advocate at the State level to find the resources. Okay. Alright. That triggered my memory on that so okay. So thank you, Chair. I yield. CHIEF FERREIRA: The Law Enforcement Adult Diversion Program, yes, where they divert an individual from prosecution to going and getting mental health services, going community services and not go through the judicial system. If they fail to do that then the impact of the criminal system comes on them. That is ongoing was well. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Any other comments from Kona or Rebecca? MR. INABA: `A`ole. Mahalo. Page 297 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Thank you, Council. Good discussion. I have a few questions of my own. Yeah, thank you for following up on the bodycams. I know when I first came up, was it two years ago, we discussed what's on the backend in our data services, how it's going to work. So I'm glad you're thinking about that. I noticed I just went through the different documents that were provided and in the objectives section, under your Operations Bureau for your six-month progress report on program objectives, and they're not shinning, some of the objective reports. You know, "To achieve a theft/auto theft clearance rate of 30 percent,"we actually did about 17 percent. I mean I'm not looking to rail you, but I'm just wondering, you know, where you're at with meeting some of these objectives that were set out by the department? CHIEF FERREIRA: As far as all of these objectives, we look at them every month with our commanders. And in fact we have a commanders' meeting tomorrow morning in North Kohala. And we go over the goals that they've set, what are the shortcomings, where are these coming from, why are we not making the clearances. And it's more like a rollercoaster,you know, at times we'll get a hit on a number of burglaries or thefts, and it'll drive the numbers down as opposed to cases getting solved. So it is a rollercoaster. What we saw with the pandemic, what was unusual wasI shouldn't say unusual because everyone was staying home you saw the property crimes go down at the very beginning of the pandemic. But now they're coming back up to the levels that they were prior to the pandemic happening. So we are taking a look at all of these crimes that are occurring and what we've done in the districts is create what they call a special enforcement unit, where we take a detective from our Vice Division or our Criminal Investigation Division, we partner them with officers in our Patrol Division and we have them address certain aspects of what's going on. So when we see a spike in crimes out in Puna for various different offenses, we'll send a special enforcement unit out there to address it. Same happens in Kona, same happens in Hilo. So when we do see something like that coming on, we do try and address it in that sense. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, good. So you're following these and, you know, where you're seeing dips, you're trying to make up for that on the backend. CHIEF FERREIRA: I get the same questions from the Police Commission every month as well. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, okay. Special duties or, you know, Community Police Officers, I mean I heard there was discussion of kind of doing away with those positions. Is that correct? I just hear from different places, but I haven't actually formally gotten real answers. Page 298 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHIEF FERREIRA: I have not put out anything or have any intentions of getting rid of the Community Policing Officer Program. In fact, we keep looking at the DOJ—all of our community policing positions were initially grant funded. They were initial three-year grant funded where the DOJ paid for the position. And when they first came out, they were paying 100 percent for the three years. Then it went to 75 percent, now it's at 50 percent. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It's like our TAT revenue. CHIEF FERREIRA: Yes. And we're on the hook for it. But, you know, we keep looking at that and if the DOJ decides to push it up a little bit more, we're going to look at it. Same things like for our School Resource Officers. All of those officers, all of those positions were created with seed money from the Department of Justice, so we have no intention of dissolving the program. And in fact, the Community Policing Program is not an officer, it's not just an officer out there. It's a philosophy that we train our recruits at. It's a philosophy that we want to whole department to follow and we are doing it. We have a five-year rotation, and I know some of the Council Members will get upset because sooner or later the officers that are community policing officers in their district that are doing a fantastic job, like Matt Lewis in Hilo, Wyatt Nahale in Kona, Dwayne Sluss CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Officer Kamalii CHIEF FERREIRA: Cardines (Eddie) in Puna. You know, I'm just naming some off the top of the top of my head that— CHR. hatCHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Sorry, Kamalii. Sorry. CHIEF FERREIRA: Yup, Davy Kamalii. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yes. CHIEF FERREIRA: You know, if all of these—sooner or later they hit their five- year mark and we transition them out and we put new officers in there to get the skills and the knowledge. The good thing about that is when they hit the streets and they're patrol officers, they have this behind them. They have this experience behind them. They have the experience to go out there and deal with the community, which is good. And the community recognizes them, they know them. Even though they're not a community policing officer, they still have their contacts. So I have no intention—I don't know who's saying that, but we have no intention of dissolving the program. Page 299 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you for clarifying for me. Yeah, I love them, and they develop a relationship with the community, and they become loved. And it really does reinforce community police, that relationship. And it just helps with everything going on in the district. But we do get sad when we lose them. CHIEF FERREIRA: When they get promoted, they leave as well. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I noticed something, I think it was in our revenues, it was a special duty administration fee. I just was wondering what that is or why, actually it's a pretty big increase. I just trying to figure out what that step is. CHIEF FERREIRA: The special duty program is the off-duty officer program. It's off-duty officers getting paid by contractors, different vendors, to do the traffic control, crowd control, those kinds of things. The program is self-funded. We have two account clerks that work in the account finance sections that are funded through the special duty program. The revenue is the administrative fee we charge the vendor to pay for these positions, so the County isn't settled with it. Because they're getting funds paid directly to the officer, we have that administrative fee to fund our account clerks in the department. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. The reason I'm asking is because 2019-2020 was pretty low. But we're expecting $125,000, that's our estimate for 2021-2022. That's why I asked. CHIEF FERREIRA: Yeah, because we did increase the administrative fee, we thought that they were getting a little bit too much for their money, so we upped it. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. So you're expecting more revenue in that account for that increase in fee. Okay, thank you. Now grants, State and federal,just going through the, again, this objectives report—sorry, your program status report. I was cross checking the grants received in 2019-2020 and 2021, just to get an estimate of what we should be expecting in 2021-2022. Most times we're seeing almost zero and I've seen that in previous years, you've got zero and you applied for $200,000, $150,000. But then I also noticed there's a couple of these that didn't line up with what was reported as being received as a grant. Take the HCPD (Hawai`i County Police Department) Roadblock Program, received in 2021 was $113,000, if I'm not mistaken. But looks like our estimated budget was $200,000, but I was looking at the differences. And if I was to look at that, I think our grant expectations for 2021-2022 are really out of whack. I understand it's not a revenue source so it's not going to hurt your budget. But just from looking at these, they don't quite line up with what we've gotten in the past. Page 300 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHIEF FERREIRA: Well the numbers that we apply for this is what we apply for, and this is what we ask for, and this is what we say, "Okay, this is what we need." Similar to our budget. We say this is what we need, and this is the amount we're asking for. What we actually get back in the grant is what is being recorded on the status report. So even though we had applied for $200,000, we were only awarded $113,000 or $120,000. We always will ask for more than what we're needing. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, and when these grants come in, that number will be reflected in the 2019-2020 actual budget, correct? CHIEF FERREIRA: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It don't go anywhere else? CHIEF FERREIRA: Nope. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, okay. Question regarding your capital improvement budget. You touched upon it earlier. Your department and Fire kind of came together to prioritize the Kea`au Police and Fire kind of mutual station. Is that what I understand? CHIEF FERREIRA: I don't know that we came together now. I mean, that has been in the works for many years, that the Kea`au Police Station was inKea`au Police Station and Kea`au Fire Station, I only learned recently that we owned the buildings. I always thought Shipman owned everything. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We did too yesterday, until we discovered that. CHIEF FERREIRA: And I was always under the understanding that the lease was always coming up and we were always under the gun to go look at properties and look at what is available out there. And it was under Mayor Kim, the previous administration, that they said if you guys are going to build, if you guys are coming to me and asking me for a Police and Fire facility in Kea`au, it needs to be a joint facility similar like the one that is in Pahoa. It also needs to be visible on the highway so it's not setback in the back streets where no one is going to know where it's at. So we were targeting, way back when, we were targeting the area across, in the vicinity of the Shipman Park. That area there. There were discussions, which Shipman then acquired a property, a parcel. There were discussions of what the County needed to come forward with. The cost of what the County had to put forward for infrastructure exceeded what the property was worth, so it was, why don't we just buy the property outright, but we didn't have the funding. There wasn't any funding available. Page 301 FC-8 April 14,2021 And then there were discussions looking at a property mauka of the Shipman Park, closer to Kamehameha Schools, where Kamehameha Schools was at. I forget who owned that property. But in that situation, FireI'm not real keen on the requirements for Fire is, but if they're too far away from a residential area the insurance rate changes. And so the Fire Station could only be located in certain areas around Kea`au, and we were moving too far mauka or too far south by going up that direction. So it was always in the works and looking at it as a joint facility similar to what was built in Pahoa. And I understand now that we're starting to build it up again, the ES (Emergency Services) and Fire are now saying, yes, we're going to go together as a joint. Because like for us, we were looking at not only a facility for the Police Station, but also looking long term, can we build a training facility there as well? So we can take our recruit class training out of that small little training room that we have on the bottom of the Police Station and move it to a facility isolated by itself where you do have the land area available. Fire Department was looking at the same thing in the past as well. So yes, again, long answer to a short response should be. But yes, we are looking forward in that way. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's wonderful. I fully support you. It came to my attention from Captain Briski, and you touched on it a little bit, but just to reiterate. When an officer arrests someone, let's say in Volcano, what happens? CHIEF FERREIRA: If they arrest somebody in Volcano, they can stop at the Kea`au Police Station and process them. If they're going to detain them any longer, instead of going to Pahoa, they can transport them all the way into Hilo. If it's going to be a case where they're going to process or fingerprint, photograph, advise them of their rights and what have you, do an investigation, release them on bail, or just release them pending investigation, they can do that at the Kea`au Station. If it's anymore entailed and they need to remain in the district, they have to drive that individual all the way to Pahoa and that's where they're being held. And then if they're going to be detained any longer, we drive them all the way into Hilo. So yes, it is time consuming. It does take the time away. So having a facility in Kea`au, yes, it is on the top of the list. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. That's what I understood, too. I mean, basically you lose an officer for CHIEF FERREIRA: Couple hours. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Two or three hours, given the drive times and the distance you're covering. And we already are limited in officers, so it Page 302 FC-8 April 14,2021 actually increases our public safety component in Puna. It does double work basically, which is why from then on and then realizing what the stations look like already I realized this has to be a priority. When I saw it on the priority list that you proposed, I was very grateful. So mahalo for that. Just mahalo for filling positions in Puna. That was a much needed, it was just much needed. We needed some help. And it's two positions, that's a lot though from what we had. We have I think eight officers CHIEF FERREIRA: Eight or nine officers at any given time. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So now we have ten and that's when they're filled, understood. But just thank you for doing that. Something I've been seeing in other municipalities, police lawsuits, and when we have those, it can really drain both, Corp. Counsel and also it can drain our whole County. Is there concern of that for you within the department? Is that something that you're seeing? CHIEF FERREIRA: There's always a concern for lawsuits. The Police Department,just law enforcement in general is highly litigious. Anything that we do, a lawsuit can be filed on. That's why for us, training is imperative. We have to make sure the training that we get is what is needed, and it's put out to all of our officers and everyone out there. That's why we always constantly hop on training. You're going to see an increase in our training budget shortly CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I saw it. CHIEF FERREIRA: That is part of it. You know, we need to ensure that officers are receiving their training. And I know I got questioned, I think by one of the reporters, Nancy Cook-Lauer, if I'm not mistaken, regarding the increase in our training budget and it says training conference. We're not increasing the conference fee. We're not planning on traveling to the mainland on a junket, because when we look at our training account this is with that training fund trains all of our 483 officers. That is what it's used for. So, yes, lawsuits are always on our mind. Every time we do something we're looking at a lawsuit. That's why we do so many internal investigations. If we see something that went wrong, we want to know why, we want to know ahead of time. We want to get the investigation done so we're not told one year, 11 months, 30 days, when the lawsuits filed by the attorney, "Oh, this happened. What have you guys done to document it?" So if we know of something coming on, we will investigate it and we will take action on it so when that lawsuit does happen at that time we say, "Yeah, this is what happened, this is our pictures,your client did this, this, this. We didn't do anything wrong." Page 303 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. But I mean, is it a concern of yours right now, I mean like fiscally. Is there a big concern? I don't know where you guys stand. CHIEF FERREIRA: It's always on the top of your head. I mean, every time you look at something, it's out there. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, but no large amount of pending lawsuit figures we should be looking at? CHIEF FERREIRA: Not that I know of. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah. Knock on wood. CHIEF FERREIRA: I think you have Corporation Counsel coming later. I don't know if they're concerned. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, okay. Just seeing it, like in New York City, but it's a huge municipality compared to us. So just checking. Okay. I hear you; I hear you. Just feeling you out, on the grants coming in this fiscal year, what are you thinking? CHIEF FERREIRA: Well, like I said, I haven't heard any rumble about our monies getting cut, because most of it is coming through DOJ, through the AG's (Attorney General) Office—so it's like violence against women grants. Those are never going to go away. Sex Assaults grant, VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) grants, those don't go away. Our traffic grants, we're still seeing them. We're still seeing it out there because you have a lot of lobbyists or proponents for ensuring that DUI's are not happening, there's fatalities not happening. So I don't see those grants walking away any time soon, even with COVID, even with the economy the way it is. Because these are all social issues that need to be addressed. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Thank you. You know, I want to commend you. I did the same thing for Fire Department. We've had a lot of discussions about overtime in the past and I mean going through here you made some huge cuts in different departments to overtime. And it really helps. And we've had the discussions before. What can you do, what can you cut? I mean, you're looking at 2019-2020, actual expenditure on overtime, $887,000. Estimated for this coming fiscal year $294,000, that's just for one department. CHIEF FERREIRA: And, you know, some of our overtime was curtailed as well because we did change our work schedule where in the past the officers would switch watches altogether at the end of the month. So you'd have less than 12 hours, you have premium time that you had to pay overtime, that you had pay. Page 304 FC-8 April 14,2021 We switched it out where now the officers when they rotate shifts, they rotate it on their days off. So there isn't that penalty, that premium time that we're having to pay. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Nicely done. Whose idea was that? CHIEF FERREIRA: I beg your pardon. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Whose idea was that? CHIEF FERREIRA: I forget. One of the commanders. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Not you, yeah. CHIEF FERREIRA: No, no. I will never take credit and compliments. I will take the complaints. I will not take the credit. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Well yeah, someone besides you gets a well done. Well done, Chief. I thought you did a nice job putting this out. You made substantial cuts basically across the board, which is what you're being asked to do, and I understand that this is a bare bones budget. Despite what we all want to see, that's where we're going to stand. This is the result of a global pandemic. So thank you. Thank you for your time. Appreciate it. CHIEF FERREIRA: Thank you very much, Council Members. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Unless there's any other questions by the Council. Nope. Okay. CHIEF FERREIRA: Enjoy the rest of your evening. I hope it's not too much longer. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you very much. Appreciate that. That was a good joke on the way out. CHIEF FERREIRA: I hope you're going to break for dinner here. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Council, do you need a few minutes, or you want to jump right into Corporation Counsel? MR. INABA: Let's jam. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Thank you very much. Page 305 FC-8 April 14,2021 (6) Office of the Corporation Counsel: (Note: At this time, Corporation Counsel Elizabeth Strance and Assistant Corporation Counsel Laureen Martin came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, the next department up for our Special Committee on Finance Budget review departmental program reviews. Thank you, Ms. Strance. Computer is this one on your right, if you have one. Thank you. And then please introduce yourself and your staff. Ms. Kimball will be back in a few minutes. Mr. Chung is gone for the afternoon, and Maile David as well. Well we have Council Members Zooming in and then you have the Kona as well for Holeka Inaba. Okay, go ahead, Ms. Strance. MS. STRANCE: I was going to say, good afternoon, but I think it's good evening already. Thank you for your time, and hard work, and patience. I'm Elizabeth Strance, Corporation Counsel. To my left is Laureen Martin, Assistant Corporation Counsel. And behind us is, Stacy Okuda, our Administrative Assistant and our numbers person extraordinaire. I'd also like to just take a minute and thank my predecessors for initiating the budget process for our department, which started some time before I was sworn in, and also for Stacy's work. She just started in February for us and has been able to come up to speed and navigate and really help us through this process. And by now I'm sure you've heard it a lot, but just to thank Deanna and her team for all their support that they have and are giving us. We are here today to speak in support of our budget, which is $3,053,880. Of that amount, $2,433,100, accounts for salaries and wages. By background and just initiating some of the new Council Members, by Charter the Corporation Counsel acts as Chief Legal Advisor and Legal Representative of all County agencies, the Council, and all officers and employees in matters related to their official powers. We provide support to 20 departments, 33 boards and commissions, and 15 committees and agencies. We also represent the County in lawsuits that are filed against it, claims being made against it, and on some occasions, on lawsuits that the County initiates. Our office is comprised of a Corporation Counsel, Assistant Corporation Counsel, 14 deputies, one of those positions is unfunded, and we're actively recruiting for two attorney positions. We also have 14 support staff positions plus my Executive Assistant. Two of those positions are currently unfunded and we're recruiting, I believe, for three still. Since being sworn in, we're hired three lawyers. Two have started and a third will begin on May first. We've also recently filled two of our staff positions. I Page 306 FC-8 April 14,2021 think in terms of things that might be a little bit newer, as you know, one of the Mayor's campaign pledges was to ensure inclusivity between East and West Hawaii, and Corporation Counsel historically has not had a large presence in West Hawaii. We've had one lawyer over there. I live there, and two of our three new attorneys live there; and a third attorney came on board with the idea that she may be able to move over and work out of our Kona office later. And so I think it really points to something that I think a lot of us knew for some time and that's that Kona represents an untapped resource in terms of recruiting legal talent. And I'm happy and excited that we're being more inclusive because I think there's a lot of lawyers that are interested in public service, and if they have a family or otherwise attached to West Hawaii, they haven't really been given that opportunity. I think as we grow, I'm hopeful that we'll find that same untapped resource with staffing. With that, I think if you folks have questions, you know, we're a little bit unique in our department in that we don't service out in the community. We service you and we service the County in support of the departments. So I think we're interested in how we can best help you and anything that we can do along those lines. I'm new to government, this type of government. And it's taking me some time to come up to speed. One thing I will say is that I'm really proud to be working for the Corporation Counsel Office. I'm proud of our deputies. I'm proud of our support staff. You know, we've been working short staffed from before I came to the office, and people work tremendously hard, and they tried to do a good job and I think that we do. One of the challenges I think we've been facing is a lot of people came to work and this administration is their first change in administration. And so with that, there's been a whole turnover in how people do the business of government. There's been some taking some time in figuring out how to work with new departments. Our office is learning to work with me. And so I think in terms of a challenge, that would probably be one of the challenges that I've noticed is, you know, different people, new people in positions have new ways of doing things. And there's no one way or right way to do things, and I think we're adjusting. The department and commissions and boards we're working with are learning to work with us. I hope we're successful in you learning to work with us, with a new group. But I hadn't expected it coming on board, the wisdom base that is present in our office with the lawyers that we have, and I'm hopeful that we can get fully staffed and provide some relief to them. But I think with that if you have questions about our budget or about how our office is working, or comments that you think would be helpful for us, I'm happy to respond. Page 307 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Strance. Thanks for the introduction and for being here this evening. Let's go to Ms. Lee Loy. MR. INABA: Chair? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Sorry, Holeka. You'll go next. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Judge Strance, for being here. I just had one question around one of the program objectives. It's related to risk management and risk mitigation. Earlier today we heard Director Bill Brilhante over at our Human Resources Division talk about, you know, if he could do a little bit more risk assessment up front, we would actually see cost savings in worker's comp. And I just wanted to understand how your department is viewing this program objective around risk management and mitigation? MS. STRANCE: I'm going to give it my best shot since I didn't write this. MS. MARTIN: As far as the worker's compensation component? MS. LEE LOY: Well, Director Brilhante's idea is if we did a little bit more front loading at identifying risks, you know, through training or training opportunities whether it's, you know, falls, masks for our firefighters, and/or supervisory training, right, because he sees a lot of kind of grievances filed back and forth amongst employees. And so if we did a little bit more training along those lines, but you guys also highlighted it as a program objective. And so I was just trying to understand how what Mr. Brilhante and Human Resources is doing and how it might differ or how it could actually synthesize between your department and his department. MS. MARTIN: I know our department does provide some training to the departments ina lot of times we'll partner with different departments such as HR or Finance so that we're giving more of a legal perspective on it. Specifically to the litigation, I know that as claims come in and lawsuits come in, we will meet with the department and if there's things that could be done better, we try and let them know about that. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, because I know you folks do a lot of onboarding when it comes to our boards and commissions related to sunshine law, right. Those are all risks, right, litigation risks. And so I was just trying to understand if this is very unique to you folks or if there is some partnerships that could happen with the Department of Human Resources. MS. STRANCE: I've had some discussion with Human Resources. I had my training, and we did talk about partnering up on training and that, you know, they do a training and then we do a training. But it seems like some of our trainings Page 308 FC-8 April 14,2021 may dovetail well together. And so that is something that is, I think, worth following up on with them. You know, we don't want to, one; we don't want to recreate the wheel and HR has some expertise that we don't have, and we have some expertise that they don't have, even though Bill is a lawyer and used to be in the Corp. Counsel Office. But he's in a, I think, a very unique position to identify those types of things and I know in some of the training that I've been in, you know, I've had discussions with some of the trainers and there seems to be a real receptivity to doing some sort of joint training. And we haven't gotten to it yet, but it's something probably a good reminder to follow up on. Thanks. MS. LEE LOY: Right. And you mentioned it, right. This administration was about inclusivity and kind of a balance between east and west, but it was also a lot about breaking down silos and cross-collaboration across departments. So I was just trying to understand that. That was really my only question, not really related to the budget. But we're looking at ways to synthesize some of that money, too. So if, you know, we gave money as it related to risk management, what's the return on investment? Are we saving money in the end, right? And that's just some of the thoughts I had around that one. MS. STRANCE: I think there might be some other things and you've heard a little bit about infrastructure and things like that. And those are risk management issues as well. And so, you know, our having good relationships with our department heads and if they are seeing things out in the field or they're encountering issues that they perceive as being risk, that's something worth bringing to us and trying to brainstorm around. But, you know, the area of risk management can have so many tentacles. You know, one is on the training and how do we create safe workplaces. And then there's a broader or next circle out about safety in our community. MS. LEE LOY: No, absolutely. And I think, you know, risk; it's such a broad term and can be used in so many ways. But there's always costs associated with a failure to address that, right, whether it's litigation and/or complaints. So I'm just trying to get my arms around that. That really was my only question. Thank you, ladies, for being here. Really appreciate it. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Mr. Inaba, go ahead. MR. INABA: Thank you. Page 30, of the black binder, Section 5131.10; Special Counsel. This is, I believe, what caused the increase in the total budget. Can you explain the $100,000 in special Counsel? MS. MARTIN: The amount being $100,000, I think it's been pretty consistent over the years, it's been that amount. Page 309 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. INABA: Okay. What is causing—in the 2019-2020 year it was at$71,000, and for the current and then proposed it's jumped to $225,000. So what's caused this jump in this specific section? MS. MARTIN: So the $225,000, includes the settlements as well. In the Special Counsel is $100,000, the settlements are $115,000. So the $71,000, this just happens to be how much we used. You can imagine that that's an incredibly low amount for all the settlements for us. For example, we budgeted the $115,000, that's approximately 11 settlements at$10,000 for everything that we process. So we're talking about a car accident, a simple property damage claim, all of that is included in that settlement amount. We only pay—if there's a settlement over $20,000, though, we would only pay $10,000 of that. So the Special Counsel account for $100,000, that's a projected amount that we believe we—it's really the minimum we would need, I think. Generally, it's hard to predict whether we would need Special Counsel. Generally when we need Special Counsel it's because we have a conflict. So as a lawsuit came in, if we looked at it and we couldn't represent one of the individuals, we'd have to hire Special Counsel or if, depending on who sued, then we'd have to hire Special Counsel. Does that answer your question? MR. INABA: Yeah. If the funds are not used, if we don't actually need Special Counsel in the end, what happens to these funds for this section? MS. MARTIN: Yeah, I think that would be Deanna's— MR. INABA: That fund balance, Deanna? MS. SAKO: Yeah, fund balance. MR. INABA: Was that a yes? MS. MARTIN: Yes. MR. INABA: Thank you. Okay, and is this what we expect this section to stay at moving forward? I only ask because this is the only section that has seen a significant increase that's visible here in this budget binder. MS. MARTIN: It's really difficult to kind of predict because we don't know what lawsuits will come in or what will happen. But I think this is a reasonable estimate of what—given the past history, a reasonable estimate of what we need. MR. INABA: Okay, and then one last question,just to clarify. The Special Counsel, it's a prediction or is this somebody we have on contract already? Page 310 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. MARTIN: So we have, there's a couple of outstanding Special Counsel contracts. One is for Brian De Lima, to represent the former Officer Buddemeyer in the criminal trial, which is on appeal. There's one for the Higa lawsuit. For Calvin Young, there's a small outstanding balance on that that might come it. But both, currently the amount that's outstanding on those contracts are I think around $9,000. MR. INABA: Okay. Thank you so much. Appreciate all the work that your office does, Judge Strance. I know you folks see a lot of cases and sometimes bogus cases. So we appreciate you folks being our line of defense and advising us and keeping us on track for our own meetings. That's all I have. Chair, I yield. MS. STRANCE: Thank you. I just want to, you know, looking over the years on the budgeted versus actuals in this category, the requests seem to be about an average request. And it looks like generally we come in at less than the budgeted. So we've been managing that number pretty well. MR. INABA: Mahalo. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Just a quick clarification I think to Council Member Inaba's point. The main difference in this budget and the previous years is an additional person, right, an additional lawyer position? MS. MARTIN: No, no. MS. KIMBALL: Your salaries and wages went up? MS. STRANCE: Our salaries and wages, there might be some salaries that have gone up, but the number of attorney positions have not—in fact we've remained at an unfunded position. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, okay. It seemed like a lot in terms of increase, but maybe I'mI guess it's four and a half percent or so. (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. SAKO: So they may have had to adjust some attorneys to actual, but really it reflects the collective bargaining employees they have and the collective bargaining unit increases, because in the FY 2021 budget we didn't know the collective bargaining yet, so it wasn't allocated to each department. So you're actually seeing two years' worth of collective bargaining increases, and that's true Page 311 FC-8 April 14,2021 for all the departments. But so Corporation Counsel, while they have a lot of attorneys, actually do have collective bargaining staff as well. MS. KIMBALL: Got it. Thanks for that clarification, Director. That's all. Thank you, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Aloha, Judge Strance, Laureen. Great to see you both. Just have a question about—and this precedes you, Judge Strance. But impact the STVR(Short-Term Vacation Rental) regulation has had on Corporation Counsel staff and budget. And, you know, I track Board of Appeals and it's quite a lengthy list some months, not so much right now, but just curious as to what that regulation has had in terms of impact on your budget and staff. If you could elaborate? MS. STRANCE: I'm not sure that it has affected our budget. I would have to double check with the staff on workload. You know, there's been several things that have added to workload, STVR's may be one of them. But, you know, with the volcano reaction, you know, there's additional committees that are created to address those. You know our office is involved in all those. Our office is involved in the statewide efforts around COVID management. And so there's a number of things that affect our workload. STVR's I'm sure has impacted the Board of Appeals caseload and I would have to double check and really talk to our staff about how that has impacted. You know, there's several departments right now that have a lot of needs. And so the impact on the workload has been greater. And so, you know, when you look at like position to department and things like that, you know, there isn't a lot of change in our number of attorney's but there has been a change in, an impact I think, on workload. So we used to talk about caseload versus workload in the private sector. And my sense in talking to the lawyers in our office, and I'll have Laureen chime in as well, is that there's been a number of factors that have affected the workload in our office. And I'm not sure that we can point to any one thing. But there has definitely been some of that. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. MS. MARTIN: As far as the work on the STVR's, we do keep track of that time and then it is billed through the STVR fund. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Do you have any numbers, Laureen? Or I can follow up with Director Sako. Page 312 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. MARTIN: Yeah, I don't have the numbers with me. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. I was just curious. Thank you. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Rebecca, go ahead. MS. VILLEGAS: Yes,please. Thank you for being here, Judge Strance. And thank you for your flexibility and gracious assistance in all the different things I've had questions for you about, and just really embracing this new role and position and all of the interesting adventures that come along with it. I just have a quick question for you. It's something that has been coming to my attention. And recently a constituent pointed it out to me that it may be different in other municipalities to have a Corp. Counsel specifically assigned to the County Council, because your team represents the County as a whole, where to have somebody from Corp. Counsel specifically assigned to the County Council, from a budgetary standpoint, would that have to be budgeted through the Clerk's Office, which then incorporates us? I'm just looking for how that happens and if you have any experience with that in other municipalities. It seems that there are some potential benefits for having somebody assigned to specifically work with the Council, especially in times when it's challenging for you and your team to represent the interest of the administration if there are conflicts between what's going on with Council and administration. I hope that question makes sense. MS. STRANCE: It does. I think there are a couple of things wrapped up into that. Right now the County Charter doesn't allow for that separateness. If what you're asking is within our organizational structure whether it makes sense to have Corporation Counsel assigned to both represent the Mayor and to represent County Council, that was a concern that had been expressed to me during my confirmation. You know, in our office what we've done is if it appears that something like that has emerged, we will separate out and we'll have somebody assigned for the Council side and somebody assigned on the department side. So I'm trying to be sensitive about it more on an informal matter. I'm not sure I like the idea of having maybe separate offices, because then you'll have warring lawyers. Yeah, I would hope that, you know, when there are differences of opinion around the lie you end up with a buffet of options rather than warring positions. You know, that might be overly optimistic, but I think that should be the goal. But I think if it reached that point where the Council and the administration felt so strongly that there was not adequate and good representation because there were conflicts of interest, I think that would be a really important conversation to have, brainstorm around, and create some sort of proposal. Does that help? Page 313 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. VILLEGAS: It does. Thank you. As fader circumstances have had it, there have been a number of issues already that have come up in this new administration, which there seems to be room for improvement for guidance from Corp. Counsel as it relates to some of the issues that have been questioned by members of this Council. And so more specific representation and answering of questions I think is something, I know for myself that I have felt a little bit challenged by. And so I think that this is great to continue the conversation around especially as I just had a number of constituents very adamant about the need for some you know, you don't want to have warring lawyers, but you want to have some almost separation of church and state in order for the representation of the intention or the things that come into question to be taken up with some of what may be just with a little more determination. So I hope that makes sense in its own weird way. And with that, I yield. It's been a really long day. So I look forward to continuing these conversations and working together and all for the best of our County and our communities. MS. STRANCE: Thank you. And there's probably a little bit of devil's advocate around some of that. You know, some of it I understand it. From what I've been able to observe sometimes, and this is just an observation on a very short duration, is that I think sometimes there are issues of policy where there's a feeling that it should be a law and that there's a right way, and there's a legal scientific response and answer. And from what I've observed, what's really happening is you're struggling over policy. And so, you know, some of the frustration may be that we don't jump in more deeply and take a hard-line position on some things. But some of those hard discussions are hard because they're very difficult policy discussions to have. And one of the things that maybe we can do better is to communicate more clearly where things are policy versus there's a true scientific legal answer. And my experience is that law is often more art than science. But some things are just hard because they're hard policy decisions, and you folks are having to make very difficult decision for our community, and we can't help you with that one. So there may be some of the other, you know, some of the things I've watched you folks struggle with, and struggle in earnest, from my seat they're policy or there are undefined terms, or there's no good answer that you kind of have to struggle with. And you know, we would like to make some things easier for you and then there's some things where you folks just really have a hard job, and we can't help with that. MS. VILLEGAS: Yeah, thank you for articulating that so well. I know that I have found in the last few months that there have been a number of things that Page 314 FC-8 April 14,2021 have come before us. And you know, the topics may be challenging, but there have been unprecedented, new and strange means for some of it being presented. And kind of like you say, while not illegal my alarms go off in feeling like they're still ill-advised and not good process or procedure. And so I get concerned about setting precedence. But you're right, the law is who told the story and how the story gets told and written down and decided in so many ways. So thank you for your recognition, validation of the things we do struggle with and really identifying illegal versus ill-advised, and doing our best to remain pono and accountable, and the term "transparent" gets overused sometimes. But it is the goal to make sure that we're not setting precedence for things that we wouldn't want duplicated or done again, not just in this municipality but in others. So thank you for your continued flexibility and determination and willingness to help kind of guide our hand, hold our hand, or make us stand on our own two feet as the circumstances dictate for that day. And with that, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Anybody else? It's getting late. I'll just follow up with you real fast. What Mr. Inaba brought up; he makes a good point. Do you know what's your actual number right now for 2020-2021 of where your actual stand on a special counsel and settlement litigation? And I saw you pull out a really nice spreadsheet over there that I have yet to see. And you said it looks about correct, but are you saying that the $71,000, for 2019-2020 looks correct as far as your average, you know, special counsel and settlement litigation? Or $225,000, is more appropriate? MS. MARTIN: I would say the $225,000, is more appropriate. For the settlement account, which is $115,000, we're at about$84,000, right now. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And you got about two months left. What about special counsel? MS. MARTIN: Special counsel, I think we had $783.00. So, we haven't used that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, that's a big difference. And then personal injury payments? MS. MARTIN: It's below the $10,000, I think, which was budgeted. It's a few thousand. Again, this is the problem with one car accident, right, that those are the payments, the no-fault payments. So one car accident could use the entire $10,000, right. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah. I mean, we did have a discussion about one of the cases you mentioned, and I cannot state specifics because it's going to be substantially different than these numbers. So just try to help me, I'm Page 315 FC-8 April 14,2021 just following up with what Mr. Inaba said and making sure that we're budgeting correctly for the coming year. You know,just to flip back to, you know, regarding litigation. Corp. Counsel OCE, for travel and conference, you have a pretty sizable increase from 2019- 2020 to 2021-2022. And again, I'm using 2019-2020 because that's our actual like our normal year. 2021 is just all over the place. But I'm just trying to gage, most people are actually tuning down the amount of travel they're doing, most departments, versus going up. So what is the increase in expenses there, from $23,399 in 2019-2020 to $44,000 budgeted for this coming fiscal year? MS. MARTIN: So the amount that was budgeted for 2021 is the same amount that we're budgeting this year, the $44,200. And we have, obviously with COVID, very limited travel and I don't have that figure CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's why I'm asking, too, because I'm guessing this year you didn't travel much. MS. MARTIN: Exactly. I think it's a few thousand dollars probably that we used. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And looking at 2019-2020, you're about$20,000, $24,000. But the need to step up to $44,000, for this next fiscal year, that's my question. MS. MARTIN: Right, so I know for us a lot of the travel for litigation does require us to go to the mainland to depose important witnesses or plaintiffs, and that's a big part of that. And I know I have cases that would require travel, but for COVID, so once those restrictions are lifted, we're going to have to do that. We need to depose, if they're an important witness or the plaintiff, we need to do it in person. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MS. MARTIN: And then we also have court in Honolulu, in federal court which requires that interisland travel. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Is that local litigation? MS. MARTIN: Yes, I believe so. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MS. MARTIN: And then we do have—we try and budget for important MLA training for the Municipal Lawyers Association, which is unique training for Page 316 FC-8 April 14,2021 municipal attorneys throughout the country, and it's incredibly valuable. So I know we generally try and budget for two or three people to attend that unique kind of training that you can't get here in Hawaii. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MS. MARTIN: There's also needed training for trial, which we try and send one litigator to, on the mainland. Again, it's invaluable training. So that's basically what our travel budget is. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, good. Thank you. It's our job to ask, yeah. And then mileage, your mileage is substantially down. In this case, I just want to make sure you get enough budgeted and that you're not under- budgeting but you're going to need it later. So is that mileage kind of reflective of what you're going to be doing for traveling? MS. MARTIN: So for travel, with the Kona Office and hiring new attorneys out of Kona, we do expect the mileage budget to need to be increased. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Are you planning on using some of the County fleet when you're traveling back and forth? MS. MARTIN: Yes. And our office has one vehicle, a Jeep that we moved out to Kona so that the Kona attorneys can use. But it's not going to be enough. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I believe,just in talking to Riley Saito, that there's an electric vehicle or a Chevy Volt that they can take back and forth. So if you want to use that and you can, it's good on gas and it's a County vehicle and maybe give you another vehicle if it's not being used. MS. MARTIN: Yes, we're planning on using that and providing the training to the new deputies. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MS. STRANCE: R&D (Department of Research and Development) has been generous with us that way. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It's good on gas and it kind of promotes that green, you know, renewable energy. Other than that your budget looks pretty tight. You know, you guys are already slim on overtime. Your salary and wages went up, but we've seen that across the board. We know what that's about. And then the Board of Ethics, OCE, what's the increase for? MS. STRANCE: I'm assuming just the expected increase in workload. Page 317 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. We've been through, you know, I'm only in my second term. But we've been through a few instances now from what Rebecca Villegas brought up, or I mean ultimately the easiest way to say it is you're serving two masters, yeah. County Council's going to have an opinion, Mayor's Office is going to have an opinion, and there's always going to be interpretation of the law. Like you said, it's an art. And I've heard this kicked around a number of times now, and she's touching on something that's just been brought up by people that I know, members of the community. And, you know, it comes to your brain sometimes too is perhaps there is a new to have a neutral parry that we can talk to as a Council, because sometimes the direction we're heading may be the complete opposite of the Mayor. Whether or not we're breaking silos or communicating well, it's just we're not always going to agree on everything. We've seen that a number of times already. We had that with the Kim administration. So I'm glad that she brought it up, maybe not within your department, maybe not within the budget hearings, but it's an interesting discussion that's come up a few times now. MS. STRANCE: I think if you perceive it as a problem and you're not comfortable, it's a conversation worth having. Because you want and we want for you to feel that your interests are being represented and you're not getting some sort of filtered opinion. So, you know, it's something that's important to me, that you feel like you're getting what you need and if don't feel like you're getting what you need, then let's talk about it. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I mean, so far you've been wonderful to work with. You're very neutral and I appreciate that. And you follow the law, and you give us a good interpretation. Maybe it'll change in the future, I don't know, as you get used to us. But as a new start for us and a new Corporation Counsel head, I've appreciated you so far. But Rebecca raised a good point, so I just wanted to say that. MS. STRANCE: You folks have a hard job, and we want to make sure that you are getting what you feel like you need. And if you're not feeling that way, then let's have a conversation about it. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Appreciate it. Any further questions? Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Judge Strance, for getting what we need. And not at this time, but maybe we could schedule something to talk about, and in executive session, about some of the long pending cases that we have over at Corporation Counsel. And I know we ended up hitting the pause button with some of that progress because of COVID, right, we couldn't do the depositions, the CJS (Criminal Justice System) stopped trials, all of those things. Page 318 FC-8 April 14,2021 But at some point, and we heard this with the Prosecuting Attorney's Office, is that switch is going to turn on. And so all of those court dates will come due and so the workload will start all over again. And so I just want us to be best prepared as a Council on the different benchmarks or where we're at on some of these long-standing pending cases, which I'm certain will have a lot of costs associated with that. And so I'll be putting forward that communication. But, you know, since I have you right now. Just kind of as a heads up if that's something we can do especially after the budget cycle, but we can start looking ahead and planning accordingly. MS. STRANCE: Yes. MS. LEE LOY: Great. That was my only request. Thank you, Chair. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Anyone else? Kona? Holeka, you have any more questions? Rebecca, you good? MR. INABA: `A`ole. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, seeing nothing else, thank you for your time tonight. Appreciate it. Drive safely home and thank you for sticking with us. (7) Department of Liquor Control: (Note: At this time, Liquor Control Director Gerald Takase and Accountant Marcia Matsui came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mr. Takase, mahalo for your patience. You're up next. Hey, we saved the best for last, Gerald. Please introduce yourself and your staff. MR. TAKASE: I guess it's good evening at this point. My name is Gerald Takase. I'm the Director of Liquor Control, and with me is Marcia Matsui, who is ourI always forget her real title. She's basically our Accountant in the office and I think somebody that you folks are familiar with. She's the one that processes all your contingency fees. Thank you. I think most of you know, but for the new Council people, I guess I just wanted to say that our department is a self-funded department. Our revenues are directly derived from liquor fees that we charge the licensees. So we don't take anything from the County budget and sometimes we try to put something back for the departments. We currently, well when fully staffed, we would have 20 employees. We're in the process of actually hiring three investigators right now. This just got to us, Page 319 FC-8 April 14,2021 one full-time in Kona and half-time in Hilo and in Kona as well. We have approximately 400 licensees in the County divided into broad categories: manufacturing; wholesaling; retailing, which is all the stores from the Costco's down to the mom-and-pop stores; and then our dispensers, which kind of run the gamut from the hotels and restaurants down to bars and clubs. A lot of this past year has been occupied by, I'm sure like everybody else, with COVID. And we've tried to do our part to help the situation. We were able to monitor a lot of things firsthand and I'd like to say I'm proud of our department that we were able to keep a lot of our licensees open throughout the whole pandemic and hopefully provided for some normalcy within the County. We did a lot of things. They were kind offirst, we extended our store hours, one. And that was kind of a unique one. Most people look at extending hours at the end of the day, but licensees came to us, and they were starting to have kupuna hours, and so they wanted to open up earlier or allow their kupuna to buy liquor when they were in there at five `o clock in the mornings. So that was something unique, but I think it's worked out well. Following that we also relaxed the restrictions for wholesale deliveries. Primarily they used to do it during working hours, but I guess the stores wanted them to deliver prior to the stores opening a lot of times. So we relaxed the rules on those things as well. Some of the things we've done for the restaurant side is we've relaxed our rules on outside areas. So we have approved a lot of extended outdoor dining at this point and time, and we will probably continue through the pandemic. And if it's, I think it's becoming quite popular, we'll probably continue with that as a method of one, helping the licensees try to get back to a capacity that can be financially successful for them. And along with that we've seen lots of other methods of delivery; take-out, curbside, drive-thru deliveries, by both our retail and dispenser sides. Some of the things that we did as a department, we purchased—we have two manufacturers here: Kuleana Rum up in Kawaihae and Big Island Distillers, or 12'h Island Distillers in Kona. So we purchase from them I want to say about $5,000 worth of hand sanitizer and we provided some to the Civil Defense, but also to our licensees so that when they could open, they would be equipped to take care of that. In addition, we purchased PPE(Personal Protective Equipment), masks, gloves. And we also got into the portable fogger business. We purchased ten, five on each side to loan out to our licensees to kind of assist them in, you know, rather than trying to go around with their squirt bottles, they could shoot the whole place at night. And it's still popular. We're loaning them out, you know, as soon as they come back in. Page 320 FC-8 April 14,2021 And lastly, we've modified our testing schedules. We used to require them to come to a class and be tested. We've since modified that because we weren't able to fit enough people and because of the social distancing. So we've started to allow people that are coming for a renewal of their license to just test without sitting through the class. And that's helped us keep up with the numbers. So all of those things we've been able to do to help the licensees through the pandemic. I think we as a County have kind of led the State. I know we got a lot of calls from Honolulu, and Maui especially, wanting to know what we were doing. And these were more from their licensees, you know, how were we able to do it. And, you know, I'm glad to say that we were able to support our licensees and keep them running. And that's all I have. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Director. Council? Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, thank you, Director. I really don't have any questions, but other than congratulations for being so innovative during the pandemic. You know, everybody had to augment services in all kinds of ways and it's actually a real proud moment for Hawaii County that, you know, other counties were looking at us and how we did it. I did have one question around testing, and I'm assuming it's for a blue card. Expand on that a little bit, and it's because I know I have one, and so I want to be able to renew my blue card. MR. TAKASE: So we, for all liquor premises we require managers to be on duty. So it's a blue card for the dispenser side and a yellow card for retail side. So the manager's card is good for five years. And the at the end of five years you come in, take another class and then take the test, and then you'd be renewed. And so going through this pandemic we were kind of getting backed up because, you know, we would normally have classes of about 30, but our facility wasn't big enough and we just kind of ran out of days. So we were only doing about ten at a time. So, you know, looking at the results of the tests, the people that had just taken it within the last five years and were actively in the business, they kind of knew what they had to do. So we kind of came up with this idea of, let's just allow them to test. If they pass, then good. We're good. If they fail, then they would have to come and sit through the class. And I want to say it's been pretty successful. I would say we're probably about 90 percent with those that just come in for retesting and it's allowed us to kind of catch up. MS. LEE LOY: Great. MR. TAKASE: You're coming in? Page 321 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. LEE LOY: I'm coming in. Thank you, Director. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Mr. Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Thanks, Director, for being here. Question, I know you're self-funded and your funds come from fees. But through this whole pandemic shutdown I have to imagine we've seen a substantial reduction, but do you have enough to get through as we start to spool back up? That's the question. MR. TAKASE: So through the pandemic kind of crossed fiscal years for us. But overall, and I've kind of worked with Marcia on this, overall I think we've only seen about a ten percent reduction. So I know a lot of our, you know, the Hiltons and the Four Seasons were big contributors previously, and they've been closed for a better part of the year. And so on that side we're pretty far down. But our retail side, Costco, KTA, they've MR. RICHARDS: Skyrocket. MR. TAKASE: Yeah, so they've kind of made up the difference. So overall, you know, our revenue is not down that much, and we do have sufficient reserves to cover that. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And then projections, I assume you're tracking, and maybe it's more of a question for you, but you're tracking and you're seeing an upward trend that things are returning more the normalcy as because we are opening up. Things are looking very positive as far as I can tell. MR. TAKASE: Yes, so one of my things is to kind of go around and check on how our businesses are doing. And I was over in Kona a couple weeks ago and I know the hotels were reporting they're up at 90 percent already. And there seems to be a lot of activity down on Alii Drive and things. So it seems like things are coming back very quickly. I know the hotels were telling me they were trouble actually getting people to come back, as far as employees, because they're still on their stimulus checks or they found other employment. That seems to be the bigger problem for them right now. They are seeing the numbers coming back fairly quickly. MR. RICHARDS: And I'm curious about your equipment. I thought that's a real novel approach as far as the foggers, as far as disinfecting. This is going to be with us for a while, you just going to keep the program running. MR. TAKASE: Yeah. Page 322 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. RICHARDS: Indefinitely. MR. TAKASE: You know, I think as long as there's a need for it, we will have them available. We were kind of thinking, what are we going to do with these things once nobody wants them? But we'll cross that when we have to. But, you know, maybe even long term I think a lot of these disinfecting things are going to be with us. So we will have them available. We also buy the solution for them. MR. RICHARDS: That's actually the County really trying hard to get things back. So congratulations on that and thank you. Chair, that's all. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Richards. MR. INABA: Chair? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mr. Inaba, go ahead. MR. INABA: Mahalo, Mr. Takase. Thank you for being here. I'm on page 104, everyone. I have a question about—and I do understand. Thank you for clarifying that you are self-funded. So these are questions about expenditures. Liquor Control OCE, subsection 103,janitorial services for Hilo and Kona offices. Is the Kona office not cleaned by general services here? MR. TAKASE: No, it is. But in Kona right now we have, it's mostly a night-time crew. So I have only four investigators, so the facility is smaller than the Hilo facility. But we're paying janitorial services, our Department of Public Works, for helping to maintain our facilities. So that's what I'm talking about, we do pay something back to the County. MR. INABA: Okay. So you have your own janitors cleaning the offices, not our County employees? MR. TAKASE: No, no, no. The janitorial services are provided by the Department of Public Works, and they bill us, and we repay them for taking care of our offices. And I have to say, they are actually doing a very good job. MR. INABA: Deanna, is this normal? I mean, sorry, not normal. But I haven't seen this before. Is this different for Liquor Control versus other departments? MS. SAKO: So our special funded departments do reimburse for the things like janitorial. So Liquor would be one, and then some of the special funds. And then I heard someone say Department of Water. And so, since they're semiautonomous and not part of our budget, we do bill them for some of the services we provide to them as well. Page 323 FC-8 April 14,2021 MR. INABA: Got it. Thank you, Deanna. Next question, 104, it seems like a pretty hefty budget for travel and conferences. What is the travel for, Director? MR. TAKASE: So we have nine commissioners and five adjudication board members, so I try to provide them with training through the year. Our situation is a little unique in that we have jurisdiction over County laws, State laws, and also federal laws. And there's not much ability to train them federally within the State, so I try to provide them with at least some training through the year. So that's where most of the funding goes. We also, I take it as an opportunity to provide them with, you know, not just book training, but training by going to other places and seeing what's done. And I think that's helped us a lot for them to understand how other jurisdictions deal with liquor and what's possible. You know, a lot of times we are dealing with a lot of mainland vendors coming in, they do it this way. And, you know, it's not to say that they're wrong, but if it's something new to us it might take us a little while to understand what they're doing. But I think by them getting out and seeing things on a national stage, they've been able to understand and keep up. We are kind of embarking in a new area because of the internet. So we have a lot of actually internet liquor sales that are kind of not really monitored by anybody really well and that's kind of the coming area for us as well as most of the other jurisdictions in trying to find a way to keep it under some type of scrutiny to prevent illegal sale of liquor coming in. So we're still working with the other jurisdictions in trying to, I guess, rope in the common carriers, UPS, FedEx's, to cooperate with us in providing some inspections and work in that sense. But it's kind of a coming area. I don't know that we're going to stop it. So I think we just need to be able to recognize it and monitor it as best as we can. MR. INABA: Okay. And are you looking towards other municipalities and how they're working to monitor those online sales? Sorry,just a follow up. MR. TAKASE: Yes. So we belong to a couple of national organizations. And it's kind of a national effort among all the states to try to police their areas, and hopefully that will help with the overall problem. MR. INABA: Okay, thank you. Next question, section 112. It has the auto allowance for investigators at$67,200. So I'm just wondering, that seems understandable, mileage for the people who are going out to investigate. But I also see on the next page, section 218, fuel. What is the difference between those two sections? MR. TAKASE: So our investigators have car allowances and that's the 112 that you see. They are subsidized vehicles. And then the fuel is they're allowed to draw one gallon for every ten miles of travel. So similar to the Police Page 324 FC-8 April 14,2021 Department. Actually, I think we actually draw probably a lot more because we have less investigators. They're stationed in two basic areas, Hilo and Kona. And they have to drive, you know, basically police drive over a short area within their district. They might drive a lot but ours have to go from Kona up to Kohala, to Waimea, down to K5'u, you know, so they incur a lot of mileage. MR. INABA: Okay, thank you. Next section 338. This might be the same answer as the custodians, but is that also monies that the County is getting just for rent? MR. TAKASE: Yes, the West Hawaii Civic Center, that's number one, the $45,000. We pay basically rent to the County for the use of the West Hawaii Civic Center. MR. INABA: Okay, mahalo. Next question. Sorry, Mr. Takase, I just want to roll us along. 341, other miscellaneous OCE charges, we have $320,000 for S&W (Salaries and Wages) fringes and plus a health fund. The fringes are equal to what—this might be a basic finance question, my apologies if it is. MR. TAKASE: Yeah so, since we are self-funded, we pay back the County for all those types of things, fringes, health fund. All of those are reimbursed to the County for whatever we use. MR. INABA: Okay, last question. Thank you so much. Public programs, what are $30,000 for special projects. What does that$30,000 get spent on? MR. TAKASE: We've been trying to have public education programs. In the past we've had, the name escapes me right now. But they're basically public programs to help with the prevention of underage drinking. We had enlisted Augie T when he has still here or actually once he finished with Mayor Kenoi, we contracted with him to provide some programs for us. So he made a couple videos that talk about drinking. He also did programs through the schools targeting mostly the intermediate school students. And previously we had programs where we used high school athletes to kind of train or go out to the elementary schools and talk to the students about the hazards of underage drinking. And right now, because of COVID everything kind of stopped, so we're kind of looking for some new programs. But that's basically what that money is for, to try to give something back to the community. MR. INABA: Okay. And do you work with the Police Department at all on those efforts? MR. TAKASE: We have. Like sometimes they've asked us to help fund their DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) Program and things like that. So we probably don't do as much as we could, but I think we have a good working Page 325 FC-8 April 14,2021 relationship with them. You know, when they need some funding, we will provide it to them. MR. INABA: Thank you. Final question. Just the project grad, what do you folks do for our project grads here on island. MR. TAKASE: Yeah, when I started out, I was looking at project grads and, you know, all the schools used to have grad nights. And I saw them always struggling to raise money and if they didn't get the money, they weren't going to be able to have the program. So we started off trying to fund as many of the project grads as we could, and I think we were pretty successful. And actually the Council Members, through their contingency funds, have taken over a lot of that from us. So, you know, we felt it was a very good program, especially for that one night, to keep, you know, the kids off the roads and in a safe environment. So we've continued to do that, and I thank the Council for stepping up as well. Some of the high schools have very elaborate grad nights, so maybe we're giving them too much money at this point. MR. INABA: Well thank you, Director Takase, for the explanation and for also working to support our local businesses and by making some adjustments to the rules. So big mahalo. Chair, that's all I have. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Good questions. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, Director. I have a really simple question. This is just for me to understand. As a self-funded entity, do you also have to balance your budget as we do, or do you have a fund balance and any sort of reserves in case things go differently than planned? MR. TAKASE: Yes. We do actually have some fund balance. I think we can save up to twenty percent. But typically what we do is, we'll figure out our budget and then we in turn look at what the gross liquor sales from all of the licensees and we will figure out what percentage, and that's how we charge each of them. So right now I think our percentage is above one half of one percent. By law we're kind of authorized to, we can go up to one percent. But we've pretty much stayed down there. I think when we did all the renovations, we might've gotten up to about maybe three quarters, .75 percent. But we're back down to about a little over .50 percent. So we have quite a bit of cushion. And what we do is whatever leftover we have at the end of the year; we'll use that to reduce our budget that we charge the licensees. So they don't get a direct refund from us, but it's reflected in—we kind of crank it back into our budget and, you know, it's kind of like the fund balance, and return it to them that way. Page 326 FC-8 April 14,2021 MS. KIMBALL: Thank you. I was just curious. Appreciate the clarification. That's it, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Okay, it's my turn. You always do a wonderful job presenting. Thank you for your time today. I did have some questions, a couple of them were answered already. I've got to ask. You're paying the County $45,000 to rent, I just gotta.ask, I mean is that— did hatdid you look around? It's not in my best interest to ask you that, but did you shop around? MR. TAKASE: Funny you should bring that up, because I think we CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Looking at your fund balance, maybe we should charge you more. MR. TAKASE: I think we're being asked to vacate the West Hawaii Civic Center CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Really. MR. TAKASE: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Wow. So we gotta find another building that's a little bit more expensive than that we can put Liquor Control in. I was looking at the Hilo one too. I mean, that's high. I didn't realize you guys paid $62,000 a year. That's crazy. MR. TAKASE: That's just for CAM (Common Area Maintenance), so actually I was looking CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's just for CAM? MR. TAKASE: Yes. We own our space in lagoon. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But they charge you that much just for CAM? MR. TAKASE: A dollar a square foot. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Wow. MR. TAKASE: Yeah, so I was looking at other places. Actually I was looking at where the old Home Street Bank, where Hawaii Community Federal Credit Union is now. I was trying to buy that building, because yeah, our CAM is pretty high. Page 327 FC-8 April 14,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: If you spent$20,000, you could put $40,000 towards budget. I mean, that's a big number. Thank you for looking. I did have a question. Tim brought it up, too, and I just wanted to follow up. Liquor license fee, and this is one of the revenues we have for our General Fund, this runs your department, right? MR. TAKASE: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Is this projection, I mean is thisI know it's an estimate but is that a good projection given what's going on with the economy and, you know, some bars and restaurants that have closed. It's about $400,000 more than you took in in 2019-2020. So I'm just wondering about that projection there. MR. TAKASE: Yes. So our projections run kind of one year behind, because you cannot remember, but we do end of fiscal year, gross liquor sales report, and then that's done June 30''. And then we will project out into our budget and collect from the licensees in November. So we're kind of one year behind because that was last year's liquor sales and we're projecting it to this year. So we are one year behind. I know Marcia's a little concerned about where we'll be, but I kind of CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So this number one year behind would be? MR. TAKASE: That's what was projected back in 2019. And that was probably going to be a banner year. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That was a good year. MR. TAKASE: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So 2020 then, what would be the estimate for this coming year then, or the next fiscal year's budget, correct? MR. TAKASE: Yeah. And so, you know, this thing kind of crossed budget years, so we didn't lower our budgets that much because from what I could tell, we were still going to have the money. And, you know, projecting it to this year, you know, we're coming out of it fairly quickly. You know, we maybe got two or three months left. But I suspect we've bottomed out and we're actually on the mend already. You know, all our hotels are back open again, which was a big part of our budget previously. The hotels and the retail were kind of about equal in terms of revenues. And when the hotels dropped out, we thought we were going to suffer a lot. But like I said, the retail side really picked up and they kind Page 328 FC-8 April 14,2021 of made up the whole difference. So I'm not seeing any big drop. You know, like I said, maybe ten percent at most. But even that might not come to pass. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Some very good friends of mine started a brewery a long, long time ago. And I remember them saying, beer is recession proof. People drink if they're sad and people drink if they're happy. So it doesn't matter, they're always going to find a way to drink. MR. TAKASE: And that seems to be true. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yes. Looking through your objectives I didn't see a report this year on kind of what you were doing in the community, but it looks like 2019-2020 you did some stings regarding underage drinking, and you had about a 25 percent no pass. MR. TAKASE: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And you stated this area will need more enforcement action. I'm guessing COVID hit, you're not going to be doing a lot of enforcement during COVID. MR. TAKASE: We actually have been doing some. The 25 percent, that was actually because we went into the Waikoloa area, which we've kind of never touched before, and they didn't fare too well. But on the second go round they were much better. I think we've never gone there so they were just a little more lax. On the second go round, they did—I think only one didn't pass the second time. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Wow. MR. TAKASE: Through this COVID, now that we have all these delivery services and things, we did do compliance checks, doing it against these delivery services, the drive-thru and drive-up pickups. And I think out of, I forget, under 20, maybe 15 cases, I think only one. But we did it as—we didn't do it as an enforcement. We did it as a kind of an education one, because I felt bad trying to site somebody during this catch. But I wanted to let them know that we were still out there checking. And, you know, I think they were—and they did actually very well. So I'm kind of glad for that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. And, you know,just to say it, I mean we closed our business, but you were always very helpful when it came to just helping us get through the process and the paperwork involved. So just appreciate you. MR. TAKASE: And we were sorry to see you leave. Page 329 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. But to cycle back a little bit. If there was a fund balance this year, that'll actually decrease the cost for all your licensees in the County, correct? MR. TAKASE: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So if there was, you know, if you did find yourself sitting in a good position at the end of this year, that may actually be beneficial for the licensees, which I think is really good timing given this may not be a banner year like you said, you know, that we've seen in the past. So that's good, that's good. Thank you. Okay, any more questions? You guys want to stay, we'll call in one more department, maybe? MR. TAKASE: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you for your time, appreciate it. We don't have to do anything, we can just recess. Recess till tomorrow. We'll see everybody at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow. Mahalo for your time. Mahalo, Deanna. Thank you for being so patient with us and thank you for your patience and waiting till the end of the day as well. Recess: At 7:11 p.m., the Chair called for a recess until 9:00 a.m. on April 15, 2021. Reconvene: The Special Meeting of the Committee on Finance was reconvened in the Council Chambers, Hilo, at 9:00 a.m., Thursday, April 15, 2021, 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) Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Member (via videoconference from Kona) Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Member (came in later) Mr. Herbert M. "Tim" Richards, III, Member(came in later) Ms. Rebecca Villegas, Member (via videoconference from Kona) Absent& Excused: Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Member CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Aloha kakahiaka. We're going to take this meeting out of recess. Mr. Clerk, do we have any testifiers before we get started? FC-8 April 15,2021 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: The following individuals registered to provide comment regarding Bill 22 (Comm. 284) as it pertains to the Department of Environmental Management, Wastewater Division projects), and came forward when called by the Chair: Sandra Demoruelle. Jerry Warren. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Today's first department as scheduled is Civil Defense. Let's go right to our first department then. DEPARTMENTAL The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, BUDGET AND Departmental Budget and Program Reviews. PROGRAM REVIEWS: 1) Civil Defense Agency: (Note: At this time, Civil Defense Director Talmadge Magno and Administrative Officer Barry Periatt came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Please introduce yourselves and get started when you're ready. Okay, get started when you're ready. Thank you. Thanks for being here this morning. MR. MAGNO: Good morning. Talmadge Magno, Civil Defense Director, and I have Barry Periatt out here with me, as well. Thanks for having us. Barry's put together our PowerPoint presentation. I'll get started first, and then he'll follow up with the guts of it, basically. (Note: At this time, Mr. Magno and Mr. Periatt provided a PowerPoint presentation to the members of the Committee. For viewing of the presentation, please see the DVD copy of the meeting proceedings on file in the Clerk's Office or navigate to the Council's video archives online from the County's homepage at www.hawaiicounty.gov. A hard copy of the presentation is made a part of the record, see Comm. 103.4.) MR. PERIATT: So that's what our budget looks like. I'm sure you all have questions for us, and we're more than happy to answer them for you. FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, both. Let's go to the Council then, for questions. Thank you for that presentation. It was a well-done presentation. Who wants to start off? Anyone? Okay, seeing nothing in Hilo. Kona, any questions? MS. VILLEGAS: Yes,please. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Go ahead, Ms. Villegas. MS. VILLEGAS: Good morning. Thank you for being here and presenting to us. Wow, what an interesting couple of years to be in the Civil Defense department for the Big Island of Hawaii: hurricanes, lava flows, global pandemic. I don't know what would possibly be next, but I'm grateful that you guys are there, and these systems are up and running. I do have a couple of questions today. Now, it's your department that has been managing the testing at the Kona Airport, correct? MR. MAGNO: Yes. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. Now, does this budget contain the funds necessary for continued testing into the new fiscal year? MR. MAGNO: We did not put anything outside of our normal budget, which ever since the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act ended, has been supplementing the airport operations, under the disaster funds. MS. VILLEGAS: I'm sorry, Talmadge, can you pull the microphone a little closer? I'm having a hard time hearing you. MR. MAGNO: Okay, how's this? MS. VILLEGAS: Better, thank you. Can you repeat that? MR. MAGNO: So in this new budget request,just as we are doing right now, we're just supplementing airport operations, all operations, under our budget, and the Disaster Fund. This was of course after the CARES Act ran out. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. So, I don't seeI guess I'm just wondering where the money came from that it's—what it cost to continue testing at the Kona Airport for the last months now that CARES funding was gone. There's millions of dollars in expenses, correct? MR. MAGNO: Well, not—let me make some clarifications. After the CARES money gave out, airport testing went over to a private entity that took Page 332 FC-8 April 15,2021 care of that service. The only thing we funded at the airports from that time on was inter-island screening. MS. VILLEGAS: Was what? MR. MAGNO: Inter-island screening. Passenger screening. MS. VILLEGAS: Inter-island screening. Okay, so Civil Defense wasn't the department that it would have been necessary for funds to go through to pay this private agency? MR. MAGNO: No, this private entity is—not volunteer, but this they paid it. They paid the testing. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay, interesting. My sources are a little concerned as they have a different understanding of what was supposed to be happening and what was owed, and I'm trying to get a better understanding. I understand that this budget before us reflects going into 2021 and 2022, but I think it's relevant to look at what's been happening in the last few months in order to get a better understanding of how things will be managed going forward. So would these questions related—and I was trying to figure out which department would be most appropriate to ask these questions to, so my apologies if this doesn't fall under Civil Defense. It seemed that this would be most appropriate. Is there a different department that I should ask these questions? MR. MAGNO: Well, we work with Finance to fund all these programs. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. Is Deanna there? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yes, she is. (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, Deanna, go ahead. MS. SAKO: So the testing continued, but we didn't have a contract with anyone to provide that testing. A separate company contracted with the test provider and paid them directly, once we ended there with the CARES Act funding. So Civil Defense helped to coordinate it, But yes, we don't have a contract with that vendor. Only MS. VILLEGAS: Who has the contract with them then? Page 333 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. SAKO: Another entity that donated that. MS. VILLEGAS: Those are the tests themselves, the test kits. But in order to process them—and all the people working at the airport, hasn't that been paid for by the County? MS. SAKO: So Talmadge does have some staff at the airport, and we do pay for Roberts to do the inter-island screening, yes. MS. VILLEGAS: But that's not what I'm asking. I'm asking about the mainland arrival visitors. MS. SAKO: Right, the contract for that testing is not between the County and anyone. The County is not a party to that agreement. We did start paying again April 1st, but since the CARES Act ran out until April 1st, that was not with the County. MS. VILLEGAS: That's interesting. So is it that then being included in budgets going forward? MS. SAKO: So we are waiting to see how the vaccine takes hold. You know, the intention is to use our new federal money to continue any testing that might be necessary, whether it's at the airport or community testing or other testing, as well. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. I'm sure you can tell my line of questioning. And last night there were some urgent issues here on the west side regarding testing at the Kona Airport and transitioning from different providers, and a gap in service, and all different kind of stories about monies not paid by the County, and who owes what to who. So in my desire to have an understanding of how this is being planned and strategized before going forward into this next year, that's why I'm asking about what's happened in the last couple of months. MS. SAKO: Right. MS. VILLEGAS: I'm going to go ahead and yield at this time. But, Deanna, I hope you'll be available for me to reach out and ask some more really hard and intense questions, because there's a lot of concern right now about what's going on and what's owed by whom to who, and how this has all worked. It's kind of been this broader MS. SAKO: Right, yeah. MS. VILLEGAS: (inaudible)that some philanthropic organization was taking care of everything. So, thank you. I yield. Page 334 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. That was a good question. It has been on everyone's mind. Anyone else in Kona? MR. INABA: Holeka. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Holeka, go ahead. MR. INABA: Good morning, Administrator. Good morning, Hilo colleagues. Let's see, page 101, Section 109, we see a big increase in this section, $300,000, and it seems to be coming from line number 3, Communication Equipment. Is this a lease, or what is this? MR. PERIATT: This is Barry Periatt, with Civil Defense. So that's the money we took out of the 115 account and moved it to the 109 account, because it wasn't properly positioned in the 115 account. So it's not an increase in funding anywhere, it's just moving the money that had already existed, or existed in that account for this operation, into the correct account. MR. INABA: Okay. And then 2019-2020, we only spent$26,000. What was the normal spend prior to that partial COVID year? MR. PERIATT: For the you know, I'm going to have to go back and research what we spent out of that account. I know we had turbulence, turmoil. A lot of things, because we were busy, so some things fell through the cracks. So I can't tell you exactly how much we historically spent out of that account. MR. INABA: Okay, thank you. Next section, page 102, Section 235, we see an increase there as well, to $15,000. Is that for—did that come from the purchase of those batteries? MR. PERIATT: Yes, sir. MR. INABA: Or the intended purchase of batteries in the future? Sorry. MR. PERIATT: Yes, sir. And that again, that was to correct a deficiency. We didn't have a line item to purchase batteries, so we were taking that directly out of the Radio System Maintenance funds. So we took some money, reapportioned in our operations piece, to create that account and fund it so that we can replace batteries when they reach end of life or get close to end of life, and when they're borrowed by other individuals. MR. INABA: Thank you. Last question, 5241.06, that's subsection 454. You have laptops and computers there. What will those be used for primarily, and are Page 335 FC-8 April 15,2021 those adding new equipment to what you folks have or is that replacement? What is that about? MR. PERIATT: It's all replacement. So the desktop computers are to replace the three computers we use to create the common operating picture in the Emergency Operating Center. Those are the ones that I was addressing earlier. The current ones, they're end of life; and two, they weren't designed to handle the ArcGIS System. They don't have enough capacity to do that, so we're purchasing three computers to replace those. With the laptops, all of our staff officers and administrative officers have laptops because we need to be able to take them home if we've got to do a notification from home. And this is replacing a life-cycle replacement for laptops, we're not bringing in any new capability with computer purchases. We're replacing existing systems that are end of life. MR. INABA: Thank you. And I see moving forward, in that same line, you are expecting more purchase of equipment, like computers and stuff in the future, is that correct? Because the following budget year is estimated at double the current. So what is your plan for your equipment there? Do you have a plan? MR. PERIATT: Right now, the only thing we have in concrete for equipment purchases next year is we are going to be replacing more air-conditioning units. Because the six units that haven't been replaced are all end of life, we're anticipating we may not get through the next three years. That's why we had to put a lot more money—or anticipating having a lot more money. We may have to do all four of the remaining ones next year. That's what that cushion is for. MR. INABA: Mahalo nui. And thank you so much for always taking care of our communities and keeping us updated through COVID and through our natural disasters. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mahalo, Mr. Inaba. I'd like to commend you on going through the line-item budget and digging a deep dive into different areas and asking hard questions. Ms. David, you had a question, as well? MS. DAVID: Thank you, Chair, yes. In fact, thank you, Administrator, for being here. Civil Defense, I appreciate your presentation, as well. Mr. Holeka asked one my questions and thank you for that. On your Salary & Wages, there's an increase. Could you explain that increase from $650,000 to estimated $795,000? Maybe Director Sako could explain that. That's my first question. I don't see any Page 336 FC-8 April 15,2021 (Note: At this time, Finance Director Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. PERIATT: Okay. With that, ma'am, the Account Clerk position wasn't funded last year, so that's part of that. MS. DAVID: Okay. MR. PERIATT: And we had a few employees with return rights who came back, and their salaries are significantly higher than the base-salary, where those positions start at, so that's why there's that significant increase. MS. DAVID: Okay. And so although it's not listed, there's only one position that's listed, expected to start on July 1st, you have the other staff members that are—or like transitioning, right? Is that—? MR. PERIATT: No, ma'am. We just have the one person starting on July 1st We're going to initiate this hiring process, so we can meet that date. The rest of the staff are all present now. We just had some folks transition in, in the December timeframe. And that's where this salary difference comes in, between—it was originally budgeted for somebody at entry level, and when they return, they're beyond the entry level significantly. MS. DAVID: I see, okay. Thank you. Ms. Sako,you want to ? MS. SAKO: Yeah, I just wanted to add that in addition to those changes, the other thing is like all the departments, there's really two years' worth of pay increases in there, because unfortunately we weren't able to put the pay raises in last year's budget, it was in a provision. So with all the retro-pay and everything, it's sort of that catch-up, as well. So it was budgeted last year, it was just in a different account. MS. DAVID: Thank you for that, Director Sako. That explains it. And let me see, Account Number 115, Miscellaneous Contract Services, there's a decrease, a big one. What is that for? Why is the decrease—it was moved to somewhere else? MR. PERIATT: Yes, ma'am. That's the Radio System Maintenance funds that we moved from 115 into 109. MS. DAVID: Okay, that's the one you were talking about, perfect. And then, let me see, the radio sites. The increase, probably on 480, is the same—for the same basic reason, right? You're moving monies for the equipment and radio sites that you need? Page 337 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. PERIATT: Yes, ma'am. So we took money out of the operations budget to be able to fund the replacement of these air-conditioning systems at the radio sites. Because we look at the radio sites as being one of our primary responsibilities. That's where that system has to be maintained. It has to be operational 24 hours. MS. DAVID: Right, understood. Understood, thank you. And I know there's a reason why on the next account numbers, the budget for 2020-2021, and then the future is all zeroed out. Could you explain that? MR. PERIATT: Yes, ma'am. So with the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, that's every five years we have to revise the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. So in the four years in between, they're—it's zeroed out. It's just a placeholder to maintain the accounts with us and it doesn't have to be created again. With the Homeland Security Grant funds, they get zeroed out. It doesn't mean they've disappeared. It's just zeroed out as an accounting purpose. MS. DAVID: Okay. MR. PERIATT: We have three years to spend the funds once they're awarded. Generally, like if you look at the 2018 grant, it was awarded in 2018. We actually get the funds in fiscal year 2019, so we have through 2022 to spend the funds, and so that's the lifecycle in the funds. We don't project them out because we don't know how much money is going to get spent in the years. MS. DAVID: Exactly. Perfect. Well, thank you for that detailed explanation. You answered all my questions, and mahalo. I yield, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Chair David. Here in Hilo, Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Aloha, Administrator, very good to see you. Thank you. Thanks for all of your hard work. It's been a very challenging set of years. And I think with climate change and everything that's happening in the world, you folks are going to continue to be at the forefront of critical importance to our County helping us navigate a number of disasters and response. And I'm just personally grateful, you've been very helpful throughout the pandemic, helping a number of my constituents get travel exemptions so they can get lifesaving medical treatment on Oahu, and just really appreciate all the information and the resources. Just some follow-up questions based on the Six-Month Progress Report, that I'm looking at here, in your program objectives. I think on the onset of the pandemic Page 338 FC-8 April 15,2021 one of the questions I had was around the COOP, the Continuity of Operations Plans for each of the various departments. It was evident that some had, others didn't,just looking to see if your agency is the one that is sort of like guiding each of the departments to ensure they have that. And the reason why I ask is because during times of disaster and especially the pandemic, people are looking to government for support for these resources, so just wanting to make sure that operations are consistent and continuing. The reason I ask, because it says, "Not started: 0% complete;" So,just seeing if any progress has been made? MR. PERIATT: Progress has been made. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Great. MR. PERIATT: What we're doing is we've requested training for the staff on doing train the trainer on the Continuity of Operations Plan, because each department has a plan. We've discovered that, gee, they're not adequate. So part of what we're trying to do is create that capability within our office so that when it's time to revise the plan, we're able to direct them in the correct way and get a plan that's functioning, that keeps their essential task which is what all the COOP is about, making sure they still can do their tasks, yet we've had the resources to respond during an emergency. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: And who are you leveraging to do these, train the trainers? MR. PERIATT: We've asked for FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) training. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. MR. PERIATT: At the Continuity of Operations Plan is a FEMA program. To be able to fully understand it—we've taken the online courses that are offered at the Emergency Management Institute. Now we just need to get deeper knowledge and to be able to fully facilitate the production of these plans. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, great. Thank you. And love hearing the fact that, you know, one of the program objectives this year is to tackle Chapter 7. Council Member Lee Loy and I were, you know, we had preliminary conversations with Talmadge about that. We're working with Roy Takemoto. So understanding that this is being driven by changes to statute, but what else? I mean, is the After-Action Report from the 2018 eruption helping to sort of guide any changes to the Code? I mean, I feel like there are a lot of lessons learned that maybe you're applying to the pandemic and to code changes, and do you want to give you an opportunity to elaborate what those are. Page 339 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MAGNO: So back to your original question, about the Continuity Of Operations Plan. I also wanted to add that I've been in discussion with the Mayor, and he's supportive of the program. Also to bring on his new cabinet and those department heads along with this program. So at all levels, we'll work at that. As far as the After Action from 2018, we have been instituting, like Barry talked about the GIS program, that's all part of it, which includes Everbridge for communication. So I think we have been working on a lot of the big-ticket items created from that After Action, which also includes COOP plans. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Right. Administrator, you brought up Everbridge. I noticed in the report about 10,000 individuals are signed up for it. Have you seen any increase during the pandemic; and you know, is there a plan to encourage more residents to sign up for these critical messages? MR. MAGNO: There has been a slow increase, you know, you can see the numbers climbing. But in addition to what you see, that 10,000, is all that social media. We brought on a whole cadre of emergency hires during this event. So we have one person monitoring social media, and she's tracking all the different demographics as far as—so we're outreaching to way beyond 10,000 people. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Great. MR. PERIATT: If I may add to that? In the Everbridge System, we have roughly 10,000 who have registered, signed up themselves. Everybody is in the system. If we have to send an alert, that's going to affect the entire island, even people who haven't signed up are already registered in the system. We don't send message traffic to them right now, when we're talking about the pandemic, or a flooding, or a road closure, because they didn't sign up for it. But if we have a tsunami coming and we need to get people out, we have the ability to reach everyone on the island if they have a phone, if their number is in the phonebook, and even unlisted numbers are in the system. We can reach the entire island, if they have a phone. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. MR. MAGNO: Right. So if you want to cover all the different programs, even folks that—the travelers. If they are on the island, we've got the national wireless emergency alert system, so we can hit every cellphone that's on the island. I think our outreach, for when it needs to be, could be very vast. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Great. So those systems are in place in the event that we really need it. Page 340 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MAGNO: Yes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Tsunami, eruption, whatever have you. We've experienced so much of it. Thank you. I just wanted to spend a little bit of time on the radio systems. I know that one was taken out during the 2018 eruption, and we were as a County trying to secure—is it 428 monies to reinstitute that system? I just ask this because I've gone to a couple of ride-alongs with Fire and Police, and not catching in certain locations the radio system. So just wondering if you had an update on where we are with capturing federal funds. Or maybe this is a question for Deanna. But it's critical for Puna. Just a high-level overview, and I can follow up with you folks for more details. Thank you. (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. SAKO: So that was a specific project to replace the radio. And we're currently under the appeal process because what FEMA said it would cost us to replace that equipment on the tower, it's costing much more. So we should be hearing back from them in the next week or two, and then they can move ahead with the project. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Deanna, can you share what the disconnect is, like why they are not seeing the value in what our objectives are and what our cost estimates are to replace? MS. SAKO: I think they understand the importance of the system. But when the original cost estimates were done, for whatever reason they were much lower, you know, whatever was accepted by FEMA. And so now that we're actually going ahead and moving forward with the project and we have the estimates, they're a lot higher than what FEMA thought it would cost. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, thank you. And please keep me posted if we need to leverage our Congressional Delegation. Happy to make a call to them. MS. SAKO: Will do. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thanks. Just a final question, folks, and it's two-part. I want to know how we can better leverage our community partners. No secret, 2018 it was part of community to found Pu`uhonua o Puna, that information and supply hub. And I think there are ways that the County can partner with community. You know, I noticed in your reports here you talk about CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) teams, and many of these individuals Page 341 FC-8 April 15,2021 are high-risk population and don't want to put themselves out in harm's way if they can avoid it, specifically in the pandemic. So just plans to further engage community and train them out. Maybe not as intensely as CERT, even though that's what we would like. But in the moment of disasters, when they're activating,just want there to be some communication and collaboration between the County, because you have access to the best information and resources and ensuring that flows nicely, to community boots on the ground that really know how to respond based on the uniqueness and culture of their particular neighborhoods. MR. MAGNO: You know, I thought we were making some pretty good headway after the eruption. And then with this pandemic, a lot of things had to kind of scale back because of the isolation or the distancing that we had to create. So, a lot of programs have hurt. But you're right as far as outreaching. You know, the CERT communities—and we're about to start some outreach because of the different activities that's going on in the island. That we have to get people notified of what's going on so that they can be prepared. And then, we're also going to go into hurricane season shortly so again, another opportunity to get people integrated with our operation. Our capacity is limited, so you can kind of see right now that with all the operations we're running, the public outreach is difficult. As we move through this pandemic and things open up more, I see that we can move, you know, not just with CERT but into the community. I guess knowing who's out there that wants to collaborate, you know, if we could start that movement, first to get that idea of that list and then we can make that—steps forward to start working together. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Talmadge, I don't want you to feel as if I am directing you to do more. I think that every one of us on the Council is here for a reason, and it's because our community trusts us to represent their interests, and we have vast networks and connections. So let us help you, right? We can help you design what that list looks like, map that out. I mean, there are assets in every community that we can be leveraging to start various resilience hubs. I think that's critical. There are things that I think community can do. Low-hanging fruit. I'm looking at your program objectives; if we can more residents trained up in doing damage assessments, I think that would be very helpful, so we're not leaving federal money on the table. There's also Inventory = Track all Hawaii Island Disaster Response Resources, we can help with that. And if the Civil Defense dashboard can be used to sort of house all that information, great. But look at us as partners in helping you to sort of continue and elevate this work. I just don't want to have these same conversations again during budget cycle. You guys are stretched really thin. This Page 342 FC-8 April 15,2021 is an invitation, I guess, to collaborate with you folks. So, thank you. Thanks for all of your hard work. MR. MAGNO: Yeah. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Mr. Richards, go ahead. MR. RICHARDS: Thanks, Chair. Thanks, Director, for being here. I'm just going to segue right off of what Ms. Kierkiewicz just talked about. And, Ashley, to the point, Talmadge has reached out to start the collaboration process. Talmadge, we talked about the siren over at Waikoloa. And just so people hear it, because this is a public thing, the siren has been approved. It's forthcoming. It's in the hands of the contractor to put it up whenever that comes. And so, there's nothing more for us to do to push that any faster, any farther, is that correct? MR. MAGNO: Right. The notice to proceed has been issued to the contractor. You know, we can kind of keep track. And with State, trying to motivate them to get the contractor going, my last communication is that when they start work, they like to line up several jobs. MR. RICHARDS: Right. MR. MAGNO: So, you know, there's a lot of work to do on the island regarding sirens. I have no timeline at this point. But they're at the point that everything's been taken care of already, and it should start. Should start. MR. RICHARDS: Should start, yeah. So, it's in process and it's in the queue. It's approved, it's funded, it's all set to go, and we're just waiting for the contractor to actually get the thing built? MR. MAGNO: Yes. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. So I just wanted to because I'm sure there are people on Waikoloa side, and we've been talking about this as long as I've been in office, so I'm glad that's forthcoming. Now, talking about the CERT, and we've talked about this—and I completely agree that you guys are stretched thin. Civil Defense hasn't gotten a break since we've been in, you know, at least since I've been on Council. But I'm hoping that you guys would be able to take a little bit of pause and start catching up. Couple of things I'm concerned about. End of life cycles of equipment, there's Page 343 FC-8 April 15,2021 noI don't see a plan policy going forward. We discussed this with the Fire Department. We discussed this with IT (Information Technology). That needs to be a structure coming forth. And there will be—we as a Council have to help you find the funding to get that, but a plan, obsolescence plan, recycling, whatever the case may be. That is very, very important for us going forward. And I hear what you're saying about, you know, we're coming end of cycle and we have to replace these things. I completely agree, but we need to have plan for that replacement. So a capital investment, whatever, however you want to term it, and we as Council are going to help find it. I'm looking over at Deanna, and she's nodding vigorously. But I think that some funds should be coming available going forward as we get into this job plan, the American Jobs Plan. So I'm hoping that we're going to be able to find some funding for you as we go into this. Talking about that, as well, sitting on the GIA (Grants In Aid), the Red Cross, and I know you've been interacting with Red Cross quite a bit unfortunately, for the last couple of years. When we talked to them, I asked the question, "How are you guys set up to respond?" He said, "Well initially,before the lava episode . . ." So this was a little bit stutter-step, but now they've been activated so much, they're really working smoothly. The point on that is that that's the end-of-action report, is what we're talking about here, planning going forward. Spring boarding off of that, talking about the CERT teams. Council Woman Kimball and I have been talking about coordinating the CERT teams between her District 1 and my District 9; and Talmadge, we've had those conversations about that, to get that together. We've also discussed about coming up, and I guess I would say the realigning or rewriting the emergency plans for our districts and having whatever we need to do,public output. We're there and we're ready to get things going. We have people ready to help to do that. But again, you guys have been stretched, and making plans when you guys are in the middle of responding to a whole bunch of stuff is hard, I realize that. But I think the timing is right. You know when we talked about the repeaters that we have, we've got to get these things deployed. And so as we're going through this, for me, what I'd like to see is plans for the obsolescence and the plan replacement of equipment coming forth; and then setting up programs for engaging the community to help with these emergency plans. And like I said—like Ashley said, we stand ready to help out with this kind of stuff. Because our district, you know, wildfire is huge in my district. And we have the escape road, where we had Director Rodenhurst two weeks ago now going through the escape road. That's actually in pretty good shape. They've been doing a really good job taking care of that. But the communication thing is key and paramount. And we want to help make sure that we haveI think you can refer to it, Talmadge is the backbone, the communication backbone, to make sure. Page 344 FC-8 April 15,2021 So going forward, that's what I think we can do to help you help us. So I just wanted to get that stuff out there and see where we can go. I don't have any big questions on your budget. But I think we can help you find some stuff to start improving the overall engagement especially from the civilian side, the CERT teams and things like that, the volunteer side. So that's all I've got for you right now. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, Chair. Thank you both for being here. It's nice to see you in person. We've talked a couple of times on the phone and coming over to visit you folks has been high on my list; and unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to do that yet. I'd like to get eyes on the operations. That's kind of I'm a visual person. I run off of what Council Member Richards was saying in terms of the need. We talked about this with the other departments. I'm sure you watched the videos, but just sort of understanding of what the equipment needs will be over the long-term and plans regarding maintenance. Do you guys have a maintenance plan in place already for the ? You guys have a lot of critical equipment obviously, is there a maintenance plan in place? MR. MAGNO: There is a partial maintenance plan in place actually, with the new radio system, Motorola, was contracted to continue with a 10-year maintenance plan. But we're talking about the bigger structures, the actual structures, I guess, that need some kind of towers or repeater sites. They need a site plan for them. MS. KIMBALL: I wonder if that actually this isI'm going to talk about the CERT training and the community involvement a little bit here, too. I wonder if that's something that we should not put on you guys. There's been a couple comments about how much you folks have to be responsible for, and I'm looking at the overtime numbers, which means there are periods of time that you guys obviously have to do, go above and beyond already. We've had an unusual couple of years, but I don't think that they should be considered unusual for the future. I mean I think we're the given climate change and the other things going on—I mean, you've got to be tough to live here, right? It's not for wimps. You got hurricanes. You've got tsunamis. You've got earthquakes. You've got volcanoes. You've got climate change, flooding, fires. You're a crisis response organization, and I think that we should expect that. Page 345 FC-8 April 15,2021 What I want to throw up to my colleagues is for us to think about, there's all these planning pieces that need to get done, and I wonder if they don't belong somewhere else. And I'm not sayingI'm not trying to diminish your expertise, because obviously you have tremendous expertise, but I wonder if, for example, R&D (Research and Development) might have a role in some of this outreach effort. And I'm just throwing it out there for conversation, I'm not trying to prescribe it. But I'm trying to understand that you folks are your role is to respond to crisis, and maybe because there are these gaps in addressing, like Program 360 and the COOP, that maybe we may need to pull some of that out. Is there a standard operating procedure you provide to the departments for the development of their COOPS? MR. PERIATT: No ma'am, there isn't. When the COOP plans were originally developed, we brought in FEMA and a contractor to develop those plans, and they were put together. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. MR. PERIATT: That's why there was no institutional knowledge to maintain them and refine them. And that's why we sought—we've taken the online training. Now we're seeking the train the trainer training, so that we can help the departments bring those COOP plans into a usable document. MS. KIMBALL: Yeah, okay. There's a couple of interesting points there. But some of the stuff being able to be contractedI mean I know we contracted the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. To me, that document was a little bit nothing. I'm not going to go too much into detail. But did we get grant funding for that or was that something that came out of our budget? MR. PERIATT: Well, it was funded 75 percent. For the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, we do have a 25 percent match with that. MS. KIMBALL: And is that federally funded? MR. PERIATT: It' federally funded. MS. KIMBALL: Through FEMA? MR. PERIATT: We go after a mitigation grant to do that. MS. KIMBALL: Great, okay. And that's five years? We need to do that every five years? MR. PERIATT: Yes, ma'am. In order to be eligible for any federal funding, the Mitigation Plan has to be updated every five years. Page 346 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. KIMBALL: The Everbridge, I assume that's the $46,000 electronic notification? MR. PERIATT: Yes, ma'am. MS. KIMBALL: Yeah, seems like an excellent tool. MR. PERIATT: It is. The price tag, you look at it, if you want to look at a percentage of our budget, our Operating Budget, that's a big chunk. But what we get out of it, we think it's worth every penny. MS. KIMBALL: It sounds like it, and I have no problems with that money. I'm curious though, you said three years is the current contract. Are we expecting a major jump? Is it they're losing money onus right now? I mean, are we expecting this to be one and half times, double? What percentage increase do you think we'll expect in three years? MR. PERIATT: Based on their current billing cycle, it would the cost would more than double. When it's time to renew the contract, we would do a Request for Proposals, and so we'll solicit bids from all the providers. We like the system we have now, and we think it's the best one for us. But we'll have to cross that bridge when we get there, seeing what else is available when it's time to do that renewal of the contract. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. I have one last question about the computer hardware. Deanna, Director Sako, is this lease-to-own or just buy outright? And should we—if it's not lease-to-own, should we maybe consider leasing for these guys? just because—with GIS in particular, and some of the Civil Defense-related software, I mean that—it's pretty rapid development of need for the hardware to support it. I'm just wondering if it makes more sense to just lease instead of buy outright. MS. SAKO: They'll look at it when we get to that point in discussion with IT, just to make sure we're all on the same page. But some of these things are lease-to-own because we doI realize it changes quickly, but we do tend to use it a little longer, you know, and make it last. But we can evaluate the options when the time comes. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. Yeah, I just want to throw that out there because—are these figures for a purchase? MS. SAKO: The ones in the equipment account? MS. KIMBALL: Yeah. Page 347 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. SAKO: Yeah, in the equipment account, they're under they're for purchase; and when they're under rental or a lease, then they're to lease it out. MS. KIMBALL: Of course, that makes sense. Alright, that's all the questions I have for you folks. Thanks, Chair. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Ms. Lee Loy, do you have a question? MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Thanks, gentlemen, for being here. I just had a couple of questions. Does the department of a supplemental budget? MR. MAGNO: No. MS. LEE LOY: Perfect. You know, earlier Ms. Kierkiewicz talked about it, you know, the After-Action Plan and then some of the needs. And we've talked about this, and it sounds like you guys are right at the cusp of kind of developing a Needs Assessment Plan. But I was wondering how the After-Action Plan and the policies kind of—your requirements, you know, through HRS (Hawai`i Revised Statutes), if there was an ability to crosswalk that information so we could actually develop better policy at the County level. And this actually spring boarding off of with some of the work that myself and Ms. Kierkiewicz started on how to revise Chapter 7 a little bit, to make it more available to you folks to be trigger-ready. MR. MAGNO: I think we can definitely have that conversation as far as what we got out of the After-Action Review and how that could be input into whatever policies that we need to enact. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, I think we have two functions here on the dais, right? It's the budget and then legislate, right? What I hear my colleagues saying is, "Let us help you,"right? So if we can legislate policy that actually helps, then that's what we also want to do. So as we glean out information related to the budget, we also want to create successes, and if gleaning out information from the budget also requires a policy shift, we want to hear that also. So yeah, if we could kind of reconnect on changing up Chapter 7 a little bit and using some of the tools that you guys already have available and some of the needs that we might be able to foresee or forecast, that would be incredibly helpful for our work, you know, aside from the budget, great. MR. MAGNO: Absolutely. Thank you. MS. LEE LOY: Thanks, gentlemen. I yield. Page 348 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Mr. Chung, go ahead. MR. CHUNG: Yeah. Hi, good morning, Barry, Talmadge. I just have a few comments, questions; and this is unlike, you know, what I've asked of the other public safety components of our County. I didn't get to ask it of Police yesterday. Is this budget enough for you guys? Is your budget enough for you guys to carry out, you know, your responsibilities in a safe manner to the community? I mean I know you've got to say yes, right? But I know there's a lot of constraints that you folks have, right? Instructions of keeping a status quo budget and—what are your thoughts? And I'm not trying—it's not a loaded question. I just want your feelings on this. I mean, where could improve? Where we could we beef up funding for you, if possible? MR. MAGNO: Well, if we're talking pie-in-the-sky situation? MR. CHUNG: Yeah, well not total pie-in-the-sky; but you know,just reasonable pie-in-the-sky. MR. MAGNO: Well, you know, we've seen this. As Barry pointed out, as we undergo back-to-back incidents and overlapping incidents, simultaneous incidents, it was pointed out here as far as community outreach and so forth, it would be great if we could reach and take care of all those activities. You know, I kind of hope you know, because we are pretty active in Kona, west side, and we don't really have a presence on that side. One of thoughts is to have an office on that side. MR. CHUNG: I see. MR. MAGNO: You know, we can get by with this budget. I think, you know, maintain safety for the community and do the outreach, if we're not busy doing other stuff. But a little bit more capacity on the west side would help us expand. MR. CHUNG: That's nice. And that kind of follows up with what Ms. Lee Loy was talking about, a Needs Assessment. So that's something that you would like to see, and maybe we could all work towards getting that done. You know,just in terms of comparison, and I don't know the answer to this. I'm not asking loaded questions; I just want to get more information. How much staffing does like Maui County have for their Civil Defense Agency? Do you know? MR. MAGNO: Maui is comparable to us. MR. CHUNG: Okay. Page 349 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MAGNO: They're slowing bringing their numbers down. They had a bunch of vacancies. Kauai, actually looked at us as a template and are trying to follow us. But we're all pretty much equivalent. You know, that 127 Alpha, the reason for that is so that under emergency, we can bring about all the County resources. MR. CHUNG: Right. So in terms of manpower and personnel resources, you guys are okay then, I mean, with the exception that you would like to beef up your presence out on West Hawaii? MR. MAGNO: Right. So I would say for our current situation, we're good for the east side, that numbers; but now we're like—my staff is spread out all over the island. MR. CHUNG: Okay. MR. MAGNO: And so that's splitting us up. For most of this pandemic, I had staff not even in the EOC (Emergency Operations Center) because they had to be on the west side, so we kind of lost continuity with that person. You know, the island is growing. The population is split, and we've got to care for everybody. So not just the dense populations, but the remote areas too, we've got to make sure that we're aiding those folks. MR. CHUNG: Well, I would suggest you work with our West Hawaii contingent as well as everyone else here, you know, because I'm sure we support that concept. And perhaps maybe not in this budget, maybe even in this budget but in budgets to come, could move in that direction, yeah, incrementally, when you get to a certain place. But I just wanted to thank you for all you guys do. I think one of the unsung things from your department that I've heard, and I think both Ms. Kierkiewicz and Ms. Lee Loy as well, is the support you guys have been putting forth for the vaccination clinics. People don't know about that, yeah, what you guys have been doing in support of them. And I've heard that, you know, from all of those people who have been putting on these clinics. They're really appreciative of what you guys have been doing. I just wanted to make that comment. But thank you for all your good work. MR. MAGNO: It's definitely been a team effort. You know, everybody that's here—and I've got to put a shout out to the Guard(National Guard)because they're a big part of it. With them, a lot of these operations wouldn't go on. Thanks. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Chung. Ms. Villegas, do you have a follow-up question? Page 350 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. VILLEGAS: Thank you, Mr. Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder. I do. Talmadge, can you tell me who the contracted vendor for the IT (Dept. of Information Technology) equipment and software that Civil Defense is seeking funding for? MR. MAGNO: You know, for computer equipment, I believe we go through IT and procurement, as far as you know, we give them the specs, and they provide the equipment. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. So you guys don't do the RFP (Request for Proposal) for all that? MR. MAGNO: We'll work with purchasing to come up with the specification, and then that will go out. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay, thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Ms. David. MS. DAVID: Thank you, Chair. Director, thank you again. I just have one comment and a question regarding your final status report. On the radio system upgrade in the South Point and Ocean View tower site, could you—is that the like the radio system that would allow our people to be able to get notices better? Are you upgrading so that the Civil Defense kind of messages can get out? Is that what these upgrades are? MR. MAGNO: No, we're talking about two different things. So the LMR (Land Mobile Radio) is actually the County's radio system that Fire, Police, us, Public Works, anybody that's got a—Mass Transit, anybody that runs a radio operation. MS. DAVID: Okay. MR. MAGNO: That's what we're talking about. So South Point is going to be redone. But to answer your question, what we've been—we're working with Chris Leonard, and he is the PL-1, the primary radio station for emergency messaging on this island. He's gone out, and it looks like the South Point site is the preferred to put, I guess it's a transmitter, so that he can broadcast into your communities with his station. MS. DAVID: Okay. MR. MAGNO: So we're looking at that. It's going to be about$50,000, and then we'll see if we can get federal money for that. Page 351 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. DAVID: Really? Okay, because that's pretty much a concern, Especially for the Ka`u area. Mainly Pahala is very remote and that would greatly help that rural community. And let me know if you folks need some help in supporting that effort,just give me a buzz, okay? And other than that, I really thank you folks for all you folks have done in this pandemic and all the other disasters that we've been having. I know you'll hear that all day. We can't appreciate you enough, so mahalo for you and your department for all that do you and your explanation on this radio. Thank you very much. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. David. Holeka, any follow-up questions? MR. INABA: A`ole thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Hilo, I see no lights. Okay, gentlemen, good presentation. I liked your budget review in the beginning, that was very helpful. You guys have about$900,000 increase in your budget. I'm looking at 2019-2020, and I think you spelled some of those changes and where they came from. I'm just going to follow up on some of the things that I heard that don't quite line up, or just for clarification. You said three computers, but what I'm seeing on here desktop PCs (personal computers) there's ten listed. I and wanted to clarify with you on whether or not you meant to say three, but that's ten. But you have $14,700 for desktop PCs in your budget for 2021-2022. MR. PERIATT: For that, it's three desktop computers and seven laptop computers. That's the total, and that's what's on our 201. So if it's saying something else there, that's an error. So, we'll have to get corrected. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, you've got on here desktop PCs, ten at$14,700, and then you have a separate line item for laptop. It just says "laptop," and then there's $7,700. So your total, and I'm looking at that jump there for Civil Defense Agency equipment at about$22,000. MR. PERIATT: Okay. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And already budgeted. MR. PERIATT: Like I said, that ten is not accurate. We're looking at three. And the total price for the desktop, our GIS (Geographic Information System) is $9,675. That's the price list put out by Finance for the GIS capable desktop computer. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, so Page 352 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. PERIATT: I stand corrected, we also are purchasing three more desktops that are not GIS capable, and that total is $14,000. So we're purchasing a total of ten computers. The three laptops are included in that line item. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So what's the laptop line item then, for $7,700? MR. PERIATT: That's the laptop mid-range PCs. There's three of those, and based on the cost list provided by Finance, three of those equates to $7,712. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I'm sorry, you're buying laptops within the desktop PC line item as well as buying laptops on laptop line item? MR. PERIATT: No, sir. We're buying seven desktops and three laptops. We're buying a total of ten computers. We intend to replace a total of ten computers. The ten listed, under the desktop PCs is an error. That should be a seven. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. PERIATT: And then we're doing the three laptops in addition to that. So it's ten total computers we intend on replacing this year. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, so three laptops under that line time, so you're looking at about$2,500 per laptop, is that right? MR. PERIATT: Essentially, yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Wow, okay. MR. PERIATT: Yeah, that's—and we don't make up the figures. We take them direct from the price list that were provided for a computer replacement. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Civil Defense, Sandbags, zero for 2019-2020, and we saw some—we know how much flooding we get. It's not really a question. Are sandbags a normal purchase for you? Are you providing these to the community? What's the deal? Because usually it's bring your own sandbag, we provide the sand. MR. PERIATT: We provide that's the strategy we've been employing lately. However, we do maintain—we purchase sandbags. Public Works delivers those when there's active flooding going on. So individuals may have gone to the sandpile and gotten sandbags and protected themselves. Not everyone does that, and even if you do that, sometimes the conditions are much worse than you Page 353 FC-8 April 15,2021 anticipated. Just this last year, we had massive flooding that we haven't seen in a while. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah,just last month we had massive flooding. MR. PERIATT: Yeah. We purchased sandbags. We don't purchase them every year, but we keep that line item in there because it all depends on the conditions and how we're affected. Right now we do have, I believe, 3,000 sandbags still in the warehouse. When Public Works needs them, they get them; if we need to provide them during an emergency, that's where they go. So we maintain a stash for those purposes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, that's good. Now you were talking about batteries, batteries are expensive, especially if you're talking DC, well they're all DC, if the don't— MR. on'tMR. PERIATT: They're about$140 a piece, the batteries we use. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And people are stealing them? MR. PERIATT: In some locations. And that's the problem with being in remote locations. There's not anyone around. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So they have time and no one watching. MR. PERIATT: They've got time to go in and case the place, and"Okay, I can go get these batteries." The most—we've taken steps at some of the remote sites that are primary targets. In fact, Kauna Point was just broken into last week. Pictures of the individuals have been turned over to the Police Department, and they're working on that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Good, okay. Maybe we could find something a little bit more shocking when they open that cabinet. MR. PERIATT: Well, I don't know if we can do that but. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Without getting ourselves in trouble. I see the difference between your 115 account and your 109 account. Thank you for clarifying what that jump was. Just to touch on, you know, your Civil Defense, Everbridge. You said you 10,000 people currently signed up, a possibility of sending out a mass communication, if needed, a notification. But 10,000 people really isn't that much compared to our island population. So when we look at cost rising because Page 354 FC-8 April 15,2021 of the need to address so many people of that mass notification system, but only 10,000 being reached, I'm trying to figure out what that—it seems like a little disconnect between the amount of people we're reaching versus the overwhelming notifications on the Everbridge provider. Just touch on that for me, if you can? MR. PERIATT: Yes, sir. When we brought Everbridge online, what we did, part of the process is, every phone number on this island, every landline phone number, every business, every home, even unlisted numbers, are loaded in to the Everbridge System, so we have access. If we have to reach anyone on this island, we can do so. We don't do that, because frankly people—if it's a road closure, most people don't want to be bothered with that. So we only send out to the people who subscribed and asked to receive those type of notifications. Now, what Everbridge gives us the capability of doing is doing a mass notification in a geographic area. So we do Polycom; every telephone in that Polycom that we draw gets called. If you enter it, if you're coming you're not in that Polycom and you enter it while alert is going on, you'll receive that call. Even if we sent it out several hours ago, your phone is going to ring and you're going to get that message. So it'sif you look at just that people who've signed up, those are the people we reach every day,just because they've signed up for notifications. But the Everbridge gives us the capability to reach an area that's being impacted, everybody in the area, and then to be able to contact the entire island without people having signed up. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Understood. I think my questions are sorry before you go on, I think my question more is, did Everbridge not understand the amount of people that we service when we signed the original contract? We're a fairly a small population. They would've wanted to you know, our population hasn't grown exponentially. So did they not understand what they're walking into when they provided the first contract to do a mass notification system, or did we not submit the right numbers to them? MR. PERIATT: No, the numbers they used—all of them used for our island an estimate of 80,000, based on participation and that. And if you look at our population, and 80,000, that's just about every household—if you're looking at 80,000 households. So, that wasn't the issue. All the other systems—Everbridge uses—we wanted—one of our requirements when we did the RFP, was we wanted a one cost. We didn't want additional cost to be able to text, to send emails, to do phone calls. We wanted one cost upfront. That's why Everbridge was a little more expensive than the rest. The rest of the systems had a lower upfront cost, but we were charged for each thing that we did. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Page 355 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. PERIATT: And Everbridge has since, during our first year of the contract, they switched their billing model to one that reflects the other vendors or providers out there. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I guess they realized, you know, a hole that they want to fill with some extra income from anybody who is using their service. MR. PERIATT: Correct. And so they wanted to implement that. Because we're on our second year of the contract, they wanted to implement it. We said, "Look, you all gave us this option year, and you signed on for four additional years at our pleasure. We renewed the contract. It's there." So they've gone ahead and agreed to that, and that's why they're losing money on us. We do a lot of messaging. We do it because we think it's necessary. That's one of our functions to keep the public informed. And it's—our cost, if they were to be billing us on their current billing cycle, would run into about$200,000 right now, as the salesperson put it to me the other day. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's substantial. MR. PERIATT: That's substantial. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: From $46,000 to $200,000,per year? MR. PERIATT: Yeah. Based on the amount of traffic we send out—we've tried to reduce the amount of traffic we use because we're not—you know, it's not our intent to—we're trying to work with them. Because they changed—and we don't want them to lose money. Like I said, we like the system. It does what we need it to do. We're just hoping they come around with their pricing model, when it's time to do the RFP. But we've got them for three more years if we choose to continue to renew the contract. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you for holding their feet to the fire as far as providing what they estimated in their original contract, and not going with that larger quote then. That would be even a larger increase in your budget then, as well. You know, something has come up again and again, especially as we look at climate change, tsunami inundation. I looked at some of the maps; but if you look at Hilo, basically every facility, major facility we have, is within a possible inundation zone. Our County buildingsI mean even Chris Leonard, he's barely outside of the inundation zone. So what is our plan for that going forward? If we had a 10-foot, 20-foot tsunami,just putting it out there, do we have a plan going forward? And I see in here, it's there, it's being discussed, but do we have a real Page 356 FC-8 April 15,2021 plan for that? Even almost every one of our County's facilities, major County facilities, is in that zone. MR. MAGNO: You know, and that comes down to the COOP Plan, basically. Every department, you know, whether it's a simple electrical problem in the building that shuts you down and you've got to move to another office, or a disaster that takes out your whole building and all your infrastructure, that's where the COOP Plan comes in. We don't have a plan at that level. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It's not out of the possibility range. I mean, given what we've seen in the past ten years, it's definitely within the scope that we could see a large tsunami could happen. MR. PERIATT: Yes, sir. And part of the Police certification, their annual certification process, they're in charge over the actual evacuation. It's their responsibility. Part of their certification process is to have the plan, and we have the copy of their plan on how they're going to do the evacuation piece. Hilo, Kailua-Kona, those are the two areas that are primarily responsible. But it covers the entire island. It's just those two areas, Kailua-Kona and Hilo, where we have the mass population that is sitting in an inundation zone. Part of the inundation studies, when we do the Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan, is an inundation study is done. The current study that exists took into account the 1946 tsunami, the 1960 tsunami, 1957 tsunami, the 1975 tsunami—so Alaska, Kamchatka, and Chile, and then Halape. And it also looked at modeling Pac-Cascadia(Pacific Northwest's Cascadia fault line), so Pacific Northwest. It looked at Japan event, since now we have data for Japan or some data for Japan, it mapped or modeled an event happening at Mariana Trench in Guam. And then it looked another event down in Fiji, where almost never get affected from anything there, the thermometry doesn't equate to it. So, that was all done and put into the study. The inundation map we have is of a worst-case scenario. So if Alaska were to be the event, Hilo would be hit harder than Kona. If it's in American Samoa, Guam, obviously Kona is going hit harder than Hilo. So it takes into account all of that, and so it's a worst-case scenario. And when you look at that, we overlaid that with our current evacuations zone. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: What was the size of the wave for your worse-case scenario? MR. PERIATT: The worse-case scenarioI don't know the size of the wave. The wave's variable. But they provide us the inundation for it. And in the worse-case inundation, right now you're sitting in what's called the Kaiko`o Project, was completed in 1971. Page 357 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We're also sitting almost on the side of Shinmachi, yeah, which is ? MR. PERIATT: I understand. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah. MR. PERIATT: And that's why they did the Kaiko`o Project, which they completed in 1971. That elevated the ground we're sitting on, almost 30 feet. So in the current study, you'll seen inundation that passes this building. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah. MR. PERIATT: Goes over the Aupuni Center. But in the inundation study now, it ends here. The inundation stops here because of what was done to mediate or mitigate the event of a tsunami. MR. MAGNO: So the guidelines by Pacific Tsunami Warning Center is a quarter mile inland or 50 foot in elevation to get outside of the inundation zone. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That has to be based on some kind of a wave height, yeah? MR. MAGNO: It's based on what we've had historically. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: When was that done? MR. PERIATT: The study was last done for the 2005 Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I wonder if they took into account an estimated three-to-five-foot raise in sea level? MR. MAGNO: Probably not at that time. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Probably not done, yeah? MR. MAGNO: So as far as what you're bringing up, sounds like the evacuation part, you know, we work on that every year, trying to nail that down, and we're putting in a big effort on it this year. You know, like you pointed out, the infrastructure that's within that inundation zone, as far as planning for that, that's long-range planning. If you want to move those items out of that kind of hazard area or to create redundancy for those infrastructures, that's a huge cost. Page 358 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: There's apart of the reason I'm bringing it up, we have the Coastal Zone Management, and there's a large piece of funding coming in to study that area, what it's going to look like in the future and how to plan for that. So it may be worthwhile tapping into a little better or combining the two plans and taking a look at them together. I don't know if that's helpful or not, or if you're aware of that. MR. MAGNO: No, but we should confine plans where it's appropriate, and definitely take into considerations all the hazards that we look at here. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. Two other things. Within your budget, now you got radio equipment, repair system maintenance, and then communication equipment maintenance, but they seem to all kind of overlap as far as being radio equipment based. Is there a reason for the separation? Sorry to bounce back and forth. MR. PERIATT: There is a reason for the separation. The $360,000 is for the overall County system. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. PERIATT: And then our radio equipment repair, that's for the individual Civil Defense radios. The contract, or the maintenance contract, when those were purchased, has since expired. And so that's what our Radio Systems Manager said conceivably, this is how much money we'll need to maintain our radios in our vehicles and our hand-held radios, so that's where that money comes in. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. PERIATT: So that's the $12,000, out of the Radio System maintenance. That's our Radio System equipment. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I see you get in 109, you've got communication equipment maintenance; and then you get seven, Other Radio Equipment Repair. And if I flip the page MR. PERIATT: Okay. I'll have to—I've got to talk to the Radio Systems Manager. I know why we did the $12,000. I don't know what the $5,000 here of the top of my head is for. And I know the $360,000 is all the contracts to go into maintaining the radio system, from the towers to the generators, to the batteries. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah,just for ease of going into the budget and just for making it real transparent, because you know, we're not budget analysts, but I'm just looking at different categories that fall into the same section, really. I'm just trying to break it down. Page 359 FC-8 April 15,2021 And then the same one for a/c systems equipment and a/c maintenance, same idea? Because you have three a/c systems radio sites. It's about$10,000 a system, and you also had a a/c maintenance. MR. PERIATT: The a/c systems for the radio sites, that's for the radio system. The a/c maintenance is for our facilities. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, okay. MR. PERIATT: So we run at the EOC, and also we maintain a system at the warehouse because we have some stuff down there that needs climate control. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And what kind you know, at $10,000 a piece, if three is the correct number—did you say three or two, when you talked about this? MR. PERIATT: I talked about two. When we were replacing these, we discovered there's several things we need to do in the contracting process, which increased the contract, for getting them replaced. And that's why we looked at $15,000 is the correct cushion to able to replace the system and have it fully operational. Because we're going back now, we have design cost that we had to go into and now electrical installation costs that weren't part of the original contract. So the goal is two, if we can—depending on the cost, we'll go ahead and go with three. So as I said, those six systems are at end of life. So, we don't know how long they're going to go. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We saw something similar with IT. They had two redundant a/c systems, both failed, which cost us a server. So yes, please. But I'm just checking your numbers. It says three on there, and you said two. Okay. MR. PERIATT: Yeah. So two—on our 201, we put two, and I think it does say three in the actual budget we did there, but in realityI should have corrected that. Because when talking with Ron, our Radio System's Manager over additional cost, we had to come up with based on not having everything in the initial contract to replace that air conditioner. That's what increased the cost. So we went from, okay, we can do three, to we can do two, and we'll do two each year. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And just because we're talking about it, you know, what kind of a/c system is that, for $15,000 a piece? Right. That's a nice system. Just because I know, when we did a system across the street and we had an a/c down for a 16 by 20 room, and it was about$400,000 I think for the replacement. Page 360 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. PERIATT: The exact system, I can't tell you the specifics. I just know it's sufficient. The radio shack for each tower, it's cooling. It's sufficient to do that. So I can get you the specifics on the radio, or the air conditioning system. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Just checking. Just doing my job. You know, actually, try get some numbers for me. Shoot them back to me, if you can. I'd be interested because that's a fairly nice a/c system. I come from the electrical field, yeah, so it's not unknown to me. Yeah, okay. Thank you. That's all my questions. And then before I close them up, you know, we have been through so much, and say at least in the last six seven years, if not forever. But you guys do an amazing job and you're there when we need you. I just want to mahalo you, and not just you two but everybody else within your department. And given what we did to the COVID, and tsunamis, and constant flooding, it just—it never ends. But I just really appreciate what you guys have put into it and continue it, and you're sitting here in front of us and you're still wanting to keep going. Mahalo for your time today. I appreciate it. And please take back to your staff as well and let them know. Okay, thank you. Thank you for being here today. Council Members, I'm going to give you a quick—let's do a five-minute recess, and we'll come back. So let's be back here at 10:55 a.m. Recess: At 10:50 a.m., the Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 10:55 a.m. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Aloha and welcome back. Our next department for the Special Meeting of the Committee on Finance thank you for coming back from recess—is Department of Mass Transportation (sic). 2) Mass Transit: (Note: At this time, Mass Transit Administrator Brenda Carreira and Administrative Assistant Trixy Groaning came forward to address the members of the Committee) CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Brenda, why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself and your staff and go ahead and get started. MS. CARREIRA: Good morning, everyone. Good morning, Mr. Chair and the rest of the Council. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Good morning. Page 361 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. CARREIRA: For the record, my name is Brenda Carreira and I'm the Mass Transit Administrator of the Mass Transit Agency. Sitting to my right hand, who does actually three jobs for me, is Trixy Groaning. She's the Administrative Assistant I and has taken over many, many other duties, and I'm extremely thankful for her. First of all, I'd like to just say I consider myself very blessed to be back with the County, to be from the Big Island, to have this job especially during these times, when other people are not working or are not as best but blessed to be on the team. I wanted to emphasize that because when I came in 2018, we started with former Mayor Kim, and I truly learned again from the beginning what it means to be as a team. And with our new Mayor, Mayor Mitch Roth and Managing Director Lee Lord, it continues the teamwork. And I'd be the first to say that I'm blessed because we have been assisted by Research and Development, by Finance, by Human Resources, Department of Public Works, and P&R(Parks and Recreation)I'm sure I'm missing someone but it truly was when I went, and in to the times where we could have a cabinet meeting with everybody, to look around and know I not only had friends, but I had family. So we continue to have,but I thank also, the Council for your support and the continued support. We do have a presentation. If you will, on the PowerPoint? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yes,please. (Note: At this time, Ms. Carreira provided a PowerPoint presentation to the members of the Committee. For viewing of subject presentation, see the DVD copy of the meeting proceedings on file in the Clerk's Office or navigate to the Council's video archives online from the County's homepage at www.hawaiicounty.gov. A hard copy of the presentation is made a part of the record, see Comm. 103.5.) MS. CARREIRA: So, whatever questions. So I know I went by pretty fast, but we're definitely open for any questions. Again, I appreciate when people ask me for help, and I'd be the first to say, "Yeah." It's hard sometimes to ask for help, but I've got better at it, but I think I see some ways that we can do that, Of course if we can do better, always, always open for the communication and for the assistance. You know, I'd like to thinkI believe we are better. We're doing better. We are more reliable, except for when there's traffic congestion. But we don't have as many complaints that come in about the buses not coming. Trying to communicate more. And we're only going to get better, thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Thank you, Brenda. Always I think with you, a very heartfelt presentation, so, thank you. I was going to go to Kona. Questions from Kona? Page 362 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. INABA: Comeback,please. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I got no lights on here in Hilo. Maile? MR. INABA: Well, I'm reading then, starting. If there's no lights there, this is Holeka. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Nope, I got no lights in Hilo. Go ahead, Holeka. MR. INABA: Okay. Administrator, thank you for the explanation and for hosting those meetings recently that I was able to participate in for our potential hub here in Kona. I have a question. I am on page 115 of the black binder, and it relates to the taxicab investigation. Can you explain what that is, the $25,000? MS. CARREIRA: I'm so sorry. Oh, hold on. Sorry, sorry. That wouldn't happen. We would only use those funds if we were to investigate anything, because we're in charge of the taxi cabs, getting the licenses or giving licenses out. That if we needed to investigate any particular taxi, that's the money that would be used for that. We have not had to use it, but we budget for it. MR. INABA: And who would be in charge of conducting that investigation? MS. CARREIRA: That comes to our department, but I believe we could actually go through the professional the list that we get of professional services. MR. INABA: Sorry, so who conducts the actual investigation if there's a report? MS. CARREIRA: An investigator. It wouldn't be any staff member from us, but we would contract out. MR. INABA: Okay, thank you. And then—let's see, 5311.82 Federal Transit Administration, is that just the total? What is included in that$1,071,000? MS. CARREIRA: I'll have Trixy handle that. MS. GROANING: Hi. Trixy Groaning, Administrative Services Assistant I. That is one of our grants, so that is the money that the FTA (Federal Transportation Administration)provides to us that we apply for every year. That helps us with our operation expenses. Page 363 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. INABA: Okay. So those are the operating expenses, right? That's this—is expenditures. So those are the expenses for what exactly? MS. GROANING: That's just the grant that helps us with our services. So we often use it towards our Hele-On contract—so towards paying for drivers. We're working with FTA on getting a clear idea of how we can use it on the supplemental buses, as well. MR. INABA: Okay. And then 5311.97, it says "no grant." But is this a grant? Low-No (Low or No Fuel Emission Vehicle Program) Grant? I'm not sure, a little confused. MS. CARREIRA: The Low-No is the grant that we go through Federal Transit Administration, but the recipient is the Department of Transportation for electric vehicles. So the Low-No Grant, one of them like I said earlier, is for one bus. The last grant that we just did this—was just filed, the DOT did, is another Low-No grant for the three electric vehicles and the chargers, and that's specifically for electrification of the fleet. MR. INABA: Okay, thank you. That's all I have regarding the budget. And I'll reach out to you later, Brenda, about some other questions. Mahalo again. MS. CARREIRA: Thank you, sir. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Hi, Brenda, thanks for being here. Nice to meet you. I just have a question about the census data and moving us into the urban. What is the cycle on that? I mean, is it going to be the census data comes out, we're determined to be over 200,000, boom, we're urban, these things start happening? I'm asking because I was talking to Senator Shatz's office, and there was like a little bit of a delay, like almost two years. Is that your understanding, as well? MS. CARREIRA: I believe it could be, yes. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. And to do—does this—is there an enabling component from the State? Like, do they have to there was a couple of resolutions from the House and Senate that I thought were maybe there for—okay, if we hit this threshold then yes, we can have this Mass Transit Authority. I think it was under a different term. But is there a requirement that the State enable us then, as well? MS. CARREIRA: I think so. But you know, I'm sorry, I don't really know. Page 364 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. KIMBALL: Maybe colleagues know. I don't know if that'sI just wanted us to be on top of it so that there's no unintended because of those died as far as I know this current—yeah. But if it's going to be delayed anyway because of things that happened at the federal level, then maybe it's inconsequential. MS. CARREIRA: I can inquire and get back to you. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, thank you. MS. CARREIRA: Sure. MS. KIMBALL: I'd appreciate it. Just so we're on top of it. MS. CARREIRA: Sure. MS. KIMBALL: And then, the Sustainability Partners, and maybe Director Sako can answer this. I thought we had entered into a contract with them. Oh, not yet? They're still negotiating? Oh, okay. (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. SAKO: Yeah,just to clarify, the State went out for an RFP (Request for Proposals) for those type things, and I believe there was an awarded vendor for that. But I don't know that we've actually entered into a contract yet, that's why Brenda said she's working with R&D (Department of Research and Development) and Riley Saito on that. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, so the State actually is the one that has the MS. SAKO: They did RFPs for vendors and selected the best vendor, and then it's up to us to negotiate with that vendor, something that would work for us. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, great. MS. SAKO: Because we're going to make sure it's cost beneficial. MS. KIMBALL: Right, okay. I noticed, you know, big cost for you folks is electricity. I'm not surprised. Any plans to add PV (photovoltaic) or some other alternative energy to reduce the electricity cost for you folks? MS. CARREIRA: You know, that's something that we've explored. Because I was talking to Trixy too, even with the infrastructure and everything with HELCO (Hawai`i Electric Light Company) is, to try and use, yeah, EV(Electric Vehicles). Riley came up with something. And also, solar to do all of that. Those are Page 365 FC-8 April 15,2021 options for us to explore. We need to go through all of it, you know, whatever we can to reduce. MS. KIMBALL: Yeah. You have that wonderful roof there. MS. CARREIRA: Exactly. MS. KIMBALL: It's perfect. Solar panels, Matt, hint, hint. MS. CARREIRA: I use Riley. You know, basically people talk to Riley, and he just kind of explains it to me. But he's actually even diagramed it and stuff like that. So through the help with the other departments, yes, we have to look at others. MS. KIMBALL: Along those same lines,just talking about training a little bit. I know that something that you and I kind of touched upon, is making sure your mechanical staff knows how to deal with the new types of buses, whether it's EV, or hydrogen, or hybrid. Where is that in the budget? Are you beginning any of that training, cross-training work for your folks? MS. CARREIRA: Part of it is the grant. But with the hydrogen, with Mitch Yuen and others, he's already sent us kind of like this to do—he's done a little bit of a training, but online training manual, so that our mechanics can go at their pace to do that. I'm sure there will be more. US Hybrid, with the hydrogen, once they're here, would come here, and they have to do their own training, hands-on, with our mechanics. And the electrification, even like with Sustainability Partners too, if they're purchasing the vehicles, is they would need to provide training also. But when I went to the conference in 2019, AC Transit, they have places that have training. So I'm trying not to reinvent the wheel, but kind of look at what they have, and I'm talking with the other counties with their electric vehicles. So, you know, if you bring somebody, we can kind of share that person. But we're going to try and do is much online, virtual, but it just doesn't beat the actual. You know, my understand, even like the hydrogen, normal—maybe buses might have 3,500 parts, with the hydrogen it's 1,500, so there's less parts. But yeah, yes, we will be doing the training. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, great. And then as far as your capital improvements, of these, anything they're in order of priority obviously, but what's shovel-ready? You know, we've been asking—Council Richards and I have been asking in terms of what we can ask for money for. When some of these federal programs, the job programs come out, there is intention I believe to put money towards Mass Transit. Any of these ready to go? Page 366 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. CARREIRA: Probably the shelters. The bus shelters, yes. MS. KIMBALL: Just the bus shelters, okay. Alright, that's all the questions I have. Although I am going to put a plug in, and we've talked about this before, for putting your Kona side maintenance facility by Palamanui. My recommendation—or maybe I was talking to Joanna Herkes about that. But just thinking about the educational opportunity that might exist with alternative fuel, mass transit infrastructure, and the school there,just a plug in your ear about that. MS. CARREIRA: Oh, good understanding it. And I'm sorry I failed to mention that I apologize. Is that, also with the electrification, is working—Riley had brought this up also, and we talked about the Hawai`i Community College of UH (University of Hawaii)trying to set up a program there, to get—by the mechanics or, you know—so that they could be hired. But start the program there, also. MS. KIMBALL: Yeah. MS. CARREIRA: I believe they contacted the UH already. MS. KIMBALL: Great. Yeah, good. Okay, thanks. I yield Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Ms. David. MS. DAVID: Yes, thank you, Chair. Aloha, Ms. Carreira and Trixy, and thank you for your presentation. You know, in hindsight, from listening to the presentation from last fiscal and now, I really appreciate the progress that your department has made with respect to what you've planned, what your vision was, and what's being accomplished currently, so I just wanted to thank you folks for that. And then also, to ask—let me see, on your paratransit expansion, congratulations on expansions to Waimea and Puna. Is there any plans do you see plans for paratransit in the near future for Ka`u district, mainly Pahala and Ocean View? MS. CARREIRA: That is something we're still researching with Tiffany Kai, because part of it is she was trying to find somebody that we could have contact with out in Ka`u. Because of the distance too, it will probably be longer. But our intent is to have paratransit everywhere because it needs to be. It has to be. MS. DAVID: Yeah, I know. And that's—especially in the rural communities, those are the calls that I have been getting. And I need to note that your comment about the complaints decreasing is pretty accurate, because sinceI'd say in hindsight, since last year, my office really has had very minimal calls regarding the bus system and your scheduling, and so I just wanted to thank you for that. Page 367 FC-8 April 15,2021 And I think questions about your budget is pretty much self-explanatory, so I won't go into that. I just needed to ask you about the paratransit—the future of paratransit for the District of Ka`u. Other than that, I really thank you folks for all your hard work. Chair, thank you. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. David. Ms. Villegas. MS. VILLEGAS: No, thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Sorry, there's no lights in Hilo. Okay, Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: I have a question, actually. Thank you, ladies, for being here today. And I'm looking at two parts, one is your program highlights and then your six-months progress. The bus ridership, we have a total of about 500,000. MS. CARREIRA: You're talking to fiscal year 2019? MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, 2019-2020, total rider—or passengers, I should say. I guess gleaning, from the program highlights, it's a total between the passenger trips, paratransit, and then the taxi cabs. That's correct? MS. CARREIRA: Yes. MS. LEE LOY: That's correct. Are these duplicated or unduplicated numbers? MS. CARREIRA: Those numbers are not duplicated. MS. LEE LOY: Not duplicated. And then the passenger trips for the bus, is that the same cost per passenger as it is for taxi cabs? MS. CARREIRA: No, it would be different. MS. LEE LOY: Okay, so when I look at your program measures, you have total passengers, right? So bus, taxi, paratransit. MS. CARREIRA: Okay, you're talking about the Mass Transit Agency General Excise Tax? MS. LEE LOY: Yes. Yeah, so the program measures total passenger is about 500,000, with each the cost per passenger, costing about$18 per passenger. MS. CARREIRA: Yes, ma'am. Page 368 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. LEE LOY: Is that an average? And I'm asking because you just stated that the cost to ride the bus is different from the cost for paratransit, but you've lumped all of the totals together and come up with price per rider. MS. GROANING: When we did this program measures, it kind was following what's been done in the past. Where it was never asked to separate it; if you want it to be separated, we can. We're still looking at it. It's hard to give you a more accurate average due to COVID and all of that as well, because it's not an—we're still feeling it out, right? So, we are working on it, though. It is one of things that we're trying to update and give a more accurate number. MS. CARREIRA: Do you want us to do that? MS. LEE LOY: But I think it's helpful. Because if we're managing expectations, right, and then you guys go ahead and budget out based on what I see as an inaccurate assumption that it cost$18 per ride, when we know it to be more on the paratransit, and maybe even more in taxicab. And so it's challenging to set up a budget for you folks when you guys are utilizing what we know now are errors from the past and pulling it forward, and then demonstrating or showing us a budget that's actually set up for failure. I think that's my challenge right now. I have three other colleagues who sat on the nonprofit grant-in-aid, and the highest barrier to services for our vulnerable population, number one, was transportation. And so this information is critical to us, because as we award to our nonprofits or the nonprofits are trying to plan for services, this is some of the data that they're gleaning from. How much is it for a paratransit ride? MS. GROANING: Sorry, I just need clarification on what you're asking. So in regard to the fares, the fares differ across each program. And then as far as the cost, is that we that's why we're asking for more positions as we really need look into that to give something more accurate in regard to the cost per passenger for each of those programs. But that's why I do need a little more clarification, Sue. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, and I think that's why we're both asking the same thing. MS. GROANING: Yes. MS. LEE LOY: Because there's two parts, right? One is the cost, right? But how much are we subsidizing that ride? MS. GROANING: A lot. MS. CARREIRA: She can tell you that. Page 369 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. GROANING: Yeah, we are MS. LEE LOY: So what's that number? MS. GROANING: So like for example, share ride taxis, because of the program that it got established under, and that's on our to-do list, is to look at the—really look at the fares and update them and see—it's in the Master Plan, as well. A shared ride coupon can range anywhere from $2 to $6 per coupon. Because if you buy one coupon, it's $6. You buy five, it's $10. You buy ten, it's $25. You buy 15, it's $30, so the dollar value per coupon differs. We're looking—we're constantly talking about updating it, while not taking away from the people at the same time. But that program also, as we put in our slide that we didn't really go into detail of, is it's the same as our bus. So, we're constantly looking at that. And this is why the other reason Brenda is asking for an Assistant Administrator, because this stuff that she could get help with. Is looking at those programs, really looking in depth of it and seeing where we could go and what we could do. For example, we may get—so for example, we are estimating we may get $350,000 in revenues for taxi coupon sales, which have dropped significantly because of COVID, but paying out over $1 million to the vendors for it, and they're actually asking for more because of the increase in fuel prices. And the fact that because of COVID, we cannot actually do it as a share ride because of the social distancing. So it's a lot that needs to be looked into. MS. LEE LOY: I'm again hearing a lot of concern and problems. We're trying to find solutions and put the right resources. Maybe I'll ask it a different way. Total passengers 500,000, cost per passenger $18, is that an average then? MS. GROANING: Yes, it would be an average across the entire—all three programs—or all the programs, I should say. MS. LEE LOY: But now looking ahead, you budget a total of 875,000 riders or passengers, but at the exact same amount of$18 a ride. And this is where I'm having problems with the budget, we haven't extrapolated the accurate information nor have we—we haven't even put in the accurate information. And so when I'm looking at the budget, it's going to fail. It's going to fail. And so I'm having a real hard time even ask questions about your budget, as if we're going to be providing this service. Because we're going to provide a service based on numbers that has no context to one another, and then we're going to ask the taxpayers to either raise fees or supplement it some more from Highway Fund, or GE(General Excise) Fund, or General Fund—and we're purchasing equipment. Page 370 FC-8 April 15,2021 And if you think these questions are hard right now, when that Federal Transit audit comes, my questions are vanilla. I'm going to yield right now. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. MS. LEE LOY: And maybe, Deanna, I just want to have an offline conversation. Yeah, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mr. Richards. MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. Aloha, Director. Thanks for talking story on all of this stuff. Okay, first thing I've got start out this morning, I was driving in and I saw this big blue bus that says zero emission, run by Roberts. So kudos, finally getting the needle starting to move. But, you know, we've got to talk story. Again, Brenda, I've been the one that's been most critical of Mass Transit, and it's not because I don't think it. The reason I've been most critical is because I think we need it. It's imperative that we have it. I think the need for it is great. When we first took office, our budget was $10 million, and we're now at $23 (million). This was part of the plan, and this is in the Master Plan. I've got all that. Couple of questions I have. First of all, last year we had a grant from the feds approving purchase of five buses, approximately. If I recall, it was a $5 million. What was the FTA of grant? Because we hadI want to say it was $5 million. MS. GROANING: That's the grant that is still with FTA. It's still with HDOT (Hawai`i Department of Transportation. The ten—it's actually ten buses. MR. RICHARDS: Ten buses at$5 million, yeah. MS. GROANING: They would supply us with $5 million, and we would pay $1 million. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, how many of those busses have we received? MS. GROANING: It's still at the STIP (State Transportation Improvement Program) level, where we haven't got the go ahead to actually use the funds yet. MR. RICHARDS: Okay. And at the same time,we had $5 million in the budget to purchase 10 more buses, where is that? Page 371 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. GROANING: So like Brenda mentioned in her presentation, she got informed at the end of fiscal year 2019 that we got the award, with the understanding that we would—well, at the end of fiscal 2020, that we got the award, so we put it in the budget because we wanted to move on it. When COVID hit, we got paused. We keep asking them basically almost every month, "Where is this money?" Like, "Are we going get it,"because we need those buses. MR. RICHARDS: But these are two different words. One was a line item in the budget, and one was a federal grant. MS. GROANING: They're the same thing. So which one—can you explain? Like, can you point out which line item you're—like, specifically? MR. RICHARDS: No, this was from last year. What I'm trying to find out, is where the purchasing on those buses. Because this was the point, I was going to work on cutting that$5 million last year; and we did not cut, and I said, "But we have the money coming forth from a federal grant so we can ," and I won't use the word that I used last year because I've been corrected for using the word. Deanna, can you clarify this for us, please? (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. SAKO: Which is the grant you ? So the $5 million we came in for earlier this year is the one that Trixy is saying is still held up at Department of Transportation, at the State level. And then the money that we had in the budget before to buy the buses, you know, our Purchasing Department has various deadlines, and so whatever information we receive in time, we do put out for bid. I'm not sure if that one made the cut-off last year. But they have been actively pursuing the buses and getting the bids out this year. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, so that clarifies what we're talking about, and thank you for that. This was my point, last year, and I said we have COVID before us, we're not even going to get any of these buses. So I wanted to reduce our budget by $5 million. We didn't, so I assume that's going to show up in our fund balance coming forward, is that correct? MS. SAKO: It's in the General Excise Tax Fund Balance. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, and this was my point. Because we went through a whole bunch of hoop jumping, and we didn't do a good job managing those funds. So we never got any of the buses. We had a potential for 20 buses. We had the funding for 20 buses, but we got zero. Okay, that was the first question. Page 372 FC-8 April 15,2021 Second question, Director, where are with the tow truck that was in the budget last year? MS. CARREIRA: We didn't put in for one, and part of it was—well, when looking into the pandemic, looking at what's fiscally responsible, and we weren't towing as many vehicles as we did, and even now we're not. We didn't order because I didn't feel that it was responsible. But the money was still in there because we—it was still a recommendation by even SSFM that we go forward. But I was not comfortable paying for a tow truck that was $400,00, if we weren't going to use it, you know. MR. RICHARDS: Brenda, I commend you for doing that because as you recall, I argued against it. MS. CARREIRA: Yes, sir. MR. RICHARDS: It was parking money and something that we realistically, number one, couldn't afford, and number two, we weren't really going to need it. So thank you very much for not ordering the bus because that saves us half a million dollars. Now also, and I also want to commend you on that, is that in sitting in our meeting earlier, it was this week, your commitment to going to—what is that trendy term? Low Emission, No Emission, and committing towards going to 55 Low-No buses, right? 2025, I want to verify that. I heard that correctly, right? MS. CARREIRA: Okay, I'm not sure who would be under the Low-No grant, but it's with Sustainability Partners. MR. RICHARDS: Right. MS. CARREIRA: And this new contract, well they're saying they're—what they needed to know is what kind of buses we needed and how many, and we've gathered that information. And then what happens, is Sustainability Partners—is because they would buy the vehicle. They can even pay for infrastructure. They go out to the bus manufacturers. So in our, like our Master Plan, we had staggered, like five this year, five the next, so you don't have, you know, five when you're doing at the same time. But their feeling was, "No, do the 55 one time,"because it behooves them to get paid per mile, that bus stays up there. So any time the goes down, they just replace. So then I said, "Okay, if you're going to pay for this, so it saves me $55 million,"which I don't have, you know. "Okay, then do it all. But give us time to get all the infrastructure in." Because the infrastructure is going to be in Hilo, infrastructure in Kona. Page 373 FC-8 April 15,2021 Even with electrification and charging, what we're looking at, a lot of the hotel buses is requesting assistance from—in Waikoloa to allow us to have chargers there. To look at inductive charging with all the hubs, is to have electric charging at those facilities so that we're not charging at peak ours. So that whole, whole thing. And I said, "Okay, if you can buy it,"but we needed help to know. Now I know where we're going, what it is, and what's Sustainability Partners, because I was—and the federal government always wants to give—wants us to into low emissions or no emissions. So, they're going to have some more grants, you know. But yes. MR. RICHARDS: Okay, so the point is—and yeah, it wasn't the point whether this was going to be in the Low-No grant or MS. CARREIRA: Oh, okay. MR. RICHARDS: It was the direction of the department. You need 32 or 33 buses to fulfill, and then you said you wanted in that reserve of 22 buses. MS. CARREIRA: Twenty-something spares, yes. MR. RICHARDS: Yeah, okay, so that was the direction. I want to commend you on that because that is a 180-degree shift, from 12 to 18 months ago, as far direction I wanted to take that in Mass Transit. And we as a Council want to embrace the Low or No carbon footprint, when it comes to those buses. Now, I can argue about electricity side, but that's a different conversation. So I want to commend you on that. Comes back to the funding now, $23 million. This is a big jump, but it's the investment we need. I use the two $5 million points as a point of conversation because we ne need the oversight and management to make this thing make sense, and we didn't do it. I said we weren't going to do it, and we didn't do it, and that bothers me a lot. I appreciate the fact that you stood firm on the tow truck because that makes sense. That was a good financial call. So, I am concerned about the management going forward because this is a huge shift and it's going to take a lot of director-will to make this happen, function, and I am concerned going forward. But I tell you what, Brenda, I really appreciate your statement on Monday, because like I said, I almost tripped my head off when I turned so quickly, because I looked at you when you made that comment. So, I'm fully supportive of that going forward, but I'm concerned if we have the management in place. MS. CARREIRA: Mr. Richards, I agree with you, and that I understand what the concern, because I wouldn't have come up with that idea without Sustainability Partners. Because if we had to pay for all of it, that would be out the door. Okay, Page 374 FC-8 April 15,2021 the other thing is, and that's one of reasons for the supplemental budgetary request. So when we talk about buses, so the question is, to look at this too. So we have the money, we ask for grants, we ask for new things, we ask for diesel buses, because in the meantime it will be a while before we get the electric. MR. RICHARDS: And that I agree. I absolutely agree. MS. CARREIRA: But then when you look at the money, and then this is something that you need fully discuss with the Mayor and with Lee too, they are our leaders, do we continue buying new diesels or do you ask for remanufactured diesels that are less money? So we're not spending $600,000 on a new bus, because knowing that four years from now, if it all works out, we're going get electric. So that is something else. And that's why I would be discussing it with the Mayor, too, of course before going forward. But we've always been looking at new. But when you ask for used, which I'm still okay with the ten minibuses. When it's used, then you've got repair and maintenance. Hopefully with new ones, you have warranty. So just something I bring up. Transparency, you know, and all that. So, there's just a lot of things to consider. And even with the COVID, trying to get driver-protection barriers. With the buses, as much as possible, even anything new, we try actively through grants so that our local match is low. And while we're actively applying, trying to get the new ones, we still do all the Low-No grants. Anything that—with the Low-No grants, the State is the recipient, and they prepare the whole grant and file it, but we give them information, and that's what we'll continue to do. MR. RICHARDS: So to answer your question about the diesel, I completely agree with you. We're still going to need diesel buses in a transition phase. And spring boarding after something that Mr. Chung said, two years ago probably now—he's wondering what I'm going to say—when are we going to stop taking used buses? Because they do come with problems, in my thoughts. But this is a conversation for later, not right now, is that we identify what we need as far as backup buses. Those are the diesel buses for the short-term, and maybe five years, maybe ten years, I don't know. But those are our backup, because then they can go where the fuel cell buses go or where the all-electric buses go. It doesn't really matter, but it's part of the transition plan. So, I'm supportive of that and that's a conversation for a later time. So thank you, Brenda. Like I said, I am concerned. But Chair, I'm going to yield. Thank you. Page 375 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Richards. Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Aloha, Administrator Carreira. Trixy, good to see you. Thank you for all of your hard work. You know, couple of budget cycles ago, my first budget hearing, we've identified a lot of issues, discrepancies with the grant reporting. Not really satisfied, but what I've heard, and so I'm just wondering if you elaborate a little bit about the processes and protocols that you have in place to ensure proper management of these funds. And I know that Director Sako has been involved to ensure that we've got those fiscal controls in place. But again, we have a lot of potential federal funding to go after, I just want to make sure we're not jeopardizing any of those opportunities. MS. CARREIRA: As far as with the grants and the grants monies, what we're receiving and what we hope to receive, Trixy does—has been the one that took over to do a lot of the grant work to get things done, to work with me. She is the one that has to do all the reports to the feds, as to how much have we used or to full reimbursement with the State. So Trixy does that, and that's a big help. Now, as far as reports, what we've done, is I have a contract-hire that comes in to help us on just the federal auditing reporting. I'm not sure how much longer past June we could have him, but he's the one that's been auditing our revenue and looking at—and we try to do—we do the ridership but all of those reports, and he's getting it. So one of the reasons why I brought him up is I looked at what happened in the past and knowing that we're having an audit. So he's a huge help because he also works with the vendor to make sure that we're okay. Now with the reporting, what we've done is I've actually looked at, talked with my staff to see where we are; that we weren't correct, and we have corrected that. Even with like the Shared Ride Program, Tiffany keeps talking to me. We now have meetings with our Shared Ride taxis, to see what is the proper form. Because what it's been unfortunately, is that looking at reports and saying, "These aren't accurate," and we had to keep explaining to the State, "Well no, we're looking at it," and it's not changing forms, changing templates. So, that's what we've done. So I'm good with the revenue miles. I'm good with the ridership. We're good with what we tell the FTA, the DOT (Department of Transportation), on our grants and our reporting. We have explained—and I have explained several times is that our numbers were different because we were not counting it accurately, but we are now. So that's what we're getting in line. Page 376 FC-8 April 15,2021 The Shared Ride taxi was the last one that we were looking at. Because I would talk to Tiffany and say, "Why are you doing all of this work," and realizing that the template was wrong. And so, let's make the drivers are filling out correctly. That's not their fault because they have to be trained. We offered more training; and we just say, "You need to do this. This is the federal program." If we are not accurate, that's how we dinged by the feds. But also, we talked to DOT. We're in discussion with—we've had training. Trixy went to training. Casey, Tiffany, and myself, in February of last year, of the FTA auditors coming there and telling us this is the kind of stuff we see, and this is how you can correct it, without ultimately telling us what to do. But that was the big thing. So based on that, when I hired this contract hire, I gave everything to him and say, "Read this. This is what they need, and work on this project." And like I said, I don't know how much we could keep him. But that's what I've had to do, go outside. Because no, our staff in here, we cannot do it, just can't. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I mean you shared, "Trixy wears three hats." MS. CARREIRA: She does. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: So I'm concerned about her bandwidth and her—I mean, I'm not doubting you. I mean clearly you've got superpowers to juggle so much, but I don't think it's fair, and I just don't think it's sustainable. MS. CARREIRA: Right. I agree. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, thank you. I have to say I'm a little bit disappointed when the question came up around shovel-ready projects, To just say "bus shelters,"that's not enough. I mean our first budget cycle we talked about the desire and need to have more shelters and signage, so people know where to sign. What kind of support do you need to really get serious around shovel-ready projects? I mean, you have a beautiful Mass Transit Plan. It's begging to be implemented. I mean, I just feel like there needs to be more acting with urgency. Or maybe you are acting, but I think you've got so many things that you're working on, the problem is you probably need to scale that back and really prioritize so that we can see some actual successes gaining under your belt. So what kind of support do you need? We don't have a lot of time to start putting together a list of projects, so really counting on you to elevate what's needed. MS. CARREIRA: You know, with—okay, one, would be trying to get the supplemental positions. Two—even like with the hubs, helping to see land or agreements, where to place the hubs. Why we have gotten pass the Pahoa hub Page 377 FC-8 April 15,2021 would have been done a lot more is—what I would ask in the future when we ask for hubs, is maybe we need to reach out more to other people. Because we got ready, we were ready some. Then all of a sudden, all these extra additional sites come in versus how come we didn't have that from the beginning. So it's really hard. We have this. There's sites. Then we're ready to do it. Then they come up with additional sites, and then it caused even more of a delay. So maybe it's going to be with me sitting down with the Mayor and with my Managing Director and say, "Okay, what's the priority?" Because then—and in the meantime, we have our grant proposals. Trying to do that. It's a lot, and it's being pulled in each direction. I don't know how to help other than to get more people, and for me to sit down and really get direction, which they're willing to give. Nothing against the Mayor's office—and say what you would like me to do. Because it seems like they want everything, but I can't do it all. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: We're seeing that. MS. CARREIRA: I can't. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: You really need to prioritize. I mean, the Pahoa thing, this continuous stalling. I mean, Brenda, you've got to push. You've got to keep Matt and I on the loop on things. We shouldn't be pinging you all the time for information. You know that we are conduits to our community. Stay in touch. Got to be proactive about giving us that information. And if there are barriers or obstacles, we need to know so we can help clear the path. So Pahoa bus hub, there's a lot of work happening. Can you just quickly provide us with an update? I know that you're engaging Planning, and Public Works, and the Mayor's Office is involved. You know, we've identified new sites through and EIS (Environmental Income Statement). There's a lot happening. Why isn't this being communicated? I mean, we get calls from community, right? Here's the thing, right, last administration said they were going to be making sure that there was forward movement, and we would get some information. Didn't happen. Communication goes out about Kona bus hub meetings, which I think is great. We all knew that was the plan. However, because no communication was given around status of the Pahoa hub, there was this perception in community that money was being taken from Pahoa, which is not the case. But that perception is out there because of the lack of communication. So here's your chance, Administrator,please clear up for the record what is happening with Pahoa, and what are ways in which you're going to stay in touch with members of the various districts to make sure we are getting accurate and timely information out into our community? Page 378 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. CARREIRA: One, with the Pahoa hub; the next step is DPW (Department of Public Works) doing the environmental assessment. They already have their the people that are going to work with them, and they would do the assessment. And yeah, and that's a different capitalI mean, we have in the capital funds funding for the hubs. And then the Kona hub is something else. We had one virtual meeting, but we'll have to have two. But it's not taking away money from one to another. And the only thing I could actually do would be to email you once those are completed. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: So what's the timeframe for that? Because you're involved in this, correct? You're helping to drive and design it? MS. CARREIRA: No, no, no. MS. LEE LOY: Or is you've passed it off to Public Works? MS. CARREIRA: It will be MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Just trying to understand here. MS. CARREIRA: Yeah no, what it is , I have the scope of work, We're doing it, then I pass it off to DPW and they take over. Then they have to complete the assessment and then give back the results, you know, the actual report. And then we have to look at that again, and go in front of—with the Mayor, with Deanna—everything. Look through all the sites and stuff like that, with Lee. And when that is done, then make a determination. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: With the EIS (Environmental Impact Statement), would sort of—would make that determination based on data? MS. CARREIRA: Yes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yeah? MS. CARREIRA: Yes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I mean, we don't want political decisions made here. MS. CARREIRA: Oh, no, no. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: We want data-driven transparent decisions and community involvement in this. So I'm sorry, again, is this now in DPW's hands? Page 379 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. CARREIRA: They have parts of it. Then I just have one. Well, I have to send over what Hamana Ventura made, as to when he—what I told him is, you know, with these additional sites, is I'm not going to put out any kind of money for an assessment on property that the landowner doesn't want to sell. So that was his part, to contact all the additional sites that came up, which were many. And then, he gave a report. Then we can say these sites are not going to be up. We're not going to do it because the owners don't want to, or they're not interested. That's what he—his main thing is property management, yeah. And then remove those. And then, yeah. But Ikaika guys stand ready because theyI even met with the people that he's going to work with, the private people. We've already met. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, Brenda, keep us posted. You know, there's short funds with the GET. We are anticipating a lot more, but because of COVID, we've seen a dip. And so now more than ever, we have to be prepared to go after grant funding, but again, wanting to make sure you have those controls, procedures in place; your staff is trained up to provide you accurate, consistent information. I would like to see a list from you about all the grants that you have right now that you're managing, and what you're anticipating to go after, right now with our designation as rural, but potentially with that urban designation. It's not really clear because of how things have sort of moved in the budget, you know, with everything being moved under GET fund. But I think that would really be helpful to know. Just the scale, the magnitude of the federal funding that you're trying to leverage. Because it's not going to you know, we're not going to implement the Master Plan on GET alone, it's going to require outside sources. MS. CARREIRA: Oh, absolutely. And then on the urban, I would just have to ask for more information because we never were—but I'd probably have to talk to DOT on the FTA because I don't know what kind of funding. Because whether we're going take away from Honolulu, and Maui has now. If we become urban, I don't know that. That's something that we have to check with the FTA. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yeah, and just one final thing, as Council Member Lee Loy pointed out during GIA (grant in aid) sorry, Chair,just a little latitude to finish this last thing, thank you. When we were chatting with a number of nonprofits in the community and they talked about transportation being a barrier, I see a lot of room to collaborate. I see the buses on the road. They're not always full. Is this an opportunity to help transport resources to various communities around the island that are often underserved? I think so. And I think it's important for us to connect you with those nonprofits to explore that. So just hope you're going to keep an open mind on that one. Because you have buses that are driving around the island, if they're not—and transporting people, they Page 380 FC-8 April 15,2021 certainly should be transporting resources that are often not getting to the most vulnerable and disenfranchised population. Thank you, Chair. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Has anybody not spoken yet? Okay, Sue. Let's go back to Sue then. MS. LEE LOY: Thanks, Matt. I hear you guys are overwhelmed. I think my concern is you want to throw people at the problem. But in your budget, the people that you want are clerical or administrative individuals, when I actually think a data analyst or a planner would be more helpful to collect the data, extrapolate the information, what it cost per ride per different service, and then actually come up with more concrete. I'm loving it, because Council Member Kimball just hit her light, she knows where I'm going with this. I'm not happy with this budget, actually I really want to tear it out. This budget in front of us that you have proposed is not going to work. We're going fail our community. I understand the Master Plan, and I understand it was written to roll out in a perfect situation. We saw a hurdle, but we're still presenting information in a manner from a system that was broke. I really want you guys to go back and try again, because throwing people at the problem could work if it's the right people. And what Ms. Kierkiewicz is talking about is leveraging the networks that are out there, and we really got to tap into that resource, about the people who need these rides. And it's not reflected. But it's also not reflected because communication has been challenging. And this is this circular conversation that I know personally, I've been having for five years with this department. We've got to get better. Our community relies on this. And if we want to realize some real uplift in community, you guys are the tip of the spear on this one. They need this help, whether it's to get to work, whether it's to school, whether it's for transporting resources, or getting to doctor appointments. And we've talk about wealth in community, it's not about dollars sometimes. It's just about getting to an appointment, to relieve them, to help them get to health services, to get to a hot meal. Director, I'm going to say go back and try again. I want to see something else in May. And as you guys request these positions, maybe you guys should rethink about people to fill out forms, and really look at the information or do some community outreach around that. I'm really trying to help. I know it doesn't feel that way, but I really am trying to help. We see a lot of need in community around transportation. I'm going to let Ms. Kimball go. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. Page 381 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. KIMBALL: Thank you. And thank you, Sue, for putting into words what was rummaging around in my brain, which is I think that the next step, at least as far as the positions are concerned, is a needs assessment and then even PDs (position descriptions). I'm willing to support funding for these additional positions because there's no—one thing that a municipality can do to improve economic outcomes that doesn't have a greater return on investment, the investing in Mass Transit. That's just the bottom-line, so I'm willing to invest in it. But what I'm hearing you need and what the position description—or the positions vaguely are described as right now, there's not quite the right lineup, I think. And so, we've talked about the needs assessment needed to be done in the other departments. I'm willing to believe that the issue here is a people problem, but I'm not sure that a deputy, or a clerk, data analyst,perhaps somebody that's called a control officer, somebody that's developing standard operating proceduresI'd have to know a little bit more, that's why the need for a needs assessment. But then I'd want to see from you guys a position description. Something that we could actually get behind, a communication that Council Member Kierkiewicz brought up. And I think that there's a position here that does make sense, but the way it's described right now is not where we need to be. So hopefully we can work together on that. Thanks, Chair. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. MS. CARREIRA: If I could just respond to Ms. Kimball? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Go ahead, Director. MS. CARREIRA: I believe we have been meeting transit needs of the community. I'm not meant to be argumentative or anything like that, because I don't want it to try and seem that we're not listening. I get calls from people in the community. I get calls from the Pahoa Hub. You know, and I apologize if I didn't send an email, but when I've been asked things, I do. Because again, because I've got to prioritize too what I do. So I understand your questions about what you need. Believe me, we went back and forth about this deputy and stuff. I do need a deputy, and I do need for the maintenance a parts person; and thank you for bringing up a data analyst, okay, so that may be. But I—and I'm just going to say, I don't want to give up something to bring in somebody else, because we probably do need a data analyst. We didn't ask for everything because, you know, part of it is I don't even know if we're going to get it because of the budget, but too, still want to ask for it. So with deputies, and I'm not as big as the other departments, but there's very few departments that don't have deputies, okay, and one is mine, as well as Aging and stuff, which means that every decision or policy-making decision, everything with Page 382 FC-8 April 15,2021 personnel everything is me. So I don't want to give up and say, "Oh, no I don't need a deputy, or we just need a data analyst." We need all three probably, and I'm sure the other departments need them, too. But I wasn't going to not ask, okay. So I apologize, you know, with the communication, but I always say I try to respond whenever I'm asked. But again, it's with kind of emails that you guys have, is trying to respond the best. But I've heard about communication. And I believe that this department, we've tried to communicate as much as possible, and we have improved since the past. But as far as the budget, and I appreciate Ms. Lee Loy talking about it, we can relook at it. And as far as positions, we are actively, actually, working with HR (Human Resources). We redid—we reorganized in the end of 2019. We redid position descriptions. We continue to work with Human Resources now because we're trying to fix a broken system, including our current positions, before being able to move forward. So, HR has been wonderful. So please don't think that we don't try. That's part of the things in between the other jobs we're trying to do. Because I know how important position descriptions and job descriptions and pouring over to make sure we get that right. So that we know, and we continue to move it. I know they're busy too, HR. So, we are really trying. Because we came in, look at what we thought was good, and now you kind of work with it and say, "Hey, maybe we need something else," or whatever. So I don't want you to think that we aren't thing about it. But I appreciate the fact that you're asking, making those suggestions and talking about the budget, so thank you. I really appreciate that. I do. But we're much—we're better than what we were. But I like said, we're going to get better and better. And like I said, I've got to be able to ask for help, but then determine, oh what kind of help I should be asking for, you know, not asking for something stupid or, you know, which I'm sure you'll tell me it's not stupid. You know what I mean? But I appreciate that. And like I said, I will seek definitely direction from Mayor Roth and Managing Director, my boss Lee Lord, who have open ears, and want to continue with communication. I will agree. And I just wanted to say, and then I will talk to Corporation Counsel about it—the communication too, is after this last thing when I asked for letter of support, and told me I was possibly violating Sunshine Law, I will kind of say I'm asking for more guidance from Corporation Counsel, because now I'm to the point, and I'm just ending everything, to Sue and then ask her to do it? I'd like to send to everybody, so everybody gets the stuff, but I don't want to get into trouble or being on the front page for violating the Sunshine Law or going in front of Ethics. So, I'm going to help on that. And if guys can give me guidance on what I can or cannot say. I hate just asking one person. I rather just tell everybody, but I'm Page 383 FC-8 April 15,2021 holding off on that because, you know, it might not be the right thing, and I don't want to do anything bad or violative. Thank you. MS. KIMBALL: Oh, thank you, Chair. I appreciate everything you're saying. Let's not get caught upon the semantics of the job title. But I hope that you understand my request here, which is to spend a little time just looking at—okay, what are the things that we need? If it's your job and you need another person, okay, well just express that to us, and then let's develop the position description. I don't care what the hell we call it, as long as they're doing the right things that you actually need as part of your daily operations to address some of these things. There are clearly holes identified today, and so if those holes are plugged by somebody in the right position, whatever the title is, let's go ahead with that. So the next time we have a conversation, we have a clear guideline of what are some of the gaps, what a position description might be to match that, or those, maybe there's more than one position description. For me, that's what I'm going to need. MS. CARREIRA: Okay. MS. KIMBALL: And I'm just telling you that. As far as the Sunshine Law, we can't advise you on that. MS. CARREIRA: Oh, yeah. That's right. That will be violative. MS. KIMBALL: That would not be good. But I hope that we can find a way, especially during Legislative Session, to be able to act and communicate more quickly when it comes to supporting our departments, when stuff comes before the Legislature working on it. That's all I can say. MS. CARREIRA: Thank you. And then with the budget too, I'm sure I will talk to the master, Deanna Sako, to look over the budget, and with Trixy about these. Okay, budget request is based on the current expenditures with plans for improvement. So Ms. Lee Loy, what you're asking is, well, separate the different programs too, bringing before you a budget that you believe would work withI mean, I'm sorry would better represent what we really need? MS. LEE LOY: Chair, if I may? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. I'm trying to get to a place of numbers, right? And so we have 400,000 riding the bus, what is that cost per rider? We have 3,000 doing paratransit, what is that cost? And if you average it, fine, explain it to us. Page 384 FC-8 April 15,2021 But if you're just taking total cost and dividing by riders, and we come that's not an accurate reflection, right? That's not good math. MS. CARREIRA: Yeah. MS. LEE LOY: That's not good math. And then if you use that same rationale and formula and carry it forward, that's where we're actually set up for failure, because the math was wrong to begin with. MS. CARREIRA: Yeah. MS. LEE LOY: You know, I've got to say this, I come off hard because I see the issue and I'd like to just tear it up. But this rumble is what I actually really appreciate, because what Ms. Kimball mentioned about the positions, sometimes you guys are talking about it, "Yes this is what we need, this is what we need," but were that actually removed lens, because we can say, "You know what, it sounds like paperwork, but it's more than that,"right? And so don't be afraid to bounce it off of us, right? Because I think Ms. Kimball is right, it's a position description, not so much Clerical I, Clerical 11. But I do, I think that's what I would rather see because then we can take that information and carry that same rationale forward. And whatever the number is, it is. We would rather know then base our decisions on inaccurate information. I think that fails everybody miserably. So Chair, thank you for letting me respond. But that's what I would like to see. MS. CARREIRA: Thank you. MS. LEE LOY: You know, the other program highlights, you know, it's all there. It's just in that program measurables part. MS. CARREIRA: Thank you. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Mr. Chung, you want to add anything in the conversation? I'll take your silence as a no. Okay, no further questions from Kona? Okay, I've got a few follow-up questions. I'll start with your guy's revenue, the GE fund revenue, the General Excise Tax funds, it's either for you or Deanna, but I see our Fiscal Year 2019-20, our revenue was $37,948,000; estimate for 2021-22 is $37,500,000. I don't quite know what to think about that, because given the state of the economy and how much GE taxes have been down, we're only showing a decrease about$400,000. But if that's the revenue we're basing the GE tax fund on, I want to make sure that we're balancing out. Page 385 FC-8 April 15,2021 (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. SAKO: Yeah, we've done extensive calculations on this. You might remember in 1920, the first half of the year or part of that year we were still on the quarter percent, so it took us till this year to be all the way on that half-percent, so we've looked at that. So if we were—had been on the full half-percent for the entire fiscal year, the expectation was that we would have actually brought in $50 million. So, we've actually reduced that by 25 percent. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, so that takes into account the raise in the tax rate as well the decrease in the economy? MS. SAKO: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. And one more question, as well. The Bikeway Fund, so I think these both play in the Mass Transit, is that correct? MS. SAKO: Bikeway is actually under Parks and Recreation. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Bikeway is under Parks and Recreation? MS. SAKO: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, I'm going to leave that alone then. MS. SAKO: Okay. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you for that. And then, you know,just for everybody, Mass Transit, you're funded by both grant revenue, a lot of grant revenue, but also almost in full amount by the GE Tax Fund, correct? Okay, because I saw something, flipping through the books, your Mass Transit binder sheet here is tiny, if you look at your budget, as to compare to other departments. But then within the Mass Transit GE Tax Fund we find your entire budget, correct? MS. CARREIRA: Yes, sir. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: You cut your overtime by the two-thirds, thank you; and you increased your expenses from 2019-20 to 2021-22, within this fund of course, by about$9 million. Some questions I had for you around that. You have in here the PATH (People's Advocacy for Trails Hawaii) for the Bikeshare Program, what is that? Page 386 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. CARREIRA: Actually, it's also a part of the of the Master Plan. But with Bikeshare, we give them funding of$120,000,just like year, so we are proposing the same thing this year. They have been great about letting us know what they're doing. They have actually increased the bikes around. Because we want to—it's part of the partnership, if you will, to get people out there, get them biking. And we were able this past year to actually go into adding more into Hilo. But that they administer it, but we just give some funds. I don't believe we're funding them for everything, right? But it's $120,000 that we stayed the same. We're asking for the same. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And I know this isn't in your department, but within the Bikeway Fund, you get another $155,000 for the Hilo Bayfront Bike Path. So how are we separating those two, and why are they broken down like that? Because we're pulling from two separate funds, one Mass Transit does covers and one Parks and Recreation covers. We're subsidizing from both agencies, or are we doing double-work? MS. SAKO: Well, the Bikeway Fund is con not controlled—managed by the Department of Parks and Recreation, but the GE Fund is always allowed to be spent on all types of transportation including bikeways. So the Bikeway Fund as you might imagine is relatively a very small fund, so it usually cannot accommodate all of the different activities related to bikes and bikeways bike programs and bikeways. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Without Parks and Recreation being here, I did see they had aI mean they rolled over from last year, correct? They didn't spend all their funds? MS. SAKO: For Bikeway Fund? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, for Bikeway Fund. MS. SAKO: I'm sorry. There's usually there has been a fund balance that's been built up, but they typically spent everything they budget in any given fiscal year. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. So we're not doubling up? Well, actually we kind of are doubling up as far as our expenses to this Bikeway Proj ect? MS. SAKO: We're not doubling up. I mean together it makes the total of the project. And I should go grab my binder, but—so you asked about which one? Page 387 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So within the GE Tax Fund, under account 115. MS. SAKO: Right, the Path for Bike Share Program, right? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, Path for Bike Share Program. MS. SAKO: But then in the Bikeway Fund, which was the line item? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And on the Bikeway Fund, you get an account, High School Education Program; under 115, you get Hilo Bayfront Bike Path for $155,000. MS. SAKO: Yeah, for the construction. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Same path? MS. SAKO: I'm not sure. Oh, I'm sorry, Trixy reminded me, this is not—PATH (Peoples Advocacy for Trails Hawaii) is the vendor for the Bikeway Program. PATH and Trails Hawaii, I'm sorry. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Okay thank you. MS. SAKO: Sorry, I was just like CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So it's an acronym? MS. SAKO: Yes, it's an acronym. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. MS. SAKO: My bad. I wasn't fast enough today. Thank you, Trixy. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Okay, that helps. MS. SAKO: I wasn't fast enough today. Thank you, Trixy. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Before you get up, Hawaii County self-insured, but I've seen a number of departments insurance pop up. So for GET (General Excise Tax) Mass Transit, they have an OCE (Other Current Expenses), you have $500,000 expense for insurance? MS. SAKO: Yes, for the buses. Page 388 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So being self-insured, we're self-insuring the buses MS. SAKO: Or some things. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Auto insurance, that kind of thing, or what? MS. SAKO: So our fleet vehicles are self-insured, like being our automobiles. But things like buses, or like our helicopter, we pay for insurance for those high-ticket items. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Okay, so we do carry insurance for certain things, and the other ones are self-insured? MS. SAKO: Yes, as well as building and flood insurance. Especially for things where we've gotten FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) money in the past, then we're mandated to carry insurance on it now. Self-insurance isn't an option in those cases. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It makes sense. I just was—it was catching me, and once you took it apart, it was MS. SAKO: Right. And then, you know, we have things like malpractice insurance for our MICT (Mobile Intensive Care Technicians)personnel, and Fire, and things like that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Okay, thank you. MS. SAKO: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And then we talked about bus tow truck. It's in your budget this coming year yeah, under Mass Transit equipment? So we are going to go out for the tow truck? MS. CARREIRA: We put that in with the possibility that if we do need to, but we Iwe didn't want not to put it in, in case—once—if we had 20 more vehicles coming in. You know, it gives us—it allows us the option. I'm not saying we're going exercise it, but we wanted to keep it in there. We may not have to order it. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, you put in here. I mean, if you get okay to the budget, I would say go ahead and do it, or else we can take it out. If you don't need it, I'd like to know. That's $400,000. Page 389 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. GROANING: The way I did the budget was this was part of the Master Plan, right? We were always told "You should still use the Master Plan as the guideline." So we're still getting pushed to get it. Like she said, if we get 20, 30 more buses, and we're actually doing still some rescues, it would actually be conducive to that. But we are not—it's not that we took money or anything, we basically took it away from like the bus replacement. But should Brenda decide, you know, the tow truck is not a smart buy right now, we can actually put that money towards the buses. It gives us that leeway. Does that make sense? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. You cut your travel conference substantially, too. MS. CARREIRA: Yes, because actually we're you know, we're doing more virtual, and with the COVID, we rarely travel, and rightfully so. So yeah, we took that out. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Supplemental request-wise, how many positions did you ask for? MS. CARREIRA: Two. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Two positions. And DEM's (Department of Environmental Management is coming up later today. I think they asked for nine or ten positions. MS. CARREIRA: Well,part of it was, you know,we had thought about the Secretary L But what happened is we are trying to reallocate, through HR, our Mass Transit Assistant into the secretary position, because we're trying to see what things we have now that we could reallocate, because if not, we would have added that. But that's why I didn't put it in. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Did you talk to the Mayor about that? MS. CARREIRA: About what? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Getting more positions. MS. CARREIRA: No. I mean, as far as CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Increasing your staffing. MS. CARREIRA: I told him we only told him we needed more positions. I didn't, right, before coming here go and talk to him again about it, but yeah. The supplemental request, it's the same one we did even last year. Page 390 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MS. CARREIRA: Oh, I'm sorry. It is, right? Without the secretary. Last year we had three. This year we took out the secretary. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. So he's aware? MS. CARREIRA: As far as—he isn't with the specifics, about what we're trying to do with HR, because we haven't gotten approval yet to even do that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MS. CARREIRA: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mahalo for doing the Low-No grants. I think that's good. That was great, actually. Grant-wise for new bus, you got a lot of grant money in there. And you have how many new buses coming? MS. CARREIRA: Four, but hopefully eight by the end of—you know, adding more, but the other four that we're waiting for, would be hopefully by the end of the year, but maybe not because I expected the ten extra ones. It takes about a year to get the—so we're already going into same fiscal year next fiscal but won't be by the end of this year. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Are you seeing any slowdowns due to COVID? MS. CARREIRA: Oh, yes. I mean,just a lot of manufacturing companies had furloughed a lot of people. So they're coming back. They are working. But what had happened too, is for maintenance and stuff. The parts were delayed because the people weren't working, so that caused a bit of a delay. But they've been going back to work. But just everywhere, you know, United States and others, just bus manufacturing was low, and they're trying to get back up again. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And I've heard that. I mean,just from different people, different fields, even mini excavators. MS. CARREIRA: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: The ones coming in now that's it, and you won't see any more until next year. MS. CARREIRA: Yeah. Page 391 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Not in field, but I mean it's the same idea, equipment is just not coming in like it did. There's delays, okay. So there's going to be delays. MS. CARREIRA: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Is there a limit on funding you can use per year from GE? MS. GROANING: Like you guys mentioned in the beginning of these budget reviews, we get the instructions from budget to stay within status quo, and then we just work with numbers we got. And then they do the adjustment after our first submittal, and then that's what you guys see. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So we get—we have $37 million in revenue from GE, and your guy's budget, which is almost based completely on GE tax, comes out at$18,900. MS. GROANING: That's just the S&W (Salaries and Wages), OCE(Other Current Expenses), and equipment. That doesn't include the capital, or the pensions, and the miscellaneous cost, all of that stuff that we have to put in place. That comes out of GE, as well. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, I got you. Sorry. Deanna, when will we have accurate number for what our GE revenue is? Or do we have that already? MS. SAKO: I'm not sure what you mean when you say accurate, because all of the revenue numbers in the budget are projections; because, you know, we're trying to guess what people are going to spend for the next fiscal year and how much we're going to collect. But the State was behind. They've caught up a little bit. So we're kind of on track with the budget for this year, with six months of data. Maybe tracking a little bit ahead but not much. So we think our estimates for next year are still good, but we'll continue to look at them. But the State is usually several months behind on reporting that data, so it makes it challenging, you know, to get it more accurate than that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And the reason I'm asking is that the information that we are given is in—actual for 2019-20, budgeted for this fiscal year, and then estimate of what's coming. So all we have in front of us is estimates. But that's our revenue. On that revenue basis, what we look at as far as budgeting. That's the basis of my question. Page 392 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. SAKO: Right. So I'm telling you that estimate is based on the most accurate information we have as of right now. But the State is only six month—has only reported the first six months of the fiscal year. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And is thereI mean, say there was $40 million, can Brenda increase her budget, or is there a cap for what she can do? MS. SAKO: No. I mean, they only submitted those two supplemental budget requests for the positions, so we'll be meeting with her soon to discuss more about what she may be needing. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then, Transfer to Capital Projects Fund from GET, estimated at$9.5 million. What is that for, is that just the normal? MS. SAKO: For the Mass Transit projects, like the bus shelters, spoke-and-hubs, whatever the right terminology is, Park and Ride, as well as other road projects as may be needed. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: You know,when we see these kind of transfers, this is forI mean, this is real dollars? MS. SAKO: Yes, it is. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And so these are projects that have been, I'm guessing then approved, and we're allotting them funds towards use. MS. SAKO: They're in the capital budget, and we're allotting as needed. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: When we the capital projects list a wish list, and that's the general term I keep hearing, but we do have these transfers of real dollars to that fund. So when we see this, I wouldn't say it's overly clear of which projects are actually being approved within that list. MS. SAKO: So originally it started out trying to match up the projects with the Master Plan. I think they're a little bit behind on that. So we're still trying to match it up with their Master Plan. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then, coming back to our Charter—because we've talked about this and we've hit on a few times now, the CIP list. Which list, realistic, unrealistic, you know, for millions of dollars we don't have that kind of funds. That's what it comes down to usually, or we don't have the manpower to get it done, whatever happens. Page 393 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. SAKO: Right. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But I was reading through Charter language, and as to the capital budget, you know, the message shall include a list of pending and proposed improvements together with Mayor's comments and it shall itemize and explain each capital improvement project has to be undertaken within the ensuing fiscal year and showing the estimated cost of each improvement and the pending and proposed method of financing. So to me that language is meaning we need to know what's coming. And I go back to that CIP list, it's just not—it's not clear what we're actually going to do. MS. SAKO: So again, it also says that Planning is the one preparing the capital budget. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Well, either way. Okay, so you're saying, I should give Planning a hard time. MS. SAKO: Well, we can work them to the best of our ability. But yes, it's like—you know, but we do have money sitting there. So when their bridges need repair and things like that—you know, we talked about, like the temporary bridge that bond money can't buy. But yes, General Excise Tax fund can pay for that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Okay, thank you. You know, actually, Deannasorry, I get a follow-up for you, as well. Should we be looking at a standard, when it comes to electricity cost? Because Brenda's cost didn't go up by much, but I saw other departments going up by 10, 15 percent. And it seems pretty standard across the board, but Brenda's really stayed within about— I'll boutI'll say even like half a percent increase. It was small, hers. MS. SAKO: She also has newer facility. But generally yes, we try to look at— let's tlet's say if everybody was exactly within their budget, then—and if we find out from HELCO (Hawai`i Electric Light Company) the rates are going up 10 percent, I'm just making up numbers, you know, then we would increase everybody 10 percent. But we also have to look at the actuals that were spent for like the previous year, so it depends how close they were to budget. So some departments have been really close and almost like too tight, so they may have increased more to make sure they have enough money to pay their bills for the coming year. But then other ones may have increased a little bit too much, so they didn't actually need an increase, even if they said there was going to be a rate increase. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, so the standard is based on what happened last year, but looking at what can Page 394 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. SAKO: It was actual consumption, and then also, you know, rates. If we're aware that rates are going up, we try to take that into account. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. Brenda, we've talked about it in the past Kona having a facility, I've had other departments ask me for the same thing. It may be worthwhile to have a conversation about having a—maybe a multi jurisdiction facility over there, you know, or a multi multi-department juris jurisdiction is not that word—multi-department facility: DPW, Mass Transit, everyone is needing facility upgrades in Kona, or a facility to call home in Kona, and nobody has one. So that may be something to think about as you discuss that further. MS. CARREIRA: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Social media presence, how are you guys doing with social media or information output? Some departments have a person of, you know, or information officer, do you guys have anybody like that? MS. CARREIRA: No. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Can anybody cross as that? I know you're overwhelmed already, but is it possible? MS. CARREIRA: Well, I guess what—well actually—it's not actually one person, but there's Tiffany, Betty. They cannot all do it on their own. They kind of let us know. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: You don't have to answer now. MS. CARREIRA: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Just think about. I know Cyrus Johansen from the Mayor's Office has been putting out the DPW roadwork schedule. Although I would expect that to come from DPW, he's been doing the output for that. Don't ask me why. But maybe he can help out with pushing information out for you guys, as well, you know, bus route closures, or outcoming projects, you know, Pahoa bus, or whatever it may be. MS. CARREIRA: Well, what happens to—with Cyrus, and he's been very good about—because he gets things from DPW. He sends it to us because I had requested it. We put things out on our website. We get information from, yeah DPW. We get—even within DPW, like Neal Azevedo. And then we have the texts and stuff for road closures. So we have basically we're like, we suck up all the information and send it out. But sorry, we don't have one person. I never Page 395 FC-8 April 15,2021 even thought about trying to get somebody to tell you the truth. It definitely wasn't on my radar. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Civil Defense talked about it this morning, they have Everbridge, to let people know what's going on. MS. CARREIRA: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But they also have started doing social media, and Twitter, and Instagram. It's helpful. People are on it. I mean, it's 2021; that's where everybody's head at. Something to think about. MS. CARREIRA: Okay. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And then I just want to say thank you for following the process that's required for the hub in Pahoa. I'm not sure how it started or where it went to, but there is a process we have to follow in government; and in that case, I couldn't tell you what that process was, because if we had taken on the site that was initially going to be used with no EA (Environmental Assessment) and never having talks with the neighbors, we could have gotten into a lot of trouble for that. So thank you for following the correct procedure. Especially when it comes to government spending, it's important. So I appreciate you for doing that. MS. CARREIRA: Sorry, I cannot take kudos for that because we actually work together with Jimmy from Department of Public Works. I've had to ask they've been great about helping, so it was really teamwork. But thanks for thanking me, but yeah. I needed to be educated myself. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: You're kind of like the chief. He said, "Don't give me compliments. I only take the criticism, okay." MS. CARREIRA: Sorry, I—yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, that's all the questions I had. You know, I appreciate what you guys do. I've never seen a municipality fully cover their expenses with ridership fees. I mean for any Mass Transit Agency to cover yourself and to be sustainable, I think is almost—you never going to achieve that. I think Oahu was what? Twenty-six percent sustainable were covered by their own fees? MS. CARREIRA: Okay, we're not. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We're what, 17 was it? Or is 17 percent, is that right, or am I flip-flopped on the numbering? Page 396 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. CARREIRA: I'm sorry, Trixy—sorry she's the number's person. I, yeah you know, basically yeah, we don't make money off of this. You know, it's a service that people need, and we do what we can. The GET has just been great for us, and I know it sunsets at a certain time. But we wouldn't have been able to do a lot without the GET, that's why I thank all the people. Everybody, because we're using taxpayers, the people's money. That's how we're able to do this and all the federal grants. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's our responsibility as a government to provide the service; and Mr. Chung touched on that yesterday, we're service providers. And based on public tax dollars, and that's what you're doing. And this GE revenue increase is nice to have as a government, but it's also a fairly regressive tax on the community, so we need to use it to the utmost. I appreciate your time today. MS. CARREIRA: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I don't see any further questions. And we're just going to go in recess. I talked to Parks and Rec. MR. CHUNG: Are you going to add something, Mr. Chung. MR. CHUNG: No. I just wanted to know if I could just have a little latitude? Deanna, is Lee Lord going to be here this afternoon? If I could just again have some latitude? I wanted to ask Mr. Lee Lord a question relating, I guess, to some budget things, not to Mass Transit. So if he could come and—all of five minutes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Or right now? MR. CHUNG: Well, after the break. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, so when we reconvene? MR. CHUNG: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, so we're going to reconvene at 1:30, and Mr. Chung has requested Mr. Lee Lord's presence. MR. CHUNG: Or if the Mayor is around. Is the Mayor around? Okay, thanks. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Chung. So we'll reconvene at 1:30. Thank you, Mass Transit for being to answer our questions, and Deanna as well. And there's a request for Mr. Lee Lord to be here for that—the beginning. Let's just put him right at the beginning then, Page 397 FC-8 April 15,2021 Mr. Chung? You want—? Okay, so five, ten minutes for Mr. Lee Lord, and Mr. Chung to discuss business. We'll see you here at 1:30. Thank you. Recess: At 12:51 p.m., the Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 1:37 p.m. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Aloha and welcome back, we're out of recess. We're going take Mr. Chung's request, an informational brief from Mr. Lee Lord. (Note: At this time, Managing Director Lee Lord came forward to address the members of the Committee.) Informational CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Go ahead, Mr. Chung. Briefing Re ag rding COVID Testing MR. CHUNG: Yeah, thank you very much for the latitude. Good afternoon, Lee. at Airports: You know, I came here this morning two minutes before the 9:00 o'clock meeting, so didn't have a chance to go upstairs to my office. But when I got there during one of the breaks, there were a lot of phone messages I received—don't ask me why they came to me, I'm assuming they went to others as well regarding the Kona Airport situation. This is kind of piggybacking on what Ms. Villegas had brought up earlier; I don't know if you were in the room. But I'm hearing that it's you know what, I didn't see it with my own eyes; but from what I could tell, it's pure chaos over there. My further understanding is that Premier Medical, who was contractedI don't know if they were contracted with the County. I don't know what the precise arrangement is. But Premier Medical, who was doing both the community testing and the airport testingI don't know if this is true too, that's why I want some clarification from the administration—have now been taken off the detail, and now there's less workers who are doing the job there. Maybe if you could let us know what's going on, because it seems to kind of coincide with this report of a lot of chaos going on at the Kona Airport. MR. LORD: Okay. MR. CHUNG: Maybe even Hilo Airport, too. I don't know. MR. LORD: This is Lee Lord, Managing Director. I, of course, was in these meetings all day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. MR. CHUNG: Right. Page 398 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. LORD: I've just returned from being out sick for ten days, on Monday, so I've had very few snippets of the briefings that have happened. Our Executive Assistant Steven Bader has been working closely with Civil Defense, and Talmadge, and Barry on this. So truly, I the agreements, where Premier Medical, as you were stating, was doing airport testing and community testing. It's my understanding they're going to continue to do the community testing. They will no longer be doing the airport testing. There was an agreement between them and a private funder to fund the airport testing. We will now be paying for the airport testing, and it's another vendor. The changeover was supposed to happen, and there were different flights coming in last night, and the vendor that won the contract was telling us that they could do the transition, no problem. So clearly, there was some issue with transition. But the snippet that I heard today was, as of today they would be on board and the testing would be happening at the percentage that we were asking them to do. MR. CHUNG: Okay, that's good. Good to know. And the next question as it relates to the budget, we have to have a budget nexus here, do we owe Premier Medical any money? MR. LORD: No, any money that was being paid for the airport testing was being paid by somebody else. MR. CHUNG: Okay. So the County does not owe Premier Medical any money? MR. LORD: Correct. MR. CHUNG: Perfect. That's all I wanted to know. I don't know if Ms. Villegas wants to chime, or even Ms. or whoever. Thank you. MS. VILLEGAS: Yes,please. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Chung. Yeah, I was going to ask Ms. Villegas to chime in. I know yesterday she was getting inundated by calls, as well. So go ahead, Ms. Villegas. What's going on your side? MS. VILLEGAS: Thank you. Mr. Lord, would Premier Medical Group agree that the County doesn't owe them money for the testing over the last few months? MR. LORD: I wouldn't know that. My guess is they would, but I don't know what they're going to agree to. MS. VILLEGAS: Well, they do not agree. Page 399 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. LORD: Okay. MS. VILLEGAS: And my other question is, was an RFP put out for this new contactor? MR. LORD: Yes, and there were three people that responded, and the selection was made from the RFP for the airport testing. MS. VILLEGAS: Interesting. Also not, for the lack of a better term, word on the street. My next question is, so this transition that happened, not smoothly, not instilling confidence or calm, in both the constituents and the workers at the airport, or visitors this new contract I've been told is only for two weeks? MR. LORD: I was not in on the contracting part. Were you on those conversations, Deanna? MS. VILLEGAS: So my confusion is a system that had actually been working and we've had great feedback about was then interrupted, transitioned with a gap in service from flights landing. There was testing was not happening yesterday at some point. And all that done for a two-week contract with a new company? MR. LORD: As I said, I understand the next level of contract is for two weeks. Whether it's continuing after that, is up to our funding ability and the federal funds coming in, and how we can handle that. And also, the Governor is making a new proclamation in April. So there will be changes as to what's expected for testing, also. MS. VILLEGAS: Deanna, can you answer whether this new contract was signed for two weeks? MR. LORD: I cannot. Deanna, are you able to? MS. SAKO: So yes, it was signed for two weeks; but like Mr. Lord said, to coincide because at the time we didn't have the Governor's new proclamation yet. MS. VILLEGAS: And the new proclamation affects the transition for a two-week contract? MS. SAKO: No,just to make sure nothing changed. So then we'll be looking at it to see how long we want to go and what we can afford. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay, so from now on the County is agreeing that we owe this contractor and we're responsible for paying them? Page 400 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. SAKO: I think, this morning—from April 1st the County started paying for all testing again. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay, but the testing from prior to that, and back to my other question, do you think the prior contractor agrees with the current summation by Mr. Lord that we don't owe them the money? And I'm told it's upwards of over $1 million. MS. SAKO: As I mentioned earlier, we don't have a contract with them, or we did not have a contract with them, from the middle of December to the end of March for airport testing. That was paid by someone else. So we probably do owe them a little bit for community testing. They bill us regularly; I'm not sure if we paid every invoice or not. So speaking for like community testing, we probably do owe them some money. But strictly for airport testing, we did not have a contract with them, from middle of December to end of March. MS. VILLEGAS: I don't understand how the County wouldn't have a contract with somebody while they're doing testing at our airport. MS. SAKO: Because someone else was paying for it. MS. VILLEGAS: But it doesn't sound like that somebody else was paying, and that's part of the problem why they're coming to the County, asking us to pay. MS. SAKO: I think Lee and I have shared everything we know about it, so we can probably try and find more information. But we're probably not going to resolve that this afternoon. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. I just alsoI guess I want to MS. SAKO: But I hear your concerns. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay, because it doesn't quite line up or make sense, and it definitely calls into question this last-minute transition to a new contractor for a two-week contract. It calls into question to me, who is the new contractor and what are the relationships? You know, I was told that there was no RFP, and so this contract was just given. MS. SAKO: Even before, when we used Premier Medical Group, there was no RFP. We used Emergency Procurement, and they were the only one we even got a quote from, both times; and so this time, we at least did get quotes from other vendors. MS. VILLEGAS: And who's the new vendor we signed with? Page 401 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. SAKO: I believe the name is BasisDx. MS. VILLEGAS: I'm sorry, Basis? MS. SAKO: Basis, b-a-s-i-s. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. And then, d-x? MS. SAKO: Yes. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay, thank you. Are you aware, Mr. Lord, if testing is resumed in full capacity at the Kona Airport right now? MR. LORD: I'm aware that the testing that we're expecting to be done is being done. The testing level sometimes are at 50 percent, sometimes they're 25 percent. It's an agreement between us and the testers as to the number of people coming in, Also nowadays, who is showing up has already been vaccinated or—not vaccinated, but has their test already done within 72 hours. But the expected number of tests that we're expecting to be done are being done at this point and time. MS. VILLEGAS: And they have resumed today? Or did the contract start today, or when did the contract start? MR. LORD: Today. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. But there was no contract in effect yesterday? MR. LORD: Premier finished the day yesterday. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. There's a lot more questioning that a lot of people have expressed, my constituents, but I'll leave this here right now and plan to follow up. And if any of my colleagues have follow-up questions, that would be great. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Council Woman Villegas. MR. INABA: Chair? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Oh, Mr. Inaba, go ahead. MR. INABA: A follow-up question for the administration. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, they're still here. Page 402 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. INABA: I haven't gotten any phone calls about this, but this is the first time learning about it. We're signing a two-week contract. That timeline is going to fly by. What are we planning to do within these two weeks so that we have some kind of continuation of service? MR. LORD: Mr. Roth is the one doing the discussions along with Civil Defense. We're looking at first of all, what's the Governor's position going to be? I'm hearing that they're going to be expecting more testing and then we have to find out who will be paying for that, and are we talking about mainlanders or are we talking about inter-island people? So, we're ongoing on. We can continue the contract if need be, after April. We would have to look at what our funding is; and if we can fund that after that point and time or not, depending on what the needs are. MR. INABA: Okay. And you said that sometimes we're arranging our testing from 25 to 50 percent, depending on if they're test done. Everyone is supposed to have a test done or is quarantined. So who are we testing, and who are we not? MR. LORD: So I can't answer that question and those details. There's agreements at times that there's more people at the airport. If, you know, four large planes come in, there's the ability to not test everyone coming in if they're showing some documentation. So that's all an agreement that I don't know the specifics about. MR. INABA: Okay, thank you. And just wrapping this up, sorry. We're in day three of budgets right now. We had Civil Defense comment. If we have any idea what we're going to do—I mean, this is for the next fiscal year, but we need to figure out what's going to happen. Because health and safety here is first, and if we don't have that figured out when our contract is ending in two weeks, this is not good. So, I'll leave it at that. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Council Member Chung. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Lee, I'm just going to go ahead. Let's do this, we have Parks and Recreation, so they could be a pretty long conversation; if you can back to usI mean, and we'll tie it back in the budget, daily cost, because we're talking about public safety here. And from what you just said, and it's kind of a wishy-washy answer. So daily cost and the funding source for this testing because that's important for us to know. From what I remember, this daily cost for this testing was pretty expensive. MR. LORD: Okay, I can do that. Page 403 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So if you can come back. Let's say, give you until we finish, maybe Housing and Community Development, and then we'll go from there. And just give us some kind of update so that people in Kona, and our Council Members in Kona can kind of wrap their head around on what's going on, and then we can understand where the funds are coming from. MR. LORD: Okay. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay? MR. LORD: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Lord. MR. LORD: Thank you. MS. VILLEGAS: May I just ask one more quick question before you go, and maybe it's something you could bring back? Is there somewhere that public can see the RFP? Is that posted? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Deanna is going to come answer your question. MS. SAKO: Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear earlier. There was no RFP. We got quotes because it was an emergency purchase situation,just like with the previous vendor we had for testing. So no, there's no RFP that's posted. MR. LORD: So I need to apologize, Council Member Villegas, I'm the one who said RFP. When I heard that there were three quotes, I didn't realize it was an emergency situation. MS. VILLEGAS: So the three quotes were provided unsolicited? MS. SAKO: Well, I mean, we got quotes from three different vendors, yes. I mean, yes, people we knew that did the testing, and we called. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay, we'll circle back on this one. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Just to ask, we're talking about Hilo and Kona, or only Kona? MR. LORD: Both. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Both facilities? Page 404 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. LORD: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, because this is a good question then. Then maybe why Mr. Chung is getting phone calls, as well,probably Ms. Lee Loy, as well. From Hilo, yeah? MS. LEE LOY: Not from Hilo, but just some friends in Kona. Yeah, I do want to kind of ask more questions. What I don't—I'm not clear on, is we have this emergency proclamation which provides emergency procurement. We got quotes. There was shift. This is at our State facilities. I think we just need to talk about it from kind of 30,000-foot elevation down. But at the end of the day, whatever information we can get out to constituents and/or workers at the airport so they can make good decisions I think would be incredibly helpful. So thank you, Managing Director. We look forward for you to come back this afternoon. MR. LORD: You're welcome. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Lord. MR. LORD: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay with that, let's get started with Parks and Recreation. Thank you for your patience today. 3) Department of Parks and Recreation: CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Moe, if you want to come up. There's a computer on the right, and it has the PowerPoint on the computer. To your left, is where you're going to see everybody on Zoom—and however you would like to set up. Please introducer yourself, your staff, and we'll go from there. (Note: At this time, Parks and Recreation Director Maurice Messina, Deputy Director Michelle Hiraishi, and Business Manager Reid Sewake came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. MESSINA: Okay, thank you, Chair. Maurice Messina, Director of Parks and Recreation. I'm here with Michelle Hiraishi, the Deputy of Parks and Recreation; and Reid Sewake, our Business Manager. We'll try to answer as many of your questions as we can, and those we can't, we have Reid here to help us out. So we don't have a PowerPoint presentation today, but we're just going briefly go over—real briefly go over what our department is and how our department operates. Pretty much everything that our department does is out there in the public anyway. Page 405 FC-8 April 15,2021 Right now, Parks and Recreation, we have nine divisions and we have about six or seven other sub-divisions within our department, including aquatics, nutrition, and just all of these other options, like Summer Fun. Our budget this year is $30 million, which is a slight increase from last year, and the biggest—the reason for the increases are our water, our utilities, our electricity, and some of our security costs have risen. We currently have 37 vacant positions that we are actively trying to fill. The majority of those positions are in Elderly Activities Division and in our Maintenance Division. We filled three more today, which brings that down to 34, but they haven't been hired yet. Our administration budget is slightly increased. One of the reasons for that is we're going to continue doing the West Hawaii Golf Subsidy Program. We got really good feedback from that from the two courses that we use this year, and we want to continue that because it really did make a good impact for the West Hawai`i, and it didn't really bother too much our golf play at the Hilo Municipal this, so that was really positive. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: If I could ask, what are the two facilities in West Hawaii? MR. MESSINA: Makalei and Waik6loa. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. MR. MESSINA: So just let me get my notes here really quick. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I thought that was a very neat ask that Rebecca Villegas did. MR. MESSINA: Yeah, and it worked out really good. A lot of positive. I didn't have a chance to play myself, but you know, will. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: One day. MR. MESSINA: So I'm just going to go over really quick our different divisions that we have. So Parks Maintenance Division, this year our budget is set at about $11 million. Slight increase. Backwater received an increase of security services, and another increase that we have here is for our tree trimming services. For instance, at the golf course we have about 1,000 trees that we need help with trimming. The equipment that we have actually makes ruts and stuff in the golf course, so we have to contract those out. Page 406 FC-8 April 15,2021 Cemeteries, slight increase in our Cemetery Fund, as well. West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery has seen our increase mostly, at the cemeteries. Our Recreation Division, slight increase there, as well. Our Recreation Division, we usually get on offset in our budget for the revenues that we receive. This year, because we've used a lot of our facilities, including the Ho`olulu Complex, which is the tennis stadium and the civic, has a testing food drop and vaccination point. We weren't able to recognize the revenue that we normally see in a year there. And it's the same throughout, some of our revenues are short, because right now we don't have camping. We're not seeing as many reservations as we had last year, but we see that coming up again this year. Also, our pavilion rentals should be coming up again, which is now going to be another increase for us. The camping is going to be coming up again. We're going to opening up more of our swimming programs. Swimming teams, they're going to be coming through, as well. Since I'm on revenue, really quick, the other revenue streams that we will be seeing are at the Hilo Municipal, our restaurant and our starter—well not our starter but our golf course concession. We have both of those contracts right now. They've been extended out till December 31", and we're currently working on the RFP so that we can get those new contracts in there. The same thing for the Gilbert Kahele Recreation Area. We're going to be bringing a vendor in there, and we're going to have start gazing as well, but that all depends on when we can actually get that area out of the Forest Reserve. Once we get it out of Forest Reserve, then we can start utilizing those two things and start realizing some more funds. It's going to be the same thing for all of our other programs, as well. Summer Fun. Right now, we're going to be looking at twenty different sites. Thirty kids per site, which is going to be about 300 kids in Summer Fun. We're currently right now hiring all of the part-time workers for Summer Fun assigned, I think 15, more contracts today for that. We don't see any issues. We appreciate the Council's help with the contingency funds throughout the years, and we're going to be asking for that again for next year, our guys, you know,just for helping us offset some of those costs, so we really appreciate that. Aquatics. Another slight increase. A very, very small increase. Right now, for our Aquatic Section, we do have this is one of our most expensive assets that we have, mostly due to electricity cost. All of them are aging infrastructures, every single one of them. We're going to be able to get Laupahoehoe Pool opened back up next month. We still have Honoka`a Pool down for repairs, and we're working with Council Member Kimball to see what we can do to get that up again. And Page 407 FC-8 April 15,2021 we also have NAS (Naval Air Station)Pool down, but that's for an ADA (American with Disabilities Act)project. Ho`olulu Complex. Just have a low revenue across the board, like I mentioned there. We're going to be suspending the testing operations, and the vaccination operations, and the food-drop operations there for the month of June, because we're going to have Merrie Monarch come in. So what we're doing is we're looking at all of our other facilities and ways we can assist Civil Defense and the Food Basket for alternate locations. Culture and Education. Impact on that is we're bringing in $15,000 that was in the Fire Department's budget, and this is for 4h of July. We think it's important for our County if we can somehow figure out a way, even if it's a very small, very socially distanced, 4h of July fireworks display. We couldn't do that last year, and so we're going to work with the Mayor's administration to see if there's a way that we can get something going for that. We think it's really important for not just our County but for the whole State to celebrate something after COVID. County Band. We're pretty much the same on County Band,just a slight increase. We have started to be able to get our East Hawaii County Band out of indoor practice facilities. We're able to get them out outdoors for one practice a month right now, at Mo`oheau Park, and we're going to be doing the same thing for the West Hawaii Band. This is one of the ways that we're going to slowly bring back the band to the County, and that way when we're able to finally start doing other things, actually they would have performances instead of just practices, they'll be ready to go. Elderly Activities Division. I stated before, in front of you guys, that we're looking around July to get our senior programs going again. Our Nutrition Program, Coordinated Services, RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Program) program, these are all very important, not just to the seniors. But anybody who walks into a County building and sees one of the RSVP volunteers, they're very cordial and inviting, and it really helps a lot. Right now, they continue mostly with their food service programs, the Meals on Wheels, and reaching out to the seniors who have nobody else out there. The Pana`ewa Zoo. Right now, we are finishing up our $5 million ADA project. We should be done in the next couple of months or so. Right now, our fence crew is working on the tiger exhibit, replacing the bottom nine-foot of the tiger enclosure, and we really do not want to open up the zoo until at least that enclosure—well, not because the tiger is going to get out. But that's one of our biggest attractions at the zoo, is the tiger enclosure. I feel personally, that if we open the zoo without that, that's going to be a little bit taken-away. Page 408 FC-8 April 15,2021 The ADA projects going good. Wet weather caused us a few delays, but for the most part, we're making it through. Security costs, electric costs there, again they have been raised a little bit. Golf Course. Golf Course is running smooth. We're actuallyI think we should finish the fiscal year a little bit in the black, for the first time in a long time. That was mostly due to COVID. When things started opening up, golf course was the first thing that we opened up, and so we did have a rush to get back to play. We've had some bumps along the road about making sure the play is keeping up with the demand, and we're going to continue to work on that. That's about it, for like a very, very quick rundown. The way that Michelle and I were talking about doing the budget is wanted to have more of a discussion with you folks instead of setting up with a long presentation. Because like I said, there's a lot of people in our County who understand the parks, who understand the beaches, and they understand exactly what we do. So given that, I would like to turn it over to you guys for questioning. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mahalo, Moe, I appreciate that. In a kind of expeditious time allotment, I think that's good. Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Hi, guys. Thanks for being here, and thanks for inviting me early in for an early conversation. So I just kind of wanted to have that similar conversation that we had earlier, and really around your department summaries. And we talked about this, right? Which is, one of the goals, mission statements and department goals around facilities, was maintaining a five-year plan for repairs and maintenance. MR. MESSINA: Yes. So one of the things that we're really pushing is preventative maintenance schedule, and we know that there needs to be a five-year plan on that. We are going to create that five-year plan. We don't currently have one. Right now, because of what happens in our department, it's mostly just catch up, catch up, catch up. You know, something breaks, we go out and fix it. We need manpower, we go out and get the manpower. But right now, we feel that a maintenance plan to let us know where we need to be not just one year, two years, but five years down the road. I completely agree with you that this is something that we need, and that's what we're going develop within our department. MS. LEE LOY: Perfect. And I think, if you guys have been watching the last few days, we're constantly asking for a needs assessment, and I really think that this plan would help, right? Because as we begin to develop priority funding for different facilities, you know, how we can then amplify the dollars. Page 409 FC-8 April 15,2021 As you begin to develop this five-year maintenance repair schedule or maintenance plan, could you also please give consideration to the facilities that you charge fees for? So for example, if it's a beach park pavilion, if there's a fee, or camping permit, or something around that, so there's something tangible. You know, it's one thing we want to repair facilities, but if there's a way to capture some of those costs back through a fee for service,that would also be helpful. And then, the question I had was around our cemeteries. I know you expanded our cemetery out at Alae. We did a little bit more. Are you folks going to be asking for more maintenance for that facility? And individuals, right? It's like a park. You expand the park; you need more grass-cutters. So I just wanted to hear a little bit around the plan for our cemeteries. MR. MESSINA: I believe right now we're able to operate our facilities within the budget. Speaking specifically for Alae Cemetery, the biggest problem we're having there now are pigs. They're just completely tearing up everything. I mean, if you go island-wide right now, if you go out to Kamehameha Park in Kohala, it looks like you're trying to plant corn. That's how much they've torn it up. So we're going to work on an RFP to get some people to come out and trap the pigs. We worked with DLNR (Department of Land and Natural Resources). We looked at what they had available. We called everybody on DLNR's list, but nobody answered our call. I guess it was a really old list. So for Alae CemeteryI mean, we do have that's probably our biggest concern there, and after speaking with our Parks Maintenance Manager, the only way that we're going to be able to correct that is actually to fence the entire cemetery. But if we're looking at our fencing crew, during COVID, this is the same crew that also does all of our waxing for all of our floors. So they spent three and a half months at the civic fixing that, and then we send them right to the zoo to take care of the tiger enclosure. So that's one of the things that we constantly have a backlog of what we need to fix. The other cemeteries, West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery, we got a real good group out there that is helping us, and we got some the water really is the one thing out there that's getting us the most. Other than that, I think our crews are doing a pretty good job. We've currently got 13 cemeteries that we take care of. MS. LEE LOY: Oh, yeah. No doubt. You guy's got hard workers in the Parks Department, which you just mentioned the fencing and waxing crew, which is on your programs, on page 170. And they have a number of total work orders generated, right; and then work orders completed. Do you guys have, maybe just a thumbnail or just an estimate, on the cost associated with that? The reason I'm asking is, because we have a number of Friends of the Park Page 410 FC-8 April 15,2021 agreement, and if there's ways to kind of alleviate some of that costs, right, through a Friends of the Park agreement and/or, Moe, our favorite, the Sponsorship Agreement, you know, we actually see some of the return on investment on how community—and how we're leveraging some of our community assets through partnerships that actually support the parks. I know you don't have it now, but if you could—maybe just real big numbers. Reid, that's your job. MR. MESSINA: So are you specifically saying Alae Cemetery? MS. LEE LOY: No. Well, in the program highlights, right, you have plumbers, fencing and waxing crew, electricians,painters, carpenter shop. There's a whole you have a whole squad of people doing things, and just to put some dollar values behind the work orders. And then, what the value of all those work orders are, would be helpful. And this is just big picture, right? We're trying to MR. MESSINA: Well, I believe our maintenance repair budget right now is about$450,000. Just like has had been said here the last of days, you know, we're coming in at kind of the end of our budget cycle here, and I believe I discussed this with some of you at different times,but that is going to be one of our line items that we're going to be looking to increasing. We've got to increase that. We've got to increase that. But as of right now, I know Reid works with Deanna and Finance, for when we do have those shortfalls, they help us out. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, I think we're all after the same thing, right, Repair and Maintenance, increasing that budget. Or, trying to offset it a little bit. If it's fees, right? If it's a sponsorship agreement. You know,just trying to—whatever we can get, right? And just looking at it at many different ways. I'm going to yield right now. I know my other colleagues have probably more line items questions to ask you. But I just wanted to ensure we talked about the needs assessment on the five-year maintenance plan. Thank you, Chair. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee. There's no lights in Hilo. Kona, questions, concerns? MR. INABA: Aloha. Holeka. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Go ahead. MR. INABA: Director Messina, thank you. And I believe you met with all of us individually, the only department to do so, and I thought that was incredibly wise. So, mahalo. Page 411 FC-8 April 15,2021 Parks and Recreation, I have expressed in our meetings—it's really important for me, because I think it's really important for our community, most especially our keiki. I think I might be echoing on something someone else said. But really, we know you folks are required to cut back, but we really would like to know how you can be supported. Because I am looking at other department budgets to see how we can help your department. Especially here on the west side, and I've said this multiple times before, District 8 we have a cemetery, and all of my constituents use the facilities in Council Member Villegas's district. So please,just let us know, even prior to the next—after we get the real budget, how we can help. So I just have that to say and looking forward to talking story and supporting your department moving forward. Chair, I yield. MR. MESSINA: Okay thanks, Holeka. I really appreciate it, and I appreciate you as our Chair of our committee. Really appreciate you always being there to answer our phone calls. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Rebecca or Maile? MS. VILLEGAS: Yes,please. Aloha, Moe. MR. MESSINA: Aloha. MS. VILLEGAS: Aloha. And Michelle, thank you for being here today. I first off wanted to thank both of you for meeting with me prior and providing such a succinct presentation, outlining the past budget and where you're going with your budget. I also really wanted to compliment you on your teamwork, as Director and Deputy Director, and you're setting out, really, values in alignment with one another. And your communication style with one another, that really resonated in our meeting, and I just really appreciated that. It's not always the case in departments, and it's really wonderful to see that in Parks and Rec. I wanted to also report that my flags are finished, so I'll be looking forward to getting those to Parks and Rec. to be hung. And I want to thank our keiki for all the wonderful artwork that they put on those. I also just wanted to—well, I guess we can—we'll talk later offline. Sorry, I just had a total brain fart, and my mind just went completely blank. My apologies. After lunch. But want to just thank you again. And I'll look forward to following up on all the exciting projects. It's just been tremendous to work with you in Parks and Rec., and I know that District 7 and West Hawaii wholeheartedly continues to appreciate your leadership style and the attention given to the parks on this side. So, thank you so much for that. I yield. Page 412 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Hi, Director and Deputy Director. Reid, nice to meet you. Thanks for—well, Sue brought up the cemetery. And this actually we didn't get a chance to talk about, when we discussed that the other day. But I did get a call about the pig issue there, and my staff is actually looking into some pig-trappers, so let's coordinate that. Because our list was old too, we tried to probably use the same list from DLNR, and nobody does that anymore. But I am interested—do you have a cost estimate on what fencing might entail for Alae? MR. MESSINA: No, I don't. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. MR. MESSINA: We can get that to you, though. MS. KIMBALL: Yeah, I'd be interested, because I agree. I think, unfortunately that's probably our only solution long-term. I do drive by it every day, and like you say, it's pretty beat up, so it would be good to try to do something. So I'm looking the main thing I want to ask about is, you know, we have some options for increased revenue that we've discussed offline, and I'm sure you've discussed with the other Council Members. The three areas that I'm curious about for looking for cost savings are the costs for our security contracts, water, and electricity. Are you guys doing work on moving some of our facilities to solar, or—Michelle's laughing. I'll just put it out there, what are some of your thoughts on reducing those energy costs over time? MR. MESSINA: So yes, we do need to reduce the energy costs. Where we can and where we have the money to put up the solar,we will; or like Ms. Lee Loy was talking about, working with the communities to do that. If you look at our pools, we EFDs (Energy Flow Density) in the pools, which reduces our electrical output, when the pools are not necessarily being used. We do have solar panels on some of our pools. We have solar panels on just a few of our facilities, and that is something that we need to do. We also have very, very aged facilities. And so, we'll keep looking at that, in fact R&D (Department of Research and Development) has spoken to us about that, on ways to become more energy efficient, so we'll continue to work with them. You know, right now our budget is barebones, and if there's a way we can reduce costs on something, even though it could pay us back a couple years down the Page 413 FC-8 April 15,2021 road, we will look in doing that. But I think maybe we'll just—we'll continue looking—working with R&D, but there seems like they have a lot of good ideas on how to get us in a better place with our electricity. MS. KIMBALL: I believe that Parks and Recreation facilities would fall under the Sustainability Partners contract that we were talking about earlier today, which is something that R&D is—are you shaking your head no, Deanna, or are you ? The presentation that Riley gave me on the relationship with Sustainability Partners did include some of facilities assessment, so I don't know if that would be—my understanding was that it included all County facilities. But let's have that conversation with them at some point. What about water? Any ways to reduce water consumption? MR. MESSINA: Well, we did recently have a meeting with DEM (Department of Environmental Management) about their R-1, R-2 water; the usage of potable water in some places, where we could possibly use R-1 water. There are some issues involved with that, that DEM could speak to, because they're a little over my head, the engineering aspect of it. But for the most part, our water usage comes from—it's just like a necessity. If you look at West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery, the only reason it's green is because of the water we use. And when you talk about how do we reduce the cost of the consumption of water, Michelle and I went into the greenhouse down thereI mean, I know this is so small—but we went into the greenhouse that's there. We moved all the plants around ourselves, put them in one specific spot, turned off all the hoses and faucets in the other area, and I know it sounds so small, but for us even just saving a few dollars is important to us. And we also feel that once the plants and everything take out there, and they no longer need that constant water, I think that those costs will come down, as well. We are also—if you look at some of our ADA projects, specifically if you look at Kolekole Beach Park, where we have the ADA project coming in, we're going to be bringing in water there. And so right now, we don't have a cost associated with water, but we will soon, which is another one of our increases. It's because we've got to have potable water at that park. MS. KIMBALL: Do you guys have a regular schedule for water delivery maintenance? For that infrastructure, you know, making sure that there's leakage, all the taps are working, and everything. Do you have a maintenance schedule for that? MR. MESSINA: And also, Reid and his team, as soon as they notice that there's a difference, and also maintenance does this as well, as soon as they see an increase that just looks out of norms—luckily we do have our own Page 414 FC-8 April 15,2021 plumbers in-house, so we'll send out our park caretakers, our supervisors, in that certain district. If they can't find the leak, then we'll send these guys out. And also, Water Supply works closely with us. If we notice that there's a problem, they'll help us, as well. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, great. And then lastly, what about the security? Yeah, it's big expense. Is it just it is what it is, or other ways to ? MR. MESSINA: Well, we send out— MS. utMS. KIMBALL: Obviously we want to protect our facilities. MR. MESSINA: Yes. And over the last year, there were some security services that dropped off because of the cost. For instance Kalakaua Park no longer has security there. We don't have security at every one of our facilities, but the ones where we do have security, that's where they're most needed. We look at Spencer Beach Park. We look at Isaac Hale Beach Park. Lincoln Park, we've got to have security at Lincoln Park. As soon as we brought security in there, our crime numbers went drastically, drastically down. It's safe for families in that park again, so we don't want to do away with it. So, we're running at our minimum security. We need security at the zoo, which is why our increase at the zoo. We can't just leave it overnight without anybody being there. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, great. I'll yield for now. That's all the questions I have. Thank you both. MR. MESSINA: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Mr. Chung, go ahead. MR. CHUNG: Yeah, thank you. Hi, Maurice. I don't have too many questions. You know, in terms—well, last year or a year or so ago, we did an audit on the cash handling at the Mass Transit Division. What's the cash-handling situation with your department? You got any thoughts on that? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yes, and I believe we also had a cash-handling audit. We also had one a few years back, as well. MR. CHUNG: Oh, okay. Page 415 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MESSINA: And followed through with all the suggestion, and I believe that we've made every we fixed everything that they had issues with. MR. CHUNG: Well, how many programs currently handle cash? MR. MESSINA: I wouldn't say necessarily say "programs," I would say "divisions." MR. CHUNG: Okay, divisions? MR. MESSINA: Yes, like our administration, we handle like the camping permits, pavilion permits. At the pools, we have people who come in, who want to pay monthly fees. Or if they want to swim in a certain program, they pay there. Our Recreation Division, sometimes people come in there. They pay with cash. So we have numerous ones that pay with cash. MR. CHUNG: Golf Course? MR. MESSINA: Golf Course pays with cash as well, yes. MR. CHUNG: Okay. Is that good system, though? I mean how do you keep track? How do you account or make sure that all the monies that are supposed to come into the County are coming in? MR. MESSINA: Well, our Business Manager audits our divisions, and we have also have an accountant in almost every one of our divisions, as well. MR. CHUNG: But that's way after the fact, right? Not at point of transaction, right? MR. MESSINA: Correct. MR. CHUNG: Yeah. I think you guys should take a closer look at that. That's my suggestion, okay? And you know, I don't like to bring up things of a local concern. Okay, like for my district, but since you're here and it's not going take too long, and we did talk about it, but just so you can get the word out, what's the status on exercise equipment around the Bayfront Trails, Lincoln Park area? Just briefly. MR. MESSINA: So Lincoln Park Trails, we sent out our specs to the company that we're working with on April 5h, and we're waiting for them to get back to us. As far as the Bayfront Trails, we're going to be looking for some funding if we want to put exercise equipment out there. And we're going to know, once we install the exercise equipment at Lincoln Park, we'll know exactly what it takes Page 416 FC-8 April 15,2021 for us to do that, and we'll have a better cost estimate of what it would take on the Bayfront Trails. MR. CHUNG: Okay. You'll let me know, right? MR. MESSINA: Yes, sir. MR. CHUNG: Okay. Alright. Because, Reid, I have some money stashed away, right, someplace? Yeah, okay. Then we can kind of work on that, yeah. I mean, I've been cockroaching that money from the contingency and just dumping it into your account for many years, right? So I think we got a sizeable amount that we could use for that, yeah? Alright, thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: You're welcome. Thank you, Mr. Chung. Ms. David. I skipped over you. MS. DAVID: Thank you, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Go ahead, Ms. David. Sorry about that. MS. DAVID: No, no worries. Thank you. Aloha, Director and Deputy. Thank you for being here. I also want to say thank you for your pre-meeting with me and going over your very comprehensive summary of your budget. And so I don't really have many that many questions, but I do want to let you know that I believe, at least on this side yeah, because of the remoteness some of our facilities on this side, the security is really an issue, and I know that you folks are very tight on your budget with that respect. I just want to say that I think in preventive maintenance in that plan that Ms. Lee Loy talks about, you know, I believe, or I would hope that the security aspect of that would be something that is at the forefront, to keep our facilities safe for the community members. I also want to mahalo and aloha the Friends of the Park organizations that really do help out in that respect. And I was sorry that with COVID funding, that once that was gone there was a real rise in security issues at some of the beach facilities. So I just wanted to let you know that is the very important issue, I think, for a lot of us in our districts. If I can help with anything in that department, you know, discussing new methods or ideas, I would be very, very open to that. So that's what I just wanted to mention to you folks and thank you folks for putting some attention to that and recognizing the security issues. My other question is, our County facilities, how many of our park facilities do you have left to do ADA compliance? Page 417 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MESSINA: Sixteen. MS. DAVID: Sixteen? One, six? MR. MESSINA: Yes. MS. DAVID: I see. And that's island-wide? MR. MESSINA: Correct. MS. DAVID: And I believe, Deanna, we do have all the funding to complete ADA for parks? MR. MESSINA: We're MS. DAVID: Is thatevery ? MR. MESSINA: We had enough to go through our first initial cost. We've had some additional costs associated, and we're working with Finance right now to help us shore up those additional cost items. MS. DAVID: Okay, and so we're okay with that? We can still proceed with the ADA compliance stuff? MR. MESSINA: Yes, we're court mandated to proceed. MS. DAVID: Right. That's why I'm just wondering if we have the funds available so that we can continue to comply. Oh, hi, Director. MS. SAKO: Hi. So, yesI mean we did come in with that initial bond authorization, but we are going to have come in and ask for more, because as time elapses, costs go up. And as we've been discussing with other departments, the costs right now, especially construction costs, continue to go up. So it would be part of the next bond authorization we come in to ask for. They do not have enough to complete every project right now. MS. DAVID: Okay. MS. SAKO: But we're working on it. MS. DAVID: Okay, great. That's good to know. Thank you for getting us on the road to compliance. Aside from that I think that's all the questions. You know, the security, the maintenance plan, is something that I—and the ADA compliance, are the only things that I was really thinking, as far as priorities, in my mind. Page 418 FC-8 April 15,2021 So I want to thank you guys again for always being available and willing to help whenever we call. So, I yield. Thank you very much. MR. MESSINA: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. David. Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Aloha, Moe, Michelle, great to see you. And yes, thank you very much for taking the time to connect with us to go over your budget in advance. It's really helpful. Mahalo for all of your support in allowing us to do activations in County parks. I think it's a great way to engage community, and just reinvigorate these public spaces. Really excited to see the flags up and blowing in the wind in Kalakaua, and just really grateful to the support of my colleagues, Rebecca, Holeka, Chair David, Tim, them engaging their keiki in the community so that we could have these flags blowing in the wind in parks island-wide. So mahalo. Do you want to explore with you, developing some kind of toolkit so that community members know what the steps to engaging your department, if they're interested in doing art installation? So, you know, can commit myself to helping you with that. And just want to find ways in which we can further activate these spaces. I know that you have RFPs with five different locations to bring in food trucks and do want to see if we can be doing that in more parking lots for our park facilities around the island. It's just a great way to be supporting local community and bringing folks together. Clearly, there have to be COVID precautions in place, but just a great way to just celebrate different flavors and unique characteristics of community. The question I have is related to 428 funding, that your department went after in relation to the Kilauea eruption, you know with Ahalanui and Pohoiki. I know we had submitted some pretty high-cost estimates to FEMA, but they determined was fair. You know, I think there's certainly discrepancy, so maybe just an update on how much we can expect from them. And if you've made any decisions around how we'll leverage that funding to reinvest in park spaces, particularly Pahoa District Park, but other parks in the region. MR. MESSINA: So, we have a plan right now. Like I said earlier, with the 16 ADA projects, that is a very, very big concentration of ours. We're going to be using those funds to redo the fields at Pahoa District park. As soon as we can Page 419 FC-8 April 15,2021 get a good handle on our ADA projects that we have, the number one after that, as far as our fields are concerned, is working on those fields. We're also looking at doing the EA (Environmental Assessment) in HPP, for Hawaiian Paradise Park, and the EA in the park over in Kalapana, I'm sorry, if the name escapes be right now. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We call that Keokea. MR. MESSINA: That's the one. Escapes me, yeah. So those are what we're working on. We're also—we're talking with Deanna about the possibility of a couple of other things, but for right now that is what we're working on, the biggest parks. And we're also trying to get just a few pieces of equipment to assist in our parks from that funding, as well. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, great. And the total funding was, I believe, around $5 million? MR. MESSINA: Correct. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. What's the timeframe for EAs for the parks in Matt's and my district? MR. MESSINA: We've just got to do the work. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. It's something that you're engage Public Works with? What's the process? MR. MESSINA: Well, we've first got to develop our scope of work. And then what I can do, is I can reach out to you both and let you know what our timeframe is as we get closer to it, so that you both understand exactly where we are in case your constituents ask. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yeah, I mean, with HPP there was a whole public engagement process, where they designed a master plan. James Komata had been very helpful the last couple budget cycles,just identifying a very phased-in approach of how we develop. So I hope that we're going to lean on that in terms of developing the scope of work. MR. MESSINA: And we can let you guys know once the bid process is complete for EA. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. Page 420 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MESSINA: And we can let you guys know who was selected and where we stand with that. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Perfect, thank you. MR. MESSINA: You're welcome. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I appreciate you. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Okay, Rebecca, I believe you had a follow-up question? MS. VILLEGAS: I did. My brain flatulence has passed. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Very good to hear. MS. VILLEGAS: So my question, Moe, had to do with most specifically wanting to get a the potholes at Old Airport. We have a very vociferous constituent who was concerned about the potholes at Old Airport, and it was brought up during before the Sustainability Summit. Did that by any chance get to you? MR. MESSINA: No it hasn't, but DPW constantly assists us out there, at Old Airport. MS. VILLEGAS: Yes. MR. MESSINA: So we can do another assessment out there, and we'll speak with our maintenance supervisor in the area. We'll work with DPW on that. Thanks for bringing that to the attention. MS. VILLEGAS: Doug Adams fielded that in the pre-meetings, before the Sustainability Summit. And also,just for the sake of that number of people who direct message me on social media, asking about camping and increasing hours at our beach parks, I just wanted to ask the question here and give you the opportunity to answer if you had any idea. A lot of families are really looking forward and hoping toKohanaiki especially, be able to return to camping there. And that park hours there used to close at 9:00, and they've been closing 7:00. Do you have any kind of idea of when those activities might be allowed again? Reopening that income stream for you guys as well as changing and lengthening the park hours so that those who like to surf until sunset will be able to do so, as we have longer days in the summer. MR. MESSINA: Yeah, so the current Mayor's COVID rule has park hours, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and camping is currently closed. As far as camping goes, Page 421 FC-8 April 15,2021 it is a discussion that we've been having with the administration. May 15th is the date we are going to be able to go into administration and say, "We believe that this is when we can open up camping again." Right now, I believe they're all closed to June l Ota', all of our camping. But May 15 is the day that we want to be able to go into administration, see if we're in a safe enough place, till after that June l Oh date, to reopen up camping. Our office gets inundated with calls every single day. Everybody wanting to go out and do camping again. It was originally closed because there was just no way for us to monitor the campsites, when we were looking at the different sizes of gatherings and things of that nature. But it is something that we're looking at and we're going to be talking with administration about, as well as the park hours. You know, we're seeing it too, as the summer comes it's light out longer. But we want to make sure, Michelle and I, we don't make this decision without first coordinating with all of our divisions, our Maintenance Division, our Recreation Division, making sure that they have the capacity to increase these hours. And once we increase those hours, make sure that we have the ability to monitor the people that are there. If COVID starts lessening its impact on our County, we can do that a lot quicker, but again, that's one of those things that Administration, you know, with Department of Health, Civil Defense, they're all going to be involved with that along with our specific divisions, as well. MS. VILLEGAS: Fantastic. Thank you, Moe. And along the lines of what Council Member Kimball was talking about, I really appreciate you touching on the topics of transitioning to solar and how we can more efficiently support using less resources in our parks, transitioning to solar, reducing water, and whatnot. And so I see an opportunity, and as the Mayor said when we started these budget hearings on Tuesday, I think that energy saving performance contracts and doing the scope of work for the County and each department mayI'm very hopeful that may provide an avenue for identifying ways to make our to transition our County park facilities being mor energy self-sufficient as well as utilizing less resources. And so, I'm just really hopeful that scope of work can get underway and that we can count on you to come to the table with Parks and Recreation and put together that kind of scope of work. Because we have so many facilities, and as you said before, they are—many of them very old, and have lots of opportunity for improvement in those infrastructure areas with those facilities and bring them up into the 21" Century—and how they operate. So I look forward to being able to support in that capacity. MR. MESSINA: You know, Ms. Villegas, one the things that we're doing already in-house, I mean, it sounds like a small thing, but it's going from the Page 422 FC-8 April 15,2021 changing of our lightbulbs, going to more energy-efficient lightbulbs. Our electricians, every time that they need to go in and change, if there's a way that they can upgrade those lightbulbs to energy-efficient lightbulbs, they're doing it. Our plumbers are looking to reduce the amount of water that it takes. We're not using gallons and gallons of water to flush toilets anymore. Every time they've got to go in and do a replacement, we're making sure we go energy efficient. I know that's not something to—it's not—nothing you can not anything you can see like a bunch of solar panels, but those are small ways, you know. MS. VILLEGAS: I bet it does. Yeah, it adds up. It really adds up, so thank you. And I also want to compliment you and your department. While there's still kind of a delay in working on those two pilot parks to be herbicide-free, because your staff is so focused on and for good cause, completing the ADA compliance facilities in our parks, it's been really wonderful to have communication with the Parks and Recreation staff and to see the impact that was made with the educational program that came through with Beyond Pesticides, in looking at our soils in our parks and being able to identify why we have more weeds in certain spaces and why the grasses that we do want don't grow, and how that's related to soil health, very directly. And to the microbiomes there, and how herbicides and fertilizers actually contribute to the problem in the long run instead of bringing a solution. And I'm just very grateful for the enthusiasm and the recognition of these new ways in order to take care of our precious soils, and make sure that they're healthy as they can be. And in doing so, our parks can be as healthy as possible, and the people that play in those parks can remain as healthy as possible. So I look forward to continuing to work with you on those projects and the other projects in the treatment of our facilities in those capacities. MR. MESSINA: Okay, thank you. MS. VILLEGAS: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Holeka, any follow-ups? MR. INABA: A`ole. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I don't see any lights on in Hilo. Good discussion, Council. Thank you, Moe. I will start off with your guy's revenues. I was looking over your different revenue streams. And just some of my questions as far as what you're expecting in 2022, I want to get just your take on it. Something that stood out, Page 423 FC-8 April 15,2021 Summer/Intersession Class activities. I mean, 2019-2020 you didn't see much of anything, is that just due to COVID? MR. MESSINA: COVID. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, were you expecting to step back up to $175,000, 2021-2022? MR. MESSINA: We believe we can realize that, yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So let's take Summer/Intersession fees off too, because it's about the same reasoning than. Recreation Classes and Activities, about a three-time increase? MR. MESSINA: Yeah, we believe. So COVID shut everything down. We're seeing a lot, a lot, a lot of phone calls, and a lot of excitement about opening up all these again, and so we believe we can realize those revenues, as well. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Mauna Kea Lodging, that was an interesting one So is that—what's the reasoning betweenI mean, $16,000 from 2019-2020 to $172,000 for 2021-2022 in revenue? MR. MESSINA: Right, so we closed down the bunk houses and the cabins at Mauna Kea Recreation area, mostly during COVID. Recently opened back up the cabins. But when opened back up the bunk houses and the cabins, including the restaurant area, a lot of people go up there. We have a very high demand for those. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I mean substantial, though. $16,000 in 2019-2020, were the open in 2019-2020? MR. MESSINA: We were closed a lot of the time during 2019-2020. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. MESSINA: Because of COVID. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: For three months of COVID? MR. MESSINA: Closed for three months, during COVID. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So the nine months, you brought in $16,000? MR. MESSINA: Yeah. Page 424 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Sorry, revenue equals where we can go to your department. MR. MESSINA: Right. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So I'm wondering what your revenue streams are. No, so what's the reasoning there? I know Reid's getting ready, unless you could have that answer. MR. MESSINA: So for that three months, right, we did—we were closed for the three months, and the rest of the time we increased that revenue for what you see there, or brought in that revenue from what you see there. When we open back up fully, we're going to see a very large increase, I mean we're talking that's almost like the most—what would be a way to say it—most economical place that you can stay as a group of people. But, specifically for those revenues. (Note: At this time, Business Manager Reid Sewake came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. SEWAKE: I just wanted to add on—Reid Sewake, Business Manager. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. MR. SEWAKE: So part of that variance is we actually had intended to, or hopefully start our concessions up there, so the revenues would be part of that line item potentially, if we get that up and going. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. MESSINA: And DLNR—Deputy of DLNR, Bob Masuda, he's watching that and he's helping us get it out of the Forest Reserve, so we can actually realize that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It seems that most things are lengthy with the State. Is that going to be a quick process? I mean, look at(inaudible). MR. MESSINA: It has been a while. We made it through the first hearings; and according to DLNR, it shouldn't be too much longer. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Okay, so it's a combination of because it's been three months being closed, $16,000 in revenue, to a $172,000 in revenue for 12 months, I mean Page 425 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MESSINA: If we even just have a rental up there for—if it'sif we're only bringing in $10,000 a month, that's $120,000 over one year. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. MESSINA: So that includes concession, that includes star gazing, includes rental of our amenities, you know, to use as you're camping. It's going to be basically a small little restaurant up there. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Wow. Gas station? MR. MESSINA: If you run out of gas, our guys will help you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I couldn't help it. I don't how many times I've been there and seen someone asking me for gas. Or, where's the nearest gas station? You just scratch your head and going, "You didn't check on the way � » up. MR. MESSINA: Yeah. And if that does happen,just for everybody's knowledge, they can find one of our park caretakers and we'll see if we can help them out. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you for that. I think Kai Kahele made a post recently and said, "Do like everybody else,just put it in neutral and coast all the way to the nearest gas station,"which would be Hilo. MR. MESSINA: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Facility use permits, I mean, you guys—for Admin, Recreation, EAD (Elderly Activities Division), you had zeroes all the way 2019-2020, and then we're stepping up. I'm just—how come? What was the what's the step there? MR. MESSINA: Everything was offline during COVID. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And before that, were those equal to like 2018-2019? Because we don't have a beautiful spreadsheet that shows us previous years. MR. MESSINA: Correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We only have 2019-2020 and 2021-2022 in front of us. Or I mean, till 2020—from 2019 to 2024 is what we have in front of us. So our previous years for those, I mean, were you looking at the numbers Page 426 FC-8 April 15,2021 you've put for 2021-2022 estimates? No that facility is really nice. It used to be a State facility, correct? And we transferred it over to County. MR. MESSINA: We don't have the EO (Executive Order)yet. We have management authority, but we don't have EO yet. That's one of the last things we're waiting on, is take it out of the Forest Reserve before we can get the EO. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I know a lot of people, even some of my co-workers enjoy that facility immensely. MR. MESSINA: I stop every time I go to Kona. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Me, too. It's a place to stop. Okay, Reid, go ahead. MR. SEWAKE: Yeah, so the reason why you see zeros in the actuals on the 2019-2020 is we actually created a separate individual revenue accounts for different facilities permits. That's just an effort to improve our cash-handling and better to do our reconciliations. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Okay, I've seen that in other places, so thank you for that. That clarifies that. MR. MESSINA: You know, one of the questions were why we opened up our park pavilions, the rental of our pavilions before anything else. And that was some of the questions that came to us, and it really had to do with contact tracing. It was like almost like a first come, first serve basis. But as soon as we were able to get those open, we actually had to come in and write down who was all going to be in that facility. So that was one of the questions that came up, "Why are you guys able to do that, but not open camping?" And that was the biggest reason for that. We knew people were already using those facilities, but we needed to know actually who was in there. And not necessarily what we can do every night for camping. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I didn't actually get the answer, though. Before you created new line item or subaccounts, were those—are those numbers good to go off of for the next year? MR. SEWAKE: Yeah. We expect them to be good numbers, providing we somehow return to normal, yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then camping fees, you're talking about the same thing? You're expecting a little bit of an increase? Or you're hoping for a full year of fees? Page 427 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MESSINA: We're hoping for a full year of fees. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I think Ms. Lee Loy touched on something earlier, too, the fees. You actually—Finance supplies us with that revenue report. So all the fees are in there for what you guys do for camping and everything else; so those were submitted. So maybe tie that into what she's requesting, as part of that needs assessment discussion, and ease your work a little bit? Okay, I think that was the only questions regarding your revenues. The expenditures. Overtime for your band? I love the band; I love what they can do. I know there's some discussion, like Billy Kenoi times to take it away, and that was not well-liked. But overtime, what's the overtime charges there for? MR. MESSINA: So our band practices on Tuesdays, and they're hourly workers. The overtime comes like on the weekends or holidays, when they're doing marching or doing concerts. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And you expect kind of that to hold steady? It's a fairly large number that's why. MR. MESSINA: We would hope so. We would hope so. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. MESSINA: And that is a normal year. If we're still going in the right way in July and we can start doing performances again, we would hope that we could realize that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Overtime at the cemetery, as well? MR. MESSINA: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So you got a $4,000 increase for Alae? Sorry, I know you have two or three that you MR. MESSINA: Alright, so—what's the best way to say this? So our Parks Maintenance Division is one of our largest overtime divisions. When someone calls in sick, let's say in our administration office,we can kind handle it. We can, you know, take on the responsibility to the other personnel there. But when you're looking at Parks Maintenance, if someone calls in sick a day that it was supposed to be mowed, or if somebody's called in sick a day it's supposed to be open, we cannot not open our facilities. Page 428 FC-8 April 15,2021 It's the same thing with the cemeteries. It takes us more time to actually mow the grass now because of the pigs. It's like running over just rocks because of all the—everything that's been drawn up. We've also done away with our position, Vegetation Management Control position, which is like a poison control person. We're now putting that back doing each division and each area. So for instance the cemetery folks, our regular folks now are out there doing that their own. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. MESSINA: But it's still cheaper than having a full-time position, throughout the island doing all that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. So your overtime, you feel that although it's a little bit higher, that it's needed and necessary because of the way your Parks staff is working out? MR. MESSINA: Correct, yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But not to the point where you need more personnel? MR. MESSINA: We can operate with what we have now. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I saw that look on your face. MR. MESSINA: Yeah. Everybody would say that they could always use more personnel. But once we fill our 37, 34 positions that we have, we're going to be in a good place. We're able to make do with what we have. But we just can't build any more new facilities or anything because we're stretched to our limits right now. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I've seen it before in other departments, Miscellaneous Contributions from P&R. It's an expense, so not a revenue stream. But what is that? And it's not just for you I'm asking, I mean, I've seen in multiple departments now, but there's always a line item. What is that? MR. SEWAKE: We have that line item appropriated in the event that we do get contributions or donations, and we do quite often receive. You know, of course they go to Council, but we do have that appropriation existing already, so I've been able to expend that donation. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But listed as an expense, though? Page 429 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. SEWAKE: Yes. Yeah, so we have a revenue account that matches that expenditure. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Oh, got it. Okay. For the golf program—I know I hear you, sorry, this the only time when I get these questions. West Hawaii Golf Program, Miscellaneous Contract Services, and we also have Golf Fund. Are they interchangeable? Does that need to be within your Parks and Recreation, or could it be flip-flopped over to the Golf Fund? MR. SEWAKE: Yeah, I think the Golf Fund is set up if we actually run a golf course. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So Hilo Golf Course Fund is separate? Hilo golf course. MR. SEWAKE: Yeah, it's a special revenue fund. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Whereas, subsidizing the West Hawaii golf course shouldn't be coming out of this account? MR. SEWAKE: No, I don't think so, yeah. The subsidy for the West Hawaii Program is General Funded. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. SEWAKE: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, trying to help. You know, Heather Kimball touched on it here, overhead cost and your pools. They're heavy, understood. Electricity, water, going down the line. Everyone's seen an increase in electricity cost. Efficiency though, pumps—and I think even Civil Defense too, when it comes to replacing motors, replacing a/c units, anything like that, there are a lot of efficiency programs that will help. Rebate, even if it's in government, and don't know that we take advantage of that. If we're not,please look into that. I think Grayson—Grayson helps with that, where they'll do motor replacements for MR. SEWAKE: Yeah, we did. We started to take advantage of that program. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. You are already? MR. SEWAKE: Yeah. We have an account with them set up. Page 430 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Security services, is there any way to turn that down? I mean, it's heavy. It's a heavy expense for you guys. I know we touched on it. It's necessary. It's needed, but it's also a pretty large expense for Parks and Recreation. Can a couple police in there, or substitute police presence when, you know, you're hitting x-amount of time for your security contracts? MR. MESSINA: I wouldn't want for speak the Chief of Police on that. But we already call the police a lot for our parks. Where we need the security right now, like I said earlier, these are the facilities we need the security the most. We've taken away security, where we can take it away. We go out—it's a I mean we go off our bid list, you know, for the security when we have it. We need security, for instance, night-time in Mauna Kea recreation area, Gilbert Kahele Recreation areaI mean, our security is even out there because those bathrooms are open 24/7. They even have assisted us in cleaning our bathrooms and changing toilet paper and stuff. So everywhere we could take away security, we did. That has caused problems in certain parks. At one time, a couple of years ago we were working with HTA (Hawai`i Tourism Authority)to see if they could assist us with security costs, because we heard that they were doing that same thing in Waikiki parks. I'm not sure what their funding is going to be for this year, but that was one of the first things that I thought of when we came back, and I saw what had happened. It was like maybe we should reach out to HTA again and see if they can assist us, especially in the parks where you have the most tourists. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Outcome? Anything? MR. MESSINA: I just read what everybody else read about HTA, another funding cut. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Yeah, it's a big expense for you guys. I mean, even Parks Maintenance, you had $375,000 for security services, but then $109,000—another $109,000 for Mauna Kea recreation area. Now, that's just one place in your budget, yeah? MR. MESSINA: Well, imagine being the guy 2:00 o'clock in the morning that stops by there and use the restroom, or the women that stops by to use the bathroom there, and we have no facilities open? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Understood. Beautification Fund is run by Parks and Recreation as well, or handled by Parks and Recreation? MR. SEWAKE: Oh yeah, we do have appropriations in that fund. I believe the other department will be Public Works. Page 431 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I think I saw five mower leases in there or five mower purchases, correct? Okay. And we needI'm just checking, we need all that equipment? Is that necessary or wanted? MR. MESSINA: Necessary. Super necessary. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's a great answer, Moe. Thank you. And then I'll be remiss for asking, Senior Community Service Aides, you have a number of funded positions in the budget, under your Elderly Services, Elderly Activities Division. I just wanted to understand that Elderly Activities, I mean, there's got to be there's a 70 funded, but a vacant Service Aide positions in here. I just want to understand that number. MR. MESSINA: So I'll let Reid help out with this one, as well. But a lot of these are like part-time positions, and with these part-time positions we got a lot of resignations. A lot of people moving on to full-time positions. That's a majority of them. And also is that for I'll let Reid answer that one. MR. SEWAKE: Sorry, what division are you looking at? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: This is the department 8000 Elderly Activities, ADA-20, and then 8824 Senior Community Service Employment Program. MR. SEWAKE: So that 70 positions are actually a program we used to have before, which the contract was actually rerouted to another agency, so we no longer have that section in our MR. MESSINA: We no longer have funding for those positions. MR. SEWAKE: Funding for those positions, yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then that takes me right to RSVP. That's coming under you guys now? MR. MESSINA: Has been, always. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Was there a switch? What was the switch recently with that? It that a funding source switch? No, same thing? MR. MESSINA: Yeah, the only thing different with RSVP is we weren't able to hold the large events that we normally held. That was it. Page 432 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Because I went to the last, I think it was at the Nani Mau, and it was a really nice event. But I remember them saying this is the last time we're going to do this. I was trying toI couldn't remember exactly why that was happening. MR. MESSINA: No, we want to continue the program. The only thing that was different during COVID is we just weren't able to have the get together, so we sent them care packages and gifts instead. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I really like activity—I like that idea, because it helps our kupuna kind of come in and still participate. And I love talking with them. Before I was a County official,just walking in, there's always someone to talk to. They more than just want to talk; and then they can give you directions, but I always appreciate that about them. MR. MESSINA: Yeah, I believe the last couple of times we were there, we said that their contributions, if you put it out in minimum wage, it comes out to about $1 million. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Oh, it's huge. MR. MESSINA: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It's helpful for us, but I think it kind of goes both ways. So, okay. MR. MESSINA: We miss having them around. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Coordinated Service Program Income, so you get one vehicle purchase in there, is that right? Department 481. MR. SEWAKE: Yeah, for our Coordinated Services, we could budget vehicles in program income, in the hopes we can purchase a vehicle. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I like that, "in the hopes." MR. SEWAKE: Yeah. We've put in a request. But yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Any other supplemental request that are big that you're asking for? Or ones that really—is like your top three, what would it be? MR. MESSINA: So if you look at our supplemental request, our number one is CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We didn't get it. Page 433 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MESSINA: Is what? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We didn't get any supplemental request. MR. MESSINA: So our number one supplemental request is a Zoo Park Caretaker I position. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That was a mouthful. It doesn't seem like it, but that was. Try say it again. MR. MESSINA: Zoo Park Caretaker position. The reason for that is we—with this ADA project, one of the things that we have at our zoo now is a lot of concrete, a lot of new walkway spaces. This is a rainforest zoo, so it gets dirty, it gets green, and so we're asking for, you know, in our supplement we're asking for that position to assist with park clean-up. We have only have one position there right now as park caretaker at the zoo. The next one ison our number two on our list is Parks Project Manager for administration. During thisoh, we're asking to basically fund it. During these ADA projects, we're seeing that—like right now there's a lot of projects that we had to put on the backburner because we needed to concentrate heavily on these. And as times like this, where we seek for a position like that, we heavily, heavily need it. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. MESSINA: And our third one is an Information and Education Specialist for our administration. Right now, we don't have a person in our department that can run our internet, that can run our websites, that can help each one of our divisions getting the word out. Almost like a, yeah PIO (Public Information Officer)position. And we don't have that right now. And so it's fallen as extra duties for everyone else who already has a lot on their plate. So those our top three that we would be looking at. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then, Deanna,just remind me, Council cannot create positions, right? Only the Mayor can do that? Okay. And the Mayor is aware of what you asked for? MR. MESSINA: Yes, they've seen our supplemental. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Beautiful. Thank you. Okay, that is all the questions I had. Thank you very much. Unless there's any follow-up from the Council Members? Page 434 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MESSINA: Appreciate your time. Thank you. Thank you all. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Council Members, do we need a recess? Okay, we're going to take a just give everybody five minutes. See you guys back here 3:10 p.m. Recess: At 3:05 p.m., the Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 3:15 p.m. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Aloha, welcome back. We're back from recess. Thank you for your patience. We're going to go, before we take Office of Housing. Thank you for your patience, Ms. Kunz, we're going to have Lee Lord and Talmadge Magno come up and talk about the unfolding situation at the West Hawaii-Kona airports. Mr. Lord, thank you for coming back. (Note: At this time, Managing Director Lee Lord and Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno came forward to address the members of the Committee.) COVID MR. LORD: Thank you, Mr. Chair. You had a question and it dealt with the cost Testing Briefing: of our airport testing. So when I share this number, it's for the three airports (Continued) including Waimea. Currently, we're in an agreement where we're paying $35,000 a day for an agreement that's between April 15'h and April 30'', which comes out to $508,200. Currently, we're using disaster funds. We're not sure when the federal money comes down, if we're able to replace those disaster funds so we're using them very judiciously. The decision as you've heard before, if we're going to continue after April 30'', depends of course on—and I said the Governor's proclamation which is part of it, but it's more about the Department of Health and their plan for airport testing interisland and mainland also, and what that Department of Health decision comes down to and we find that out. It also, of course, depends on the federal funds and what rules come with those as it comes down through the State. We don't know those rules at all at this point and time and how we're going to be able to use that, and it depends on where our budget is at that point in time. And that will be all, you know, that Mr. Roth uses to base his decision on. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. So, again, $35,000 a day. MR. LORD: Correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Three airports: Hilo, Waimea, Kona. Page 435 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. LORD: Correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Is there a current bill for services rendered? MR. LORD: Well, we're working under a contract right now. So between April 15'h and April 30'', we'll owe $508,200. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Wow, okay. And then you said that the disaster MR. LORD: We're kind of covering it. You know, Deanna works and does her thing with Finance. Right now, we're just borrowing out of our Disaster Fund because it is a disaster. But hopefully, we can be able to replace that money. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Council Members? Let's go to Kona. Kona, do you have any questions or follow-up comments on that? MS. VILLEGAS: So for confirmation yes, thank you, Chair. For confirmation then, Mr. Lord, that$35,000 a day is the fee, not individually per airport but for all three combined? MR. LORD: Correct. MS. VILLEGAS: And was the cost the same for the prior contractor? MR. LORD: I believe the cost was a little higher for the previous contractor. I'd have to do some research though, but I believe it was a little higher. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. MR. LORD: But once again, we weren't paying that bill. That was being paid by a philanthropist and we weren't part of that contract. MS. VILLEGAS: And is it safe to assume that that philanthropist was the owner of Salesforce? MR. LORD: Yes. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. My other question then comes to—it just jumped out of my mind again. I think I need coffee. Okay. I know what it was. Just as a question, it was my understanding that all mainland travelers who landed, especially—well, in my understanding, in Kona, were being provided a second test regardless of vaccination, and they had to be tested prior to leaving the Page 436 FC-8 April 15,2021 mainland and show negative test results. But they were all being tested once landed here. MR. LORD: I'm going to let Civil Defense Director, Mr. Talmadge, answer that question. MS. VILLEGAS: Thank you. MR. MAGNO: Hi. Good afternoon. There was a period, a long period, that we ran 100 percent testing. And what happened is, as we went off of the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security)money and the funding transitioned to the philanthropist and then came back to the County, as a cost saving method because we paid per test, we reduced the percentage, which was authorized in the Governor's ruleI mean in the Mayor's rule it specified we could test between 25 up to 100 percent. So we took it down to 50 percent, you know, ratio, that we decided would be able to cover and get us a good ratio of positives that were coming in. And so we reduced it to 50 percent, when we resumed the contract in April. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. Are you aware of why the contract was changed in the short period of time? MR. MAGNO: Well, Premier's contract was coming up and we had other vendors that came forward, and out of three vendors, this Basis had the lowest rate. MS. VILLEGAS: So the decision was made based on price even though it hadn't been based on our RFP (Request for Proposal). MR. MAGNO: It was done through an emergency procurement. MS. VILLEGAS: How long has Premier had the contract for the testing prior? Had it been for a length of time, or have all the contracts been consistently two-week increments? MR. MAGNO: Premier started on October 15'', when we started testing at the airports, and I'm not sure if it went for a month's period or what it was or maybe—I'll just leave it at that. I'm not sure if it was just for a month's period. But because of the variables that we're looking at now with the vaccine exemptions, the cancellation of the interisland and possibly the interisland quarantine, the two-week period I guess afforded us some options if those changes came down. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. I guess my question then, so if, and I'm forgetting his name, my apologies, the philanthropist who essentially came through, we'll just Page 437 FC-8 April 15,2021 call the owner of Salesforce then they were paying for all the testing for this period of time. Did they just decide to stop, and now the County is footing the bill? I guess, I'm just—I'm confused on how all of this lined up. And it just caused a lot of lines of questions, especially when things like this happen with—it happens so quickly and suddenly. And there are a number of people that had been working under Premier, and then all of a sudden with not even 24 hours of notice, they were out of a job, as a new contractor came in. MR. LORD: So that agreement was between Premier and Salesforce, although there have been questions as to how long they would be continuing to put those payments out. So, there had been ongoing discussions. That's where it was at that point and time that I knew of. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. Because I remember as a Council, and perhaps some of my colleagues might remember—when we approved the contribution from Salesforce, it was my understanding it was just for test kits, like the kits themselves. Like, they had bought a multitude of test kits and then donated them to the County to be utilized at our airports, not including the actual testing and all of the things that go into it and staffing and whatnot. So does anyone else remember the capacity of what we approved? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I don't. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. MR. MAGNO: I think it might have been. I know for sure they donated masks. But as far as testing kits, I'm not aware of that. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. Okay, thank you. For now, I yield. MR. MAGNO: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Any follow ups? Mr. Chung, go ahead. MR. CHUNG: Yeah. Thank you. You know, let's backtrack here. You know, this is a State facility, right, the airports? What's our connection to this? Is it because of the Mayor's rule that requires the post-travel testing? Is that why we're involved in this? MR. MAGNO: That evolution goes back to when we instituted the interisland quarantine. MR. CHUNG: Okay. Page 438 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MAGNO: And so, you're right. I had the same questions. It's a State facility, why are we in there? MR. CHUNG: So we're making that requirement that's why, right? MR. MAGNO: Yeah. MR. CHUNG: It's our requirement. MR. MAGNO: Yes, yes. So each island, Maui, Kauai, the islands, you know, Oahu doesn't have any interisland quarantine. So each of the Counties has their operation in the airport. MR. CHUNG: So it's under the County's authority, correct? MR. MAGNO: Yes. MR. CHUNG: So then, how is it—I'm still not clear as to how a philanthropic group or person has now been responsible for paying since maybe December till now when it's under the authority of the County? I mean, it's okay if somebody else pays, but the County still has to have some kind of involvement in this, right? We don't just wash our hands and say, well it's up to you guys to do this. What's the connection, is there a tri-party agreement? I just don't understand how we can just say, "Look, it's being paid for by a philanthropic group, we don't have any involvement in this." When we are actually involved because it's under the County's authority that this program is being implemented. So what's going on? I don't know if you can answer this, Talmadge. I think it's more for the Mayor's Office. MR. MAGNO: Actually, I can answer it. MR. CHUNG: Okay, go ahead. MR. MAGNO: So Salesforce stepped up and they funded Premier's operation for testing. We maintained; the County maintained oversight under Civil Defense. So my staff were present there to manage both the interisland screening and the testing operations. MR. CHUNG: So it was just with the agreement that they would pay, and we oversee? MR. MAGNO: Yes, yes. MR. CHUNG: Okay. Okay. Now, is there going to be another philanthropic group coming in to fill the void—is it Salesforce? Salesforce is leaving? Page 439 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. LORD: My understanding is that there's no one at this point in time coming forward to pay. MR. CHUNG: Because when Mitch came in to do his address, he said something about, you know, this Administration had been responsible for, you know, getting a philanthropic group involved in all of this; and then we went back and forth, right, I had to withdraw my apology on that one. But this group, this is the group that came in during Harry's term—I don't want to go there. I don't want to really go there. Okay, I guess it's a little bit clearer. Thank you. MR. LORD: You're welcome. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Go ahead, Ms. Lee Loy. Thank you, Mr. Chung. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, you know, and I have my staff back checking, but it was a resolution that came before this body for the donation of masks. I think it was a million dollars. I mean, it was a lot. But, and again, my staff is back checking. But it was just masks, not any form of tests, testing kits, testing personnel, paying for testing at the airport. It was just a donation of masks. And I hope that brings some clarity to what Ms. Villegas is asking and to clarify that it had nothing to do with testing, philanthropical dollars paying for it, and it was a donation, and we received a million dollars in masks. Thank you. MR. CHUNG: One more. I'm so sorry. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Go ahead, go ahead. MR. CHUNG: I think really this is germane to the issue of the budget. And that's why we're trying to get at this, you know, get some answers because we don't know. Ms. Villegas said we might be on the hook for about a million dollars. And then you guys are disputing that. But Ms. Villegas seems to think otherwise. And that's why we want to kind of get to the bottom of this as well as to try to get some explanations for what kind of chaotic things are going on at the Kona airport as well. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Chung. Council? Holeka, Maile? MS. DAVID: Yes, please. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Go ahead, Ms. David. Page 440 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. DAVID: Thank you. Aloha. Okay, I think the clouds are kind of clearing on this somewhat thanks to Mr. Chung and Ms. Lee Loy. I just have a question. Now, the $508,200 is now being taken out of the disaster fund hoping that we get the funds to pay it back. And that's for just this two weeks-worth, right? MR. LORD: Correct. MS. DAVID: So if we do not get the disaster funds, will these guys continue their contract and will we be out then—are we not going to continue this testing, what's the plan? And are we going to be responsible out of our own disaster fund for the half million? MR. LORD: Yes, the agreement with Deanna Sako in the Finance Department, we are using disaster funds, this is a disaster issue. We're hoping that we can pay the money back. That's why we, at this point, only have a two-week contract. As stated, we have to see what the Department of Health is going to do, if they are going to take over testing, which that has been talked about. Also, we need to see what rules come down with the federal money. All the different pots coming in, if we can use that to replace that money in the Disaster Fund and also where we are with our County funds. MS. DAVID: Okay. So at this point and time until two weeks from now, or the end of the month, we won't know whether we are going to continue this because of all the other things that you have to find out about first, right? MR. LORD: Correct. That would be a decision Mayor Roth would have to make. MS. DAVID: Right. And then, do we have enough money to continue this testing in our disaster plan should the Mayor decide to continue this program? MR. LORD: I can't answer that question, but it also raises the question, even if we have the money, are we going to decide to spend it on that at that point in time depending on how many people are vaccinated in our State and County at that point in time and where we are with our travelers. So I can't answer that question. MS. DAVID: Okay. I appreciate that. Alright, then I guess we'll all find out in a couple weeks. Thank you. Thank you for clarifying that. MR. LORD: You're more than welcome. MS. DAVID: I yield, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. David. Anyone else? Page 441 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. INABA: Holeka. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mr. Inaba, go ahead. MR. INABA: When did we know that this last contract or agreement was going to end? MR. LORD: You mean the agreement between Salesforce and Premier? MR. INABA: The one that ended yesterday and put us on a new track today. MR. LORD: I don't know when the final decision was made. I believe it was last week and I wasn't here. I would have to get with Mr. Roth and ask that question. MR. INABA: Because the last, the Seventh Supplementary Emergency Proclamation was received by, or was sent out on April 12'', from the Mayor's Office. So if we knew—to me it's just kind of, for lack of better words, funny kind, if we're going to be doing another proclamation knowing that arrangements are ending within three days, and that we only have a plan for two more weeks. So it is concerning and I hear, you know, we are waiting on what the Department of Health is going to do, what the State is going to do. But ultimately, I think going back to what Council Member Chung said,we are as a County putting on extra rules here on how we come into Hawaii County. And we definitely need to not be waiting around like sitting ducks for the State. So can you please get back regarding when we knew this contract was going to end? Because that, to me, started the timeline for us to get moving on a secondary option. MR. LORD: Sure. MR. INABA: Thank you. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Okay. From what I know, 32,000 people arrived in April on island, those are mainland visitors, because I just started tracking the information. And if we're paying $35,000 a day, obviously we're not testing everybody because those test kits are not cheap. But one month of testing will equal up to about a million dollars. So we're going to have to figure out a solution that's fairly quickly. What kind of funding do we have in that Disaster Fund? Either we're going to slow testing, stop testing, or run out of funds trying to test everybody on the way in, because the numbers are just going up and we're coming into summer. (Note: At this time, Finance Director Deanna S. Sako came forward to address the members of the Committee.) Page 442 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. SAKO: So we actually have quite a bit of money in the Disaster Fund. But as you guys might recall, a large portion of it is a receivable from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency), so we're working to collect that receivable. But, you know, there are other costs as well, you know, airport screening and what not for the interisland travelers, so that's all part of the decision. We also thought we'd have the federal money by now, but it's looking like we won't be receiving that until June. So there's a lot of different factors going into it as well as even what money the State's going to pass through. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. So that's going to be a very tough decision to make because we're dealing with public safety over funding availability. MS. SAKO: Yup. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Thank you. I don't envy your position, Mr. Lord. Thank you, Deanna. I think we need to move on in the essence of time. Thank you for the discussion, gentlemen. MR. LORD: And thank you all for all your concern. Thank you. (4) Office of Housing and Community Development: CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Okay, Ms. Kunz, if you could lead us off with Housing. Thank you for your patience. (Note: At this time, Housing Administrator Susan Kunz came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So the computer on the right is the PowerPoint presentation computer. The one in the middle, to your left is the Zoom participation, one is so you can see the guys from Kona, on your computer to your far left. And then go ahead and introduce yourself, your staff if you want to and we'll go from there and on to your presentation. Then we'll ask questions at the end. MS. KUNZ: Okay, great. Thank you very much. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, ma'am. MS. KUNZ: Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Susan Kunz. I am the Housing Administrator for the Office of Housing and Community Development. I do have a few of my staff here with me today just to help me answer some questions if you guys have questions that I don't know the answers to. So Christine Nguyen is my accountant. And I have Desiree Moore, who is the Page 443 FC-8 April 15,2021 Division Manager for our Existing Housing Division. Royce Shiroma, heads our Grants Management Division. And Sharon Hirota is our Homeless Coordinator. So thank you for the opportunity to present the proposed budgets for the Office of Housing and Community Development(OHCD); and Kulaimano Elderly Housing and Ouli Ekahi Housing budgets for the fiscal year ending June 30'', 2022. These budgets include estimated revenues and appropriations of$29.7 million. It is $1.6 million or six percent over the current year's budget. This increase to the budget is due to anticipated increases in several programs including the Housing Choice Voucher revenue for about$1 million, the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act(WIOA) American Job Center for about$150,000. The Foster Youth to Independence Initiative Grant for $262,000, and the Housing Trust Fund Grant for $100,000. All of these increases are critical to providing essential services to our community. I'd also like to point out that the $29.7 million budget presented to you here does not include several federal housing and workforce program funds. The OHCD also administers an additional $9.3 million which are reflected in the General Fund as they are appropriated. These federal fund programs include the Community Development Block Grant or CDBG, Home Investment Partnership Program, the Housing Trust Fund and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds. This would make OHCD's total budget$39 million. It's important to point out that despite the budget increase of$1.6 million, the General Fund subsidy or the County funds that we are requesting has decreased by $382,000. This budget is 94 percent federally funded. Any increases in expenditures are mostly related to meeting federal mandates, Bargaining Unit increases and cost increases related to employee benefits. We also transferred the Homeless Coordinator position from the Mayor's Office and are requesting six new positions this year. Federal funding will cover more than 81 percent of the cost for the new positions. This budget represents our effort to meet the goals outlined in our mission statement of providing for the development for viable communities in Hawaii County through decent housing, suitable living environments and expanding economic opportunities. We are committed to the efficient and successful delivery of programs and working with our community partners to meet our affordable housing needs. So with that, I'll answer any questions that you might have. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Very succinct, thank you. Okay, Council, who wants to start us off, anybody? I see a lot of no lights over in Hilo. Kona, you got any questions? Page 444 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. INABA: Not at this time. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Wow, that was easy. I don't know what to tell you. Okay, I mean, I got a couple questions. MS. KUNZ: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Looks like, I'm looking at some of your different revenue streams like interest earning. Interest rates are down. MS. KUNZ: Okay. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Your interest earnings look like they're up in some cases. I'm just checking on that just to make sure they lineup with what we expect to see. MS. KUNZ: Okay. Can we check on that and get back to you? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Sure. MS. KUNZ: Okay. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And it looks like you got some new positions starting MS. KUNZ: Excuse me. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, go ahead. MS. KUNZ: So which line item is that? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: This is the Ouli Ekahi Housing Fund. No, no, sorry wrong page. Kulaimano, 3601, interest earning on your revenues. It's fairly small, it's a $3,000 increase. I'm just wondering. MS. KUNZ: I see, okay. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, the ones you've shown on the previous pages for just Office of Housing fund were down. So I'm just checking. MS. KUNZ: Okay. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Just to come up with some questions for you. Page 445 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. KUNZ: You don't have to search so hard. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, I know everyone came in today. Looks like you had some—actually you're one of the few that came in that increased their overtime for Office of Housing. What's that due to? MS. KUNZ: So there's a$50,000 increase, I think, in this budget. We are looking at potential activities for CDBG when we do our RFP. So depending on the number of applications that come in, sometimes it requires staff to work overtime to review. We have a very short time period to turn around the review and make the awards. And then some of that is also attributed to the Existing Housing Division. So to deliver programs, you know, existing housing has a lot of new specialized vouchers that I've come before this group for, and it's required us to have existing staff cover the workload for these new programs. So we were anticipating a little bit of overtime with that as well. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. It's more than what you expected in 2019-2020. MS. KUNZ: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Different from most departments, because usually they've all cut. So it's interesting to see. Interisland travel, mainland travel, going up? MS. KUNZ: We're anticipating that we'll be back in business and planning for that. You know, a lot of our programs require us to meet with our partners, especially on Oahu, you know, the training events that I know can happen. You know, one of the things that we've learned during COVID is that we can do a lot of things via Zoom. But I've learned that, especially for training programs and things like that, there's nothing like being able to meet and work with your trainer face to face. So that's just anticipating us being able to get back together again. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Understood. You know, Laserfiche maintenance, you maintain your own Laserfiche system versus the County? MS. KUNZ: Yes. We have our own IT (Information Technology)person in-house. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Repairs to homeless shelter for $45,000? MS. KUNZ: So, you know, we manage about 20 properties, actually. Not all of them are homeless-related shelters. But there about 20 properties we're managing Page 446 FC-8 April 15,2021 so we set aside monies to make sure we're preserving and maintaining those facilities. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And that looks like it's a fairly new expense, 2019-2020 there was $4,000 expended. So that's a huge increase. Did you take on extra facilities? I mean I know we've done things in the community lately. MS. KUNZ: No, not taking on but we really should—our program really should be auditing these facilities annually. So I really want to get us back in the routine of doing those annual inspections. So I have new staff on board who is going to focusing on that. I want to be able to prepare too. And you know, a lot of these facilities are old. So it's just an anticipation of needing to do those kind of repairs. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Looks like you've actually funded this County landlord repair program or hope to fund it. MS. KUNZ: Yes. I think that we're going to make an adjustment on that line item in May. So you're going to see that number reduced. But there is still going to be an allocation of funds there. We are hoping to focus on doing landlord outreach. You know, one of the biggest problems in the program, being able to spend the money and get the vouchers out is, you know, recruiting new landlords to the program and maintaining the ones that we have. So we want to focus on that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And we brought this up earlier. Some landlords, actually just with a little bit of assistance, could provide more housing. MS. KUNZ: Correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: But given their financial situation, whatever that may be. MS. KUNZ: Right. So it's an incentive program. I've noticed a lot of public housing authorities are doing more and more of this, so we want to kick off something like that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I mean we've subsidized housing in this area fairly well. MS. KUNZ: Yes. Page 447 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So we don't want to subsidize it too much in for the landlords because, you know, they do okay on these properties. But if we can help create more housing through this program, good. MS. KUNZ: Right. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, what do you plan on reducing that by? MS. KUNZ: So I believe that there's $125,000 on that line item. It's going down to about$15,000. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: $15,000, wow. Where's the other $110,000? MS. KUNZ: We're not replacing it. So I may be utilizing—so we have a current program that's being funded by CARES. We have a repair program that I've spoken to some of you about. We might utilize some of the repair program as an incentive. So I'm looking at different ways to fund that incentive but not using County funds. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MS. KUNZ: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So you're going to apply it somewhere else in the budget? MS. KUNZ: Yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Or you're just taking it out completely? MS. KUNZ: Right now I'm taking it out. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Wow, okay. And then Adobe Acrobat, 30 licenses, $16,000. MS. KUNZ: So I think that's a renewal. Christine? It's a new, okay. Yeah, that is a new line item. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Is that one for every person? MS. KUNZ: Half of the employees. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yearly cost. Page 448 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. LEE LOY: Chair, I'm sorry. It would be wise for it to be in the record. So she would have to step up to the mic. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yes,please. If you want to come up,just state for the record. Give us your name and then, yeah. (Note: At this time, Housing Accountant Christine Nguyen came forward to address the members of the Committee.) CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So just give us your name and then we'll go back to that one more time. MS. NGUYEN: Okay. Aloha, Christine Nguyen and I'm the Accountant for Housing. So the Adobe Acrobat is for 30 licenses, and we actually have 60 employees in the budget for the 2021-2022 budget. So it represents for half of the employees. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I think Ms. Kimball was touching on there's a lot of companies going to this yearly subscription versus a one-time kind of a shot for them. So we've seen this in a couple other departments too, where there are substantial raises and a continuous cost going on. I don't like it, but I understand it. Office rent. You know, yesterday we were talking about office rent with Liquor Control, and we found out they're paying $64,000 for just CAM (Common Area Maintenance) fees at the Hilo Lagoon Center where their Hilo office is. I don't know how long they've been paying that but$64,000 a month is pretty substantial. Looking at your American Job Center One-Stop Program office rent $60,000 expected. I just want to make sure we're shopping around and looking for good places to rent even when we do have County facilities, you know, that we could possibly use or co-mingle is not a good word but MS. KUNZ: Yeah, don't use that word. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah. But house, at least try and house you by finding a cheaper place. MS. KUNZ: I know. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I mean is $60,000 what you're shooting for? MS. NGUYEN: I see American Job Center, $60,000. So the rent right now is across from the Hilo Hongwanji Page 449 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. KUNZ: The Hilo Hongwanji. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And I think I misspoke, it's not $60,000 a month, it's per year. MS. KUNZ: Yes. MS. NGUYEN: Yes. MS. KUNZ: And so this is the overhead for the One-Stop. And this is going to be cost-shared amongst the partners who are going to be housed there. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MS. KUNZ: Yeah. So part of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act requires me to have partners, mandated partners, located physically at the site and they have to share in the cost of this facility. So this will be happening for this program this year. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Okay, that's about all the questions that I had. MR. INABA: I have a question, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Go ahead. MR. INABA: Aloha. Office of Housing. Page 314, I'm just wondering, what or how these replacement reserve accounts get created and what their purpose are? This one is specific to Ulu Wini, which is in my district. MS. KUNZ: So in my experience with property management, properties like this are required to keep a reserve to pay for mostly capital improvement-type projects. I think for this particular, we don't have—we have a property manager at site but the Office of Housing currently holds this budget and manages the budget for the property. So this is the annual set aside that we do for this project. It is true though, that I do have access to repairs and maintenance funds and things like that to help me supplement caring for the property as well. MR. INABA: Okay, so this only can be used at Ulu Wini? MS. KUNZ: Correct. MR. INABA: And this money comes from where, from rent that we collected over the last year or grants? Page 450 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. KUNZ: Yeah, it is from the rent that we collect. MR. INABA: Got it. Okay, thank you. And page 317I'm sorry, I hope that you folks have the same binder as we do, because if not only the Council knows, that has the same book. But I also see in some of the other sections depreciation. I mean, I know what that is, but how are we determining that and what exactly does, for example, Kulaimano's depreciation expense go to? MS. NGUYEN: Aloha. So the depreciation is based on the value of the asset that we're depreciating. So basically if we have an asset whether it be the property or equipment, we depreciate it over the life of the equipment. Does that answer your question? So if I have a computer, for example MR. INABA: I understand what depreciation is, but this is an expense. So, I'm not MS. SAKO: Mr. Inaba, can I help? MR. INABA: Yeah, go. MS. SAKO: So the only two Enterprise Funds that the County has is Kulaimano and Ouli Ekahi. So those should be the only two places you're seeing depreciation. And when we go to close the books at the end of the fiscal year, we need an appropriation to charge the depreciation to. And so that's what that's there for. And then it all nets out into the fund balance of the fund at the end of the year. Does that help? MR. INABA: So this is the amount that—or whatever was depreciated there, we put in as an expense and then this $35,000 goes to where? MS. SAKO: So it's just actually a general ledger entry to record the depreciation, and it nets out into the fund balance of the fund at the end of the year. So it's sitting in Fund Balance specifically for Kulaimano. MR. INABA: Okay. And then for Fund Balance, it doesn't get used this year so it's fund balance. It has to only be used in the future on Kulaimano, is that right? MS. SAKO: Yes, that's correct. This is a self-sufficient fund, Kulaimano and Ouli. So it goes back into the fund, to the project itself. MR. INABA: Okay, got it. Thank you so much, Deanna. MS. KUNZ: Thank you. Page 451 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. INABA: I believe that's all I have for now. Thank you, Housing staff. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you. Please don't be offended that we don't have a lot of questions for you. I think it's just because we see you a lot more than we see some of the other Directors with the Housing Agency and it's also pretty self-explanatory since it's mostly federal monies that you're dealing with and it's basically just in and out. MS. KUNZ: Thank you. MS. KIMBALL: I did want to ask because we've asked the other departments, if you guys, with the 20 facilities that you have, do you have a maintenance plan, a maintenance and repair plan for your facilities, a timeline? MS. KUNZ: So we do set aside funding to cover those costs, but are you talking about like a capital needs assessment? Something like that. MS. KIMBALL: Yeah, basically a needs assessment that would allow for, you know, the planning of setting aside funds. You know, you do set aside funds for it, but do you have a plan for which facilities you need to hit when, based on the needs assessment? MS. KUNZ: I understand. You know, actually I don't. For each property this is no specific capital needs assessment plan for each one. It is something that we've been talking about, especially for the larger facilities. I really will be focusing on doing some of that this year and getting back to a regular annual audit of each one of these properties because I think that has been lacking. So it is something that we've been discussing and will be putting into effect. MS. KIMBALL: Yeah, I appreciated that you mentioned renewing the audit process. Because yeah, clearly these are important assets, if you will, and so we want to make sure they're maintained both for the residents and for us as a County. Again,just thank you all for your time. Thank you for being so responsive to the requests that I've had regarding Housing. MS. KUNZ: You're welcome. MS. KIMBALL: I appreciate it. And I yield, Chair. Page 452 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. Not really any questions. Again, you interface with us quite a bit. Thank you, Administrator, and to your team. Everyone's very helpful in providing information. Everything's straight forward here. Just a comment, you know, I appreciate the work of the office, continuing to update the Council,per Resolution 431-20, quarterly updates regarding 201-H application filings. I think it's really important to ensure we have a pulse on what sort of housing projects are leveraging that tool. I do hope that there is work to sort of refine the 201-H process to make it less complicated, and do want to continue conversations with you in exploring the establishment of some kind of affordable housing fund. I think it's critical, because there are many projects that are starting but just need a little bit more to get over the finish line and this fund can serve that purpose. You know, another thing that Res. 431-20 calls out, is putting together a comprehensive housing strategy for our County. We have a lot of plans and studies out there that have been done. I think it's worth it for us to take the time and really invest, going through these plans, aligning them with our General Plan, combining all these needs assessments and figuring out the most strategic places to build housing. Why? That's the foundation of our County budget, our RPT (Real Property Tax)base. So just, you know, again, as Chair of the Housing Agency, happy to continue working with you on these very complex but very real challenges that are very significantly have to move the needle forward. And I think you are the right person with your variety of expertise to really make an impact in that arena. So thank you. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kierkiewicz. Maile or Rebecca? MS. VILLEGAS: No, thank you. I just, you know, we had such amazing presentations during the Housing Agency meetings that I think we all benefited from that, which allows us to have less questions today. So thank you for that. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Ms. David, you have any comments? MS. DAVID: Actually, I was just going to say the same thing. And this is quite a recap but thank you, Housing Director, for keeping us in the loop very substantially so we have no questions. Mahalo. Page 453 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. David. One more follow up. So that the Main Street Voucher Program is going up $138,000; $63,000 in 2019-2020. That's good. MS. KUNZ: That is good. It's additional funding from HUD for us to address a very specific population and that is the elderly with disabilities—for the disabled population. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MS. KUNZ: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Wonderful. Okay, thank you for that. I appreciate it, appreciate your guys' time today. And look forward to seeing the final budget. MS. KUNZ: Okay. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MS. KUNZ: Thank you very much. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you very much. Thanks for coming everyone. (5) Office of the County Auditor: CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, Council, let's get right to Office of the County Auditor. You guys want to come up. Please introduce yourselves and thank you for your patience. I think we're kind of on schedule today. Go ahead, ma'am. (Note: At this time, Acting County Auditor Maxinne Pacheco came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. PACHECO: Good afternoon, Finance Chair Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder and members of the Hawaii County Council. My name is Maxinne Pacheco, Acting County Auditor. And today I brought with me Michael Cordova, and we are committed to doing our part in helping balance the budget. In doing so, we found savings and trimmed out our out-of-state travel budget, we've moved monies to cover our new copier, scanner, fax machine. We've set aside some monies for contracting audits and audit studies. We've transferred our rent to Property Management. Page 454 FC-8 April 15,2021 Since you've last saw us, we've had a name change. We are now the Office of the County Auditor. We have had staff turnover, new staff. Currently, we are short staffed, and we are working on training and cross-training two new auditors. We are very excited to welcome and work with the new County Auditor. During the last five months, we've done our very best to maintain continuity, working through our current audit plan. We've been working on two follow-up audits which we will be issuing soon. And we will also have two audits in the queue. As required by the Charter, we coordinate and monitor the Annual Financial Audit contract. In the coming year, we will be in our fourth year of a five-year contract with N&K CPA's, Inc. They have issued the Comprehensive Annual Financial Audit in December 30, 2020. We expect N&K to issue the single audit report for fiscal year ending June 30, 2020, by June. N&K will continue to work remotely, and they will begin their audit activities looking at the County's financial transactions for fiscal year ending June 30, 2021. Circling back to training staff, all auditors conducting performance audits are required by Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards to be competent and earn 80 hours of Continuing Professional Education, or CPE. During COVID, our association hosted a series of virtual training to help us comply with the CPE requirements. Our association has not yet announced if they will provide in-person conference in May of 2022; however, if virtual training is available, we would definitely want to take advantage of those savings. In closing, we thank you for your support while we transition to a new County Auditor. And we are ready to answer or clarify any questions you have. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Maxinne. Thank you for being here today. I'll go to Council Members for any questions or concerns. Ms. Kimball, here in Hilo. MS. KIMBALL: Hi. Thank you, both, for being here. Just a quick question of the contract services. This is me just asking as somebody new to this whole process. What sort of services are you contracting? You have the two different line items, 115 under—for Holeka, this is on page six. MR. INABA: Thank you. MS. KIMBALL: And then also under 5108.02so the OCE and then also 5108.15, there's the Miscellaneous Contract Services there. MS. PACHECO: Yes. So for 5108.15, for external audit miscellaneous contract services, that's our annual audit. We are required by the Charter. So we are contracted with N&K CPAs, out of Honolulu. So they take care of the Page 455 FC-8 April 15,2021 Comprehensive Annual Finance Report, as required by the Charter, and they also do the single audit. And they will be issuing that in the coming months. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. MS. PACHECO: And then the difference with our Miscellaneous Contract Services account is if we anticipate other audits that we are not able to do ourselves, we can contract it out, audit services, we can hire a subject matter expert. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, great. I wasn't clear that the annual audit came out of your specific budget but that makes sense. MS. PACHECO: It does, it does. MS. KIMBALL: Great. Okay, that's all I had. Thank you, Chair. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Kona? MR. INABA: Not right now. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Anyone else in Hilo? Okay, so you touched on travel and conference. MS. PACHECO: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I looked back to 2019-2020; $1,550 expended. I looked for your County Auditor, OCE Travel and Conferences. MS. PACHECO: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And I looked to 2021-2022; $19,200. What's the switch there from $1,500 to $19,000? This is your actual for 2019-2020 expenditures. MS. PACHECO: For travel? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Not just for travel, but for all travel conference under that line item; 104. MS. PACHECO: So during COVID, we took a lot of webinars and most of them were free. So we were able to save a lot of money because we weren't traveling off-island as well. So we saved on airfare, hotel, registration fees. So we always take advantage of free webinars. Page 456 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And the reason I'm asking, COVID started about March 2020. MS. PACHECO: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And so most of 2019 should have been a normal year for your office. But seeing your expenditures, let's say nine months of expenditures was $1,500,jumping to $19,000, in 2021-2022 expected. That's a pretty big difference. MS. PACHECO: Our conference is normally in May. So it's at that tail end of the fiscal year. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. So you missed out on that on the COVID-year conference? MS. PACHECO: We did. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And you're going to see them again this coming year, on this 2021-2022 cycle? MS. PACHECO: If it's available. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. If not, you'll have some savings there. And then Audit Studies and Services, is that the one you touched on, Ms. Kimball? Okay. MS. PACHECO: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And then the other one that stood out are your audit contracts, fairly substantial change, again from 2019-2020. What is an audit contract? MS. PACHECO: So that is required by the Charter. So N&K, they take care of the County's financial transactions, they look at all the CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, we just had that report. MS. PACHECO: Yes. That is correct. And the prior year we had one additional major program; the contract allows for three so they will have two additional major programs for June 30, 2020. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Which is why you're at$290,000? MS. PACHECO: Excuse me? Page 457 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Which is why you're forecasting $290,000? MS. PACHECO: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. The rest is pretty self-explanatory. I appreciate your time today. MS. PACHECO: Thank you for your support. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, thank you. MS. PACHECO: Thank you. Have a great day. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: You too. Okay, Council, let's give it a ten-minute recess. I don't see our next department. Just kidding. You guys ready? Okay, let's do a ten-minute recess then, Council. Recess: At 4:13 p.m., the Chair called for a recess. Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 4:25 p.m. (6) Office of the County Clerk/Elections Division: CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, welcome back. We have the Office of the County Clerk here, as our next departmental budget review on the Special Committee on Finance. Mr. Jon Henricks, if you would like to lead us off? Welcome. (Note: At the time, County Clerk Jon Henricks and Deputy Clerk Aaron Brown came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. HENRICKS: It's actually the Office of the County Clerk and Hawaii County Council budget, to be clear. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. MR. HENRICKS: Jon Henricks, County Clerk. MR. BROWN: Aaron Brown, Deputy County Clerk. MR. HENRICKS: We also have today with us Ms. Patricia Nakamoto and Cori Saiki, from our Elections Division in case they want to make any comments about their budget or programs, and of course, to be available for any questions Page 458 FC-8 April 15,2021 about our elections programs, of course they're in the best place to feel those questions and provide complete answers. You know, not too much presentation on our part. It's nice to go, at this point, to where you would really be appreciative. Very brief and succinct presentation of our budget. But we did want to make note of awe issued a communication, numbered 103.10, which provides a good analysis of our budget. We'll not use the SQ (status quo)word; but it is. And of course it provides a breakdown, pretty standard for as long as I've been around this office for the most part, and provides also a very quick analysis of changes to point those out to make it a little bit easier to see how the budget has—our proposed budget might be different from the current budget. And then attached to that, taking different parts of these three budget books and other areas: Program objectives, our goals, and our mission, and putting together for easy use. Not just for you folks who are used to roaming from book to book, but we recognize this as a public process and a public review of our program, too. So if anybody out there is interested, hopefully that provided a very convenient snapshot of our operations and how we intend to spend a significant portion of the $4.995 million that we seek to continue on our operations here. So I'll leave it at that, and of course we're available to answer most of your questions. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Henricks. That was a wonderful presentation. Thank you for submitting Communication 103.10. It's very informative. Council, any questions? MS. VILLEGAS: Yes,please. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Ms. Villegas, go ahead. MS. VILLEGAS: Aloha, gentlemen. First off, I just want to thank both of you for your gracious service and flexibility as we've all had to navigate this last year in this global pandemic and the perpetually changing conditions for our meetings. Thank you for allowing us last week to once again have all of us in the same room, which brings me to my next question as to when we can allow testifiers to return to chambers and not have to testify remotely. Do we have some ideas about that? MR. HENRICKS: Yeah, I've been thinking about that a lot. I talked to Chair David about that, too. That will be a wonderful day. I look forward to that, as well. I mean, it'll mean more than just that. It would mean, of course, very big steps back to what we consider normalcy and a better future. Really, we need to look to the Governor's proclamations as providing guidance for that. We are really in a good place, where how we're conducting our meetings now, going above what is required of the Governor's proclamations. But I view them, you Page 459 FC-8 April 15,2021 know, the most recent one being issued, I think last week the 19'h supplemental, which holds fast on how public meetings are to be held. And I view them not only as a guideline, but a strong recommendation that we continue to be cautious with creating public gatherings. You know, I do recognize that some boards and commissions are holding what would be closer to the meetings that we want to have. My concern continues to be that with the Council, and I'm not trying to denigrate the work of any other boards and commissions, but it can be very high profile in the issues it takes up. And there's no expectation that the Council wouldn't take up items, that could generate a significant amount of interest, and being able to deal with potential crowds that, quite frankly, we would hope people would be motivated to participate in this process when you guys are making policy on things that are particularly interesting. That's my long way of saying, I want to see what happens. There's been a lot of talks about other areas of our world where, you know, school coming back, inter-island travel changing, all of those kind of things and how they work together and how that shapes the Governor's proclamations, and being able to do this in a way we're you know, more than anything else, we're not jeopardizing the public's safety by creating a forum for people to get together and potentially infect each other. Not really trying to protect us necessarily, but just making sure we don't create forums where, you know, the worst consequence possible, which is bringing people in contact. That would create a health hazard. Because we simply you know, we've tried. And I know you know this, Ms. Villegas, and I know you've been supportive,we've tried to have people come in and testify. Well, we did have people come in and testify in conference rooms, to give them a greater sense of being able to come in and not have to use technology. We really tried hard, but we were unable to create a safe space. People just had a hard time with distancing, keeping their masks on. We've even hired security so that we could have professionals attend to those matters. So it wouldn't be just us staff. That we're really doing our best with that. Our best efforts failed, so then we resorted, oh not resorted, but we turned to what we're doing now, which has been effective in-large part, which is to have people use technology to testify. So it's a very long way of saying, I hope soon. MS. VILLEGAS: Great. Thank you. I really appreciate that answer, and it helps clarify, both for myself and for the public, what the delay, or the holdup, or—you know, we still have to abide by what's coming through from the Governor, and then obviously, from the Mayor. But those parameters then dictate what's possible in our circumstances. Page 460 FC-8 April 15,2021 So I just want to thank you again. And especially with my circumstances this week with a family emergency, I just really felt cared about and taken into consideration, and to utilize technology and the resources available in order to allow me to stay in close proximity of a family member to ensure their health and well-being was going above and beyond in a capacity that was just really gracious, and I'm deeply grateful. So, thank you again. MR. HENRICKS: It's good to see you today. I hope that's good news on the other front. And I'll just circle back a little bit. MS. VILLEGAS: It is. MR. HENRICKS: You know, I don't want this to be, as far as how we conduct our meetings, to be something that—executive decision on my part or, you know, our office's part. We want to make sure that we keep in communication with the Council, what your guys' expectations are, and how you guys see the situation. So let's just keep the, you know, feel free, reach out. Let's have talks. We can talk with Chair David, of course. And I continue, too, but it's your meetings. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Holeka or Maile? MS. DAVID: Chair? Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Go ahead, Ms. David. MS. DAVID: Actually, I just wanted to just say my piece about the accommodations. I'm not sure what's in the air this week, but I'm so grateful that I'm able to participate via Zoom today, much like an emergency kind of a thing with a family member and a medical condition such as what Council Member Villegas was describing. And I just want to really reiterate that your County Clerk, Deputy, and your staff in trying to work with me and everyone and trying to get our operations run as smoothly as possible. And yes, it did feel really great to be in the same room with all of our colleagues at one point. But I totally respect your input and your judgment in trying to guide this body safely, and our constituents. And our public health and welfare is always paramount, I know, in our discussion. So I just wanted to say that. I don't really have anything to say about the budget because we really didn't do much of anything different in that. So just wanted to express that mahalo nui to all of you. I yield, Chair. Thank you. MR. HENRICKS: You just kind of Page 461 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. INABA: Chair? MR. HENRICKS: I'm sorry. If I might,just real quick. You know, I just wanted before I forget, because we're talking about meetings. It's kind of exciting for me to—we just posted our agendas. Our Committee meetings and our Council meetings will be held in Kona next week, so we'll be traveling out. We haven't done in that a long time. So that brings, at least internally for us, some sense of, you know, being kind of back to where we were. And it's kind of hard to think about, but it's been over a year since we've done that. So that's significant in a lot of ways. You know, I think that gets us a little bit closer to what Ms. Villegas was talking about. So, I just want to put that out there. So looking forward to coming out to Kailua-Kona next week and conducting our business out there. We got a lot of stuff on the agendas next week. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Henricks. Mr. Inaba. MR. INABA: Thank you. Sorry for the interruption. I just have a—well, first of all, thank you always to the two of you for the guidance you provide us. I just had a question regarding our audio-visual equipment in Hilo. We got some major renovations here in Kona. I'm just wondering if that is in the works for Hilo, and if that's included in this upcoming budget. MR. HENRICKS: Yeah, I'm going to that's a great question. I'm glad you asked because we wouldn't have brought it up. So I'm going to ask Deputy Brown to take that on and hopefully give you some good news. MR. BROWN: Yeah, thank you. Great question. I thinkI want to first want to thank all the Council Members for their patience while we completed the renovations out in Kona. I know it took us a little longer than what we wanted, but so far, I know our staff is very excited for what was put in there, and I hope the Council Members are also excited about there. I want to thank the Administration, the Department of Finance. They've been very supportive of us as we've communicated with them that upgrading our Hilo Chambers is a big priority for us as well. Our system is 10-plus years old, and we want to make sure that our meetings continue to be held without disruption, and we want to make sure the public has the best product that we can provide in terms of access and viewing a good meeting. So we are working on looking at also renovating the Hilo Chambers. It's kind of in the early stages right now, but we are confident that we can move forward with—hopefully soon with something. Of course, finding funding is always a challenge, but I know that we've been working with Deanna. The administration, they've been very supportive so far, so we're looking to continue that. Page 462 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. INABA: Thank you, Deputy Brown. Yeah, exciting to have that side come up to speed. We're seeing black and white some days from meetings here in Kona, but lucky we have colorful people on this Council. So, that's all I have. Thank you for the update. Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. That was a very nice comment. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, Chair. And thank you, all, for everything you do, particularly with me and my staff, onboarding us. It felt very supportive. And I appreciate the wealth of knowledge that you've both bring to your positions. I had one question that was really just for understanding in terms of reading the budget over time. I would have expected the numbers relating to Elections to be more cyclical, and yet for 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, it's just the same number. Is that really just kind of the average between the election year, nonelection year? A placeholder or ? MR. HENRICKS: And this is why we took the extra five minutes to make sure that Pat Nakamoto was here to be able to address some of those issues, when it comes to finite estimations that we have for the upcoming years, when it comes to Elections. You know, kind of a thought of what is an election year versus what isn't when you ? You know, in some ways it's kind of hard to do that when your fiscal year is July 1 to June 30, but there's different components of the Elections that, you know, don't run on anyreally, kind of an annual sense, right? So you kind of overlap into other areas. (Note: At this time, Elections Program Administrator Pat Nakamoto came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. NAKAMOTO: Okay, to answer your question MS. KIMBALL: Yeah. MS. NAKAMOTO: Okay, we do not have nonelection year anymore. Our election years are right through. Because the fiscal year ends in July, and so what you would consider to be the nonelection year, we're already preparing for the election year, so we need funding in both budgets to prepare for the election. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, that makes total sense. Any changes to the budget with respect to Elections, with the all mail-in voting, in particular? MS. NAKAMOTO: From last election to this upcoming, the next election? MS. KIMBALL: Yes. Page 463 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. NAKAMOTO: No, I think the amounts will probably remain the same. We did receive some funding from the Legislature, so we took that into consideration. We used a lot of that funding for some of the initial start-up costs for the elections. So, we will not incur that cost in the next election. MS. KIMBALL: If I remember, I believe the AVR bill is still alive. Automatic Voter Registration bill is still alive. It was, last I checked. MS. NAKAMOTO: Yes. MS. KIMBALL: Any idea how that might impact your costs? MS. NAKAMOTO: No, I think—I don't think the cost will be anything significant. Maybe during an election year that might add to our overtime costs. MS. KIMBALL: Because one of the claims that makes that they say, makes sense for Automatic Voter Registration was actually—it would reduce cost because all of that is actually people don't have to come into your office and register. MS. NAKAMOTO: Yeah. And even now, a large portion of our voter registration new voter registration and our updates come into the Motor Voter through the Motor Voter form and the Driver's License. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. Thank you, Pat. I appreciate it. This was going to come up in the later discussion when I submitted the minutes for HSAC (Hawai`i State Association of Counties. There was discussion in HSAC about hiring an Executive Director position, which would initially have to be funded by an increase in fees from that County's membership fees but would hopefully at some point become self-funded because they go after a grant money and do fundraising for HSAC. Any thoughts on the appropriateness of that for our County? We're talking—if we're considering a typical Executive Director position split across the counties, it would probably, like $15,000 a year addition to what we already pay. Thoughts on that? MR. HENRICKS: Well, yeah this budget does not contemplate that, obviously. MS. KIMBALL: Right. MR. HENRICKS: But if that is the will of the four Councils, in concert with HSAC, determining that it would make HSAC more effective and more efficient and whatever the proper rationales are, even if it occurred, where we weren't able to prepare our budget in advance then we'd find a way to be able to do that. Page 464 FC-8 April 15,2021 You know, in a transparent manner to make sure that—and I think there would probably be some mechanisms where there might be required that there would be some action on the Council's part,perhaps too, in an open meeting forum to effectuate what you're talking about as far as contributions from each county to be able to hire a position. That's the novel idea. I don't think I've ever heard of such a thing. Not that it— obviously, tobviously, it can be done. But essentially, having an employee that's employed by four different counties. So, that's interesting. I'd like to hear more about that. That's a yeah, it's like "novel," is the best word I could use to describe that. MS. KIMBALL: Yeah, this may or may not be the proper place to bring it up. MR. HENRICKS: No, it's interesting. MS. KIMBALL: But I bring it up so that my colleagues can think about it a little bit. Because as you say, if it's approved by the Executive Committee, as HSAC, then I have to bring it back up as a member of the Executive Committee of HSAC. I'm sure what my position is on it yet and would like to get some feedback from colleagues, and from you folks. The last item, no one has brought it up yet, but the contingency funds. Is this the time we discuss this? Yes, Chair is nodding. When I came into office, there were half the contingency funds from the last budget still available. And have used what was available for to support some of the really important programs in my community, that we're just falling short in many cases because of COVID, or because they stepped up during COVID and actually provided additional services. So it has been something extremely valuable, and I'm sure that my colleagues feel the same way. Disappointed to see it zeroed out and hoping that we can negotiate at least to return to the levels from the last status quo, if you will, for contingency funds. That's the only point I'd like to make on that. MR. HENRICKS: Duly noted. I have no opposition to contingency funds. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, Chair. I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Anyone else? Well, I just have a couple questions. Yeah, thank you for bringing up the Contingency Relief Funds. We were limited last year, and then they actually dropped it, it's like to zero this coming year. It's wonderful. I think that could use some adjustment. That's up to us. You know, looking at DAE(District Allowance Expense), I've always wondered about DAE. What is yourI mean, what was our expense for DAE? Because Page 465 FC-8 April 15,2021 there are three different sections, yeah? Computer office, miscellaneous, and then travel and conference, where we have DAE. MR. HENRICKS: I think there is four. We have mileage, too. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Is there four? Did I miss one? MR. HENRICKS: Yeah, mileage. It's segregated out, but it's really all one pot of fund. It's not even segregated by districts, essentially. Well, it is segregated in the budget into different types of spending, but yeah. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: What's our actual expense on that? I mean, I see it's kind of blocking off funds for the whole year, but— MR. utMR. HENRICKS: It depends. It's different for every district as far as, you know, total usage, and then what the usage, you know, where it's directed. There's no requirement that a certain portion be used for any particular kind of use that I'm aware of. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah. MR. HENRICKS: Yeah, it's just there's a—not unlike contingency that we start talking about it. Kind of the same thing. It's all in one pot, but obviously there's an even separation divided by nine, and then it's our job to work with your staff to make sure that no one overspends inadvertently. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, I ran through the numbers. It's almost—if we break it down per nine Council Members, it's only about$800 a piece, and I think I may have missed one. MR. HENRICKS: For which? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Per month. MR. HENRICKS: Oh, I don't think we've ever thought about it on a monthly basis. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Because we have that monthly DAE status report. MR. HENRICKS: No, it'sI don't know. I mean, I don't— CHR. on'tCHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's how I think about it. MR. HENRICKS: It's thereon July 1st. Page 466 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I broke it down for a month. But I was looking at, you know, 2019-2020 expenditures, it was pretty small. MR. HENRICKS: Sure, yeah, because of no travel, right? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Travel, nothing. MR. HENRICKS: That's a large part of it. And it's decisions, too, that each Council Member makes about different opportunities to expend those funds that factors into that. Yeah, please, feel free. MR. BROWN: Just to add something small to that. I mean, the DAE is split out into all the different objective codes throughout the OCE (Other Current Expenses). Some of them may not even have—it may not directly say OCE in it, but that is anI mean, excuse me, DAE. It may not say DAE in it, but that's part of the DAE expense. Every district has $7,500, usually for total DA. So that's something that we track internally so that it's fair. Each district has that$7,500 that they can use within the different object codes for expenses that they feel is proper for their district and their staff. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, so it's about$625 a piece per month? MR. BROWN: And like County Clerk Henricks said, it's not—we don't look at it on a monthly basis. All the funding is there. The whole budget is there. So you could spend most of the money upfront, if you wanted. All in the first quarter, if you wanted. Or you could spread it out in a day, whatever. You know, it's—all the funding is there, when the new fiscal year starts, and then it's up to each Council Member how they want to direct those funds, within the legal limits, of course. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay,just asking. It's nice for us to have, but it's also not, you know, not necessary for us to live. At least not at that level. That's how I feel, personally. MR. BROWN: You're not required to spend it all. So if any Council Member felt like they wanted to leave some for Fund Balance, I'm sure Deanna would be very happy with that, as well. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Elections, yeah, I'm not really going to dig into Elections at all. I think main thing we have enough funding there, and I trust Ms. Nakamoto to know how to lay this out, and Jon. Page 467 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. HENRICKS: Well, we'll say we learned a lot. I know Pat did learn a lot. First elections by mail. We'll learn more, too. You don't learn from one time doing something, as far as budgeting goes. Not just budgeting, but programs. But I might be remiss if I didn't say that, you know, really proud of the Elections Department, especially in a midst of a pandemic, too. Well, you know, fortunate in some ways that it was a vote by mail. We didn't have to institute it like some states and counties. We were that the Legislature had the foresight is amazing that they saw the pandemic coming. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That's a nice compliment. MR. HENRICKS: Yeah, since you brought it up, and you've asked some questions. And obviously, especially the general—the turnout, lots of voters, 85,000 roughly, I believe. So a learning process, not just budgeting but program. But I'm very confident having what I would deem to be a successful election n those conditions and preparing obviously for the next one. As Pat said, there's not really election years anymore, especially with this process. But we do have a lot of infrastructure in place now, that we hopefully won't have to budget for in upcoming years; that will hopefully draw some of the expenses down, which I understand to be part of the point of doing elections by mail. Just part, though. Because I don't think want to look at Elections as something where you want to try to save a lot of money. That's not the primary purpose of elections by mail. It's outreach, its accessibility, and equity for voters, and we continue to look at that and see how we can. Even improve upon, possibly, what was a really impressive turnout. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I agree. It's not something I really want to dig, so I don't want to dig into it too much. MR. HENRICKS: Gotcha. Good shape. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Probably shouldn't touch that. Last question. You know, we have some of our outlying offices, Waimea and Pahoa really, so our only two outlying offices. But we have our yearly charges for the rent, electricity, water, that kind of thing. I mean,we haven't really used them since COVID started. MR. HENRICKS: Well, Waimea is staffed every day. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Sorry, is it staffed every day? MR. HENRICKS: Mr. Richards has staff out there, yeah, that I understand to be you know, it's a fully-functional office that he operates out of Waimea. Page 468 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, I wasn't aware of that. MR. HENRICKS: And then for Pahoa, we're paying like base charges on power, water, things of that nature. The minimal charges that are required to stay hooked up if you will. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. HENRICKS: And I know Ms. Kierkiewicz has talked about—you know, I think even recently, when Prosecutor Waltjen was here, about different types of ways to utilize that space in the community. And then, you know, it was a good location for a testimony courtesy site. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It was. It's just we haven't used. MR. HENRICKS: And I know that we had some people calling that were long-time testifiers that I truly appreciate, that miss it. So hopefully that can be we're folding into those plans again as we open up, assuming that the Council would like to see those courtesy sites reactivated. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. Okay, that's all the questions I had. Anyone else? Okay, well thank you for being here today. Appreciate your time. MR. HENRICKS: Pleasure. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Kona, sorry, any follow-up questions? MR. INABA: A`ole, we're good. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. Thank you for being here. MR. HENRICKS: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Elections Office, mahalo. And do we need a recess before we go to the next meeting, or are we okay? Let's go. Okay, so let's take DEM (Department of Environmental Management). Okay, this is our last one for tonight. 7) Department of Environmental Management: CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you for being here. This is Department of Environmental Management(DEM), and I believe you have a Page 469 FC-8 April 15,2021 PowerPoint presentation. Please introduce yourself for the record as well all of your staff that are here so you can give them the mahalo for being—so go ahead, Mr. Mansour. (Note: At this time, Environmental Management Director Ramzi Mansour and Deputy Director Brenda Iokepa-Moses came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. MANSOUR: Aloha, Chairman Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder and Committee members. My name is Ramzi Mansour. I'm the Director for DEM, and I have here my staff, Brenda. MS. IOKEPA-MOSES: Thanks for having me. Brenda Iokepa-Moses, Deputy Director. MR. MANSOUR: And I've got my Business Manager, Robin Bauman; my Division Chief for the Solid Waste, Greg Goodale; and for the Wastewater, Dora Beck. And I just want to thank and acknowledge each one of them. I know Brenda's been busy trying to get us grants and loans for our projects. So if you haven't seen her before now, you get to see her. She'll probably go back to her black hole, try to get us money. But thank you for giving us the opportunity today to go over our budget. (Note: At this time, Mr. Mansour 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. 103.12.) MR. MANSOUR: Mahalo, and I open it for questions. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Director. Who would like to go first? Anyone? Anyone in Kona? MS. VILLEGAS: Yes,please. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Ms. Villegas, go ahead. MS. VILLEGAS: Sure. Aloha, Ramzi. Thank you for being here and thank you especially for all the time that you have dedicated to having conversations with myself and different members of the community and different organizations that are passionate about improving the way that we manage our waste, both liquid and solid. Page 470 FC-8 April 15,2021 I just had a couple of questions because this came up recently with some people who are hopeful to get the south side of Alii Drive off of cesspools and transition to sewer lines. You know, now it seems like the old school option, although it's still pretty new school, is the Sewer Improvement District. And I guess I am looking for an answer as weI mean, we've talked extensively about essentially the billions of dollars that it would take to get our waste management facilities into the 21" Century, and one of the avenues talked about is an Enterprise Fund. And I wondered then, if as you're visioning the budget for DEM and for the capacity of us to yield to actually execute projects, if you would lean more in the direction of a sewer Improvement District, or are you looking for something for like the whole County, like an Enterprise Fund? MR. MANSOUR: That is a good question. At this time, we you're right, we need to analyze it and look at it. It could be a sewer assessment district, established to offset the cost through the users, or it could be through a sewer impact fees. We need to analyze each option and look at each option and look at the pros and cons, and hopefully when we get there, we could be able to present it to the commission and to the Environmental Committee and eventually it will be coming in front of Council. But like I said, right now it's trying to lay out the plan; trying to figure out how many connected, how many are not connected, how are we to go about controlling the whole overview planning of how we're going to get there, and what's the best option, because it could be multiple options out there. And without looking at each one of them and evaluating each one of them individually and outlying the pros and cons, it's hard to give you an answer now without having that to be looked at. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay, I understand. So both are potential avenues to be more thoroughly explored before determining the best course of action. Also, kind of lumped in there, I see the Energy Saving Performance contract, and working with partners to get inexpensive funding in order to upgrade our facilities to be more sustainable. One of the data points or the numbers that I remember Riley mentioning was that if we transitioned our Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment facility off of fossil fuels (inaudible) energy production and transition to solar, we could save our County $1 million a year just in that one facility transitioning off of fossil fuels. So if we can find partners to help us work on those solar projects, over time we'll be saving money and then eventually operating off of the sun. I guess two of my other questions, because they have been big issues for a lot of people, are the recycling programs and composting. And as we enter this new year, and I apologize I don't have the line item before me, but I'm wondering where the monies that were prior allocated and set aside and had been kind of in the que for the composting, the industrial composting facility that was going into Page 471 FC-8 April 15,2021 Hilo. Are those just kind of still sitting in a line item, waiting for next course of action? MR. MANSOUR: I believe you are talking about the money that we had secured through bond. It was the $10 million, right? Is that the question about—for the composting? MS. VILLEGAS: I believe so, yeah. MR. MANSOUR: Yeah, my understanding probably I could refer to the Finance Department, but my understanding is, the money is still there. MS. VILLEGAS: Okay. MR. MANSOUR: Because we have not moved forward with the selection of either side, either the west side or the east side. But my understanding, that $10 million is still within Finance, yes. MS. VILLEGAS: Great. Do you see the potential as you look to this new year and having that kind of money for a project like that to potentially—instead of doing something so big in one location and potentially breaking down. I mean, there are so many incredibly technologies out there for composting facilities that it may behoove our County to have a number of sites instead of just one, where everything has to be trucked to. MR. MANSOUR: That's a great comment you bring, and you're right. We're not looking at just one side because there's just so much distance between the east and west, so we are looking at the potential of having the west side compost and the east side. And we're looking at different vehicles, how to get there. But yes, this is one of our priorities, is to look at the compost and start talking to the current contractor and figure out what is the best option to move forward in that particular area of composting. Definitely, both sides have unique weather conditions. The west side is probably more favorable because you could do it outdoors because of the sun. If we do it here on the east side, it's going to require in-vessel composting, because of the amount of rain we get. So yes, they're both doable and they both are being considered. MS. VILLEGAS: Alright, thank you. I appreciate your answer to that. And then when it comes to recycling, I guess it kind of all falls into the vein. Something I've appreciated about your leadership in the last few months in the Department of Environmental Management is thinking outside the box. Page 472 FC-8 April 15,2021 And I look at other—similar island nations or provinces, but they look at their waste as a resource; not to be just thrown away, but once again tying into a circular economy. How our waste should actually be a commodity in some capacity. So figuring out how to turn that into a commodity and create micro economies here on our island for reutilizing our plastics and our glass, and our paper, and our cardboard. And keeping things on island instead of shipping them thousands of miles away where they become waste in several countries and a burden to other communities. So do you see avenues, and do you have the adequate funding necessary to support that kind of forward thinking? MR. MANSOUR: Definitely. This isI want to thank Mayor Roth's administration, because if you recall during his summit back in March, talking about being sustainable as an island, and trying utilize our resource and make the best out of it. And definitely, this is one of the top things that we're looking at. How are we going to be sustainable, how we're going to be self-sufficient, and how are we going to move forward? So all of these is being looked at. I've been—you know, me and my Division Chief,we've been working even with our recycling crew, trying to figure ways. We've been meeting with outside stakeholders, trying to find ways to keep everything on the island and remanufacture it here, if we can. So definitely, we need the private entity involvement to assist us through these creative, innovative ideas because that's probably where the funding needs to come from. Because these are things that not usually has been done by County employees, so private entities could come up with creative, innovative ideas of taking the plastic. We have two recycling companies here. Atlas is one of them, and Mr. K's, and definitely in teaming up with them and trying to expand that. That's our goal and our intent. MS. VILLEGAS: Fantastic. Yeah, the Sustainability Summit was great, and it had a really broad kind of umbrella, style, ideas. And a lot of things had been talked about for decades now, depending on the circles that you're in. So I really look forward to, in this next year, for us to be able to identify specific projects and things that we're going to get our hands dirty, take a chance on, and actually start to implement in order to really start making those changes. You know, we got a new bed this weekend, and thankfully a family member is taking our old bed. But when we were talking to the gentleman at the mattress store, he also had lived and sold beds in California. And he was baffled that we don't—and in California they recycle every single part of every mattress. Like, it gets taken apart and reutilized. It kind of confounded him that we don't have that capacity here. Even as I got a new mattress and was pulling all the plastic off of it—as some of you know, I do trash fashion, so it's one way of dealing with the guilt for all of the waste generated by even my own first-world lifestyle. But it just—it kind of sat heavy with me,just how much we produce based on what we consume. Page 473 FC-8 April 15,2021 Currently, there are things that can be done with it, but we have to think outside the box and identify. And once again, I look forward to more conversations with you about circular economy and all the different municipalities around the world and in the country that are identifying ways in order reutilize materials instead of putting them in our landfill. So thank you for your time and attention, and your gracious patience with us and with our community as we navigate this together. With that, I yield. MR. MANSOUR: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Villegas. Maile, do you wanted to add to the conversation? MS. DAVID: Yes, thank you, Chair. Thank you, Director and Ms. Moses, for being here today. Funding-wise, what is the status of the progress on Na`alehu Sewage Treatment Plant and Pahala's? MR. MANSOUR: We are working on it. We're moving forward. We are negotiating with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). Still with working with the EPA. There's a few challenges that came up during the new technical study that we are trying to achieve, better understanding on them. I believe we probably Finance could give you a better idea on where we are at on the funding. I believe we have State Revolving Fund that plan to fund these two projects. MS. DAVID: Is Deanna there? (Note: At this time, Environmental Management Business Manager Robin Bauman came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. BAUMAN: Hi. I'm Robin Bauman, Business Manager. I believe we are still pursuing SRF (State Revolving Funds) funding for construction. You know, SRF has been going through some changes with the program and have recently indicated that they will no longer intend to fund design work, so that is something we'll be working with Finance to pursue other funds for the design on that. But hopefully construction can at least be partially funded through the SRF program. MS. DAVID: I see. Did I recall correctly, about having also grant monies available, too, in the entire mix of that? MS. BAUMAN: We do have a grant from the EPA for approximately $1.8 million, which is designated for the Pahala project. Page 474 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. DAVID: And estimated time? I'm getting questions about the estimated projected start date for both projects. MR. MANSOUR: Well, we fall under the current Administrative Order of Consent, and due to the lava tube discoveries within that Geotechnical report, we have requested for extension. So we're working on that to establish a new timeline because of the new discoveries as part of the Geotechnical report. I guess during the initial preliminary engineering report, they did not have that data and Geotechnical's report is being finalized as we speak. We haven't seen it ourselves, but the consultant had informed us of the potential lava tube challenges. MS. DAVID: Do you know if given that discovery of the lava tube, or that affect the cost in any way? MR. MANSOUR: Oh yeah, definitely. They already, I think, changed their estimate from $14.3 million just for the treatment to $20.4 million. They added $5-plus million just to design for a concrete bridge over the lava tube to kind of hold the lagoon. But that could not address the cost during excavation because we could have potentially, end up costing us 10-plus more percent from the entire cost as a change order. Because once you start excavating and you start chasing these lava tubes because if they're unstable then you have to continue excavating to get to a level of stability to be able to build that structure. So it may be—and that's what we talk—and actually there's a meeting tomorrow with EPA to discuss these findings, and hopefully we'll have the opportunity to re-evaluate the options that are already being evaluated. MS. IOKEPA-MOSES: And I think, Maile, I think we want to keep this kind of close to our vest right now. We're in discovery state, so we're in a very sensitive discussion with EPA. So at this point, I think we've done lots and lots of savings from where it was. But we're in active negotiations with EPA, so we kind of want to keep it right here so we have a chance to work through this without everything going out into the community, and then we have to go back and readdress. MS. DAVID: So basically, my question yes, basically my question was about the funding and how we are—where we are in that, and direct— MS. irectMS. BAUMAN: I think we have it set aside because we had anticipated a larger number, and we're kind of—with our different options, we've come down on that number. So we should be fine, it's all up to our negotiations with EPA, whether or not they accept some of the things that we're bringing in front of them. Page 475 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MANSOUR: But to answer your question, yes. The construction cost could go up due to the lava discovery. MS. DAVID: Okay, great. I understand about the details and your position right now in negotiation, so I appreciate that. One more question, and this is the recent announcement about the restriction of trailers at the landfills, except for Hilo and Kona landfills, how does that restriction affect your budget, if anything? Will it reduce the number of truckloads having to be taken from the transfer stations or how does that—does that affect your budget in any way? MR. MANSOUR: The decision that was made was not based on budget. It was based on safety. Our safety is our number one priority. And I guess these sites were not designed to handle trailers coming in. It started as three-cubic yard trailers to larger and larger size trailers. And these small transfer stations, the intent was for the residential waste. And then over time it evolved. I believe the staff analysis and the Admin Rule kind of added that back last year, you know, based on the safety concerns and the delays that it created to other customers. So it wasn't based on the budget. It wasI don't think it impacts the budget because the transfer station is open there. But the idea was, you know, safety was our number one concern. MS. DAVID: Okay, thank you for that explanation. Because I just was wondering how it would have affected or impacted the budget at all, so thank you for clarifying that. Other than that, I don't have any other questions. Thank you, Chair, I yield. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Chair David. Holeka? MR. INABA: Director Mansour, I know you've come before us a few times now. The budget's tight, so I would just say keep on with the good work. We know you have a lot. So we've said this before but let us know how we can help you. Mahalo. MR. MANSOUR: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Inaba. Ms. Kimball, go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you. Thank you, Director and Deputy Director. The first thing that keeps me up at night are bridges; and the second thing that keeps me up is Wastewater Treatment Plants, which is probably the first thing that— MR. hatMR. MANSOUR: Keeps me up. MS. KIMBALL: Keeps you up at night? Page 476 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MANSOUR: Yeah. MS. KIMBALL: Years of neglect of maintenance and repair. Areas that are mandated by consent decree to be replaced with sewer systems. The mandate to get rid of all of the cesspools. Millions and millions of dollars. When the Mayor sat in front of us the other day and said, "We need billions of dollars to catch up," my mind automatically went to "mostly for wastewater treatment,"because we just haven't invested in that at all. So let me ask you first, are you building into your activities your administration plans for regular maintenance of facilities and equipment, and some method of prioritization of projects so that as we bring in funds, which we'll talk about in a moment, we know exactly know where it needs to go first? MR. MANSOUR: Yes. That is a great question. That's the same question that, you're right, keeps me up all night. It's kind of—you know, it is unfortunate. You're right, our system now, it's becoming hard to actually set a priority because they all become an emergency. I had a meeting today with our Hilo staff, the engineers and the operators, trying to figure out how we're going to put that plan back together. It's beyond saving so you cannot set a priority on something that's already gone, so you have to start all over. So definitely, the priority, the one that has the Administrative Order of Consent, because that potentially has a higher financial liability to the County, and the ones that coming down the pipe through the EPA and the Department of Health, such as the Hilo, Honoka`a, and others that just contributed to that major spill that we just had a few weeks ago. So to answer your question which one has a higher priority, it's the one I just— you ustyou know, depends on the financial liability of the Consent Order. You know, even though it may not be number one, but because of the Consent Order, now it's going to make it numberI mean, the Administrative Order of Consent is going to make it number one because it's the potential of$25,000 per day violation. But yeah, we've got the other facility literally on the last leg. My concern, number one right now is Hilo. So much danger about keeping it running the way it is now. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you for your candid response. So the consent decree covers, Pahala and Na`alehu MR. MANSOUR: It's an Administrative Order for Consent. Page 477 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. KIMBALL: That just covers those two sites, right? MR. MANSOUR: Yes. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. And let me just ask you, so $25,000 a day for a violation of that once a week? MR. MANSOUR: The potential if we don't meet the deadline. MS. KIMBALL: Potential liability. What about if we have a major massive spill, out of Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant? What is our liability in that situation from EPA? MR. MANSOUR: Now, the same thing. You probably they'll issue you a Consent Order instead of Administrative Consent, because I think they're, at a point—hopefully, we're trying to get them back to start buying more time. But I think they're, at a point where, you know, they're going to probably—if we have a major spill, that's probably the route they will probably going to take. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. MR. MANSOUR: And that also potentially becomes $25,000 a day. MS. KIMBALL: I just want to make sure everybody gets "this is bad." MR. MANSOUR: It is bad. MS. KIMBALL: This is a lot of money no matter which way you slice it. So, I'll shift over to you, Deputy. How's the hunt going for grants and federal funding? I know that we've brought Representative Kahele to the site. I'm sureI'm hoping that helps, at least for the Hilo facility. But what kind of progress are we making? MS. IOKEPA-MOSES: Ramzi dreams or has nightmares about wastewater. I'm constantly dreaming and thinking about trying to find ways to get my hand around all of these projects. It's just overwhelming to say the least. But I've reached out to some of the big players. You know, USDA (United States Department of Agriculture), we're working with grants. We're doing applications with USDA Rural Development right now. We have—working with FEMA, EPA grants and loans. We have Corps of Engineers. Everyone that has bigger pockets than us, I have reached out to. And so we are definitely working those avenues. It's just—it's right what Ramzi says, is that, you know, unfortunately these AOCs (Administrator Orders of Consent) in Page 478 FC-8 April 15,2021 Pahala and N5'51ehu, you know, we've only been on board for three or four months. It feels like the pressure of decades come upon us. They're not willing to give us any more time to find more fiscal responsible way to do the plans out there. So we can maybe save $50 million at these sites and use them for other sites that—to us, is actually more sensitive and more dangerous to have consequences for our environment. Gang cesspools, we understand they are supposed to be done with. But we also know the EA (Environmental Assessment) has been done on that site, and that environmentally it's not comprised right at this moment? Yeah, it's a lot, but I am feverishly working on that. We have you know, Dora is also very busy. But unfortunately, when you get to some point of the application, you're going to have to lean on those guys to put the technical information in. So, it's definitely going to be team effort. But since day one, that and trying to get events to our communities for recycling and abandoned vehicles. Living in Pahala, that was like a big one with me coming in the doors, there's all these abandoned vehicles, and trying to get those cleaned up. That's the fun part of my job. So whenever I needed moment of relief from this, I think let's get these events going on in our communities to get some of these communities cleaned up, and beautification events. So yeah, definitely working 100 percent since day one, coming in hot in the door. On my resume, that USDA, they really brought up and used it. So we are working as a team to get as many—our hands into as many pockets as we can so we can really make an impact. County can't do it by themselves; our County budget cannot, so we're going to have to really reach out. MR. MANSOUR: Yeah, and we have to be creative because, like I said, Brenda, you know, the first day we interviewed her for the position, it's just because she comes in with that much knowledge to help our department secure funding. But there's no guarantees yet. We're still going to try and figure how I could, as a responsible department head how could I provide safety to my staff and yet protect the environment with what we got? It's unfortunate what we got. MS. KIMBALL: I think we all appreciate that you're walking into a situation that has been neglected for a while. And I don't—don't answer this if you can't because I know you're negotiating with EPA right now, as you said. Are there opportunities for us to buy ourselves a little bit more time for that to create by suggesting a more comprehensive wastewater management strategy, that maybe includes some of these other sites? MS. IOKEPA-MOSES: Well, we definitely—luckily Ramzi has—we definitely have brought up different options that are a lot more fiscally responsible that the Page 479 FC-8 April 15,2021 impact is the same. It's just that we're kind of stuck in this time that has passed by, where the patience has run thin from EPA, and we understand that. We totally understand that, but we never had the innovative mind that we have here at the table now. And so we're trying to say, listen, let us prove that we can do this. Also what we don't want to do, is we don't want to set an example of this expensive community that we're developing, when we know we have 50,000 more cesspools we've got to eventually take care of. And there's no way that could ever happen to another community besides this one. So why not use this one as an example? You know, get the sewage treatment plant up into this community, and get it done in a fiscally responsible way. So those are all the things that we are working with and trying to beg for more time. But also, the technical—Geotechnical information just got into our hands. I mean, we don't even have a report. We just have a verbal confirmation that the new discovery of these lava tubes, that will also deviate the initial plans feasibility. So I want to say I'm hopeful. It's really up to how much they're willing to bend for us and believe in the new team that's here and that we're going to make it happen. MR. MANSOUR: Yeah, hopefully there's always hope. It's about building credibility of the team that you're working with. And definitelyI think April 2020 we had a spill. We had a spill just a few months ago. So we're going to learn, and hopefully something comes out of it. But yes, we are hoping we get somewhere. MS. KIMBALL: Well, I do appreciate that we're elevating the attention, particularly the public attention to this issue because it's not something that people want to deal with on a regular basis. Is Council Member Richards, I presume, helping you with the negotiations? I know he's expressed an interest in this. MR. MANSOUR: Yeah, it's the staff level been working with the EPA, and I think the last meeting we had, it was just kind of trying to gauge. We haven't really dug deep yet, because we haven't yet, went over the deadline. We still—our deadline still, you know, until July or June still, and I think at that point, that's where I'm kind of—the hard negotiation will start. Now the idea is trying to defuse it before we get there. MS. KIMBALL: Yeah. MS. IOKEPA-MOSES: Yeah, I think some of these deadlines that that have been imposed you know, Hawaii is so unique, and our SHPD (State Historic Preservation Division), you know, we have things that other places don't have. You know, Hawaii is so unique in the restrictions that we have to our `aina. We Page 480 FC-8 April 15,2021 have SHPD and other regulatory the time limits are out of our control. We had MS. KIMBALL: Lava tubes. MS. IOKEPA-MOSES: We had a delay of nine months just to get SHPD onboard. So those delays are out of our control. Geotechnical, you know, we're supposed to have our acquisition of our parcel by June 28 of this year with Kamehameha Schools, but really, do you force that purchase when we don't know the Geotechnical information? whether this property is going to be suitable for this project? So a lot of these deadlines were set and out of our control. Even if we wanted to go through with the original plan, we don't have Geotechnical. We had to wait for SHPD. There are a lot of things that were out of our control. So we're trying to convey that. You know, the Mayor is onboard. We've had talks with EPA. We basically had talks with EPA,probably every other week. Just trying to convey that we are moving forward. We are doing everything we can. It's not being kicked down the road. We're just trying to make that we're doing something very fiscally responsible for our community and the State of Hawaii; because guess what, it's not just going to be the community of Pahala paying for this, it's going to be the County of Hawaii and all of the taxpayers. So, we have to be thoughtful of that process. And do you want to force us to buy a piece of land we don't know if it's going to be suitable, until that Geotechnical information is in our hands? So all of those points, believe me, we've communicated them toI'm just hoping that they will come around and say, "Okay, a new Administration, new information, let's give them another shot," and that's what we're hoping for. So there may be a time we will need your support, when that communication kind of comes to that point; but right now, we're kind of handling in-house. MR. MANSOUR: Yeah, it's just we need to revisit the timelines. A good example for the construction, they've given us like 18 months to finish construction. There's no way you could finish, especially when you live on the island. MS. KIMBALL: No. MR. MANSOUR: You know, Region 9 in the Bay Area of California, yeah, maybe you could finish construction in 18 months; but living on the island, building a treatment plant for 18 months, no way. And that's what we're trying to communicate with them. So hopefully just keep the hope up. Page 481 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. KIMBALL: I will. I mean, I appreciate that you guys are working very hard on this. Yeah, we are—it is an unusual situation. I can also, on the flipside, understand why the trust has worn thin over time. And I hope that you guys will be successful, I truly do. Because what I hate to do is see us spend good money in ways that don't make sense. Like you said, all in a property that we don't have Geotechnical for. Like, that doesn't make sense. Let's not do that. MR. MANSOUR: Well, this is our challenge. I'm trying to take what we got and stretch it as much as we can. MS. KIMBALL: Yeah. MR. MANSOUR: I'm working with our Business Manager Robin, in trying to figure out why everything costs so much here. I was giving her an example for a digester I finished in California just three years ago. It cost me $298,000 to design. Here on the island, they charge $3 million to design, a factor of thousand, which is insane. So we need to figure out why the cost difference? What's creating that? And it's the same company. It's kind of ironic, you know, and look at the difference cost. So why are we wasting so much money? Could we find a way to stretch it? Could find a way to reduce it? And that's everyday discussion with my staff. We're trying to stretch the dollar so we could do more. MS. KIMBALL: That's sort of a markup it makes it even more important that we use it correctly. And I'm very interested to find out what you may learn about why there's such a significant cost difference doing it. MR. MANSOUR: Right. MS. KIMBALL: We know it costs more to do things here, but that seems remarkably high. MR. MANSOUR: When I was in the City and County of Honolulu, digester just before I left, Waimanalo had two digester replacements, and it was almost $20 million apiece. You do them in California for$5 million. So why that $15 million difference? It's the same product; it's the same consultant. I mean, we need to get to the bottom of it so we can streamline where that additional cost. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you both, my time is up. I yield, Chair. Thanks. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. Ramzi, Brenda, thank you for being here. I know it's late in the day, and so it's so easy to feel like the wind has been taken out of our sails, and having this very challenging conversation of what we know to be a Page 482 FC-8 April 15,2021 very—it's a broken system, right? And last conversation we had, Ramzi, I asked for a letter grade, and we got F, right? Failure. Imminent failure. And so now we're looking at your budget. I've really got to say it feels overwhelming. And Brenda's description of feeling the weight of 20 to 30 years of not the appropriate attention given, it's heavy; and I feel it. And that you've been reaching out to the big players, and just—you know, I've got to mahalo that. You going swing for the fence, let's swing for the fence. So let me start with asking, and Aaron brought this up. You know, Kai, Congressman Kahele, had toured the facilities. He's our friend, too. And he was shocked,just shocked. And maybe you guys could start there, on what kind of assistance is he hoping to try and rally to help resuscitate our systems. I'm really at a loss for words. I'm hearing we need so much help, and we don't know what to do. So, let's just start there. You know, with Congressman Kahele, his conversations with you and what those strategies may be, from our Congressman. MR. MANSOUR: Yes, definitely. The conversation went well, and we're going to continue in touch with them, hopefully through Joe Biden's Administration, that maybe he could reach out to, and turn around and bring it to our island. That would be very, very helpful. He knows the situation, and hopefully he could start seeking through the Federal grants and money that he could put his hand on. So we're not going to stop. We're going to continue to requesting for his assistance for money that the new Administration and the Biden office is willing to share with us. We asked him if he could reach also to the higher office of the EPA. And asked him to work with us to resolve and understand priorities so we could start concentrating and putting the money where it need to go. So we're working on that. We're not going to give up. I'm trying to tilt every rock in the sea, the solution underneath it, and hopefully we get somewhere. We're going definitely Hilo is my number one priority, for safeties of my staff. I meet with them; I tell my Division Chief to make sure that certain things they need to do and not to do, to avoid major mishaps. They're running out of options. We got sludge coming in every day. We don't have a way to handle to it. It's risky, risky. MS. LEE LOY: I've got to say this, my tour of that facility, recognizing all the failures there, was eye-opening. But your tribe, those workers down there, they show up as their best self every single day wanting to do the hard work. You know, I just really mahalo them. I mean, they really do demonstrate true grit down there. MR. MANSOUR: Yes. Page 483 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. LEE LOY: Okay, so kind of back to the budget. You're asking for some new Wastewater Division positions. I just want to hear how does bringing those positions in really kind of move us from F to D or C? Tell me how that works? MR. MANSOUR: Some of these positions, we bring them in for programs that we should have had back in 2008, so they may help us to get a grade A into the programs, that we're supposed to have. What's going to bring us from the letter F to a C or better? It's funny how you said it today now, because that's the same strategy I used on my staff today. I said, listen, how are we going to bring it to the letter A or A+, not a C? But definitely, we need to get there, and the way to get it is we need to start fresh with a new facility because now it's beyond fixing. And once we get it, we're going to have a maintenance program. That was my Division Chief's goals that I set for her and the staff, is we need to haveoh, and then manuals. We need to have standard procedures. We need to create an accountability program. You've seen them. Our guys carry the ownership of their projects. But they need that support, and they need the funding support so that they could do what they need to do on daily activities. So all of that needs to be put together and need to be implemented and need to have preventative maintenance in place, because right now it's too late to go and see of what we've got. You've seen it. I mean, things were collapsing, people are afraid to walk on it. I mean, but I've given the kudos because they went inside that tunnel, and they put sandbags, and risk their lives. So that's why I cannot sleep at night, because of the safety concern, it's very serious. But we need to start with something, a new sleigh, and build on it to get to the level A, A+that we need. MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, and you know, it's hard to acknowledge, right? It's hard to acknowledge we have an F, but we're going to work our way up, so that's a plan. So what I'm hearing is resources, right? Funding, we're going to leverage everything that we have. Use whatever partners we have out there to start building a new facility, and we're going to couple that with some employees, using you know, starting fresh, but creating all the different repair and maintenance. Timings, right? MR. MANSOUR: Right. MS. LEE LOY: We're going to get it right after that. MR. MANSOUR: We're going to do that. Page 484 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. LEE LOY: And then after that, you also have an Asset Management System in the budget. How does that fit in this plan with resources, employees? Tell me how they're going to work that in? MR. MANSOUR: The good thing about the Asset Management Program, we got funding for that. I believe we received $600,000 in funding for that program. And the Asset Management Program, it's like the motherboard in the computer, so it kind of identifies critical items within the facility. So you could set up your whole facility based on all the components that run the facility based on the year it was installed, the years you know, the lifespan of that facility, the work order that it's going to be done, and it needs to be implemented. Let's say a motor would go out, then the operator will put it in the Asset Management, and it sends the work order to the superintendent and says, "It's out, we need to fix it." That's where the accountability comes in, because now you could chase and try the follow the process, where did it go wrong, and why did we let it sit for a year before we replaced it? So that's what the Asset Management does to this, actually become that accountability program for the entire County. And we need to have that so we could become responsible and accountable to make sure thing's not falling apart. MS. LEE LOY: Great. Yeah, we've got to do something. Earlier we heard Police and Fire, it's a mandate by our Charter, right? This is another department that's mandated by our Charter that we manage. We provide resources for this because it's mandated to us by our Charter to manage our waste, both solid and water. Yeah, we've got to figure this one out. We really,really do. I don't know the answers, but it sounds like it has to start with resources and funding, so let's go turn over every rock and see where we can get with that. Chair, I yield. But Ramzi, Brenda, thank you so much. It's late, but this is a tough one. So thank you for being here. MR. MANSOUR: Thank you. And I think it is tough, but I guarantee you, I've got 100 percent confidence that we're going to get there. I've been there. I know the process. I know the system. We'll work together and get you there. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Lee Loy. Mr. Chung, go ahead. MR. CHUNG: Good evening, Ramzi, Brenda. I wanted to thank Rebecca for bringing up the matter of the composting facility and thank you for that answer. The members of the Council may have different views of how this thing will or should look when it's completed, but I think from what I gather, we do feel that Page 485 FC-8 April 15,2021 something needs to be done in that regard, and it is an important project. Greg, we've been working together on this thing for a long time. You know, hopefully during this Administration, we can see something come to fruition. And also, touching upon what Ms. Lee Loy said, thank you for giving that tour of the wastewater facility to Congressman Kahele, right? Hopefully, it will go a long way in getting us some share of that anticipated infrastructure funding that we hope for to be coming down the pipe. You know, when Mayor Roth was here and gave his address, he talked about how years of neglect have led to us being billions of dollars behind. The first thing that came to our minds was of course the Wastewater Facilities, because you made that very clear to us with your very graphic and educational presentation. But at the same time, he came up you know, I pointed out that—well, how are we going to address this with this 0.8 percent increase in our budget? We're at the same place that we were before, I mean, there's no aggressive move to try to address it. And his response was that we're going to try to seek grants, which is what the County has been trying to do all of these years, right, so no different. He also mentioned private-public partnerships. Now in that regard, I know that there was a bill running through both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Ultimately, it didn't move too, you know, much further. But I want to get your perspectives on this, because I know the County of Hawaii, well the Mayor's Office anyway, wrote testimony in strong support. I think "unequivocal,"they used the word, is what they used. And even Mr. Richards submitted testimony in that regard. Now, I'm not going to get into a back-and-forth on the merits of this thing, because I have my personal feelings about, you know, whether—well, I'll tell you right now, I do not believe that a private-public partnership is in the best interest of the public and to the potential rate payers or taxpayers. That's just my feeling, okay? But having said that, I want your perspective on how this could look. Maybe I could change my mind. I don't see how a profit-driven thing can work though, but—and in a nutshell, because this is really programmatic. It's not related to our budget specifically this year, but it does relate to the program. So if you could just briefly give us your vision. I don't want to take up too much time on this. I know you could probably spend a lot of time talking about it, but just briefly, in a nutshell. MR. MANSOUR: I hope you change your mind. I'll give you a good example. Had Hilo been in the private sector, you wouldn't be seeing in the condition it is today. Page 486 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. CHUNG: But what's your vision anyway? MR. MANSOUR: You know, the idea is because it goes back to the funding, and private won't have the funds to continue to do preventive maintenance that you need to do. Our goal and my vision with the private, because we are Big Island decentralized, the privatization is not about just let's take over this facility and run it as a private, it is to team up with them and use their innovative ideas and partner with them in trying to figure out what's the best way for treatment, what's the best way to resource-recovery, how you're going to do it. We did it with the City and County of Honolulu. We have Synagro (Bioconversion Facility), was right on the same facility as Sand Island, and they were extracting and operating the digesters, extracting the biosolids and converting to fertilizer. So, that's partnership we're talking about. There is resource-recovery. You need to bring the people that know how to be able to capture it, to be able to turn it to revenue, and that's what we're talking about. So when you look at us as an island so far away, we're not going to be able to have a waste treatment plant at every corner. But there is a private entity at every corner, maybe we could tap into their resources and have them assist us into tying in the communities into their treatment plan. That way you don't have to—as a County, we don't have to go and start building treatment plants at every corner to provide the wastewater service. So a good example, Cal Water or HI Water Service, they have a waste treatment plant on the north, to start taking County constituents into their facility to treat their sewer, and we'll have an agreement with them based on a capacity or of a treatment or cost per gallon of treatment. This is the type of relationship we need to have, otherwise the County is not going to be able to do it on its own. We have to partner with the private to expand our services. It doesn't matter if the County provides it or private provides it, but we need to deliver that service. And we could work the details. The cost per gallon treatment could be calculated. It could be given to the private, and they charge us for it, and vice-versa. That's how it needs to be, and that's how it needs to be envisioned. We've run it—you know, I've seen it through my 30-plus years career in the business, and that's how you become successful. MR. CHUNG: As I said, I'm not I don't want to debate on that, alright? MR. MANSOUR: Right. MR. CHUNG: Okay. I just wanted to get your perspective. But I will say this and, you know, I'd like to keep an open-mind about this, you know, right? Because if it's good for the general public, then it's something that we should seriously look at. But my understanding though, is that the bill, I mean it look Page 487 FC-8 April 15,2021 like it was modeled, or actually used the template from a Hawaii Health Care System's bill that came up many years ago, maybe about five or six years ago, and so much so that some of it references to HHSC (Hawai`i Health Systems Corporation) MR. MANSOUR: The health system, Maui Health System. MR. CHUNG: were still in the bill. Yeah, so something is weird about it. And also, I can understand where they try to extract things from the wastewater to come up with various resources, which they can use as a marketable commodity. But I still have a hard time, and I'm not going to belabor the point, but having wastewater treatment facilities becoming privatized. I just—maybe it's something I've got to wrap my brain around it at some point, and maybe I can come to understand it better. But it still comes down to profit, and somebody's got to pay for this thing. The last thing I want to do really is have the taxpayers be hamstrung by something that they have no control over. And that's all. That's all I'm going to say because I don't—you know, it's getting MR. MANSOUR: Just for your information, there's a lot of private wastewater or owned by private entities. Wastewater has not always been run by public entities. Here on the island, we have seven private wastewater operators now within the resorts. So the idea—and let's assume your house is next to these resorts and they have a treatment plant, but you cannot tie to their Kealakehe Treatment Plant. So look at the opportunity, you got a cesspool. Wouldn't it make sense to get off the cesspool and partner with this private entity to take your sewer, so you don't have to create your own treatment plant because the County is not going to be able to reach you to provide that service? And that's what it's all about, you benefit from it. We could team up with the private, to tell them, "Yeah, take Mr. Chung's sewer connection, and take his wastewater and treat it because you are next door to him,"which does make financial sense. MR. CHUNG: You know, I'm not going to argue. MR. MANSOUR: Yeah. MR. CHUNG: You're the expert, but you also during the course of your presentation, also showed us how you guys had to go in there and try to fix or troubleshoot some private facilities too, in the past then. You know, I just have some concerns. But I wanted to see what you envision, that's all. MR. MANSOUR: And hopefully once I get my Wastewater Integrated Management Plan over the whole island that becomes the vision. The vision is to Page 488 FC-8 April 15,2021 provide a service to all of our constituents at an affordable cost within their means. MR. CHUNG: That's good. MR. MANSOUR: And the County would understand that the County cannot have a waste treatment plant at every corner. But if our constituents live within the means of a private entity, I would love to sit down and negotiate with that private entity to provide services to our constituents. It's a win-win. MR. CHUNG: And then let me just ask you one more question, though. Within the context of that legislation or any legislation, and in light of the fact that our Hilo Wastewater Treatment Plant was constructed with federal monies, right? MR. MANSOUR: Yes. MR. CHUNG: Can it be transferred? Those responsibilities: operational, maintenance, and all those things under the terms of the grant? MR. MANSOUR: Like I said, our intent is not to transfer the operation. MR. CHUNG: But that's what the bill calls for. MR. MANSOUR: Well, yeah. OurI mean, we're talking about like the Pahala. New facility, you know, that kind of makes sense. MR. CHUNG: Just for new facilities? MR. MANSOUR: Yeah. MR. CHUNG: That's what you're looking at then? MR. MANSOUR: Yeah, we need to look at that legislation. I understand it took us couple weeks to get it done. I gave kudos to Mayor Roth. He wanted to do something, and we have a short time. It was like two weeks after he took office to create that because they had a deadline, because of the transition taking place. So you're right, it wasn't looked at in detail. It needs work, and that's why we committed to work on it this year and resubmit it. But I think from my vision, you asked me about my vision, I think it becomes very helpful in how I described it to you. I mean, it won't be bad to have the private come in and put their capital investment in it and have our guys operate it. You know, it's a win-win, because they're not going to fly their own operators from the mainland. They're going to—we're going to use our operators. You Page 489 FC-8 April 15,2021 know, we could you know, they could fund the projects, put the money in there, and turn around and lease it to us. MR. CHUNG: I think you guys better take a closer look at that piece of legislation then. Yeah, because I think what you described isn't what was contained in that legislation. MR. MANSOUR: I understand. It was two weeks to MR. CHUNG: Yeah. MR. MANSOUR: You know, the idea is, what's the best way we could ? At least I totally understand. MR. CHUNG: Okay. MR. MANSOUR: And the Mayor understand that, too. MR. CHUNG: But we can talk about this more. And I really do apologize to you and my fellow Council Members, it's getting late. MR. MANSOUR: That's why any inputs from you guys will be appreciated. MR. CHUNG: Yeah, but we can talk about this more. Thank you, Ramzi. MR. MANSOUR: No. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Chung. Ms. Kierkiewicz, go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Sure, I'll keep this real quick. My colleagues covered things in great detail, very comprehensively. Aloha, Director, Deputy. It's been a long few days. I'm glad Councilman Chung brought up the legislation. Whatever you guys are cooking up, please keep us in touch just keep in touch with us. It caught a lot of folks off-guard. I think there was a lot of misinterpretation, misinformation rolling around regarding it. And I just have to say that I think a consistent theme that I've seen that I'm picking up here, is there's just lack of communication. And I know everybody is trying to get used to their roles, but please keep in touch with us because many challenges we face, we have to be working on, a unified front. You're smart, you are connected, and I really do want to give you guys a chance here. I think you guys can lead us out of the issues we're facing within this department. Page 490 FC-8 April 15,2021 But again, I think you're going to also have to work in collaboration with my colleagues and myself. Everybody brings incredible ideas and great skillsets to the table. Leverage that. You know, there are ways in which we can be turning our liabilities into assets and creating more, as Council Member Villegas likes to say, a circular economy. We can't do that, but we really have to work together. Just a few things that I want to highlight. I promised constituents that I would elevate it during budget discussions, because we've been fielding calls about this. You know, Council Chair David did bring up the trailer issue. You did say that some studies were done at transfer stations. Really interested to get a copy of that so that we can share with constituents, you know, reasoning why there were safety issues and concerns, so just want to know, A number of constituents do haul trash for various kupuna neighbors, and they do organize community clean-ups. This is the most efficient way for them to haul to transfer stations, so they were certainly a lot of upset with the announcement. So just looking for more information so we can communicate. Another thing, you know, in the Kea`au Transfer Station in particular, a lot of folks use the reuse store. Because it's so high-traffic, I would like to see if possible within the budget, investment in some additional sanitation stations,just to ensure cleanliness of the area. You know, folks washing hands and things of that nature. If you don't have it in your budget, we would like to talk about just temporary solutions, leveraging some contingency money, some funding. I don't know if you wanted to comment on that. MR. MANSOUR: Yes, definitely we would love to work with you and try to find out—sanitation, it becomes a safety issue, too. If we need to provide some way to—for handwashing in our temporary facilities. I don't know if we have a water system there that we could tap into. But that also goes to the funding). I guess I'll waive it to Greg, if you want to chime in to add more. But I think yes definitely, we would love to work with you and find a solution. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Well, we'll follow-up via email. MR. MANSOUR: Yes. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: And the other thing, Greg Goodale brought this up when he presented with Mr. Hayduckso the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, the need for public education. I don't know if everybody realizes that you are accepting white goods again at the transfer station. Sometimes we see them on the highway. So if we can get more PSAs (Public Service Announcements) out about it, you know, over social media, radio,just consistently to remind folks, that would be great. Page 491 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MANSOUR: Yeah, definitely. That's a great point. And this is our challenge. MS. IOKEPA-MOSES: We were just having a conversation about that today, Greg, is about using Cyrus (Johnasen). You know, when I was a State Director at USDA, I got as much public time on the radio that they had. MR. MANSOUR: Yes. MS. IOKEPA-MOSES: Whenever they had free-time, they would call me, and we would like talk about my program. So, I think we need to do that same thing. We've got Cyrus Johnasen. We've got Longakit(Pomai Bartolome)there with our staff. She's a beautiful and eloquent speaker. She has the connections. We should be getting those information out. Even about our event that we're having in July for Oceanview, for the abandoned vehicle event, let's get it out early so people know. Those people might be thinking about dumping their vehicle next month, they might say, "Hey, I remember seeing a sign, that July they're having an Oceanview event." So we're going to—we definitely—we just had that conversation today, so we're on the same—we should be definitely using that and getting that information out more. MR. MANSOUR: And it is in our minds, believe me. Just public education is number one county-wide. We need to start concentrating on it. What to throw and not to throw and how to recycle, if we're going to achieve sustainability. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay, great. And then, are you in conversations with Stuart Coleman, WAI, Wastewater Alternatives and Innovations? They've got like Cinderella incineration toilets and want to work with low-income housing folks to just do some cesspool conversation. So just I don't know if that conversation has been had. MR. MANSOUR: Yes, I am part of the Cesspool Committee for the State. I represent the County. I wasn't it before I came here because I was representing City and County on that committee. So yes, there are a lot of discussion, a lot of options. Incinerators, toilets, you know, we just need to be careful. There's definitely, there's a lot of floating options, but we want to make sure that we get something that's going to work, sustainable, and it doesn't create more hazard than what it needs. So, yeah. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Agreed. I just hope that you explore. MR. MANSOUR: Yeah. I've used them before in some of the facilities in California. But that's like out in the mountains, yes. But here, you know, for our communities to start using them, it's probably not highly recommended. But we could talk more about it. Page 492 FC-8 April 15,2021 MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Okay. Thanks again for your hard work. And we stand ready to support you. MR. MANSOUR: Thank you. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thanks, Chair. I yield. MR. MANSOUR: Thank you so much. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Anyone else, Kona side? MR. INABA: No, we're good. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I have a few questions for you. Oh, go ahead, Mr. Chung. MR. CHUNG: Hi, Ramzi. Ms. Kierkiewicz used the word that kind of triggered another question. This is again more programmatic than budgetary. But you know, given our waste stream and looking into the future, what are your thoughts on waste-to-energy? MR. MANSOUR: It's great. This is what we engineers live for, is try to convert any possible resource to something reusable and to energy. Yes, I mean there's so many different ways that you could capture that resource and convert it to energy. It depends what energy you're looking for. You know, is it CoGen (Cogeneration), there's hydrogen, you could use the methane. So it depends on the project. But yes, waste-to-energy, when it's applicable, this is what we thrive for as engineers and making the best out of it. MR. CHUNG: I mean because, you know, at some point something's got to give, right? I mean we just can't be dumping things into the ground. You know, that's not good. Do you think under your administration, there might be a push towards some kind of waste-to-energy initiative? I'm not going to hold you to it, of course. And I don't want to put you on the spot, but I've got to see, you know, where you're at on this. MR. MANSOUR: Well I believe there is some initiative all over the State when it comes to waste-to-energy all over the country. MR. CHUNG: For the County, I think. MR. MANSOUR: Yeah, but the State, yes definitely. But we need to be careful too. Page 493 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. CHUNG: Of course. MR. MANSOUR: It depends on what you design or what you have. A lot of people think, well the Kealakehe treatment plant could be a great source of energy. But we don't have digesters, so we cannot capture the gas. Therefore, it cannot be a resource recovery when it comes to gas. So it depends on the process too. MR. CHUNG: Well, I'm talking more about solid waste. MR. MANSOUR: Even the solid waste, we need to keep in mind, if you want to capture hydrogen gas and others from a landfill, you still need the source that's going to produce that. So it's a balancing act. And that's what I'm saying, as engineers we'd love to design these things based on the need. So if you want to convert waste-to-energy based on capturing the hydrogen or based on converting that methane to provide electricity to a thousand homes, then you need the fuel that's going to provide the energy to be able to convert it. MR. CHUNG: That would be the trash. MR. MANSOUR: That'll be the trash. So if our goal is to start recycling—so we need to create a balance. MR. CHUNG: Of course. MR. MANSOUR: So to make the system work. MR. CHUNG: But it's inescapable. We'll always have trash. MR. MANSOUR: You're always going to have some, and it depends that some is going to produce the biodegradable to be able to generate that energy. So it's a balancing equation that we need to look at the end goal. What is our end goal? You know, to produce electricity to homes, then yes, you're right. To get all the waste and start converting it to, you know, biodiesel or other bio-fossils. So you know, there's so many different opportunities and different ways to convert that to energy. We need to look at first, what type of energy are we after that could benefit the County? MR. CHUNG: Okay. Alright, thank you, Ramzi. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Chung. Ms. Kimball. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you, Council Member Chung, for the question about waste-to-energy. I do think it merits discussion. But the caution is well Page 494 FC-8 April 15,2021 understood. You don't want to have to build something you have to then feed when you have objectives that are all about reducing waste at the same time. The good news is that it seems like the scale of some of the waste-to-energy methodologies have started to get smaller so that you don't have to build something quite so big. But that's another tangent. The follow-up question, I'm going to pretend to be Council Member Richards, for a second, since he's not here to ask that question. If there are funds for infrastructure coming from the American Rescue packet or the American Jobs Plan, what do you have that's shovel-ready? MS. IOKEPA-MOSES: We do have a list of shovel-ready projects. We can go at any time. That's one of our high priorities. Dora's got that ready for us, so we do. We do have a list. MS. KIMBALL: That's fantastic. Do you have an idea, roughly dollar figure of that list? (Note: At this time, Environmental Management Wastewater Division Chief Dora Beck came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MS. BECK: Aloha. Dora Beck, Wastewater Division Chief. Well, let me ask you this question first. What do you mean by shovel-ready? Construction-ready or design-ready? MS. KIMBALL: I am particularly interested in construction-ready, but if you have both figures immediately available, I would take them both. MS. BECK: Okay. I do have a list. Actually the list that I had submitted to Congressman Kahele via the website. MS. KIMBALL: Fantastic. MS. BECK: So there is a list that—you want me to read it off? MS. KIMBALL: No, that's okay. In the interest of time, really just what I was I'm just looking for in ballpark, like ballpark is fine. MS. BECK: Okay, so I've got an itemized list here of shovel-ready, more like design. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. MS. BECK: So, there's one for $32 million; one for $1.6 million; one for Page 495 FC-8 April 15,2021 $19 million, and one for $3.2 million; one for $2 million, another for $2 million, and $300,000. MS. KIMBALL: Well done. MR. MANSOUR: You did it. Awesome. MS. KIMBALL: Do you have a little calculator there? Is that? Wow. Super, impressed. MR. MANSOUR: You must have an engineer mind. Or faster than an engineer mind. MS. KIMBALL: So those are design ready? MS. BECK: Yeah. MS. KIMBALL: Your design-ready items. Okay. MS. BECK: Or in the pre-design. MR. MANSOUR: We're looking to have them shovel ready. I mean we just need to the minute we get the commitment, we'll probably put them out on the street. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, great. Alright, that's all I have. Thanks, Chair. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Okay, any other questions? Okay, Ramzi, I've got a few for you. Let's discuss new positions. So you put out a request for, or you actually funded and put the request out within this budget for how many positions? Sixteen? MR. MANSOUR: For the Wastewater, 14. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Fourteen positions. And Solid Waste, no? MR. MANSOUR: Solid Waste, they are the current positions, they were unfunded, so we're trying to fund them. They were paid for by the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security)Act. So now, they're going to go back into the County's budget. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So it was previously funded by CARES and now we're taking over? MR. MANSOUR: Yes. Page 496 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then the 14 new positions, it looks like it's more Wastewater, actually completely Wastewater, yeah? MR. MANSOUR: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And I'm just going new positions versus what you had? MR. MANSOUR: That's correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Three Sewer Maintenance Repairers and you're adding two more? Correct? MR. MANSOUR: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Two Mechanical Repair Welders and you're adding one more? MR. MANSOUR: That's correct. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I'm just looking over the other ones. You don't have actual positions for these programs. Support Technicians, Environmental Compliant Specialist. So if I just look at this from an objective point of view, you're adding new people. What are these new people going to do for the facilities? You gave us the story, but every department gives us a story on what they want. They're under-budget, they need more staffing. We hear it from everybody. So what's this going to do for us? MR. MANSOUR: Hopefully it could, definitely the Maintenance Repairer we need because we are so scattered between our facilities. We cannot provide the required maintenance that require sewer inspections, televise, and maintaining sewer. So the idea is to have the crew on the west side doing the west side sewer and the people on the east side doing the east side sewer. So that way, you could efficiently try to produce and maintain more items by linear foot than what we've been doing. Because you don't want to lose time on the travel, you lose three hours. That three hours better spent doing something. Cleaning sewer pipes, doing maintenance. And these are some of the challenges we have. With the small amount of employees we have, we allow them to go all over the island. And we lose so much time and efficiency in travel time. So the best thing, it'll become actually Page 497 FC-8 April 15,2021 cheaper for us and more efficient to have these people doing the west side versus doing the east side. So you could eliminate that loss of time. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I mean you're adding on both sides, right? MR. MANSOUR: Yes. Some of them, if we don't have it on this side, we're adding. If we don't have it on the west side—so to have proper crew that could be able to do the work. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, I mean you're adding the same positions to both sides of the island. So you're increasing existing positions with more positions. I want to know that that equals out to more work being done and taking us from an F to an A, as has been told over and over again. But you know, this is also MR. MANSOUR: Remember these positions not only for treatment. We're talking about the sewer collection. We're talking about the new program that we're going to implement about pre-treatment program, because that's going to be under Administrative Order Consent. So as you read these positions these are not operators. These are for the collection system to put us in compliance when it comes to permitting and the pretreatment program that we need to implement. And you also subsidize that money, we got a grant for $600,000. So that also covers some of the staffing for the acid management. Because we have a system. We don't only just treat, we collect the sewer through the sewer collection system. We see the equipment. We see the pumps and motors that requires mechanics, not operators. So all of that, we need to try and put it together to be more sufficient to be able to do all this along the treatment plant that we have within the Big Island. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Is this all the staff you would need to get yourself from an F to an A, or did you actually apply for more staffing? MR. MANSOUR: I think as I mentioned earlier, the F to the A, that's treatment only. And to get us to the A, we need to replace the facilities first. And once in place we need to put the accountability program responsibility, as I mentioned earlier. Then we need to provide the training to the staff. And that's what's going to keep us in the A grade. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I'm just talking about staffing right now. So staffing-wise, this is all the staffing you had requested or was there further staffing you had requested that didn't make it in front of us? Page 498 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MANSOUR: We are going to be probably coming the next year in front of you and it depends how we're going to finish the Hilo projects and set up the programs. So we're working on the programs that need to be put in place. I had my meeting with the operator this morning, and they begged me to get them more staff becauseI think Sue had seen it when she went there. We don't have enough staff to operate these facilities. They're doing everything themselves. A good example is when I went to Honoka`a, there's only one operator seeing the entire facility. You need at least for that big a facility, 300,000 (gallon) lagoon facility, you need people up there. We didn't have enough staff to see it. They only use to visit it once a week, and that's the requirement. That doesn't work for us. So definitely we have not analyzed the system because we have not yet decided how we're going to rebuild the system. Once we rebuild it, that's going to tell me how many operators, depends on the system that we built. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, in some ways then, I'd say we're throwing staff at a problem we don't understand. And then you're going to see that problem when you look at the facility? MR. MANSOUR: No, this staff is not going to be the operations. Remember, our department does more than just operations. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I guess, sewer maintenance and repair is not operational. MR. MANSOUR: That's for collections system. That's for your sewer line in the street like Alii Drive. You know, we cannot allow sewer to back up. That's what these guys are going to be doing. They going to be overseeing the sewer collections system, not the treatment. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, and some of these positions start 6-1-22, which is basically next year, June, right before we start the new budget. But it's interesting, you know, budgeting it out that far. MR. MANSOUR: Well, some of them, it depends on the recruitment and when they're going come in. Some of them are tied up to the program that we are working with the Department of Health on. The Department of Health wanted to show due diligence from our part because they are that program was supposed to be in place in 2008. So some of these positions are going to be coming in to assist us set up that program as per our Department of Health requirements. So hopefully with the recruitment process because, you know, by the time you put the job announcement out and recruit, some of them may take some time, Page 499 FC-8 April 15,2021 depending if you fund the position or not. That's why we try to stagger it based on some assumptions. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Some things that caught my attention, you know, Wastewater OCE, you have some equipment needs in there. I mean $400 a chair, $500 a desk. I just got to ask, what kind of chairs are we buying? MR. MANSOUR: We're going to get the cheapest chair possible. You know, I got a chair for $99 someplace. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, me too. Well, you got it listed. You've got six chairs at$2,400. MR. MANSOUR: I think it's just for budget purposes, probably, but we have a price. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I may seem small, but you know, this kind of stuff always catches people's attention. So I've got to ask it. MS. BAUMAN: Sorry, I suspect that the quantity probably, the dollar amount got changed to add additional chairs and the quantity did not. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, I've seen that in other departments, too, today. MS. BAUMAN: We're not spending $400 per chair. MR. MANSOUR: We'll use recyclable chairs if you guys got them. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Some other ones too, Wastewater OCE. I mean, it looks like 2022-2023, we're stepping up to almost to $1 million. You've got a lot of purchases this year and this coming year, and we just approved almost$750,000. Like the CCTV, a couple generators. These are just some high-cost five-year leases we're looking at. So I want to make sure we're being—given the physical constraints we're facing, that we're not going crazy. MR. MANSOUR: No believe me, we're not. We're actually under-staffed, under-equipped, but now at least this will give us a lifeline. Definitely, we need to televise these lines. We have lines in the streets, cast iron pipes that actually don't exist under the roadway, because they're corroded and cast iron is something in the past. People don't use it anymore, but we need to be able to televise it. We need to be able to clean it to prevent clogging. A sink hole in the roadway. All that necessity to create a preventative program. So you have to Page 500 FC-8 April 15,2021 keep up with our infrastructure. Otherwise, you're going to lose the infrastructure. What we're asking for is the minimum to get us going so we don't fall behind. So some of these generators—I'll give you a good example. One of the other reasons that we don't sleep at night. And Dora, I think she cannot sleep at night. She keeps telling me because if one of our force main failed. We don't have the right equipment to be able to bypass the system, have enough generators to pump that flow and control it. Currently, we don't have a way to control any major spills. And it's scary. When someone calls in the middle of the night, saying, you've got a sewer line that broke. I don't even have the right equipment to maintain it. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I mean we see a lot on Oahu. That is a scary thing. MR. MANSOUR: It's scary, but I can guarantee, I was the Chief there. If you go to our yard, they have probably 20 generators sitting there. They've got pipes that will take you probably all around the island because they learned a lesson from the last consent decree. And now they have stuff set aside in the yard ready for any emergency. But we don't have it here. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, good to know you're planning. Ms. Kimball asked me to ask if any Council Members had further questions before I go on. Okay, thank you. Something that was in your program objectives was metal scrap facilities. Where you're at with those? Hilo and Kona. And I'm going there, I got email last night from a good friend of mine. I had a friend email me and he goes, "Matt, it says, zerowaste.org. But what are you really doing for zero waste?" And I saw these two within the Vehicle Disposal Fund, you know,program objectives. And you have a Hilo and Kona scrap facility, looks like. I also want to talk about the impound lots and where we're at with those. (Note: At this time, Solid Waste Division Chief Greg Goodale came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. GOODALL Greg Goodale, Solid Waste Division Chief. So I guess I'm not 100 percent on the question you're asking. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We're moving towards zero waste. We throw a lot of stuff away. We're filling up our landfill in West Hawaii. We have to be better in every aspect of the way we handle our trash. Part of that is making Page 501 FC-8 April 15,2021 sure metal is not going into the facilities that we currently have, which we do a good job of. But I notice within your program objectives that there's a Hilo scrap facility and a Kona scrap facility. I think Kona, as well. But they were basically in the design phase. And I want to make sure that we're moving towards having those open. And where are we at with them? MR. GOODALL So that's actually for so the County actually ran scrap facilities on County property for many years. There was a scrap metal processing facility in Kealakehe, Kailua-Kona, and then also there was a scrap metal processing facility in Hilo. And unfortunately, those two facilities were run by contractors that didn't run them very well. And so now, the County is basically in the process of cleaning those two former facilities up. So back in 2013, we actually closed both of those facilities and put the processing of scrap metal out to the private entities that actually do that work. So there are actually two different scrap metal processors on this island, private. So the County sends all of our scrap vehicles and, you know, appliances. And you know, basically all scrap metal that we take in at our facilities all go to those private entities, who then process the material at a permitted facility and then ship it out to buyers out of state. MR. MANSOUR: Maybe your question about remediation of the current scrap metal. Yeah, that we have because it's mandated. We have to close it in accordance to the Department of Health. So you look at it as a closure project for these sites. So we have to assemble. We have to kind of close it in accordance. Is that your question about why is the money there? So it's not to build a new facility. It's to comply with the mandates from the Department of Health to close these facilities in accordance to their requirement. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And then the Hilo impound lot was on the Capital Improvement list and that was to transfer out. And where is that in process? MR. GOODALL So we are in the process of entering into doing the environmental assessment for that. And the big issue there is basically making sure that the vehicles that we bring in, or actually working with Hawaii Police Department(HPD) on, you know, their programs for Accident Vehicle Removal program. So we're actually trying to do a lot more, you know, coupled up with HPD on these things. So the reason we're working on this project is basically to develop a storage facility for vehicles. We've had a lot of issues with vandalism of vehicles in our impound. And we wanted to ensure that the vehicles that are collected, you Page 502 FC-8 April 15,2021 know, especially for the ones that we have the probability of returning to the owner, don't end up being vandalized or defaced in any way. So that's the primary purpose of that project for Hilo. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Vehicle disposal fund. It looks like it's almost to a point where it's self-sustaining. Is that a good thing? MR. MANSOUR: That's a good thing. Actually, I wish every fund is similar to that, yes. Hopefully, eventually, we can have all our Sewer Fund and Solid Waste Fund is good as those funds. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I'd like to commend some of your staff, too, on the way they get those cars, the speed at which they get the vehicles off the street. I have complaints from my district, usually within a phone call. And in a couple days, they'll have them removed. If they weren't being addressed already. MR. MANSOUR: Thank you. And like Brenda was saying, she's going to work with Greg and our staff to do more of that, community events. Our goal is for the beautification of our island, you know, we're trying to kind of encourage these community events, abandoned vehicles. So I think they had a meeting, so hopefully MR. GOODALL Yeah, as the Director said, I mean we've been, you know, working on this for quite some time. You know, this has actually been a program that we've been able to see lot of improvements in. And I know it's hours late and I could go on for a while, but I won't. So I appreciate what you've said and thank you for your comments. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. And I'm touching on that because you're moving away from reliance on the General Fund, which is good. So we're trying to get a lot of our funds away from it. Sewer, across the board I saw everyone's landfill fees going up in every single department that has a landfill tipping fee connected to the department. Our tipping fees have gone up, correct? MR. GOODALL So, yeah, the tipping fees, so that passed a few years back. So that was done on a five-year increase. So this next year will represent the last year of that increase based on the original ordinance that increased landfill tipping fees. You know, it goes back to what the Director said earlier. I mean we have ever-increasing costs, and this was something that wasn't keeping pace. So you know, the tipping fees are only paid on the commercial. So obviously County is one of those that ends up paying that cost, but you know, that's a cost that we all bear. So we need to keep pace with what it costs to actually do that work. Page 503 FC-8 April 15,2021 So you know, we believe we're getting closer and closer to that point. We're not there yet, but you know, one of the things that was actually built into that was the ability for us to be able to have that cost increase by the Consumer Price Index on an annual basis so we can continue to see that price and keep pace what it actually cost to do the work. MR. MANSOUR: And just to add to that. Because the current contracts we have, they already have a built in CPI (Consumer Price Index). So we have to be, you know, on the same level because we cannot pay for more on these contracts, but yet not generate more. So it has to be on the same level to break even on, you know, revenue versus expenditure that comes in from these tipping fees. So we're trying to balance. But like Greg said, it was incrementally planned. And this is last year. But even after it ends, we're going to start of part of the entire system, trying to evaluate and see how we're going to be sustainable, and you know, financially sufficient. So there's challenges. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, something recent that came before us. I think it was Environmental Waste Management plan that we just talked about. It might not be the right word, but— MR. utMR. MANSOUR: The Integrated Waste Management plan. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: The Integrated Waste Management plan. I mean there's a lot of discussion of PAYT or Pay As You Throw. MR. MANSOUR: And remember, this isI just want to make it clear. This document is a living document. I know it was dated in 2019. It was submitted to you recently, but we are kind of mandated by regulatory to submit that plan. It doesn't mean that we have to live with it, because under the new Administration, you know, we could change things and come back and amend that plan. So, it's a living plan. It's a roadmap to show that we are thinking about the system and the process to submit it to the regulatory agencies. There's a lot of work that was put into that plan. And our goal is to continue navigating through it. If we find different ways as we work, that's going to change. Just keep that in mind. It's a living document. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I remember you saying it. I worry about areas like Kalapana, or rural areas where they don't access to a transfer station of a landfill. And when we started doing pay as you throw we already had a trash problem in our more rural areas. So we will I think increase that if we start doing a pay as you throw. And I know we need to get to a point where we're self-sustaining within the fund, but there's going to be a hard balance there. Page 504 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MANSOUR: There's a lot of challenges. You know, I sat down with my Deputy this morning and we tried to work on how we're going to navigate through the solid waste. And I will be sitting down with the Division Chief. And our goal, as I stated from day one is to look at the operational vision of the island. Look at the options. Analyze every option possible. You know, a transfer station at every corner or collection system could offset that cost, or all roads leads to the west side landfill. Or should we have a landfill here? So all these we need to analyze, and look at the options, look at the pros and cons. And have a better solid layout of how we're going to start visioning where we're going to go. But you're right, there's areas you cannot reach. Those areas are concentrated. It could be different pilot programs in different areas to see how they're going to function. So we need to look at that and the cost of each operation and figure out if the cost could be converted to some other creative way. But yet provide the service without people going to that transfer station. So we need to look at all that. Is the cost of building more transfer stations and having people getting there is cheaper than just getting collection trucks and start collecting using the three containers? And if it equals out, you better do a collection because you encourage recycling and because you have the three containers. So you know, that's the rap we'll take, but we need to do it. Analyze it, do pros and cons, and try to figure out what's the best way to move forward. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. And on that subject, I think Kalapana last year, they have a transfer station there, but we've cut back the services. It was budgeted for three days a week, and then it was cut back to one day a week. It may have been two days a week and then one day. Either way, we got cut back on services. The community wasn't happy. And we have the Pahoa station which it was told to me, "Hey they can use Pahoa." But not all of our constituents, you know, have the funds to do what it takes. And not everyone is off on the same day and can access the transfer station. But I didn't see that in here as far as, many of the Puna areas being serviced or having funds set aside for the—like the Glenwood transfer station which was on our books to have some work done to it. MR. GOODALE: Well, yeah, I mean Glenwood did have improvements done to it a few years back as did Volcano. There was actually money set aside that was to cover for Glenwood, Volcano, and Wai`ohinu. So we're now actually in the process working on the Wai`ohinu station. But yeah, as far as Glenwood, Volcano, improvements were made a few years back already. MR. MANSOUR: And it goes back to, you know, do we want to continue throwing money if there's other options maybe better, like the collection or different model that may work better. Page 505 FC-8 April 15,2021 So but you're right, you know, we're moving forward currently in both, trying to wrap our head around, you know, the option and the pros and cons. And you know, that's our intent, and present the costs. It could be a cost-saving. It could be more money. As I mentioned in the presentation, we only get about four percent subsidy from the entire County budget. So for every $1,000 we collect on the taxes. We only get$40. You know,just imagine the cost difference. And four percent, you know, isn't enough to make it sustainable financially with all these services being requested. And that's why $40 on $1,000, where does that take you? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: On the same subject, what is our cost estimate, and are you hitting your mark when it comes to what it takes to transfer trash from Hilo to Kona? That was a number we didn't really know as we closed the landfill in South Hilo. MR. MANSOUR: I'm putting my hand on it, I'm sure it's costing us more because we're triple-handling the waste. We put it up from the transfer stations. It goes to Hilo then it gets trucked from Hilo to the west side. So you're triple handling. Once you're triple- double- quadruple-handle the waste, that brings the costs up. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Did you get the right number in your budget? That's what I was worried about. MR. MANSOUR: We budgeted what we had based on the actual cost now. So if you're asking, have we looked at the other options? We are looking at the other options. But what you see in the budget, the actual costs are from what the actual service is costing us. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. MR. MANSOUR: And most of it is contracts or lease equipment, or what have you. So it's a given cost. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And just for my information, what is an ATM-DIV (Automotive Division)repair? MR. GOODALL That's the Automotive Division. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you. You have some equipment in here. You have some digester, clarifiers. You told us what you needed. Did you put what you wanted in this budget as far as equipment needs? Is it in here? Page 506 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MANSOUR: Some of that equipment, but most of our equipment are part of the CIP budget. And goes totally under different strategies of how we're going to cover the CIP. And that's pretty much I'll refer that to Finance of how they're planning to finance the entire CIP projects for the entire County because it's not our department only. There's other CIP for other departments. But yes, we give them our list and some of this equipment is part of the project itself, the build-out project. But what you see in the budget, the small equipment that we could put within the budget that we have. But the larger equipment becomes part of the CIP. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, I'm looking at your placement reserve account. You've got Hilo Bio-tower arm replacement and things like that. I'm guessing these are things that you need, and you need to be able to replace them when they break. MR. MANSOUR: Yes. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And I want to make sure you got what you've need in here because I mean you painted a real bad picture of our facilities Island-wide. MR. MANSOUR: Thank you, I appreciate your support, and you're right. Fortunately, the Bio-tower arms are being replaced. I think we were able to purchase two of them this year. So we're waiting on the contractor to be able to come in and put them. So, yes, thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Yeah, some substantial increases. I'm not going to lie. Your department went up. I understand you have needs, but I've got to look at everybody as a whole and see what we can do. MR. MANSOUR: Sure. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I appreciate your time today, Ramzi. Thank you. Thank you for you and your department coming down. Appreciate what you guys do. Your guys at the facilities are always very nice and friendly. I don't go to the wastewater treatment facilities a lot, but at the solid waste facilities, they're very nice and they're doing a good job. MR. MANSOUR: Thank you. And thank all of you for your continued support. And definitely, I just want to make sure that our commitment to be transparent I know you asked the question, so our commitment to all of you is to be transparent and up front, because that's the motto of our Mayor Roth. Transparency is very important to the Administration. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Page 507 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. MANSOUR: Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Council, we actually have to make a decision before you all run away. This is the last day of our Special Meeting on the Committee on Finance, and we have to choose thank you for your time today, appreciate it. So we have three options really. We can recess the meeting, we can postpone the meeting, and we can forward the meeting. I actually prefer and I would actually make the motion that we recess the meeting. If further questions were to arise and you wanted to bring any departments back. You can have them come back and we can discuss things further. MS. KIMBALL: Mr. Clerk, could you help guide us with some descriptions? Thank you. MR. HENRICKS: Well, Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder is talking about keeping this meeting in recess. Do you have any proposed timeframe to come back and any inclination as to, you know, specific purposes for doing so? CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I'm leaving an option open for Council Members, if there were further questions that they have for a department or if something happens within the next two weeks or so that we want to address with any department. MR. HENRICKS: Then you can postpone this to the meeting on the 4h. I think those are the two most reasonable options. The motion to recess would be more to, if you hadn't had a chance to go through the list of all of the agencies and whatnot. So I think your two most appropriate motions going forward are to vote on the motion on the floor to move this to Council which will go to the first meeting, which would be May 20''. We get the Draft 2 on May 5h. Or to postpone to May 4h, which keeps it in Committee. And you know, that's your other option I would say at this time, to keep it in Committee if you so deem that to be the best choice at this time. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, I'm just going by the paper that you were happy enough to give me with the three options. For me personally, I think a motion to recess is good and can we close it out then? MR. HENRICKS: Well, you wouldn't make a motion to recess. I think if we're going to recess, you'd want to have a plan in place, because a blank motion to recess—when are we going to get people back together? Why? I mean if you're looking at just having more discussion, you would have the 4h to do that in Committees. Page 508 FC-8 April 15,2021 CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay so in your eyes, the postponement would be the best thing to do? MR. HENRICKS: Not in my eyes. You know, if you want to keep this in Committee that's probably your best option. When we talked about a motion to recess, again late nights, couldn't get to everybody, you can keep this moving forward. Or not moving forward but keep it in Committee. I mean that certainly is an option, to recess this meeting and keep going. But I would just caution against doing so, because you're going to have to bring everybody back together again at some point to get it out of Committee and to Council. So kind of an undefined and indefinite recess kind of leaves you guys in limbo at that point without knowing where we're going from here. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Can that happen at any time? Like we could have our Council meeting, our Committee meeting? MR. HENRICKS: We would want to provide some notice when you say it could happen at any time. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: That we can bring the meeting out of recess where there is discussion, if warranted and then close out the meeting from there. MR. HENRICKS: It's frowned upon to have indeterminable recess. Meaning if you're going to recess, you're supposed to recess, and you know, have some sense of when you're going to re-adjourn, especially if the recess is overnight. You know, how we've been doing at the end of each day, you make the announcement that you're reconvening at 9:00 o'clock the next morning. But to put it in recess with no sense of reconvening is not in the Council's best interest. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, in that case then let's do a motion to postpone to the May 4h Finance Committee meeting. And if there are further questions for the departments, we can bring them back then. Does that sound correct? MR. HENRICKS: It's an option. MS. KIMBALL: I'll make that motion, Chair. MR. INABA: Second. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, motioned by Ms. Kimball, seconded by Mr. Inaba to postpone the Special Committee on Finance Budget process to the Finance Committee meeting. Page 509 FC-8 April 15,2021 MR. HENRICKS: What you'd be doing you have two motions on the floor right now. One is a favorable recommendation for the Operating Budget, Bill 21. You have a favorable recommendation for the Capital Budget, Bill 22. So your motion to postpone on those motions, not this meeting. So that would be a motion to postpone for a favorable recommendation on Bill 21 is your first motion. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Let me restate that. Do I do them independently or I can do Bill 21 and 22? MR. HENRICKS: Yes, the motion to postpone should be independent because you have two separate motions on the floor, which we don't normally do, but under these circumstances, it's allowed. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Okay, so can I have a motion to postpone with a favorable recommendation of the forwarding of Bill 21 to the May 4, 2021. Motion to Postpone: Ms. Kimball moved to postpone Bill 21 to May 4, 2021. Seconded by Mr. Inaba. MS. DAVID: Excuse me. Chair, I have a question. Clerk, how does this postponement affect our timeframe in first, second reading of this budget? MR. HENRICKS: You have time. Because otherwise, if you voted to move it out of Committee, it'll be placed on the May 20th Special Meeting for first reading. MS. DAVID: Okay, that's all of my questions. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, we have the motion on the floor. Any discussion? MS. LEE LOY: Yes, I was waiting to be acknowledged. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, I have multiple lights on. Okay, Ms. Lee Loy, go ahead. MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. I'm actually going to be speaking against the motion and voting against the motion. What we have before us is a proposed budget and what we actually get in May is the budget that we can actually amend. And so holding it for more discussion means we can only discuss what we won't be able to vote on, because the Administration has to prepare and provide to us a budget on May 1st. And so for those reasons I'm going to be voting against the motion. Page 510 FC-8 April 15,2021 I'd really rather move this along because I want to get to the budget that we can hammer on. Those are my thoughts. Thank you, I yield. MS. KIMBALL: If I may then, Chair? So, Council Member Lee Loy, in that case, I understand what you're saying. So this is only a proposed budget, then as far as the bills are concerned that we are considering, we wouldn't necessarily want to put them forward with a favorable recommendation and just end them here, or am I not understanding? MR. HENRICKS: Forgive me for interjecting. You really don't have a choice on that, per se. Because this draft is the initial draft, right? And then what happens on May 5h or perhaps sooner, but probably not, the Mayor will submit a proposed Draft 2. And then what happens is, by default the Council will amend this draft you're looking at now with the Mayor's revised draft. But under our timetable, that would happen on May 20''. So what Mr. Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder first proposed to recess, and you had motioned to postpone was, what it would have allowed for is, as Ms. Lee Loy pointed out, you're not going to be looking at the revised draft that the Mayor's going to bring forward. It's simply to allow time to have further discussions as you had now on the draft you're looking at now or more program review, which really doesn't have to necessarily involve numbers but more discussions with agencies; all of them, any of them, some of them, one of them, none of them. MS. KIMBALL: Okay, with that understanding, thank you as always for the guidance. I actually think that I want to leave it open to have additional discussions understanding that on the 4th there's a new draft, it doesn't preclude us from asking some of the programmatic questions about this version, again, in more detail. In other words, I'd like to keep my options open. So, will vote in favor of the motion. Thank you. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Any further discussion? Okay, so the motion is on the floor, all in favor? Vote on Motion The motion to postpone Bill 21 to the May 4, 2021, to Postpone: Finance Meeting was carried by the following voice vote: (Approved) Ayes: Committee Members Chung, David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Villegas, and Chair Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder—7 Noes: Committee Member Lee Loy — 1. Absent: Committee Member Richards — 1. Excused: None. CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So the motion carries. Thank you. Page 511 FC-8 April 15,2021 Vote on Motion Mr. Inaba moved to postpone Bill 22 to the May 4, 2021, to Postpone: Finance Meeting. Seconded by Ms. Kimball and carried by (Approved) the following voice vote: Ayes: ' Committee Members Chung, David, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Villegas, and Chair Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder—7 Noes: Committee Member Lee Loy— 1. Absent: Committee Member Richards— 1. Excused: None. CHR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Mr. Clerk. ADJOURN- There being no further business, at 7:17 p.m., Mr. Inaba moved to MENT: adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Ms. David 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: Okay, thank you everyone. Approved: Mr. Matt Kane. i`i-Kleinfelde Chair Date) Finance Comm,ttee MK/ja • Page 512