HomeMy WebLinkAboutREP GOREDC 027 2022/10/05 (2020-2022) REPORT OF THE
COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS,
RELATIONS, AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
DATE: October 5, 2022 Re: Comm. No. 1007/Res. No. 559-22
PLACE: Council Chambers
Hilo, Hawaii
TIME: 9:30 a.m.
Council Chair and Members
Hawaii County Council
Hilo, Hawaii 96720
Your Committee on Governmental Operations, Relations, and Economic Development,to which
was referred Resolution No. 559-22, reports as follows:
Resolution No. 559-22, transmitted by Council Vice Chair Aaron Chung, via Communication
No. 1007 dated September 16, 2022, requests that the State of Hawaii relocate the Hawai i
Community Correctional Center to a new area which will provide more space for the State
Department of Public Safety to accomodate the proper expansion of the facility and to better
support the needs of its inmate population and employees.
There were four testifiers all in support of the measure. In addition to expressing her support for
this proposal, Ms. Lucille Chung submitted copies of a letter to her State Legislator and a letter
to the editor of the Hawaii Tribune Herald highlighting the problems with the current location of
the jail and the ongoing problems associaited with the site. The other three testifiers live in the
neighborhood of the jail and detailed specific concerning instances and ongoing community
health and safety concerns.
Chair Kimball called on Mr. Chung to introduce the resolution, who explained that it was the
September 2, 2022, Hawaii Correctional System Oversight Commission's report that prompted
him to propose a remedy to the ill-placed, struggling Hilo jail. He explained that the original
facility was an 11-bed County jail and the site was never intended to scale up to house inmates
for the entire island. Mr. Chung underscored the testifiers' concerns that the Hilo community
was not included when the State of Hawaii made the decision to build an additional 48-bed
expansion on the existing site.
Council Chair Maile David thanked Mr. Chung for creating the resolution noting that it is a
public safety issue and should be a top priority for the State of Hawaii.
Council Member Rebecca Villegas stated that the government should stop throwing good money
after bad and move the Hawaii Community Correctional Center to a more appropriate location.
The other Council Members thanked Mr. Chung for the resolution and expressed their support
for the measure.
GOREDC Report No. 27
GOREDC-27 Page 2 October 5,2022
Chair Heather Kimball concluded the discussion by stating that there is no excuse for the State
not to consider another location given the abundance of state-owned land on Hawai`i Island.
The vote was taken on the motion to move this measure to Council with a favorable
recommendation passed with eight"ayes."
Your Committee on Governmental Operations, Relations, and Economic Development is in
accord with the purpose and intent of Resolution No. 559-22, and recommends its adoption.
jlk
AYES NOES ABS EX Respectfully submitted,
CHUNG X
DAVID X COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL
INABA x OPERATIONS, RELATIONS, AND
KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER x ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
KIERKIEWICZ X
KIMBALL XVll i!
LEE LOY X HEATHER L. KIMBALL, CHAIR
RICHARDS X GOREDC REPORT NO.: 27
VILLEGAS X ADOPTED: OCT 1 9 2022