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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN GOEAC 2024/11/19 (2022-2024) DRAFT Committee on Governmental Operations and External Affairs 43`'d Session West Hawaii Civic Center 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Building A Kailua-Kona, Hawaii November 19, 2024 CALL TO The regular meeting of the Committee on Governmental Operations and ORDER: External Affairs was called to order at 10:40 a.m., in the Council Chambers, Kailua-Kona, by Ms. Cindy Evans, Chair. ROLL CALL: Present: Ms. Cindy Evans, Chair Ms. Michelle M. Galimba, Member', Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Member Ms. Jenn Kagiwada, Member (via videoconference from Hilo) Mr. Matt Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder, Member Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Member(via videoconference from Hilo) Ms. Heather L. Kimball, Member Ms. Rebecca Villegas, Member STATEMENTS The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of FROM THE business, Stat6hients from the Public on Agenda Items. PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS: (There were none.) COMMUNI- The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, CATIONS Communications. Comm: 1162: ANNUAL REPORT OF SISTER CITY ACTIVITIES: JULY 2023 TO JUNE 2024 From Sister City Program Director Jane Clement, dated November 6, 2024, submitting the above report pursuant to Section 2-166 of the Hawaii County Code. and Comm. 1162.1: From Sister City Program Director Jane Clement, dated November 12, 2024, transmitting the Sister City Progress Report from July through November 2024. Motion to Close File: Mr. Inaba moved to close file on Comm. 1162. Seconded by Ms. Kimball. GOEAC-43 November 19,2024 CHR. EVANS: Any discussion? Yes, Member Inaba. MR. INABA: Thank you. Wondering if we have Ms. (Jane) Clement joining us on Zoom to give us a presentation on this Sister City Annual Report. No one in Hilo Chambers? Alright. Well, if we can get in touch with the Mayor's Office, I think we should put this on the table. Motion to Table: Mr. Inaba moved to table Comm. 1162. Seconded by (Approved) Ms. Villegas and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Galimba, Inaba; Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz Kimball, Villegas, and Chair`Evans —8 Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. ORDER OF The Chair directed the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, RESOLUTIONS: Order of Resolutions: Res. 632-24: REQUESTS THE MAYOR TO CONVENE A WORKING GROUP TO (Draft 2) DEVELOP A COUNTY RADIO PLAN Seeks to convene a working,group'consisting;of representatives from the Civil Defense,Agency, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, Hawaii Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster,Auxiliary Communication Service, fiV,e members from amateur radio clubs, and other non-voting members to improve the County's radio communication infrastructure focusing on emergency response for rural and isolated areas. Reference: Comm. 1048.4 Intr. by: Ms. Evans Postponed: October 1 and 15, 2024 (Note: There is amotion by Ms. Evans, seconded by Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder to recommend adoption of Resolution 632-24, as amended.) (Note; Comm. 1048.5 from Council Member Cindy Evans dated November 14, 2024 requesting a presentation by Civil Defense Radio Systems Manager Scott Uehara and Comm. 1048.6 from Council Member Cindy Evans dated November 17, 2024 transmitting a slide deck to Res. 632-24, were circulated.) Relinquish Chair: At this time, Chair Evans relinquished the chair to Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder. Page 2 GOEAC-43 November 19,2024 ACTING CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mr. Clerk, please let the record reflect, I have assumed chair of the meeting. It is 10:47 a.m. Council Member Evans. MS. EVANS: Thank you. Well, since our last meeting on this topic, I had a meeting with our Civil Defense Director Talmadge Magno and the person in his organization that does Auxiliary Communication Services (ACS). And one of the things that we determined is, it would be really good t6 have a presentation to the Council on exactly what Auxiliary Communication Services does, because just to refresh our memory, the resolution is about how we',interact with Ham radio operators during emergency situations. Be it preparedness, recovery, or response. So, we agreed that it would be a good time, and you have Communication 1048.6, which is the slide deck that you should have in your file. And then, if I believe Scott(Uehara), even though I can't see him, he must be in the Hilo Chambers. I assume he's in the Hilo Chambers. MS. KAGIWADA: Yes, that's right, he's coming up. MS. EVANS: Thank you. (Note: At this time, Civil Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno and Radio Systems ManagernScott'Uehara came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. MAGNO. Good morning'Council, Talmadge Magno, Civil Defense Administrator. MR. UEHARA: G6od morning Council, Scott Uehara, Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency. MS. EVANS: Thank you. So, Chair, can they proceed? MR. KAEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Go ahead whenever you're ready. MR. UEHARA: Good morning Council, my name is Scott Uehara, Radio Systems Manager with the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency. Civil Defense was requested to present to the Council a brief overview of the Hawaii County Auxiliary Communications Services Program in relation to the proposed Resolution 632-24. Page 3 GOEAC-43 November 19,2024 (Note: At this time, Mr. Uehara provided a PowerPoint slide 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 online at http:Hhawaiicountygranicus.com. A copy of the presentation is made part of the record, see Comm. 1048.6.) MS. EVANS: First of all, I want to thank you for this overview. And I'm really grateful for you pointing out that you're going to dothe summit. Because one of the things we talked about when you came in the office is how to move forward so that the resolution doesn't move forward; saying you have a few groups get together and talk about how to improve the system. The thought was, well maybe if you had a brie-day, you know half-day summit and bring the people from around the island together; that collective wisdom could happen in the half-day summit versus having a few working group meetings come together with recommendations, So, I'mreally supportive of that effort, and at the end of discussion—and I do have afew questions. But at the end of the discussion, my plan is to postpone this indefinitely, or table it or whatever the right thing is. But yes,,with that, I'll turn it'ouer and I'll come back. I do have some questions. Thank you. ACTING CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Council Members? Anything from Hilo? Council Member Kimball. MS. KIMBALL: I'll just make a very quick comment. I was at one of our CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) meetings this weekend, the Laup5hoehoe Team and actually went through their training drill with their Amateur Radio Specialist. And I got to be the decoy person in trouble. But I want to says these guys know what they're doing, and I just want to give that credit to the local community members that are trained in Ham radio, and also encourage all of you, the Ham radio is pretty inexpensive. If you coordinate with your CERT team, they can help program your Ham radio so that you can listen in. Now, you're not allowed to talk unless you're certified. But I would encourage you to purchase for your office one of the radios. And then in the`event that something happens, you would be able to tune in to one of the stations and listen in. So,just a recommendation. But thank you guys for the presentation today, and thank you, Council Member Evans for introducing this so we could have an update on all the information and tools that are being provided. Thanks. ACTING CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Council Member Galimba. Page 4 GOEAC-43 November 19,2024 MS. GALIMBA: Yes, thank you. Just wanted to second that. Thanks for bringing this up and campaigning for us the opportunity to learn more about this system, and be able to think more about strengthening it going forward. Thank you. MS. EVANS: So, this resolution came about because people in my community, the CERT teams, really wanted to see a more robust discussion about the coordinated effort, not only between ACS and Civil Defense, but amongst themselves. Because, if we have the worst-case scenario, and emergency power goes out and what you have left is radio communication. And people have to turn on their car and turn on their radio to hear about what's going on. It's that kind of activity across the island'and the ability fox them to coordinate with each other, and that feeling that°conversation should be had. And now because you're recommending and you're going to follow through with the Summit, I'm very excited because I keep thinking now there's synergy island- wide, and there's Ham Radio OperatorClubs; there's individual Ham radio operators. But to have them talk to one another and figure out how does that get coordinated. There's a lot when you're in the response mode of an emergency, there's a lot going on, and your Emergency Operating Center, obviously, what the good news is that you have someone that is dedicated to this auxiliary communication, and through them,, how did they get, you know, what the acceptable and approved messaging is'out to the Ham radio operators and how it gets out. So, to me, it was really important to show support. And one of the things I told Director Magno'is, you know, I really believe there's a lot of funding probably available for Civil Defense and response, especially after what happened in Lahaina. Now knowing that'wildfires are a natural disaster also, I think that there could,be funding to„maybe really beef up the Ham radio program, and make sure that you, Civil Defense, and our island has those transmitter antennas in those places to make sure that in those remote areas that people can get on their car radio and,figure out what's going on. Because there's nothing like living in fear and in the Clark not knowing what in the world is going to happen. So, I nfreally grateful for the power point, and always appreciate what Civil Defense does. And I guess my last point is, anytime there's an emergency, I always think it's worth debriefing. And I hope the Ham radio operators are debriefed after every one of our natural disaster emergencies, so, we can always learn how we can do things better. So, thank you. ACTING CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Page 5 GOEAC-43 November 19,2024 MS. EVANS: So, Talmadge, can I offer them? Do you want to add any further comments, Director Talmadge? MR. MAGNO: Sure, I can add a little more to what Scott has said, and it's actually pretty exciting stuff that's going on through Federal help and Human Services. Through State DOH (Department of Health), we're working on a billion-dollar grant to help bolster the Amateur Radio program that we have. So, it'll be working through ACS, Vibrant Hubs, and so forth in conjunction with DOH to get more systems out there. Then to kind of expand on the Summit that we've gat planned, and this is kind of just starting to workup right now. But in conjunction with our Annual Makani Pahili, hurricane preparedness. So, in June,we'll have another week of training with the State. So, we'll incorporate amateur radio, the ACS, and other amateur radio entities that are out there, and you know, have some functional exercise, and we'll come together for that summit on the 12th'. I believe. So, that's early planning that we have right now for what we've been discussing. MS. EVANS: Thank you, Chair, I yield. ACTING CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Okay, Hilo, checking in. MS. KAGIWADA: I'm good,thank you. I think we're both good. ACTING CHR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Beautiful. Thank you very much Director and Mr. Uehara,whoI thought was with IT (Information Technology) for a second. I didn't realize you left the department. Good to hear from both of you. "Thank you for the update. I Leached out to some of the folks I know who revolve around this idea, and there was some that amounted to what we're looking for in the resolution. But more so, there was some concern, so, I'm open to how you're going to be moving forward, whether a postponement or what your thoughts are. But there were some concerns in the community about the group and redundancy and what we're doing already and all the different pieces that correlate. So, looking for directions on that. Butjust appreciate the time and having the discussion with Civil Defense and how it raised some questions that were very pertinent to what we're doing. So, thank you. MS. EVANS: So, Mr. Clerk at this point, it's not a withdrawal. So, it would be a postponement indefinitely? MR. HENRICKS: That's a viable motion, yes. Page 6 GOEAC-43 November 19,2024 Vote on Motion to Ms. Evans moved to postpone Res. 632-24, Draft 2, Postpone: indefinitely. Seconded by Mr. Inaba and carried by the (Approved) following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Evans, Galimba, Inaba, Kagiwada, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder—8. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. ACTING CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank y'Ou. And I think we still have one more item on our agenda. Vote on Motion to Mr. Inaba moved to remove Comm. 1,162 from the Remove from Table: table. Seconded by Ms. Evans and carried by the (Approved) following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Evans, Galimba, Inaba, Kagiwada, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kaneali`i-Kleidfelder—8. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. ACTING CHR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: With that, Comm. 1162.1, and we did have someone from the Administration here, I believe, to speak to that. Thank you for being here today, Mr. Command. Are you here for Sister City? Beautiful. Introduceyourself and then give us the highlights, and we'll go from there. (Note: At this time, Deputy Managing Director Bobby Command came forward to address the members of the Committee.) MR. COMMAND: Thank you, Chair and Members of the County Council. Unfortunately, Jane Clement, who was supposed to do a presentation, had an unexpected emergency, and she won't be able to make it today. ACTING CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, sorry to hear that. Do you have anything for us? MR. COMMAND: No, I don't. I'm sorry, I'm not prepared for this. ACTING CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, fair enough. Thank you for being here. Council Members? Council Member Inaba. Page 7 GOEAC-43 November 19,2024 MR. INABA: I think there were some good old relationships that were rekindled recently. We have ongoing relationships with some cities like Ikaho, and then we also got to stand-up a new Sister City this year. And we want to see, you know, continued progress and connection with these cities. So, I'm wondering if you folks have had a plan to transition this work over to the next Administration and make sure that, you know, these connections remain strong, and we continue to build them up. MR. COMMAND: Absolutely, Council Member Inaba. Jane has been working on a transition plan. That will be turned over with everyone else's transition plan when we leave office. I agree with you. This is a great,program, and Jane has brought it to a different level. And sorry, that she's not going to be able to continue it. But hopefully, the next Administration does have someone who can continue the program. MR. INABA: Okay, good. Do you think she can share what that transition plan is for us, offline,just so that we have an,idea,on something that we budget as well in our own budget? So, we want to make sure that we're absolutely using County funds appropriately, and we can also plan to send some of our Council representatives to go and continue these relationships. MR. COMMAND: Thank you, I will do that. MR. INABA:: Thank you. ACTING CHR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. Anyone else? Okay, we have a motion on the floor toclose file on Communication 1162. All in favor? Any opposed? Vote on Comm. '116 .: The motion to close file on Comm. 1162 was carried by Filed the following voice vote: Ayes: Committee Members Evans, Galimba, Inaba, Kagiwada, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Villegas, and Acting Chair Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder—8. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. MR. COMMAND: Can I just say one more thing? I just want to say thank you very much for the last four years. It's been a pleasure working for all of you. Maybe we'll meet again. But if not, then A Hui Hou. Page 8 GOEAC-43 November 19,2024 ACTING CHR KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Mahalo Bobby, appreciate that. Thank you. I believe we're at the end of our agenda. ADJOURN- Seeing no further business, Acting Chair Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder adjourned the MENT: meeting at 11:10 a.m. Approved: Ms. Cindy Evans, Chair (Date) Committee on Governmental Operations and External Affairs CE/dt Page 9