Laserfiche WebLink
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON <br />GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS <br />DATE: April 1, 2025 Re: Comm. No. 181/Res. No. 105-25 <br />PLACE: Council Chambers <br />Hilo, Hawaii <br />TIME: 9:01 a.m. <br />Council Chair and Members <br />Hawaii County Council <br />Hilo, Hawaii 96720 <br />Your Committee on Governmental Operations and External Affairs, to which was referred <br />Resolution No. 105-25, reports as follows: <br />Resolution No. 105-25, transmitted by Director of Finance Diane Nakagawa via Communication <br />No. 181, dated March 13, 2025, adopts the 2025-2029 County of Hawaii Consolidated Plan and <br />2025 Annual Action Plan for the County of Hawaii Community Development Block Grant <br />(CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), Home Investment Partnerships and Housing Trust <br />Fund Programs and authorizes the Mayor of the County of Hawaii to execute and submit the <br />consolidated plan and annual action plan and all other related documents to the United States <br />Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). <br />Resolution No. 105-25 includes County -wide housing and homeless needs assessments, funding <br />goals and priorities, and must be adopted prior to receipt of annual CDBG and ESG allocations <br />from HUD. <br />Royce Shiroma from the Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) was present in <br />the Hilo Chambers to discuss Resolution No. 105-25. Mr. Shiroma said that these plans are part of <br />the requirements for the County to receive Federal funding from HUD. He said that this is <br />providing HUD with our County's five-year plan of goals and priorities of what we will be doing <br />with Federal funding if we receive it. He highlighted affordable housing, public facilities, housing <br />infrastructure, compliance with federal mandates; homelessness prevention and services; and <br />disaster relief as high priorities. He explained that the project list contains projects they are hoping <br />to fund with the projected 2025 HUD funding. <br />Committee Member Dennis "Fresh" Onishi asked Mr. Shiroma to highlight the purpose of the <br />CDBG project administrative planning allotment of $500,000. Mr. Shiroma said that it is mainly for <br />staff salaries in the Hilo and Kona offices. <br />Committee Member Matt Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder inquired where the information came from for the <br />housing needs assessment portion of the plan. Mr. Shiroma said that comes from their Housing <br />Study, which is a Statewide study, which was funded in 2023 and is to be completed this year. <br />Some of the numbers come from studies completed in 2018 or from the most recent National <br />Census. He had questions around ethnicity and the data regarding absolute housing issues. <br />Committee Member Heather Kimball shared the difference between absolute count versus <br />proportional count. Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder shared that this report echoes his concerns <br />regarding Native Hawaiians facing a disproportioned amount of housing concerns. <br />GOEAC Report No. 33 <br />