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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN CRCOC 2025/10/21 (2024-2026) DRAFTCALL TO ORDER: R(lT T CAT T - Present Absent & Excused STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA CO - CATION Comm. 549: Committee on Communications, Reports, and Council Oversight 13tb Session West Hawaii Civic Center 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Building A Kailua-Kona, Hawai `i October 21, 2025 The regular meeting of the Committee on Council Oversight was called to order at 2 Kailua-Kona, by Ms. Michelle M. Gali Ms. Michelle M. Galimba, Chair Ms. Rebecca Villegas, Vice Chair Mr. James E. Hustace, Member Mr. Holeka Goro Ina , Member Ms. Jenn KagiwadaI mb Mr. Matt Kdneali`i-Kleinfelder, IV Ms. Heather L. Kimball, ember Mr. Dennis "Fresh" Onishi ejA ons, Reports, and .m., i Council Chambers, erence from Hilo) proceed to the next order of business, [a Items. (There were none.) the Committee to proceed to the next order of business, AN UPDATE BY DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH AND [ENT ON THE COLLEGE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE Council Member Dennis "Fresh" Onishi, dated September 30, 2025. Motion to Close File: Mr. Onishi moved to close file on Comm. 549. Seconded by Mr. Hustace. CHR. GALIMBA: Council Member Onishi. CRCOC-13 October 21, 2025 MR. ONISHI: Thank you, Madam Chair. We have today, Deputy Director Dennis Lin, who will be giving us a presentation or an update on our partnership with CTAHR (College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience). (Note: At this time, Research and Development Deputy Director Dennis Lin and Agricultural Economic Development Specialist Glenn Sako came forward to address the memb rs of the Committee.) MR. LIN: Good afternoon, Chair, Vice Chair, a ommittee Members. Dennis Lin, Deputy Director for Research and Devel ent (R&D). I also have our Agricultural Specialist Glenn Sako in Hilo mbes for any questions. So yeah, thank you for your time today. We're g 'ng give y a brief overview of one, the changes of the contract that we di AHR as ll as some updates on the two positions that are funded u ' this program. So their osition is a livestock position, and the seco sition is e Pacific Crops Hawaii Master Gardener Program. (Note: At this time, Mr. Lin ca presentation e members of the presentation, s t VD copy of th Clerk's Office r on ine at h ://hawai of the PowerPoint is made a of the trd and provided a PowerPoint Liee,For viewing of the subject roc on file in the ov. ranicus.com. A copy -ec d, see Comm. 549.) Thank you, m Chair. at. You kept it under 15 minutes. uple questi First is, you folks did redo the contract? Ledid. Okay. Because Yeother one was kind of Pthen did you folks change the contract for fiscal year, or you the calendar year? e did it for, I would have to check, hold on. I have it here. Because then it would make more sense if you folks did it as a year since state and County, we all do it that way. MR. LIN: It is one fiscal year. MR. ONISHI: Okay, good. MR. LIN: Yeah. Page 2 CRCOC-13 MR. ONISHI: Because the prior was calendar year, yeah. MR. LIN: Yeah. MR. ONISHI: livestock, right. Mike DuPonte. October 21, 2025 So with the livestock agent it talks about I guess like working with So four years ago, CTAHR had a full time position, which was MR. LIN: Right. He retired. MR. ONISHI: Yeah, he retired. MR. LIN: Yeah. MR. ONISHI: Now CTAHR MR. LIN: I would have to ask Gle their recruitment. He's better at ex Thank you, Glenn. they do So if I could ask Glenn. MR. SAKO: Glenn Sa mimic Developm7Ceg�eofcialist in Agriculture. So when someone retires fr a depa in the Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, th position g k to the department for them to ^NSHI: fing priorities. So it doesn't mean that because you had a full ition at the ' e when heretired does not mean that it will be artment has staff, has to decide what is their priority staffing. MR. OISo t you're s ng is that CTAHR determines on staffing on e different counties_ n so i like say for Mike's position, the staffing, I guess, ed not to provide tha nding for the Big Island, which is needed for this t MR.Iwo say that's probably what happened. I'm not privy to their internal lamum cations. ONISHL And has R&D or have you reached out to our state legislators to know that this is what's happening? W. LIN: Yes. I've had conversations with Representative (Kirsten) Kahaloa on this exact issue. And so she had been trying to work with the University of Hawai `i system to make sure that they get the funding for agriculture in particular the technical assistance side. MR. ONISHI: Because I know prior this past budget, Kona received another extension agent and the extension agent out here really wanted an assistant, but Page 3 CRCOC-13 October 21, 2025 CTAHR decided to request for or got a position, another extension agent. And so I don't know, or how this politics is working but I'm thinking that within R&D. But, you know, like for us, we got in later part, right? MR. LIN: Yeah. MR. ONISHI: So someone like Mr. Sako, who's been ere for a while should be monitoring all this too, right? MR. LIN: Yeah. I would just say that, you structured, we're actually in a better place you know, the reporting that comes in. e extension agents up to?" We can ac funding it versus the other extensi gents, their information or not. MR. ONISHI: Okay. Okay. And th henneries, right. So now I guess if the residential areas cou o and well now see Mr. Sako and the t it up? how this agreement is use ally have control or, say, " hat are these two er that in ion because we're it depends on i feel like sharing ht you mentionEd about the the public who live in 3 would be going to R&D to MR. LIN: They could d X eit They co contact them directly through the CTAHR extension:e, o� e out to our department, and we can g onnected. yr ONISH ay. So I thi that part of the education part of notifying the p f how y can contact tension agent is going to be vey important. NflINWISHMOkaY . And I have one other one. It's about, I guess Laura (Aca oes theO'and ting farmers on that value, potential markets for pacific crops, ultiva so forth. Glenn; Mr. Sako, do you or Deputy Director Lin, kno she's been participating with Ka`u High School on their agriculture program is been happening. I'm not sure. We can follow up on that if Glenn doesn't know as well. Yeah, I'm not aware of that. I did not see it in the report. MR. ONISHI: Because I would think that would be kind of important for her to be working with the High School, right? Because as a farmer, it's not just farming the goods, right, you need to have all that other basics, right? And so with her expertise, she should be there helping them out, right. So now, are you Page 4 CRCOC-13 October 21, 2025 folks going to be reaching out to her to contact Ka`u High School, or are you folks going to need help? MR. LIN: We can. Yeah, we can definitely talk to her and see if she's already reached out or if not, we can work with getting the contacts there. MR. ONISHI: Also, you can look right behind you, involved in that program too. MR. LIN: Yeah. Okay. MR. ONISHI: You can maybe reach Chair, I'll yield. CHR. GALIMBA: Thank MR. HUSTACE: Thanks, Chair. TTfi supplemental draft and the changes to MR. LIN: Yes. MR. HUSTACE: So is f is on the County because some o finances? Kuri (David) Kurisu is also it Member Hustace. this time, Madam Director. IrTterms of the it's about $5,000 less. act or other responsibility that s a shuffling within R&D and this impact, the change in the contract, is it at all? 't change the extension agents. It'll just be a different MR. HUSTACE:-Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you, Chair. Council Member Onishi. N%IBMISHI: Thank you, Madam Chair. On that again, so if we look at the ny9bers, the original was, okay, salary $48,000 plus; travel $6,000; fringe benefits $31,000, right? So it came out to $85,000, almost $96,000. That's per agent or total? MR. LIN: Total. Page 5 CRCOC-13 October 21, 2025 MR. ONISHI: Okay. So now you said we're not providing the fringe benefits anymore, correct? MR. LIN: Correct. MR. ONISHI: So if you eliminate that and you look at the second one, the proposed terms, you have salary now, which increeary $74,892. Wouldn't it be the same salary as the previous? MR. LIN: No, because the previous contract ai and benefits. So I'm not quite versed in that particular part of the co ct Ot let me see if I can pull it up. And I also do have Deputy Corporation ou el Keyr'Wong to help if I cannot find this section. MR. LIN: At the time 11 another extension agent. on agent or that' o? kk. r it's $48,000, which is for dn't allocate funds for �, so if ve kept the salaries as of June 2024 September 2025, if I add it correctly, it would t you have $74,000 for two. So now we're getting — depends on their —and I'm not sure how the University of stem does their union agreements, so it depends on what their step it what pay scale they're hired at. II�: So what you're saying is if the total per extension agent comes out say $90,000 per, then we're going to have to put up $45,000? MR. LIN: No. We're maxed out at whatever we have budgeted. MR. ONISHI: Okay. So that's it then? MR. LIN: Yeah. Page 6 CRCOC-13 October 21, 2025 MR. ONISHI: Okay. So step movements and all that doesn't matter. MR. LIN: Whatever it is that we have allocated in our budget, that's the maximum that we can provide. MR. ONISHI: Okay. So then what you're talking about step movements and all that? MR. LIN: So whatever they come in at, you knatever it is, we're only paying up to what we have allocated. MR. ONISHI: Right. Okay, which is MR. LIN: Yeah. MR. ONISHI: Okay. Okay. &J1 yi CHR. GALIMBA: Thank you. Seeing er lights. I just want to note that Mr. (Prem Lal) Mah did reach out to th hing industry so that was very nice for him to reach out and offer help for a ything that we might need help with. So, all those in favor o c osing file on Communication 549, please say aye. Vote on Comm. 549: otion to clos 'le on Com 9 was carried by the Filed g voice vote. Ayes: Committee e ers Hustace, Inaba, iwada, dneali `i-Kleinfelder, Kimball, gas and Chair Galimba — 8. N None. Abse Committee Member Kierkiewicz — 1. xcuse e. AD JOU There b no further business, at 2:21 p.m. Chair Galimba adjourned the MENT: meeting. Approved: Ms. Michelle M. Galimba, Chair Communications, Reports, and Council Oversight Committee MG/tk (Date) Page 7