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REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON <br />GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS <br />DATE: December 2, 2025 <br />PLACE: Council Chambers <br />Hilo, Hawaii <br />TIME: 9:00 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 />Communication No. 623, reports as follows: <br />Communication No. 623, transmitted by Mayor C. Kimo Alameda, dated November 12, 2025, <br />requests the Council's review and confirmation of the nomination of Daniel Girvan as Director <br />of Environmental Management (DEM). <br />Managing Director William V. Brilhante Jr. was present in the Hilo Chambers to introduce <br />Mr. Girvan, who was also present in the Hilo Chambers, to the Committee. <br />Committee Member James E. Hustace asked Mr. Girvan to share his vision for the department. <br />Mr. Girvan said that he hopes zero waste is a goal that can keep our County heading in a good <br />direction. Mr. Hustace spoke on the needs across rural communities and specifically wastewater <br />needs in the more rural areas, and asked Mr. Girvan to share some outside -of -the -box solutions <br />for those areas. Mr. Girvan said that he knows there are some impediments he is still learning <br />about, especially in regard to areas concerning private associations and assured the Members <br />that he is committed to doing whatever he can to support all departments of our County. <br />Committee Member Michele M. Galimba asked Mr. Girvan to share his experience of working <br />within Government. Mr. Govan said that in his role as Corporate Manager for Environmental <br />Affairs of the 30 plants tli'at he was involved with in multiple countries, he needed to be the face <br />of the corporation in front of all of the regulatory agencies. In navigating this role, he was able to <br />help those agencies trust that his corporation was following all the regulations and making <br />responsible environmental+decisions. <br />Committee Member Heather L. Kimball asked about staffing. Mr. Girvan mentioned there are <br />296 approved and funded'positions in his department and that they currently have 44 vacancies. <br />He discussed the importance of training and prioritizing investing in the people within the <br />department. Ms. Kimball asked questions about the wastewater plant improvement project. <br />Mr. Girvan mentioned that this project has a large price tag and that it is currently scheduled for <br />five years with two stages and explained further details around who is managing the project and <br />the timeline. <br />GOEAC Report No. 82 <br />