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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN COUNCIL 2026-06-17 2024-2026 Hawaii County Council 43"d Session West Hawaii Civic Center 74-5044 Ane Keohokalole Highway, Building A Kailua-Kona, Hawaii June 17, 2026 INVOCATION: Secretary Elaine Albertson of Unity of Kona gave the morning's invocation. CALL TO The regular meeting of the Hawaii County Council was called to order at ORDER: 9:04 a.m., in the Council Chambers, Kailua-Kona, by Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Chair. ROLL CALL: Present: Mr. Holeka Goro Inaba, Chair Mr. Dennis "Fresh" Onishi, Vice Chair Ms. Michelle M. Galimba, Member Mr. James E. Hustace, Member Ms. Jenn Kagiwada, Member (via videoconference from Hilo) Mr. Matt Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Member (via videoconference from Hilo; came in later) Ms. Ashley L. Kierkiewicz, Member(via videoconference from Hilo) Ms. Heather L. Kimball, Member(via videoconference from Hilo) Absent& Excused: Ms. Rebecca Villegas, Member PLEDGE OF The Chair directed the Council to the next order of business, Pledge of ALLEGIANCE: Allegiance. (At this time, County Clerk Jon Henricks led the Council in the Pledge of Allegiance.) PETITIONS, The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business, Petitions, MEMORIALS, Memorials, Certificates of Merit, and Expressions of Condolence. CERTIFICATES OF MERIT, AND (There were none.) EXPRESSIONS OF CONDOLENCE: STATEMENTS The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business, FROM THE Statements from the Public on Agenda Items. PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS: The following individuals registered to speak and came forward when called by the Chair: Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 Lance Niimi: Res. 567-26 (Comm. 886), in opposition. Amadeo Markoff: Bill 157, Draft 2 (Comm. 888.4); and Bill 165 (Comm. 915), in support. Eileen O'Hara: Bill 157, Draft 2 (Comm. 888.4); and Bill 165 (Comm. 915), in support. Toni Withington: Bill 165 (Comm. 915), in support. Franklin Pacarro: Res. 567-26 (Comm. 886), in opposition. Karl Henry: Res. 567-26 (Comm. 886), in opposition. Deborah Ward: Bill 165 (Comm. 915), comment. APPROVAL The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business, Approval OF MINUTES: of Minutes. Chair Inaba announced that the Minutes of April 8, 2026, were approved. REPORTS: The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business, Reports. GOEAC-135 NOMINATION OF TRISTIE LICOAN TO THE LIQUOR COMMISSION (Comm. 910): Requires Council Confirmation by: June 27, 2026 (Section 13-4(k), Hawai`i County Charter) Vote on Mr. Hustace moved to adopt Governmental Operations and GOEAC-135: External Affairs Committee Report No. 135. Seconded by (Adopted) Mr. Onishi and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas— 1. Excused: None. GOEAC-136 NOMINATION OF ANNA LIU TO THE BOARD OF APPEALS (Comm. 911): Requires Council Confirmation by: June 27, 2026 (Section 13-4(k), Hawai`i County Charter) Page 2 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 Vote on Mr. Hustace moved to adopt Governmental Operations and GOEAC-136: External Affairs Committee Report No. 136. Seconded by (Adopted) Mr. Onishi and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas— 1. Excused: None. Change Order As directed by the Chair and with no objection from the Council Members, the of Business: following items were taken out of order: STATEMENTS The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business, FROM THE Statements from the Public. PUBLIC ON RES. 567-26 The following individuals registered to speak in opposition to Res. 567-26 and (COMM. 886): came forward when called by the Chair: Erland Lum (representing Lum Family Enterprises LLC) Robert Nash (representing Lum Family Enterprises LLC) Allan Silva(representing Lum Family Enterprises LLC) Wayland Lum (representing Lum Family Enterprises LLC) Res. 567-26: AUTHORIZES THE ACQUISITION OF PRIVATE PROPERTY BY EMINENT DOMAIN, BEING CERTAIN PORTIONS OF TAX MAP KEY: 1-5-009:012 AND 058, SITUATED AT KEONEPOKO IKI, PUNA, FOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND IMPROVEMENT OF GOVERNMENT BEACH ROAD, A PUBLIC ROADWAY Authorizes the Corporation Counsel to initiate proceedings for the taking, acquisition, and condemnation of private property for the improvement and widening of Government Beach Road. Reference: Comm. 886 Intr. by: Council Member Kimball (B/R) First Reading: June 3, 2026 Note: Second of two required readings, Section 101-13, Hawai`i Revised Statutes Motion to Approve: Ms. Kimball moved to adopt Res. 567-26 on second and final reading. Seconded by Ms. Galimba. Page 3 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 CHR. INABA: I'm going to head over to Council Member Kierkiewicz, being that this is her district. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair Inaba. I, first,just want to mahalo nui the Lum `ohana. Lance Niimi, thank you for reaching out. The Lum `ohana, as you have heard, has a significant history here on Hawaii Island in Puna. As paniolo, as ranchers, as farmers, they are actively contributing to our agricultural ecosystem, nourishing communities and families. And I just want to mahalo nui you for all of those efforts. I also want to apologize on behalf of the County for how all of this has been handled. I was able to speak with Mr. Wayland Lum yesterday for about half an hour. I was very distressed to learn that there was no communication from the County to alert the `ohana that this was going to be agendized on the Council. Their lawyer had to read about it in the paper. So I apologize for the handling of this situation, and I hope that this is another opportunity for our County, Public Works, to learn how to do things better. I don't want to be airing any dirty laundry or get into a he-said-she-said situation. I was able to confirm yesterday with both Mr. Lum and Public Works the ability to come back to the table and to revisit a solution that was tentatively agreed upon in late 2024. And so, Chair, at this time, I would like to make a motion to postpone this particular matter to the August 5a' agenda in order to give Public Works and the Lum `ohana an opportunity to revisit that solution and work things out, and come back to the Council with this particular item resolved. Motion to Postpone: Ms. Kierkiewicz moved to postpone Res. 567-26 to August 5, 2026. Seconded by Mr. Hustace. CHR. INABA: Is there any discussion on the postponement? Vice Chair Onishi. MR. ONISHI: Thank you, Chair. Maybe we can have Mr. Azevedo, Deputy Director—Mr. Lum, you can stay there too. Can you come up? (Note: At this time, Public Works Deputy Director Neil Azevedo came forward to address the members of the Council.) MR. ONISHI: You're representing the department, correct? MR. AZEVEDO: Yes. MR. ONISHI: Okay. You can take a seat too. So I just want to make sure that this discussion was done, and you folks are willing to have this delay so you folks can maybe work out something. Go ahead, Mr. Lum. Page 4 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 (Note: At this time, Wayland Lum,property owner, came forward to address the members of the Council.) MR. LUM: Can I say something? MR. ONISHI: Yeah, sure. MR. LUM: This is the most important part. (Inaudible) time. MR. ONISHI: Go ahead. MR. LUM: I wanted to thank especially Mr. Neil Azevedo, Steve Pas, and Keone Thompson because we had been working on this for a long time. And I must say that, in fact, Neil suggested a certain plan for us, and we had agreed at that time that it sounded good, and we were working out the final segments of it. Unfortunately, I shouldn't say unfortunately, but at the time, the Mayor's race was going on and we kind of switched gears here, it appears. And I don't know how, but Mr. Sinclair got involved on the legal side, and what we had agreed on verbally and were working on got thrown out the window. And then everything started becoming with Mr. Sinclair, the Corporation Counsel, to be a legal matter per se and not something we can work out with each other. So then, it was a matter of turning around and hiring attorneys, appraisers, so forth. It turned into a whole different landscape. It wasn't this nice—we tried to work out a win-win situation. So therefore, we lost that connection and it turned into a different matter. And then, it became very difficult to come to an agreement because it was totally Mr. Sinclair running it, and I hardly spoke with Neil anymore, whom I used to speak with a lot. We met a lot. So that's where we are. So when I expressed this to Ashley, our Council representative, I said we're almost there. We could have had it done so that we get our land protected, and they get their roadway done. The only part—and I said to Neil many times, "We need a little help here. Whenever you widen the road there, it becomes"—and Ashley knows "it becomes an environment and a situation for illegal activity during the night. You folks aren't there at night when we're there. It's not pretty. So we need to get a little bit of help." And they said, "Okay, let's put lights on there or something." We were talking about it. At least there was movement to a solution, instead of getting into some kind of legal action. I appreciate Neil, Keone, and Steve. We were really working together. And then now, it fell apart. And then, of course, it became worse because we got more theft, more livestock loss, so forth. And I'm so—the hardest thing for us is when you are born there and there's no one there and the whole place is really pono, it's not like that anymore. It's very sad. I'm sure my grandparents and parents would not be happy. In fact, I'm not doing a good job. Page 5 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 MR. ONISHI: Neil? Deputy Director, any comments? Do you think that with this delay, it would help with trying to come to a resolution? MR. AZEVEDO: Neil Azevedo, Deputy Director of Public Works. We're willing to work with Mr. Lum and resolve this issue right away. The whole thing is we're looking at safety for all. And one thing we'll do is we'll make sure Mr. Lum is happy with what we do there too. Make sure of every part and driving on that road is going to be safe for everyone. MR. ONISHI: Okay, thank you. So the one month and a half should be possibly enough time for you folks to kind of work things out? MR. AZEVEDO: Yes, it should be good. Thank you. MR. ONISHI: Okay, great. Thank you very much. MR. LUM: Thank you. MR. ONISHI: I'll support the postponement. CHR. INABA: Any other discussion on postponement? Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you, Chair. Mr. Lum, thank you for coming in today and providing a very honest summary of where we stand today, just for our ability to decision-make appropriately for your `ohana. It was distressing to listen to your testimony and the background, and then to understand your stress level of what is happening and where you stand and what's happening to your `ohana and your family land. Mr. Azevedo, thank you for being in Kona as well and sitting next to Mr. Lum, and giving him basically a steady ground to stand on in understanding that the County is willing to work with him. And we can step back, potentially, from this eminent domain proceeding. So thank you to both of you. Mr. Lum, you mentioned some names in the beginning of your testimony. And as soon as you mentioned Mr. Rodenhurst and Mr. Roth, that really highlighted the concern for me, given the history that we've had with some of those folks in our County. So I'll be supporting the postponement. Mr. Lum, if you need anything, please reach out to myself or any member on the Council. It sounds like Council Member Kierkiewicz is taking good care of you. And, Mr. Azevedo, I thank you for working so closely to make sure that Mr. Lum has a positive outcome as we look into finishing Government Beach Road, but in a way that doesn't negatively affect the property owner in this case. Thank you for both of your time, and for the family for coming today to testify. Mahalo. Page 6 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 MR. LUM: Thank you very much to the Council, especially Ashley who reached out also. Much appreciated. Thank you. CHR. INABA: Any other discussion? Yes, Council Member Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. I'll keep this really brief. I just want to mahalo Deputy Director Azevedo for his incredible responsiveness this week to think about a solution in partnership with the Lum `ohana. I just want to stress that I would like to continue to be involved serving as sort of like an accountability coach, to make sure that we meet the August 5t' deadline. So, Deputy Director,please reach out to my office so that I can be included in the meetings that you have scheduled with Mr. Lum. I'm hoping for a successful solution for both sides. And I think what the situation has highlighted is the importance of getting things done. And just because a solution originated in a prior Administration doesn't mean that we shouldn't honor it in the new Administration. So a promise is a promise on behalf of the County, and I'm committed to working with you, Mr. Lum, and your `ohana to make sure that this is resolved in a timely manner and in a way that just honors your contribution to our community. Thank you, Chair. I appreciate it. CHR. INABA: Thank you, Council Member Kierkiewicz, and MR. LUM: Thank you very much. CHR. INABA: Mahalo for volunteering yourself to be a part of those meetings. So,just for the record and so that you're clear, this resolution will be—we're going to be voting on a postponement till August 5t'. And when it comes back on August 5t', we'll be exactly here at this same place, second and final reading. So I'm going to ask MS. KAGIWADA: Chair? CHR. INABA: Council Member Kagiwada. MS. KAGIWADA: Thank you. Sorry, I just wanted to quickly add in that I really do appreciate all the County coming together to try to come to a solution, and apologize to Mr. Lum for what seems like a very stressful situation. And just to note that you have some very good friends in the community who were able to step up for you. And Mr. Niimi was the one who came and spoke to me directly, on your behalf. I know you know this, but yes, you have a very supportive community all around you. Thank you, I yield. MR. LUM: Thank you for saying that because Mr. Niimi has been very good. Likewise, Mr. Onishi, thank you. Page 7 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 CHR. INABA: Is there anyone else in Hilo? All right. So, as I was saying, please work together closely over this next month and a half, because we have a date-certain to come back where we will be here to either withdraw or take final action on this resolution. I'm going to ask the Office of the Corporation Counsel if we can have a supervisor there perhaps as well to ensure that we have everything clear. And I think there was some different information coming from different parties involved with this resolution. I'm going to ask you both if we do come back and need to take action on this resolution, to have things documented clearly so the Council can make a well-informed decision on the 5a'. With that, there is a motion to postpone Resolution 567-26 to the August 5a' Council meeting. All those in favor, please say "aye." Vote on Motion to The motion to postpone Res. 567-26 to August 5, 2026, Postpone: was carried by the following voice vote: (Approved) Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas — 1. Excused: None. STATEMENTS The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business, FROM THE Statements from the Public. PUBLIC ON RES. 588-26 Christopher Sloman registered to comment on Res. 588-26 and came forward (COMM. 930): when called by the Chair. Res. 588-26: ACCEPTS A DONATION OF SPECIALIZED MEDICAL EXAMINATION SERVICES FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN HONOR OF THE LATE FIRE CHIEF KAZUO TODD The donation from 1582 Medical Group of approximately 150 National Fire Protection Association Standard 1582-compliant medical examinations has an estimated value of$131,250. Reference: Comm. 930 Intr. by: Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder (B/R) Waived: FC Motion to Approve: Mr. Hustace moved to adopt Res. 588-26. Seconded by Ms. Galimba. (Note: At this time, Fire Safety Specialist Christopher Sloman came forward to address the members of the Council.) Page 8 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 CHR. INABA: Anything further to add right now before I open it up to the Council? MR. SLOMAN: No, sir. CHR. INABA: Thank you. Members of the Council, any discussion? Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I attended the Friends of First Responders' event, which really focused in on just supporting our first responders with Police and Fire. Ms. Renee Godoy actually brought this to my attention, as well as having family in the Police Department and understanding the stress that our officers both in Fire and in Police go through. This kind of prescreening, and beautifully kind of enacted by Chief Todd, it is incredibly important. And Ms. Godoy stressed the same thing. And I've heard the same from our officers and just County staff in these types of positions so frequently, that this—this is a blessing, honestly. Thank you for bringing this forward. And to see this kind of a donation to address our first responders is beautiful. So thank you for providing this. I forget the statistics but one of my good friends, Mr. Amon-Wilkins in our Police Department, was explaining the life expectancy of a first responder was about 10-15 years shorter than your average individual, mostly due to the amount of stress. And sadly enough, he was saying it really happens post-retirement. You work your whole life. You protect the community. You're saving lives. And then you retire and then it's like the stress catches up on you. So to do this prescreening really is a blessing to our departments, both Police and Fire. So I truly do mahalo you for this, for bringing this resolution forward, and for providing this prescreening to our first responders. Thank you. CHR. INABA: Any other member in Hilo? MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Chair, I do want to note that Chief Volpe is here in chambers and do want to provide him an opportunity to share anything else that might not have already been stated. CHR. INABA: Chief, go ahead. (Note: At this time, Deputy Fire Chief Daniel Volpe came forward to address the members of the Council.) MR. VOLPE: Good morning. Daniel Volpe, temporary Fire Chief. Thank you. First,just to acknowledge the work of our Fire Safety Specialist in the Kona chambers, Mr. Christopher Sloman, one of our civilian fire employees, was a firefighter in the past, was a paramedic in the past. Currently, he brings his level of expertise with OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration), Page 9 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health), and NFPA (National Fire Protection Association). The statutory compliance to our department and his experience really brings our department forward. So this is a lot of hard work on his behalf to get this going. So definitely recognize not just the uniformed staff but our civilian staff, our other members that really make up our department. Number two, this is something that—this is an area where the Fire Department on the Big Island has been lacking the ability to provide the level of prescreening, cancer screening, physical, auditory. The level of medical wellness that this brings to our personnel is something that we've been trying to do for decades. Unfortunately, there's costs. With everything, there's a cost. And so, trying to build this cost into our budget, trying to build this cost into kind of how we do this—and what this will do is we'll open up hopefully the potential to increase this, see the value of this, and hopefully again start the conversations to sort of bring these physicals as part of our normal process. This is a very generous donation. This was based on a relationship. This speaks to the point about one of the sometimes under-identified strengths of Chief Todd was relationships, was him meeting people, selling the department, representing the department, always thinking on behalf of the Fire Department everywhere he went, including this meeting. (Inaudible)this individual who can now, here we are six months later, provide $130,000 worth of necessary physicals to our staff. That wouldn't have happened without a relationship, the conversation. In closing, I'm just very grateful to Council to be able to allow us to accept these funds. I think it sets us on the right path. It protects our personnel. It sets our department up for the future. Thank you. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. I won't be on the Council next year to advocate for more resources for something like this. But if an amendment comes forward, I'm happy to testify as a private citizen. Seeing that these screenings are going to be happening in July and August, prioritizing members of the department that are senior firefighters over the age of 40, this grant would be able to support at least 150 screenings, which is wonderful. I'm hoping that we're able to screen everyone at some point, make that a departmental practice. As you know, my partner is a firefighter. Health is wealth. We want to make sure that we are caring for these individuals that put their life on the line every single day to protect our community. In full support. Thank you, Chair. CHR. INABA: Thank you, Council Member. Coming back to Kona, Council Member Hustace. MR. HUSTACE: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Mr. Sloman. Appreciate the background on this resolution. And thank you, Chief Volpe, for joining us as well today in Hilo. Just a question, Mr. Sloman. And, Chief, maybe you can answer Page 10 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 this as well. In terms of looking at other municipalities and other departments, fire departments, is this something that's a direction that they're moving towards in including this additional screening? MR. SLOMAN: Yes, sir. So, this particular company specializes in going out and providing the full service for our department. So they basically come in. Like in the Mainland, they have offices and operations in Nevada and in Arizona. They come in with an RV (recreational vehicle) and with their personnel. They literally go from fire station to fire station to do the exam for all their personnel to kind of make it easy on the department. Here, they do it a little bit differently. Like I said, they adapt it. In Maui, they come in for like a two-week period. All the firemen come in on a schedule and go through the exam. Honolulu does it a little different because they have their own city physician. I believe it's the employee health services that does the majority of the exam, and then these guys come in and do the parts that are lacking. And so, we will be working with them to evaluate our process, and then try and come up with how do we come out where we can bring our system that we currently have up to the same standard. We currently use two physicians on each side of the island, and we meet the 2018 version of the standard. But we'd like to come up to the 2025 version, which is what includes all these additional screenings. MR. HUSTACE: Absolutely. That makes complete sense. So we've never added these additional layers of screening for our officers, then? Our positions? MR. SLOMAN: Not yet. Yeah, it's been a goal of ours, but it's something that— it's a little more complicated, because we're dealing with two separate physicians' offices that have different capabilities, and it would involve some different specialties. And so, similar to the other counties, it might be a logical solution to look at a company like 1582 that comes out and does kind of a gap, for lack of a better way of putting it. MR. HUSTACE: Thank you. I appreciate your support and effort on this. Thank you, Chair. CHR. INABA: Thank you, Council Member Hustace. Yes, on behalf of the Council, we extend our mahalo to 1582 Medical Group and their CEO (Chief Executive Officer) for this donation to our firefighters. So with that, all those in favor of approving Resolution 588-26, please say "aye." Page 11 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 Vote on Res. 588-26: The motion to adopt Res. 588-26 was carried by the (Adopted) following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas— 1. Excused: None. Return to Order The Chair directed the Council to return to the order of business. of Business: ORDER OF The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business, Order of RESOLUTIONS: Resolutions. (Note: Items in this category were taken up previously, out of order.) Res. 575-26: AUTHORIZES THE ACCEPTANCE OF ALL DONATIONS OF SECURITIES OR PERSONAL PROPERTY NOT COVERED UNDER THE CAPITALIZATION PROCEDURES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE THAT ARE RECEIVED DURING THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2027 Provides County Council pre-authorization for the County to accept donations that are not covered by the Finance Department's capitalization procedures for Fiscal Year 2026-2027. Reference: Comm. 908 Intr. by: Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder (B/R) Approve: FC-156 Vote on Res. 575-26: Mr. Hustace moved to adopt Res. 575-26 and Finance (Adopted) Committee Report No. 156. Seconded by Ms. Galimba and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas — 1. Excused: None. Page 12 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 Res. 576-26: AUTHORIZES THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE OF HAWAI`I, DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM, TO RECEIVE A GRANT FOR THE KONA LOW BUSINESS RECOVERY PROGRAM Allows for the receipt of$500,000 to be provided to eligible Hawaii Island small businesses that sustained material economic or physical damage from the recent Kona Low storm. Reference: Comm. 912 Intr. by: Council Member Kagiwada(B/R) Approve: GOEAC-137 (Note: Comm. 912.1, from Council Member Jenn Kagiwada dated June 5, 2026, transmitting an updated Memorandum of Agreement and Grant Program Guidelines relating to Res. 576-26, was circulated.) Motion to Approve: Ms. Kagiwada moved to adopt Res. 576-26 and Governmental Operations and External Affairs Committee Report No. 137. Seconded by Ms. Galimba. CHR. INABA: Council Member Kagiwada. MS. KAGIWADA: Thank you. After the discussion last time in Committee, I believe R&D (Research and Development) was able to make a few suggested changes to their MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) and the guidelines. We have Deputy Director Lin here if you have any questions. There is a submission of Communication 912.1, and it's just for information purposes. Director Lin is here to explain a little more. Go ahead and introduce yourself, please. (Note: At this time, Research and Development Deputy Director Dennis Lin came forward to address the members of the Council.) MR. LIN: Good morning. Dennis Lin, Deputy Director for R&D. Yes, so there was only two changes, and one change was already mentioned at the previous Committee meeting, which was the change in the date that DBEDT (Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism) would allow for the County to have folks apply. So that date is now August 31st, 2026. So that gives about two months for everybody to apply. The other change is that they made clear that all the counties would have to comply with that this grant is for non-agricultural businesses, and not for agricultural business. So it had to be specific in that way. So that was added to our guidelines going forward, to be in line with all the other counties. So those are the two changes that were reflected in that communication and in the documents provided. Page 13 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 MS. KAGIWADA: Thank you, Deputy Director. So no changes to the actual resolution itself, but just this additional information to make it clear for everybody. MR. LIN: Correct. MS. KAGIWADA: Thank you. I yield. CHR. INABA: Thank you. Any further discussion? Council Member Kaneali`i- Kleinfelder. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. I read this resolution. I was actually surprised, because usually what we had before were loans. The same thing during COVID (coronavirus disease), they came here with massive amounts of funds for loans. But do you know what loans mean? It means you get an interest rate and you get a payback period MR. LIN: Correct. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And it can kill a small business, because they take out a loan to build themselves back up. But if the economy doesn't play out or the idea doesn't play out the way they thought it would, the loan's going to get you. So these grants are beautiful. So thank you. Why not agriculture? That is a really weird switch, because a lot of the impacts was on our agricultural community in South Kona, in Puna, in Ka`u, I mean wherever. What's the deal with non-agricultural businesses, or agricultural businesses not being allowed to participate in the grants? MR. LIN: I think that would have to be brought up with DBEDT and the State on how they release the funding from the major disaster fund, and what they would allow for that. Some of the conversations did mention that the agricultural community already has different pots of funding for those kinds of purposes. So they did not want to duplicate those types of fundings, whereas the small business community has other types of funding as well. That was the main item that was brought back to us two weeks ago when we heard this at Committee. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, DBEDT. Well, interesting decision- making. Where do people apply for this? MR. LIN: It would be through our regular impact grant website. So we would utilize our(inaudible) fund program, and that's already been set up. We're just trying to work out some technical things, but we plan to have this opened up by the 26a'. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Of this month? Page 14 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 MR. LIN: This month. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Beautiful. Good job. MR. LIN: And we do have an informational webinar that we plan to do on July 9a'. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Any interesting regulations that small businesses should be aware of when they're applying? MR. LIN: Like mentioned before at Committee, it's application completion. So, as long as you provide the documentation that we have here in our guidelines, it'll be on a first-come-first-serve basis upon completion. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Good job. That's awesome. That's a huge opportunity for our businesses that got affected by the Kona Lows. It was brutal. Thank you. I yield, Chair. Thank you. CHR. INABA: Thank you. Council Member Galimba. MS. GALIMBA: Thanks. Just in case folks are listening to us who are in agriculture and don't know about Farm Service Agency, yes, if you do have damage to your farm, physical damage,please do get in touch with the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Farm Service Agency. They do have a program directly related to the Kona Low. There might be some businesses that are sort of like value-added and don't have direct maybe agricultural lands. Maybe that might be somewhere where there might be a little bit of a gap, but perhaps R&D can address, you know, being flexible around that. But if it is actual farmland, Farm Service Agency does try to do a good job of taking care of farmers there. CHR. INABA: Council Member Hustace. MR. HUSTACE: Thank you, Chair. Deputy Director, so DBEDT changed and added that program eligibility just in the last two weeks, then? MR. LIN: Yeah, they did not emphasize that with us until I had reached back out to say that we're about ready to sign the MOA. And they had reaffirmed that non-agricultural businesses would be the eligibility category. MR. HUSTACE: But they had the MOA with them previously, though, right? MR. LIN: Correct. Page 15 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 MR. HUSTACE: And they know that they—after today, they can't change it. Correct? MR. LIN: Correct. MR. HUSTACE: Okay. Because, it seems that we've been changing the dates, changing pieces in here throughout this process. Okay. I just want to make that clear. Thank you. MR. LIN: Thank you. CHR. INABA: Any further discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor of approving Resolution 576-26, please say "aye." Vote on Res. 576-26: The motion to adopt Res. 576-26 and Governmental (Adopted) Operations and External Affairs Committee Report No. 137 was carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas — 1. Excused: None. Res. 577-26: AMENDS THE RULES OF PROCEDURE AND ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAI`I BY ADDING A RULE RELATING TO NATIVE HAWAIIAN LAW TRAINING Requires Council Members to complete the Office of Hawaiian Affair's Native Hawaiian Law legal training. Reference: Comm. 913 Intr. by: Council Member Kagiwada Approve: GOEAC-138 and Comm. 913.1: From Council Member Jenn Kagiwada, dated June 4, 2026, transmitting proposed amendments to Res. 577-26. Motion to Approve: Ms. Kagiwada moved to adopt Res. 577-26 and Governmental Operations and External Affairs Committee Report No. 138. Seconded by Mr. Hustace. CHR. INABA: Council Member Kagiwada. Page 16 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 MS. KAGIWADA: Thank you so much, and thanks for everybody's support during our Committee discussion on this. I have a few amendments, based on that discussion, here to propose in the form of Communication 913.1. Motion to Amend: Ms. Kagiwada moved to amend Res. 577-26 with the contents of Comm. 913.1. Seconded by Mr. Hustace. CHR. INABA: Council Member Kagiwada. MS. KAGIWADA: Thank you. Yes, so the three changes that I made in this amendment based on our discussion was, one,putting a time frame. So within the first 24 months of taking office. That's your first term, basically. The second is that if you've already taken this training for whatever reason, you can be exempt from this rule. And the last one is just that the Council Chairperson will maintain a record of members who have completed this training. There was one other suggestion, I believe, from Council Member Kimball. But when we spoke with LRB (Legislative Research Branch), they said that this was what they thought we should do at this time. So, happy to take any questions on this amendment. CHR. INABA: Discussion on the amendment? All right. I guess my only question, Council Member Kagiwada, is the same as the last time,just enforcement and the chairperson can keep record. But have we thought about any actual enforcement mechanism to ensure folks MS. KAGIWADA: When I looked at our rules, we generally don't seem to have very many—in our rules that we're expected to follow, not many of them have enforcement measures behind them. So I guess I'm not really sure what kind of things we might do, given that there doesn't seem to be a lot of precedent there. CHR. INABA: Okay. Alrighty. Chair's staff, upon passage of this resolution, please initiate finding out who has completed this training. And if not, we'll send them out to get into the next training. All those in favor of amending Resolution 577-26 with the contents of Communication 913.1, please say "aye." Vote on Motion to The motion to amend Res. 577-26 with the contents of Amend: Comm. 913.1 was carried by the following voice vote: (Approved) Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba—7. Noes: None. Absent: Council Members Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder and Villegas—2. Excused: None. Page 17 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 Vote on Motion to Ms. Galimba moved to suspend Council Rule 23 to waive Suspend Council the holdover for the substantive amendment of Rules: Res. 577-26. Seconded by Ms. Kagiwada and failed by the Failed following roll call vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Kagiwada, Kierkiewicz, and Chair Inaba—4. Noes: Council Members Hustace, Kimball, and Onishi —3. Absent: Council Members Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder and Villegas—2. Excused: None. CHR. INABA: This resolution will be agendized again on our July 8a' Council meeting per our rules. Thank you. Res. 587-26: APPROVES THE PROPOSED OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE HAWAI`I STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2027 Reference: Comm. 929 Intr. by: Council Member Kimball Waived: GOEAC Motion to Approve: Ms. Kimball moved to adopt Res. 587-26. Seconded by Mr. Hustace. CHR. INABA: Council Member Kimball. MS. KIMBALL: Just presenting for your consideration the budget for the next fiscal year for the Hawaii State Association of Counties. This is part of our protocol per our bylaws to have this approved by each county. I will make particular note that this year's proposed budget is the first time that HSAC (Hawai`i State Association of Counties) has a positive budget without a deficit. We're not required to have a balanced budget, and we've always had a bit of a deficit. But this year, we are expected to eventually be in the black. So it's exciting. Thank you. CHR. INABA: Thank you. Any discussion? Hearing or seeing none, all those in favor of approving Resolution 587-26, please say "aye." Page 18 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 Vote on Res. 587-26: The motion to adopt Res. 587-26 was carried by the (Adopted) following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas— 1. Excused: None. Res. 589-26: AWARDS THE COUNTY OF HAWAI`I WAIWAI NONPROFIT GRANTS-IN- AID FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2027 Awards grant funds in the amount of$2,515,000 to 62 programs operated by eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. Reference: Comm. 931 Intr. by: Council Member Kimball Waived: LAAC Motion to Approve: Ms. Kimball moved to adopt Res. 589-26. Seconded by Ms. Galimba. CHR. INABA: Council Member Kimball. MS. KIMBALL: I just want to once again mahalo the members of the ad hoc that were instrumental in scoring and reviewing all of these applications. I also want to give a particular mahalo to Jessica Valdez and for all her support of the ad hoc throughout the process, and the Administration and Finance Director Nakagawa. You can see we're a little bit over our $2.5 million, and they agreed to add that extra $15,000 to the budget for the Waiwai grant so we could afford one more eligible organization. I do want to also note the reports were provided to you earlier from the ad hoc. But I think of particular note this year is, one, the geographic equity of these expenditures and grants across the County, as well as the distribution across the different/changed framework categories. I will say that that didn't actually—that wasn't actually intentional. It just kind of fell out that way. But I think it's a nice representation that we've got coverage of these grants across the whole County, as well as across these different service areas that have been identified as critically important for this program. Happy to take any questions about the grants that are being offered. Thank you. CHR. INABA: All those in favor of approving Resolution—Council Member Kierkiewicz, go ahead. Page 19 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. I just want to make a disclosure that one of the nonprofits that is receiving a Waiwai grant, I lead Na Leo `o Hawai`i (Inc.). So I just want to make that disclosure on public record and seek your guidance on whether or not I should be recusing myself from this vote. I did not score that particular application. Just looking for some guidance. Thank you. MS. KIMBALL: Chair, if I may? I think that I don't know if Corporation Counsel can weigh in. But generally speaking with respect to recusals, if the grant money is going to an entity where Council Member Kierkiewicz has decision-making authority over the finances, it may be in her best interest to recuse herself from decision-making. CHR. INABA: Thank you, Council Member Kimball. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: I will be recusing myself from this vote. Thank you. CHR. INABA: All right. Thank you, Council Member Kierkiewicz; making her exit. Mahalo. I don't oversee directly a nonprofit that is in this list, but I do get paid by a nonprofit. I can recuse myself as well if that would be the advice of the Corporation Counsel. And I was on the ad hoc committee but did not score or discuss the application. (Note: At this time, Corporation Counsel Renee Schoen came forward to address the members of the Council.) MS. SCHOEN: Good morning. Renee Schoen, Corporation Counsel. I would say that out of an abundance of caution, that I would suggest that you recuse yourself. CHR. INABA: Thank you. It's 10:27. I'm going to be leaving the room per our rules, Vice Chair Onishi. Relinquish Chair: At this time, Chair Inaba relinquished the chair to Acting Chair Onishi. ACTING CHR. ONISHI: On the motion of approving Resolution 589, any more discussion? Hearing or seeing none, all those in favor of approving Resolution 589-26, please say "aye." Page 20 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 Vote on Res. 589-26: The motion to adopt Res. 589-26 was carried by the (Adopted) following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kimball, and Acting Chair Onishi—6. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas— 1. Excused: Council Members Inaba and Kierkiewicz—2. Relinquish Chair: At this time, Acting Chair Onishi relinquished the chair to Chair Inaba. Res. 590-26: TRANSFERS/APPROPRIATES AN APPROPRIATION OUT AND FROM A DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT AND CREDITS SAME TO A DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT TO ASSIST THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION WITH EXPENSES RELATING TO THE 4TH OF JULY HILO BAY BLAST EVENT Transfers $3,028 from the Clerk-Council Services—Contingency Relief account (Council District 5); and credits to the Department of Parks and Recreation, Culture and Education Other Current Expenses account. Reference: Comm. 933 Intr. by: Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder Motion to Approve: Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder moved to adopt Res. 590-26. Seconded by Mr. Hustace. CHR. INABA: Go ahead. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I'd like to thank Mr. Hustace for letting me make my motion on this one. And I'd also just like to mahalonah, I'm just kidding. I was texting him. I also want to thank the Department of Parks and Rec (Recreation). This is one of my favorite events—a' of July Hilo Bay Blast. I love it. I know Mr. Inaba and I kind of go back and forth. I try and increase the budget for the department for this every year for both West and East Hawaii, but he doesn't like it. That's fine. So I'm going to do it in my own way this year. I'm going to give them $3,000 to increase our fireworks display and what we can provide to the community for the 4a' of July. So I look for everyone's support. And then just again, mahalo to the Parks and Rec division for providing this for the community for the Administration, and providing this amazing event to the community. It's one of the few times everybody comes together. I don't know how many people10,000, 20,000, 30,000 people—come together to watch the 4a' of July festivities in Hilo Bay. That's a beautiful event as long as the weather is nice. I just love it. Thank you for your support. Mahalo, Chair. Page 21 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 CHR. INABA: Thank you. Any further discussion? MS. KIMBALL: Chair, I have one quick question, if I may. CHR. INABA: Go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: Just wanted to ask Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder. I was asked by a constituent if anything special is planned since this is the 250a' anniversary of Independence Day. Would you know if there is anything special planned? I haven't had a chance to reach out to P&R(Parks and Recreation) on that. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I don't. Maybe the Administration would be good to reach out to for special amazingness for the 250a'. MS. KIMBALL: That's all I have, Chair. Thank you. CHR. INABA: Thank you. Thanks for your generosity, Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder. I think the Kailua event needs help, too, if you have more funds. With that, all those in favor of approving Resolution 590-26, please say Ic aye. Vote on Res. 590-26: The motion to adopt Res. 590-26 was carried by the (Adopted) following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas — 1. Excused: None. Res. 591-26: TRANSFERS/APPROPRIATES AN APPROPRIATION OUT AND FROM A DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT AND CREDITS SAME TO A DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION TO PURCHASE VOLLEYBALL EQUIPMENT Transfers $7,525 from the Clerk-Council Services—Contingency Relief account (Council District 9); and credits to the Department of Parks and Recreation, Recreation Division Equipment account. Reference: Comm. 934 Intr. by: Council Member Hustace Motion to Approve: Mr. Hustace moved to adopt Res. 591-26. Seconded by Mr. Onishi. Page 22 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 MR. HUSTACE: Thank you, Chair. Just providing some support for Parks and Rec to replace some volleyball equipment in the district. Thanks for the consideration. CHR. INABA: Thank you. All those in favor of approving Resolution 591-26, please say "aye." Vote on Res. 591-26: The motion to adopt Res. 591-26 was carried by the (Adopted) following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas— 1. Excused: None. Change Order As directed by the Chair and with no objection from the Council Members, the of Business: following items were taken out of order: Bill 162: AMENDS CHAPTER 3 OF THE HAWAI`I COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING TO PAID PARKING FACILITIES Adds a new article to establish signage requirements for paid parking facilities, to include a schedule of rates, notice of any additional fees, hours of operation, and information on towing procedures. Reference: Comm. 907 Intr. by: Council Member Villegas Approve: PCPWMT-13 Vote on Bill 162: Mr. Hustace moved to pass Bill 162 on first reading and (Approved) adopt Policy Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit Committee Report No. 13. Seconded by Ms. Galimba and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas — 1. Excused: None. Page 23 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 Bill 165: INITIATES AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE X OF THE CHARTER OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAI`I (2024 EDITION), RELATING TO PUBLIC ACCESS, OPEN SPACE, AND NATURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION Increases the annual allocation dedicated to the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation maintenance fund from 0.25 percent to 0.5 percent of real property tax revenue; removes the accrual limit for the fund; provides that all expenses from the fund must align with the fund's purpose; and authorizes the awarding of grants from the fund. Reference: Comm. 915 Intr. by: Council Member Kierkiewicz Approve: GOEAC-139 2/3 Vote: First of three required readings, Section 15-1(a), Hawaii County Charter (Note: Comm. 915.2, from Council Member Ashley L. Kierkiewicz dated June 17, 2026, transmitting proposed amendments to Bill 165, was circulated.) Motion to Approve: Ms. Kierkiewicz moved to pass Bill 165 on first reading and adopt Governmental Operations and External Affairs Committee Report No. 139. Seconded by Mr. Hustace. CHR. INABA: Go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. I appreciate the opportunity to bring this forward. This is in regards to the PONC (Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Commission) Maintenance Fund. After convening community members around ways in which we can strengthen this particular program, it was noted that listing all of the allowable stewardship activities within the Charter has proven to be problematic over the years. So the consensus was to maintain the fund in code so that it can be preserved, and funding will always be available for stewardship activities. And to move the list of activities to the County Code, which provides a bit more flexibility but also legal direction so that as the PONC Commission and PONC office evaluate proposals for stewardship applications, they have a clear record within the code of what those allowable activities are. At this time, I want to bring up Corporation Counsel Renee Schoen to just put on the record the reason why there is not a code update to accompany this Charter amendment. We have had some discussions about the timing of when that code piece could be introduced, but I want her to just kind of go over the legal tension. And I have a suggested path forward. Corporation Counsel? (Note: At this time, Corporation Counsel Renee Schoen came forward to address the members of the Council.) Page 24 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 MS. SCHOEN: Good morning. Renee Schoen, Corporation Counsel. I guess I'm not quite understanding your question. What I think you're getting at, though, is the reason for the need for this particular measure to be done by Charter versus code. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Corporation Counsel, before you go any further, the question that I have is am I allowed to introduce a code amendment that lists stewardship activities concurrent with this Charter amendment. And you had advised me that I could not, and that I needed to wait for the ballot measure to be approved. I had suggested to you that I could introduce a code amendment and hold it at second and final reading, and the Council could adopt it following the election. So I'm just hoping that you could confirm that conversation. MS. SCHOEN: That's confirmed, yes. I'm sorry. I totally had a brain cramp when you asked initially. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: All good. But I just wanted to put it out there publicly, the reason why there isn't a code amendment that is being introduced concurrently with this Charter amendment. Like I mentioned at the last meeting, I have every intention of bringing that forward in July. It will look very similar to what is already in the Charter with some additional activities listed. Again, based on conversations with stewards, PONC office, Director of Finance, and individuals that have long-standing participation in this particular program. That being said, I do want to bring forward an amendment to Bill 165. This is based on conversations that we had in Committee regarding where funds would come from. I think the general consensus by the body, by the community, by the County has been, yes, we want to see more money available for stewardship. But there was some question around where that money should be coming from. Motion to Amend: Ms. Kierkiewicz moved to amend Bill 165 with the contents of Comm. 915.2. Seconded by Ms. Kimball. CHR. INABA: Council Member Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. So this would provide a total of up to a half percent in real property tax revenue to support this program. A quarter percent would be derived from real property tax. And at the discretion of the Finance Director, the Mayor, an additional quarter percent could be pulled from the Acquisition Fund. That was the sentiment that was raised by members of the Council during Committee. So I wanted to put this communication forward to have a conversation. We can take action on it today. We can actually hold it here. This is the first time that members of the public have been seeing it, but I would like to continue to move this ordinance forward. Happy to answer any questions. Thank you. Page 25 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 CHR. INABA: Discussion on the amendment, starting in Hilo. MS. KAGIWADA: Thank you, Chair. CHR. INABA: Go ahead. MS. KAGIWADA: So yeah, thank you for acknowledging that this is the first time that the public is seeing this and hearing this, as well as us. I do have concerns that many people who have been very strong supporters of this bill might have concerns about this change. When we had the discussion, I guess my thought was not so much that the required amount would be lowered, based on what the original said, from half a percent to a quarter percent but that we would have some kind of discussion about flexibility between the funds. So I can see kind of where you're going with this, but it's not exactly what I thought the discussion was about. I didn't think it was a discussion about changing that one-half percent back down to a quarter percent. So I have concerns about moving this—okay, I'll turn it to you if that's not what I'm seeing here. Go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Chair, could I address Council Member Kagiwada? CHR. INABA: Go ahead. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. So up to half a percent will be made available for maintenance. Where that funding derived, I am suggesting a different approach based on conversation. So a quarter would come from real property tax. An additional quarter percent would be derived from the Acquisition Fund. That is what members of this body said when we were in Committee. They wanted to draw upon twenty-plus million dollars that is sitting in the Acquisition Fund and have the flexibility to utilize that to support maintenance activities. That's what I heard. That's written here. What's also built into this is that it's going to be part of our County budget. I don't believe that this fund is in our County budget right now. And the beauty of all of that means the Council has the ability to increase the appropriation during the budgeting process. So that is the bonus that provides us with additional oversight and stays with the funding that is being allocated for stewardship. I hope that provides clarity. Thank you. MS. KAGIWADA: Yeah. So just to reiterate and clarify, this is not saying that it could be only a quarter percent that goes to the Maintenance Fund, but it could be up to a half percent. That's how I was reading it, is it could be between a quarter to a half percent on an annual basis. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Yes. The baseline is a quarter, and up to a half percent. Page 26 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 MS. KAGIWADA: Okay. But that is a significant change from what, before, was changing the Maintenance Fund from a quarter to a half percent. That's what I'm reading. The change is now it is optional that it go from a quarter to a half percent. Before, what you had written was to change the Maintenance Fund from a quarter to a half percent. So that's where I'm just saying I think some people who have been very supportive of this may need time to digest, as you suggested earlier. So I was just agreeing with you that people may need time to understand that piece, and to reflect on their support for this change. So that's where I'm at with this. I think the flexibility is good. I do have concerns that this seems to say that it could only be a quarter percent in some circumstances, and that's going to be decided by the Finance Department. Anyway, happy to hear what other folks have to say on this. Thank you, I yield. CHR. INABA: Anyone else in Hilo? Council Member Kimball. MS. KIMBALL: Thank you. Can I ask Mr. Shapiro from PONC to come up and just answer a quick question for me? (Note: At this time, Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Commission Program Manager Ben Shapiro came forward to address the members of the Council.) MS. KIMBALL: I did want to re-ask this. It was asked at the last meeting, but just as a reminder. In this last year, what was the amount that was awarded in total to stewardship funds? MR. SHAPIRO: For last year? I think it was around $800,000 approximately. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. And roughly, the amount, at a quarter percent right now, that's being put into the Maintenance Fund is about 1.6? MR. SHAPIRO: I believe so. I don't have the numbers in front of me. Malia may have MS. KIMBALL: 1.3, I'm being signaled by sign language from the back of the room. Okay, so 1.3. So, to date, have we ever expended the entire quarter percent? MR. SHAPIRO: I don't believe so. MS. KIMBALL: Okay. Thank you. That's actually why I'm supportive of this proposal at this point, because we have not yet expended the full amount. We have also capped it at the $3 million. So we've been putting money back into the General Fund. Page 27 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 As supportive as I am for increasing funding for stewardship, and I think we will need to because of some of the large properties we've just acquired, we are also facing a pretty uncertain fiscal outlook. And I think this sort of moderated approach at this stage is warranted. And I see it as just good governance and being fiscally prudent to maybe take this as an intermediate stage. I mean, if we can't even distribute the quarter percent that we're getting now, then I would be hesitant to double it without some kind of oversight to determine whether that is actually needed. In a future situation where we are guaranteed revenue, I would be inclined to raise it to that half percent because we do need to invest in that stewardship. But just everything I'm seeing and hearing about the wastewater discussion—we had that yesterday—and other things, I mean, we need to be very prudent. And I think this is a representation of that. So I'm supportive of this amendment. On the main motion, I do have a couple of comments, but supportive of this proposal. Thank you. CHR. INABA: Anyone else in Hilo? Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. I'm actually going to step into a different mode here. We have Debra Ward in chambers. Ms. Ward, do you want to add comments? You've been a constant voice in my ear about the PONC fund, but you have a historical reference I think many of us may not have. (Note: At this time, Debra Ward, a member of the public, came forward to address the members of the Council.) MS. WARD: Good trouble, I hope. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: We're on the amendment right now, and I was watching your face during Ms. Kagiwada's concerns, if you will. MS. WARD: Well,part of the problem was that the County calendar is not viewable because of an IT (Information Technology)problem. And therefore, I couldn't even get access to the changes I didn't know were happening today, or I would have testified. I think that the County calendar needs to be viewable so that people could see what the actual agenda is. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, thank you for that. MS. WARD: So I'm a little concerned just because one of the reasons that the stewardship grants have not been fully funded, I think, has been partly due to some of the problems that are associated with not understanding what—or having historical change in the process with regard to giving stewardship grants. There Page 28 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 was a time in which education was not considered allowable under the stewardship program. Currently, it is but it hasn't been codified in a way that's very viewable to people applying for stewardship grants. So I think there—for example, none of the Kohala properties that we currently own in the County PONC program are being funded for stewardship at all. They were denied stewardship grants some time ago, and I think they gave up because they kept getting denied over and over again. So it's one thing to say, well, we have these 20 properties, but nobody's stewarding them. But I think also the problem is that we haven't been very good at communicating about what's allowed under the stewardship grants, and we haven't made it easy. I mean, it's really not easy to get a stewardship grant, to get it in a timely way, and then to get funded during the year that it's been proposed. Sometimes,people have six months or even three months to fulfill a year's worth of promises because the money never came. And then they're penalized for not having gotten the money in time, which wasn't their fault. I'm not trying to say that the problem is entirely current. It's just that we had historical problems. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you very much for sharing. So the funding—what I'm hearing, though, is funding-wise the funding isn't the challenge, in your opinion. It's the mechanics of how we process and provide stewardship funds to the organizations. MS. WARD: That's been part of the problem all along, yes. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I've heard that in the past as well. MR. ONISHI: Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, can I interrupt? We're talking about the amendment. That can be done once we get past this amendment and go back to the main motion. Then this discussion, what you guys are talking about, would be much better. Okay? So on the amendment, please. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: What Mr. Onishi is saying is that he would prefer the conversation be centered on the amendment itself, and that we can have a more general discussion regarding the bill. So, on the amendment, Ms. Ward, is there anything on the amendment that strikes you as something that you would be cautious of? Or are you okay with what you're seeing in front of you? MS. WARD: I'm just cautious that it makes it less transparent where the money comes, and if it comes at all just because if it's not in the Charter. But it makes it more discretionary. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Page 29 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 MS. WARD: Maybe I don't understand because I only just got this, because I didn't know there was an amendment. So I think maybe I'd better not speak to it. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: No, no. Thank you for your—thank you, Ms. Ward. I appreciate that. Chair, I yield. CHR. INABA: Thank you. Any further discussion on the amendment? Council Member Hustace. MR. HUSTACE: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Council Member Kierkiewicz, for the amendment here. This is definitely out of the conversation we had previously on this in providing some flexibility. I do appreciate the sentiment from Council Member Kimball on that flexibility for these funds regarding future finances for the County and so forth. I think the position I have on this, and I think this is where this kind of stems from, we recently purchased larger properties that will require greater Maintenance Funds over time. And the more we acquire, the more we're going to have to maintain. So I appreciate this in terms of trying to transition—trying to find a mechanism of transitioning the funds to be more flexible between the two—the acquisition side and the maintenance side. So I do appreciate that there. And I think in the future, we'll have to probably even consider a greater shift. That's just my personal opinion on it, in terms of the amount of properties that are out there, the finances we have to support and preserve and care for those properties. So I think that will have to come down the road, of course. But I appreciate what your language here is presenting us for this part of this transition in maintaining some of these properties and giving that flexibility to do so. And I do agree with the sentiment that we are not actively—we're not ourselves being good stewards of the Maintenance Fund as a County in terms of getting those funds out there to the properties that are to be cared for. We're not expending those dollars to care for these spaces. So we need to do a better job either in the communication aspect with applicants with the steward groups, whether with them and as well as the commissioners so that they're not rejecting applications on certain projects for little pieces here or there. I think that's a whole other conversation. But those dollars are not going out to the properties that we have put tax dollars behind to care for these spaces. So we need to resolve that issue as well. Thank you, Chair. CHR. INABA: Thank you. Any further discussion on the amendment? MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Chair? CHR. INABA: I'm going to—sorry. Council Member Galimba, go ahead, and I'll come back to you, Council Member Kierkiewicz. Page 30 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 MS. GALIMBA: Thank you. I'm generally in support of this amendment, as it does reflect on the discussion that we had. Given that we are not spending all of the funds at this time, I'm just wondering what the thought process is on removing the $3 million cap since that seems to be working at this time. And I would not like to see—if we don't fix the problem of not being able to get the stewardship grant money out, I would hate to see money piling up in a fund where we would not have access to it for the other needs of our County. So I just wanted to ask the introducer if there's a reason that I am not seeing why we want to keep this—or not have this $3 million limit. CHR. INABA: Go ahead, Council Member Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. That is an excellent question, Council Member Galimba. And I think it reflects a lot of the work that needs to happen within the stewardship program. I'm incredibly hopeful that with a team assembled, they will be utilizing all of the funding that is there, and money won't be stacking. That is a very good problem that I hope we have. And that particular removal of the $3 million cap is with that in mind, of this team being able to push out stewardship grants. As we acquire more properties, like we all know, there is going to be a need for additional funding. We have not spent on an annual basis the quarter percent that has been allocated. But I am hopeful that we'll get there, and that it'll matter in the future to have a little bit of that extra money in the bank to support years in which there are more stewards that are applying for funding. Thank you. CHR. INABA: Council Member Kierkiewicz, you still have the floor. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Oh, thank you. I just wanted to acknowledge Deputy Finance Director Malia Kekai. She was very gracious in helping our office to craft the language that is before the Council now for consideration. We recognize the economic distress that we are facing and likely going to face in years ahead, and wanted to come up with a very, as Council Member Kimball said, a very moderated, a very judicious approach where we recognize the critical importance of this program while also balancing all of the needs and kuleana that are mandated for the County to take care of in the Charter. Deputy Director, is there anything that you want to add regarding this particular amendment? (Note: At this time, Deputy Finance Director Malia Kekai came forward to address the members of the Council.) MS. KEKAI: Yes, thank you. I just wanted to kind of reiterate a point you made earlier. The PONC budget is now in the budget, right. We have accounts for it. So you guys will be seeing it at every budget adoption. So, with that said, even though the wording says, "the Finance Director," obviously at her discretion, it's Page 31 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 to put in extra funds from the preservation fund. That will only happen if we look at the financial outcome and we see that in the future, we need to budget more because we will (inaudible)the money. Right? Instead of just shoving money in there and not having a plan for it, we will have a plan for those funds, and you all will have the opportunity to see that. And if you guys think in your opinion that it needs to be more, if you see needs, if you hear from other stewards or such that we would need more, then you will have that opportunity at budget to amend that as well, if so needed. But yeah, I want to say that we have a great team. And we do not dispute that there have been historical problems, that we are really—we're going to spend the money. We really want to focus on that. We're going to be doing a lot more studies, management plans, EISs (Environmental Impact Statements), and all that stuff. So we have plans for this money. And every year we come forward, we'll have a better and better plan of how we're going to spend it. So just wanted to let, for the record, the public know that we are working on all the issues that have been identified in the past. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. I yield. CHR. INABA: Thank you. Council Member Kagiwada. MS. KAGIWADA: Actually, Deputy Director, can you come back? Sorry. First of all, thank you. Thank you for putting this in the budget. That makes a lot more sense. The way it's written seems like it's a one-person decision. But that makes a lot more sense to me, that it's in the budget and it'll be looked at by the Mayor, the Council, everybody. I just had a question. The conservation easements, those come out of the purchasing side, not the maintenance side. Correct? MS. KEKAL If it is maintenance of a conservation easement, it comes out of the Maintenance Fund. If it's an acquisition of a MS. KAGIWADA: If acquisition, it comes out of MS. KEKAI: Yeah. MS. KAGIWADA: Okay. Thank you so much. I wanted that clarification. And just in general, to the maker, I'm understanding this a bit better now. I guess my still biggest concern is just that the public hasn't had a chance to digest it. But yeah, thank you for bringing this forward and for having the conversation. Thank you. I yield. CHR. INABA: Any other discussion? Page 32 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Chair, I have a follow-up. CHR. INABA: Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Ms. Kekai,just walking through. So the big change for me is the one-half to one-quarter. So what is that difference as a dollar amount? MS. KEKAI: Currently, it's about 1.3. So it would be bumped up to 2.6. But that's based on our real property tax revenue. So if that goes up or down, that number will adjust up or down. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Sorry, the amendment steps down from one- half to one-quarter. Correct? MS. KEKAI: The one-quarter is preserved from real property tax, and with up to a half percent if needed. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Sorry, the amendment Section (a) has crossed out the word "one-half' and dropped it to one-quarter of one percent. MS. KEKAI: Yes. So it's one-quarter all the time. And then it gives the discretion to, based on our financial stability, to put more money in if necessary, if we see the need for more maintenance work that next year, up to half a percent. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: I understand that. So when you said 1.3 to 2.6, how does that happen? MS. KEKAI: So a quarter is 1.3. So if we went all the way up to a half, we would be at 2.6 would be the total funding we could put in. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: If we did. MS. KEKAI: If, yeah. If we saw the need, yeah. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: So it's not"It will happen." That's the difference for me. It's not a"shall" anymore. It's a—we're dropping to half of what we have done, which from the conversationbecause, we were one-half of MS. KEKAI: No, we've always been a quarter. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Oh, we're at a quarter right now. MS. KEKAI: Yeah, we're at a quarter. Page 33 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay, sorry. This amendment is throwing me off. So one-half is the suggested change by the bill. MS. KEKAI: Yes. Up to one-half. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: And now—okay, so the one-quarter stays the same, right, decreasing from the bill that was provided. MS. KEKAI: Providing flexibility. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. I like the flexibility piece. It allows us to budget appropriately as we see fit, both the Mayor and the Council. As long as we're sticking with the original intention of the PONC Preservation Fund, as well as the Maintenance Fund, that makes me happy. The proceeds from General Obligation Bonds, is that a large amount? MS. KEKAI: No, we haven't done bonds for PONC, and I don't think we will. I don't foresee us needing to float bonds for PONC in any near future. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: It's always in the wording, yeah. All proceeds from the sale of General Obligation Bonds authorized and issued for the purposes of this section. So it's just a wonder for me how much is that. So it's a big zero. MS. KEKAI: Yeah, a big zero right now. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Okay. Thank you very much, Ms. Kekai. I yield. CHR. INABA: Okay. We're still on the amendment. MS. KIMBALL: Chair, I want to just make one additional quick comment if I may. CHR. INABA: Go ahead. MS. KIMBALL: So I wanted to just kind of express again support in general. But to Council Member Hustace's comment with respect to the removal of the cap of the $3 million, I think that provides flexibility on both sides of this. So, if we have the flexibility in terms of the revenue—in response to Debbie [sic] Ward's comments here, which is absolutely valid, like we haven't been as effective as we could be. By removing the cap, then we have this buffer on the expenditure side, too, that gives us that little bit of wiggle room to figure out where the right place to be is. Page 34 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 As the stewardship process improves, then we still have a little bit of a buffer even without going to that full half percent. That's what I like about this, is you've got the buffer on both sides. You've got the buffer on the revenue side if we have financial challenges, but then you also have the buffer on the stewardship side by removing that cap if we do start to being more successful. And then that gives us a little breathing room to decide in the future if we do need to be always at that 5 percent. Again, supportive of that concept. I also want to be clear that this wouldn't necessarily limit what we put in the PONC fund to that half percent. When we review the budget, the money that goes into that fund is a quarter percent. If we had to, we could also move in a quarter percent from the PONC acquisition funds, but there's nothing also preventing us from saying, "We're going to put." It's just like we did with the Waiwai grants just now. We could additionally put more money if we had to. Right? MS. KEKAI: I would defer to Corp. (Corporation) Counsel on that one. I think that, yeah, I mean I'd have to look at the whole section I think. MS. KIMBALL: I think with the County's authority as "power of the purse,"I would assume that—well, we should never assume things. But I would argue that we have that authority anyway. Just because these revenues are required to come from the tax income doesn't mean we are limited I think from that side. But that's all I have to say. Thank you. CHR. INABA: All right, any last comments in Hilo? Okay. Council Member Kierkiewicz, thank you for bringing this forward. I couldn't remember the discussion that was had last time, but I can't support this amendment. I can't support an amendment that allows for a potential taking of funds from the Acquisition Fund. We have (inaudible) this from years past where properties have been nominated and have resolutions passed that haven't been purchased. And I understand what we're trying to do. And with that idea of acquiring more comes more funds needed to maintain those properties. But like Council Member Kimball just mentioned, this last section of the amendment, nothing stops the Administration or the Council from appropriating more funds to cover maintenance costs if we need to. I also posed a question to the Corporation Counsel earlier that, should we need reliable, let's say an additional quarter percent on top of what's currently in the Charter, whether codifying that additional quarter percent would be an option so that it wouldn't need to wait for the next election. So, for myself, understanding what our traditional spending has been and the power both the Mayor and the Council has to increase the Maintenance Fund at our discretion each budget year, I don't think I can support this amendment. Page 35 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 Moreover, I would like to see it remain at a quarter percent for now, based on historical spending. So with that, we can take a roll call vote,please, on the amendment. MS. GALIMBA: I think Council Member Kierkiewicz mentioned that she might want to postpone this to give the public more time to actually digest this. I don't know if that's the case, or she meant to go forward to the vote. CHR. INABA: Okay. Council Member Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Chair, thank you for the latitude. I had mentioned that I am happy to have the conversation about this amendment today. We don't need to take a vote on it because this is the first time that the public is seeing it. We can have a discussion at our next Council meeting, but I do want to move the bill forward in its current form so that we can stay on track to ensure that it can make it onto the ballot. CHR. INABA: Understood. Yes, Council Member Kagiwada. MS. KAGIWADA: Thank you. I'm just giving my support to move the main motion along, but keep this discussion on this amendment open so the public can weigh in. That would be my preference. Thank you. Withdraw Motion Ms. Kierkiewicz withdrew her motion to amend Bill 165 to Amend: with the contents of Comm. 915.2. CHR. INABA: All right, the motion has been withdrawn to amend Bill 165. Mr. Henricks has something to say. MR. HENRICKS: I do, and thank you so much. I had some just timeline considerations regarding passage of this bill for it to appear on the 2026 General Election ballot. If this measure passes today with the required votes, it would be scheduled to appear on the July 8d' Council agenda for second reading. And should it pass that second reading and follows its normal track, then it would be scheduled to be heard on the 23rd for third and final reading. Presuming it passes third and final reading, it will need to be submitted to the Mayor for the Mayor's approval. And as stated earlier in other emails and correspondence, the Corporation Counsel is required to provide an explanation of the ballot measure to State Office of Elections by July 30a', unless it's willing to take on the responsibilities of translating that material into several languages. And I'm fairly confident that the Corporation Counsel would not be comfortable submitting an explanation for a ballot measure that is not yet an ordinance, given that it would still be tentative that it would be in the Mayor's hands. And the Mayor needs to be afforded the full ten business days to review the measure and provide approval. Page 36 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 So, if this measure follows the current tracking, it does not appear that there'll be enough time, even if there are no postponements, for it to make it onto the 2026 General Election ballot. I'm not giving any suggestions or recommendations, but the Council would need to call special meetings in order to expedite the review of this bill in order for Corporation Counsel to have time to do its work, and allow the State to conduct the translation process as the State has provided in an official memo to Corporation Counsel providing the July 30a' deadline. CHR. INABA: Thank you, Clerk Henricks. Council Member Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. I would like to proceed. We can cross the bridge when we get there if there is a need to do a special Council meeting. And I am in communication with Corporation Counsel. Thank you. CHR. INABA: Thank you. Let's see. All those in favor of approving Bill 165 at first reading, please say "aye." Okay, we're going to do a roll call vote,please. Vote on Bill 165: The motion to pass Bill 165 on first reading and adopt (Approved) Governmental Operations and External Affairs Committee Report No. 139 was carried by the following roll call vote: Ayes: Council Members Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba—7. Noes: Council Member Galimba— 1. Absent: Council Member Villegas— 1. Excused: None. Bill 152: INITIATES AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE III, SECTION 3-18, OF THE CHARTER OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAI`I (2024 EDITION), RELATING TO THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY AUDITOR Clarifies that the County Auditor has the same power with respect to employees within the Office of the County Auditor as department heads in the Executive Branch and specifies that the County Auditor may appoint a deputy. Reference: Comm. 858 Intr. by: Council Members Inaba and Kierkiewicz First Reading: May 20, 2026 Second Reading: June 3, 2026 2/3 Vote: Third of three required readings, Section 15-1(a), Hawaii County Charter Motion to Approve: Ms. Kierkiewicz moved to pass Bill 152 on third and final reading. Seconded by Mr. Hustace. CHR. INABA: Council Member Kierkiewicz. Page 37 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you. This is an important amendment to our Charter that would establish a deputy county auditor within the Office of the County Auditor. Right now, the Charter provides no mechanism to ensure that that function continues uninterrupted in the event of a vacancy, extended absence, or transition in the auditor's seat. And so, a deputy position does close that gap. I want to thank Council Chair Inaba for collaboration on this measure, and our colleagues for their continued support on this measure. Thank you. CHR. INABA: Thank you. Council Member Hustace. MR. HUSTACE: Thank you, Chair. I just want to mahalo yourself and Council Member Kierkiewicz for bringing this measure forward, for the possibility for our voters to consider in the future. Thank you. CHR. INABA: Thank you. Any other discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor of approving Bill 152 at its third and final reading, please say "aye." Vote on Bill 152: The motion to pass Bill 152 on third and final reading was (Adopted) carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas— 1. Excused: None. Bill 156: AMENDS CHAPTER 2, ARTICLE 25, SECTION 2-137, OF THE HAWAI`I COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING TO APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS TO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS Requires a nonprofit organization applying for County grant funds to certify, under penalty of perjury, that the organization has internal policies relating to management, audits, fiscal procedures, nepotism, and conflicts of interest. Reference: Comm. 873 Intr. by: Council Member Inaba First Reading: June 3, 2026 Page 38 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 Vote on Bill 156: Mr. Hustace moved to pass Bill 156 on second and final (Adopted) reading. Seconded by Mr. Onishi and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas— 1. Excused: None. Bill 160: AMENDS ORDINANCE NO. 25-45, AS AMENDED, THE OPERATING BUDGET OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAI`I FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2026 Appropriates revenues in the Real Property Tax Penalties account($1,125,000); and appropriates the same to the following Transfer to Public Access/Open Space Preservation accounts: Fund($1,000,000) and Maintenance Fund ($125,000). Reference: Comm. 893 Intr. by: Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder (B/R) First Reading: June 3, 2026 Vote on Bill 160: Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder moved to pass Bill 160 on (Adopted) second and final reading. Seconded by Mr. Hustace and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas— 1. Excused: None. Bill 161: AMENDS ORDINANCE NO. 25-45, AS AMENDED, THE OPERATING BUDGET OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAI`I FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2026 Appropriates revenues in the Fund Balance From Previous Year - Reserved account($443,775.57); and appropriates the same to the following Transfer to Public Access/Open Space Preservation accounts: Fund($274,878.65), Maintenance Fund ($40,457.41), and Transfer to Disaster/Emergency Fund account($128,439.51). Reference: Comm. 894 Intr. by: Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder (B/R) First Reading: June 3, 2026 Page 39 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 Vote on Bill 161: Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder moved to pass Bill 161 on (Adopted) second and final reading. Seconded by Mr. Hustace and carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas— 1. Excused: None. Bill 166: AMENDS ORDINANCE NO. 25-50, AS AMENDED, AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTER 6 OF THE HAWAI`I COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING TO TRANSIENT ACCOMMODATIONS Delays the effective date of Ordinance No. 25-50, relating to transient accommodations, until September 1, 2026. Reference: Comm. 926 Intr. by: Council Member Kimball First Reading: June 3, 2026 Motion to Approve: Ms. Kimball moved to pass Bill 166 on second and final reading. Seconded by Mr. Hustace. CHR. INABA: Any discussion? MS. KIMBALL: Chair, I just ask for everyone's continued support to help us get this program started. I would also ask that all my colleagues do what they can. If you have newsletters on your website, whatever, to share out the extension of this registration date. I have been getting a number of inquiries. Both the Planning Department and the TAR(transient accommodation rental)website that Council Member Kierkiewicz and I developed earlier have been updated to reflect the extension of this start date out till September 1st. But there is a significant need for public communication and outreach. So I just ask for everyone's help on that. Thank you. CHR. INABA: Thank you. Council Member Kimball, if you wouldn't mind, if you have a flyer to send out to us regarding this registration, please send it out. MS. KIMBALL: Absolutely. Thank you, Chair. CHR. INABA: Thank you. All those in favor of approving Bill 166 at second and final reading, please say "aye." Page 40 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 Vote on Bill 166: The motion to pass Bill 166 on second and final reading (Adopted) was carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas— 1. Excused: None. Bill 167: AMENDS ORDINANCE NO. 25-45, AS AMENDED, THE OPERATING BUDGET OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAI`I FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 2026 Appropriates revenues in the Federal Grants—Justice Assistance Grant-Special Response Team Capability Enhancement Grant account($35,023); and appropriates the same to the Justice Assistance Grant-Special Response Team Capability Enhancement account. Reference: Comm. 927 Intr. by: Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder (B/R) First Reading: June 3, 2026 Motion to Approve: Mr. Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder moved to pass Bill 167 on second and final reading. Seconded by Mr. Hustace. CHR. INABA: Go ahead, Council Member Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Very briefly. I just want to point out we have a member of our Police Department who has been very patient in watching all of our meeting so far today. He is here if there are any questions. So thank you for being here, and sorry we took this last. Thank you for your patience. CHR. INABA: Thank you. If the member of the department would like to say anything, they can go ahead at this time. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: He said he's okay. He just looks forward to us passing this bill, and maybe next time we could take him a little bit earlier. CHR. INABA: Yeah, let us know next time. Thank you. MR. KANEALI`I-KLEINFELDER: Thank you. CHR. INABA: All those in favor of approving Bill 167 at second and final reading, please say "aye." Page 41 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 Vote on Bill 167: The motion to pass Bill 167 on second and final reading (Adopted) was carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas— 1. Excused: None. Return to Order The Chair directed the Council to return to the order of business. of Business: BILLS FOR The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business, Bills for ORDINANCES Ordinances (First Reading). (FIRST READING): (Note: Items in this category were taken up previously, out of order.) Bill 157: AMENDS CHAPTER 7 OF THE HAWAI`I COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 (Draft 2) EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING TO DISASTER RECOVERY Establishes a County Disaster Recovery Program to coordinate short- and long-term recovery efforts following major disasters, led by a recovery officer appointed by the mayor with the responsibility for recovery planning, interagency coordination, community engagement, funding management, and the development of interim and long-term recovery and resilience plans. Reference: Comm. 888.4 Intr. by: Council Member Kierkiewicz Approve: PCHSW-9 (Note: Comm. 888.5, from Council Member Ashley L. Kierkiewicz dated June 16, 2026, transmitting proposed amendments to Bill 157, Draft 2, was circulated.) Motion to Approve: Ms. Kierkiewicz moved to pass Bill 157, Draft 2, on first reading and adopt Policy Committee on Health, Safety, and Well-being Committee Report No. 9. Seconded by Mr. Hustace. CHR. INABA: Council Member Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. I appreciate the opportunity to bring this bill forward. The district I represent went through a number of disasters during my time in office. So many lessons learned, challenges overcome, ways in which we discover government can and should be working with community. So, wanted to codify some of those principles so that if any community in the future Page 42 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 ever goes through a devastating event and needs to mobilize a recovery function within the County, there is a framework, there is a guidebook to be able to do that. Motion to Amend: Ms. Kierkiewicz moved to amend Bill 157, Draft 2, with the contents of Comm. 888.5. Seconded by Mr. Hustace. CHR. INABA: Council Member Kierkiewicz. MS. KIERKIEWICZ: Thank you, Chair. This is a housekeeping measure. If you recall, during Committee we did update the bill to move this function out of the Civil Defense Agency and into the Office of the Mayor, which provides a higher level kind of coordination piece that I think is really required for recovery. This makes that change within the purpose section so that the bill is nice and clean. Looking for everyone's support. Thank you. CHR. INABA: Thank you. Any further discussion on the amendment? Hearing and seeing none, all those in favor of amending Bill 157, Draft 2, with the contents of Communication 888.5,please say "aye." Vote on Motion to The motion to amend Bill 157, Draft 2, with the contents of Amend: Comm. 888.5 was carried by the following voice vote: (Approved) Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas— 1. Excused: None. Vote on Bill 157: The motion to pass Bill 157, Draft 2, as amended to Draft 3 Draft 3, on first reading and adopt Policy Committee on (Approved) Health, Safety, and Well-being Committee Report No. 9 was carried by the following voice vote: Ayes: Council Members Galimba, Hustace, Kagiwada, Kaneali`i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, and Chair Inaba— 8. Noes: None. Absent: Council Member Villegas— 1. Excused: None. ORDER OF The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business, Order of THE DAY the Day (Second or Final Reading). (SECOND OR FINAL READING): (Note: Items in this category were taken up previously, out of order.) Page 43 Hawaii County Council-43 June 17,2026 OTHER The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business, Other BUSINESS: Business. (There were none.) ANNOUNCE- The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business, MENTS: Announcements. (Note: At this time, Council Members made announcements regarding community events, activities, and other unofficial business.) ADJOURN- There being no further business, Chair Inaba adjourned the meeting at 11:23 a.m. MENT: Council Approval: OCT 0 7 20 TY ERK JH/dg Page 44