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Home My WebLink AboutAGE GOEAC 2026-08-04 2024-2026 ACTIONS JENN KAGIWADA MICHELLE M. GALIMBA Chair & Presiding Officer JAMES E. HUSTACE HOLEKA GORO INABA MATT KĀNEALIʻI-KLEINFELDER ASHLEY L. KIERKIEWICZ Vice Chair HEATHER L. KIMBALL DENNIS “FRESH” ONISHI REBECCA VILLEGAS COUNTY COUNCIL County of Hawai‘i Hawai‘i County Building 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720 COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS AND EXTERNAL AFFAIRS th 39 Session West Hawai‘i Civic Center 74-5044 Ane Keohokālole Highway, Building A Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i August 4, 2026 12:00 p.m. The Hilo Council Chambers at the Hawai‘i County Building, 25 Aupuni Street, will be closed. Public attendance via Courtesy Site is available at the following locations:  Ocean View Community Association, 92-8924 Leilani Circle;  Pāhoa Council Office, 15-2879 Pāhoa Village Road; and  Waimea Council Office, Parker Square, 65-1279 Kawaihae Road, Suite 109. If a Courtesy Site is unavailable and/or participation is disrupted, the scheduled meeting will continue. Oral Public Testimony via Zoom: To provide oral testimony via Zoom, email councilremotetestimony@hawaiicounty.gov or call (808) 961-8255 to complete the registration process and obtain meeting login information. Please contact our office to register by 12:00 noon, Monday, August 3, 2026. Submitting Written Testimony: To ensure timely delivery to Council Members prior to the meeting, written testimony must be submitted no later than 12:00 noon on Monday, August 3, 2026, by: (1) email to counciltestimony@hawaiicounty.gov; (2) facsimile to (808) 961-8912; or (3) mail to the County Clerk’s Office in Hilo at 25 Aupuni Street, Hilo, Hawai‘i, 96720. All written testimony, regardless of time of receipt, will be made part of the permanent record. Please submit separate testimony for each item. Hawai‘i County is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer GOEAC-39 August 4, 2026 ORDER OF BUSINESS CALL TO ORDER – 12:00 p.m. ROLL CALL STATEMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC ON AGENDA ITEMS Pursuant to HRS § 92-3, oral testimony may be provided entirely at the beginning of the meeting, or immediately preceding the agenda item being opened for deliberation by the committee. ORDER OF RESOLUTIONS Res. 614-26: AUTHORIZES THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS, TO RECEIVE A GRANT TO PURCHASE TWO HANDHELD MASS SPECTROMETERS FOR THE HAWAIʻI POLICE DEPARTMENT The handheld mass spectrometers will be used to identify low concentrations or trace amounts of illicit substances, specifically fentanyl, for law enforcement purposes. Reference: Comm. 980 Intr. by: Council Member Kagiwada (B/R) RECOMMENDED ADOPTION: Ayes: Committee Members Galimba, Hustace, Inaba, Kāneali‘i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, Villegas, and Chair Kagiwada – 9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. Page 2 GOEAC-39 August 4, 2026 Res. 615-26: AUTHORIZES THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE OF HAWAIʻI, DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, TO RECEIVE A GRANT FOR THE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PROSECUTION PROJECT Funds will be used to partially fund one deputy prosecuting attorney position focused on misdemeanor domestic violence and protective order crimes in which the victim is an adult woman. Reference: Comm. 981 Intr. by: Council Member Kagiwada (B/R) RECOMMENDED ADOPTION: Ayes: Committee Members Galimba, Hustace, Inaba, Kāneali‘i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, Villegas, and Chair Kagiwada – 9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. Res. 616-26: AUTHORIZES THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE OF HAWAIʻI, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, FOR THE INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE OF TWO NALOXONE NASAL SPRAY DISTRIBUTION BOXES The distribution boxes will be installed at the Hilo County Building and the West Hawaiʻi Civic Center in Kona and maintained by the Mayor’s Office. Reference: Comm. 982 Intr. by: Council Member Kagiwada (B/R) RECOMMENDED ADOPTION: Ayes: Committee Members Galimba, Hustace, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, Villegas, and Chair Kagiwada – 8. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Member Kāneali‘i-Kleinfelder – 1. Excused: None. Page 3 GOEAC-39 August 4, 2026 Res. 617-26: APPROVES THE NOMINATIONS MADE BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE HAWAIʻI STATE ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES FOR THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COUNTIES (NACo) BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THE WESTERN INTERSTATE REGION (WIR) BOARD OF DIRECTORS Requests the Council’s approval of the following slates of officers: NACo – KipuKai Kualiʻi, Kauaʻi County and Tommy Waters, City and County of Honolulu; and WIR – Shane Sinenci, Maui County and Arryl Kaneshiro, Kauaʻi County. Reference: Comm. 983 Intr. by: Council Member Kimball RECOMMENDED ADOPTION: Ayes: Committee Members Galimba, Hustace, Inaba, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, Villegas, and Chair Kagiwada – 8. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Member Kāneali‘i-Kleinfelder – 1. Excused: None. BILLS FOR ORDINANCES Bill 169: AMENDS CHAPTER 2, ARTICLE 42, OF THE HAWAIʻI COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING TO PUBLIC ACCESS, OPEN SPACE, AND NATURAL RESOURCES PRESERVATION Requires that all qualifying lands ranked with a score of 70 percent or higher be included on the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resource Preservation Commission’s recommendation list to the mayor; requires the finance director to make reasonable efforts to acquire authorized properties within ten years for properties ranked 90 percent or higher and five years for properties ranked less than 90 percent; requires the finance director to reassess any such properties not acquired within the designated timeframes. Reference: Comm. 939 Intr. by: Council Members Hustace and Galimba Postponed: July 7, 2026 (Note: There is a motion by Council Member Hustace, seconded by Council Member Galimba, to recommend passage of Bill 169 on first reading.) (Vote on Bill 169 is on the next page.) Page 4 GOEAC-39 August 4, 2026 AMENDED TO DRAFT 2 (see Communication Nos. 939.2 and 939.3) AND RECOMMENDED PASSAGE ON FIRST READING: Ayes: Committee Members Galimba, Hustace, Inaba, Kāneali‘i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Onishi, Villegas, and Chair Kagiwada – 9. Noes: None. Absent: None. Excused: None. Bill 179: AMENDS CHAPTER 2, OF THE HAWAIʻI COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Describes the responsibilities of the Department of Research and Development; establishes a grant program to support community-based economic development. Reference: Comm. 984 Intr. by: Council Members Kierkiewicz and Inaba RECOMMENDED PASSAGE ON FIRST READING: Ayes: Committee Members Galimba, Hustace, Inaba, Kāneali‘i-Kleinfelder, Kierkiewicz, Kimball, Villegas, and Chair Kagiwada – 8. Noes: None. Absent: Committee Member Onishi – 1. Excused: None. ADJOURNMENT – 1:30 p.m. Note: B/R, when listed next to the name of an Introducer, signifies that the Council Member has agreed to introduce legislation “By Request” on behalf of the requesting party. It does not necessarily signify support of or opposition to the proposal. Live Stream of County Council Meetings: To view the live stream of this meeting, at the scheduled meeting start time, type the following into the address bar of the browser: http://hawaiicounty.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=1. Please call (808) 961-8255 if the Council’s streaming location is not functioning. If the Council’s stream is deemed inoperable, the following address will be provided for the live stream and should be typed into the browser: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJNalwg4OoK7a_7nGnEtGPA. Page 5 GOEAC-39 August 4, 2026 If you need an auxiliary aid/service or other accommodation due to a disability, call (808) 961-8255 as soon as possible, preferably by July 31, 2026. If a response is received after this date, every effort will be made to obtain the auxiliary aid/service or accommodation, but there is no guarantee the request can be filled. Upon request, this notice is available in alternate formats such as large print, Braille, or electronic copy. Agenda items are available on the County website at www.hawaiicounty.gov. Click on Council Records to navigate to current agendas. For any questions, please contact Council Services at (808) 961-8255. Page 6