HomeMy WebLinkAboutMIN COUNCIL 2018-04-11 2016-2018
Hawai‘i County Council
th
35 Session
Hawai‘i County Building
25 Aupuni Street
Hilo, Hawai‘i
April 11, 2018
INVOCATION: Reverend Shindo Nishiyama of Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin gave the
morning’s invocation.
CALL TO The regular meeting of the Hawai‘i County Council was called to order at
ORDER: 9:06 a.m., in the Council Chambers, Hilo, by Ms. Valerie T. Poindexter, Chair.
ROLL CALL:
Present: Ms. Valerie T. Poindexter, Chair
Ms. Karen Eoff, Vice Chair
Mr. Aaron S. Y. Chung, Member
Ms. Maile Medeiros David, Member
Mr. Dru Mamo Kanuha, Member
Ms. Susan L. K. Lee Loy, Member
Ms. Eileen O’Hara, Member
Mr. Herbert M. “Tim” Richards, III, Member
Ms. Jennifer Ruggles, Member
PLEDGE OF The Chair directed the Council to the next order of business, Pledge of Allegiance.
ALLEGIANCE:
(At this time, Ms. O’Hara 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 (Note: At this time, Ms. Eoff, Mr. Chung, and Ms. Lee Loy presented Certificates
EXPRESSIONS OF of Merit to 12 Lanakila Learning Center students for their exceptional academic
CONDOLENCE: and environmental stewardship achievements.)
Recess: At 9:25 a.m., the Chair called for a recess.
Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 9:29 a.m.
Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
STATEMENTS The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business, Statements
FROM THE from the Public on Agenda Items.
PUBLIC ON The following individuals registered to speak and came forward when called by
AGENDA ITEMS: the Chair:
Carol Fuertes: Res. 551-18 (Comm. 826), in support.
(representing Kahua Pa‘a
Mua)
John Wason: Res. 555-18 (Comm. 831), in support.
(representing Waikoloa
Community Development
Corporation)
Faith Paulele: Bill 115 (Comm. 786), in support.
(representing Pāhoa Senior
Center)
Toby Hazel: Res. 555-18 (Comm. 831), in support;
Bill 115 (Comm. 786), in support; and
Bill 121 (Comm. 799), in support.
Abolghassem Abraham Res. 558-18 (Comm. 847), comment;
Sadegh: Res. 559-18 (Comm. 848), comment;
Bill 98, Draft 2 (Comm. 712.2), comment;
Bill 114 (Comm. 781), comment; and
Bill 130 (Comm. 846), comment.
Paul Kaykendall: Bill 115 (Comm. 786), in opposition.
Perry Conner: Bill 115 (Comm. 786), in support.
Jane Hedtke: Bill 115 (Comm. 786), in opposition.
Les Estrella: Res. 549-18 (Comm. 824), in support.
(representing Going
Home Hawai‘i)
Faye Puz Hanohano: Bill 115 (Comm. 786), in opposition.
Robert Patricci: Bill 115 (Comm. 786), in opposition.
(representing Puna
Pono Alliance)
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Jon Olson: Bill 115 (Comm. 786), in support; and
PC-53 (Comm. 795), in support.
Luana Jones: Bill 115 (Comm. 786), in opposition.
Joseph K. Kamelamela: Comm. 819, in support.
Dave Kisor: Bill 115 (Comm. 786), in opposition.
Sara Steiner: Bill 115 (Comm. 786), comment.
(representing Laulima
Pāhoa)
Richard Bidleman: Bill 115 (Comm. 786), in support.
Wil Okabe: Comm. 819, in support.
Recess: At 10:28 a.m., the Chair called for a recess.
Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 10:42 a.m.
Announcement: Ms. David announced that Legislative Auditor Bonnie Nims received the
2017 Distinguished Knighton Award for her department’s report on the hiring
practices of Hawai‘i County’s Human Resources Department. Ms. David
expressed appreciation for Ms. Nims and her staff’s excellent work.
Ms. O’Hara announced that April 10 was Equal Pay Day, saying that for a woman
who worked all of 2017, she would need to work up through April 10, 2018, in
order to earn the equivalent salary to her male counterpart. According to the
“Hawai‘i’s Working Population 2012-2016” report by the Department of
Business, Economic Development and Tourism, in Hawai‘i the average salary for
a man is $51,566; the average for a woman is $38,645, a $12,921 difference.
APPROVAL The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business, Approval
OF MINUTES: of Minutes.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Vote on Approval of Ms. O’Hara moved to approve the Minutes of February 21,
Minutes: 2018. Seconded by Mr. Richards and carried by the
(Approved) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff, Kanuha,
Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, and
Chair Poindexter – 8.
Noes: None.
Absent: Council Member Ruggles – 1.
Excused: None.
COMMUNI-The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business,
CATIONS: Communications.
Comm. 819: APPOINTMENT OF ALLAN SIMEON AS PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
From Mayor Harry Kim, dated March 5, 2018, submitting for the Council’s
review and confirmation the above appointment.
Waived: PWPRC
Requires Council
Confirmation by: April 29, 2018 (Section 13-8,
Hawai‘i County Charter)
Motion to Approve: Ms. Lee Loy moved to confirm the appointment of
Allan Simeon as Public Works Director. Seconded by
Ms. Eoff.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Mayor Kim, do you want to come up and do the honors?
(At this time, Mayor Harry Kim came forward to address the members of
the Council.)
MR. KIM: Good morning, Madam Chairman, Members of the Council. It’s been
an hour or so sitting back there, all kinds of things flash by in regards to the
thoughts outside of this.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Mayor Kim, I don’t mean to interrupt but it would be
nice, Mr. Simeon, if you would come up to the table as well. Thank you. Sorry.
Continue.
MR. KIM: And one of the thoughts was in regards to the program that Ms. Eoff
arranged to—I think, to those that have been here a long time, you know what I’m
talking about. It is so nice to see those kinds of things as far as the youth.
Because, I think some of us come from a time when those kinds of things which
you did this morning, you would find nowhere, and I mean nowhere, in the State
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
of Hawai‘i, especially those youth being recognized and to stay in Hawai‘i. You
know what I’m saying, Mr. Kanuha. So, thank you for that. It really feels good
to be this old as I am and to see the transition happen today.
Don’t worry, Mr. Kanuha. I won’t reveal the secret that you whispered in my ear.
Nobody knows what we’re talking about, so I’ll jump through that, except
Ms. David. Thank you. Excuse me. Thank you very much for this opportunity.
I was thinking of the job. The first time I really saw him working a job in the
field, he was a deputy. I was called early in the morning because there was a fire
in Pāhoa. I took off down there and, bigger than heck, he beat me there. After a
long morning and early afternoon, I went back home. It was a Sunday.
Somewhere in the early evening, 6/7:00 in the evening, I wanted to remind the
people some things about Pāhoa as far as cesspool, be careful of those things.
Anyway, I called Frank’s home, the Director, and he wasn’t home. So, I called
his house and he answered. It was early evening. And I asked him where Frank
was and he said, “Oh, Frank’s in Pāhoa.” He says, “I relieve him at midnight.”
I’m thinking “Sheez, he was there all from the morning, all afternoon. He just
came home to get a few breaks and then he’s going to go back midnight for the
rest of the day.” I think that tells you the commitment to the job.
The reason of the lateness of this nomination to you is strictly because I’ve asked
him from the beginning, “Will you take this job for the County?” and his answer
was a flat no. It ticked me off, but that’s what he said. Nah, really, you know I
wouldn’t—and I asked him why. He said, “too much family commitment”; his
mama and other things. He said the job—I know that, the demanding of the time;
I just gave you an example of the demand of time. Anybody who would think it’s
a 60-hour-a-week job, you’re kidding yourself. That’s a beginning, and that’s
what you ask your people to do, to do a good job.
Public Works is one of the departments in regards to we were looking for certain
skills. And one of the biggest skills we needed were people who were people’s
people—managers. I told him recently—we had a meeting with his engineers—I
told him that was one of the best management meetings I’ve ever attended—and
I’ve worked for you for 50 years. That says a lot. Because, what that meeting
showed is ability to bring in—it was all of his engineers—to bring in. And you sit
back and you see he creates an atmosphere of “let them participate and not
dominate.”
I think we have a very good nominee before you. He finally said yes. I’m very
grateful of that. And behind the back, I harassed him every time I saw him in
regards to “please reconsider.” I ask you to please consider this man. He’s
qualified. He’s a good manager. And I guaranty you he cares about this
community. Thank you very much.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you, Mayor. Mr. Simeon, would you like to say a
few words?
(At this time, Public Works Director Allan Simeon came forward to
address the members of the Council.)
MR. SIMEON: It would be an honor to say a few words. Sorry, I’m kind of
nervous. First of all, I would like to say thank you to our Mayor, Harry Kim, for
giving me this opportunity. He is so patient with me. We did talk about it. But I
believe that this is an opportunity, not only for me but for the department, to be
able to move forward and also to bring stability in the department. I don’t want to
have our employees to be thinking, “Who’s going to come in next?” or “When are
you going to take the position?” So, I apologize for the long due, but yeah, thank
you. I would like to say, again, thank you to our Mayor for this great opportunity
to serve not only the County but also to the people of Hawai‘i County.
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Ever since I started in 1997, August 18, I feel that I’m blessed to be a part of the
County. I believe that wherever you are, whether outside or inside the County,
it’s a person that has the opportunity to do good especially in serving the public.
I’m looking forward to work and continuing to work with the Administration,
with the different departments, with the Council, of course, and to all the people
that come our way whether they bring complaints or solutions. I believe our door
is open to talk about it and see where the solution or at least a step forward is
taken.
I wouldn’t be here today if not because of people who have helped me along the
way. And similarly, I would like to thank Wil and Joe and, of course, a lot of
people here for their support. They may not have said something today, but in
spirit I know that they are in support of me. And I’m very thankful for that.
The department is only as good as its employees. So, I want to thank you from
our Deputy Director Merrick Nishimoto, who willingly took the position after
about two or three tries that I did ask him. But one of the considerations that we
had to take was we would like to also have some representation on the Kona side
and also knowledge in the Building Department, knowledge in the Engineering
Department and the Public Works as a whole. And I see the leadership in him. In
fact, he teaches me a lot. He very well fits that mold. He’s the head of our
department. And again, I cannot thank him enough for joining me and for joining
the department.
And also for the support staff; the division chiefs that we work with, six of them,
and all the way down to the new recruit. Basically, this is our team. We have to
work together to serve the County and the people in this community. Again, I
cannot thank you enough, also the Council, the Mayor, the Administration, and
everybody here, and those who are in spirit joining me here.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
And if I may just leave one thing, I believe each day is a blessing. And each
blessing is an opportunity to move forward and to do something good for the
community, for the people of Hawai‘i, to one another and to ourselves. Thank
you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. I will open up for Council Members.
Council Member Kanuha.
MR. KANUHA: Thank you, Madam Chair. Aloha, Allan. No need be nervous.
We don’t bite, or at least not today. Nah, just kidding. Congratulations. Great
pick, Mayor Kim. And really what you describe as a leader, having the team with
you, yeah, you’re only as good as your entire team. So, I really appreciate that
because the working together, looking at who you’re working with to buildup that
team is a great attribute for a leader. So, congratulations.
Having Merrick on board is another big thing. So, I just want to say
congratulations. I fully support your nomination, and I’m really looking forward
to working with you.
MR. SIMEON: Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. Council Member Richards.
MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. I’m going to echo some of what
Councilman Kanuha said. Allan, thank you so much for stepping up. Mayor, I’m
a little concerned that he didn’t stick to his guns and didn’t keep turning you
down. Just kidding, Allan. But no, all kidding aside, Allan, I’ve enjoyed working
with you in the past as deputy, in coming forward with you and your deputy,
Merrick. I truly look forward. Our meetings earlier this week, I have to
completely agree with the Mayor, excellent. So, I look forward to working with
you. I’ll be supporting.
MR. SIMEON: Same here. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. Council Member David.
MS. DAVID: Aloha and mahalo, Chair. Aloha, Allan. I’m so happy. Didn’t
know why it took so long for you to accept this position, but I worked with the
department as long as I can remember being on the Council. And I’ve always had
good experiences and very open-mindedness and willingness to help. I know you
bring that to the table, and I look forward to working with you and your staff.
I can’t tell you how much I support your appointment. And thank you, Mayor,
recognizing that Mr. Nishimoto on the Kona side is a very big plus. Because, not
only he’s on the Kona side but he’s from Kona and knows everything about that
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side of the island, which is a benefit I think to the department. And so, I
congratulate you. I totally support your nomination. And all I have to say is,
Mayor, all good things come to those who wait. So, thank you very much.
Aloha.
MR. SIMEON: Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. Council Member Eoff.
MS. EOFF: Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning. I want to completely
agree with what my colleagues have already stated, and I just want to add that we
can sense the changes already. So, this last year and starting last year, I think,
too, we feel the willingness to work together with you and the responsiveness.
And it just feels like there’s been a shift in the morale and moving forward feeling
in the department. And so, I just wanted to say that I think this is a great choice,
and thank you very much, Allan, for agreeing to take the job.
MR. SIMEON: Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. Council Member Ruggles.
MS. RUGGLES: Thank you, Allan. I really appreciate you taking—it actually
took me a long time to figure out whether or not I was going to run as well. It
took me a few months. So don’t feel bad.
I just want to say that in the time that I worked with you just in the past year and a
half, I’ve been really impressed. And you’re just so kind and polite and tactful.
Your communication is so neutral and professional and non-political. I really
appreciate that. So, I’m really looking forward to working with you. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. Council Member Lee Loy.
MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Allan, for stepping up. I’ve
enjoyed our meetings together. One thing that I’ve appreciated about our
meetings with staff is that conversations always start with, “We’re amongst
friends.” And when you start a conversation like that, the ability to think outside
the box, look for alternative solutions, really thrives. That is what I am excited
about with you and the team that you’ve assembled, that sometimes an outside-
the-box thought is not immediately shelved with, “No, it’s not going to work.”
And I want to continue to encourage you and the rest of your team to do that
because, one, Public Works is a big department with a lot of kuleana, but it
directly impacts everyone on the island whether it’s paving roads, safety issues,
responding to emergencies. That idea to have other alternatives or other solutions
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is what I’m excited about. I’m going to stand in very strong support of your
nomination and look forward to the continued working relationship that we have.
So, thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member O’Hara.
MS. O’HARA: Thank you, Chair. And thank you, Allan, for finally agreeing.
And thank you, Mayor, for being persistent to get Mr. Simeon into the position of
Director of Public Works. I think you will fill this position well. I have worked
with you now for a year and a half, approximately, and it’s been a wonderful
experience. As Ms. Ruggles said, your communications are clear and
professional. Sometimes we may not always agree on an approach, but we
generally work it out and find a way to go.
I really enjoyed meeting with your team. They are some of the best meetings that
I have here at the County and, all joking aside, they are a fun group. And like
Ms. Lee Loy said, that camaraderie and ability to just speak frankly allows for
ideas to be floated that we hadn’t considered previously and for new solutions to
be sought. So that’s really important.
And perhaps I’ve been working with or dealing with our Public Works
Department for years, since the 198Os, on different road issues in Puna, and this
is the first time I really feel that we have that kind of connection where we can
work out the solutions. Because as you well know, Puna has a lot of road issues;
the whole island does, but in particular, Puna. And there’s a lot of things that we
need to work out.
So I’m just really grateful that you accepted the position. I like your comment
about providing continuity for the staff; that’s really important. When things are
in turmoil, up and down, and changing all the time, it is difficult on the staff. So,
I like your leadership style, and I’m really happy to welcome you to this position.
I’ll be fully supporting. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. Council Member Chung.
MR. CHUNG: I think it’s no secret that I’m not a big fan of the way some
appointments are made, particularly the lack of having a probationary period. We
basically vote for people based on what they tell us, a few minutes and it’s really
a leap of faith.
But with Allan, it’s a little bit different because he has a long history of good
service with the County. In fact, it was kind of agonizing for a lot of us, I know,
awaiting your decision to accept. In fact, I know on several occasions, I would
ask my staff, “Allan—did we confirm him yet or what?” ‘Cause I’m old, yeah, so
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sometimes we might have confirmed him and I might have forgotten. And they
said, “No, he hasn’t even decided. He doesn’t want to take the job.” I said,
“What? What’s the matter with him?” So, I’m really glad that you’re on board.
And what I really like about you, Allan, and first of all, you are qualified. And I
believe you are a man of integrity, although I have been proven wrong on several
individuals over the course of my many years. I hope you don’t prove me wrong
on that one. But what I really like about you is that you’re humble. And with
humility comes a lot of good qualities built into the humility. You don’t think
you’re better than people. You gave a lot of credit to your deputy and others.
And as long as you don’t think you’re better than others or you’re the smartest
person in the world or you have all the answers, then you’re able to accept
different ideas. And that is the all-important quality that any government official
should have, I believe—and you have it. I’ve seen it over the many years that you
and I have worked together. So, thank you very much for accepting, finally, and
congratulations. I look forward to working with you.
If I could make one request, though, we’ve got to fix the permitting process.
Okay? I mean, I’ve heard over many years that we going do this, do that, and
different things were implemented. But if you guys cannot do it administratively
then you can expect that we might have to do something legislatively. And I
don’t think you guys want that. So, please try to do that. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Any other—okay. I’d like to just say thank you. First of
all, thank you to Mayor Kim for never giving up, being persistent, and not taking
no for an answer. For Allan, thank you for accepting and thank you for all that
you do. You have an open door. You’re so easily approachable; never hesitate to
call and have to get an appointment even. I can call you directly.
But you have led by example, and you manage with so much aloha and that’s
what we need. It’s that managing with aloha, and you have that. So, thank you so
much. And I look forward to continuing to work with you.
MR. SIMEON: Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: So, Mr. Clerk, at this time, we’re going to—
MR. SIMEON: Madam Chair, if I can just say something before I forget.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Sure.
MR. SIMEON: And again, thank you again for all your nice words. I’ll do my
best, and our department will do our best to address a lot of the issues or questions
I had heard before. We cannot promise you results that it will come out all
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positive at one time, but we can promise you efforts. And I believe that in our
team we have that. And before I miss, I would like to say thank you to my
family, especially my wife there, Irene, and to my mom who is at Life Care at the
moment and with my family. ‘Cause that, I believe, and the Mayor had told me,
“Your family is No. 1.” And I do thank him for that. And I want to thank them
for their support for me to take this position. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. Thank you, Allan. So as we confirm the
appointment of Allan Simeon and close file on Communication 819, I’d like to go
to a roll call vote. Thank you.
Vote on Comm. 819: The motion to confirm the appointment of Allan Simeon as
(Approved) Public Works Director was carried by the following roll
call vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. This communication has been filed and
confirming the appointment of Allan Simeon. Congratulations.
Recess: At 11:09 a.m., the Chair called for a recess.
Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 11:17 a.m.
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:
Res. 555-18: TRANSFERS/APPROPRIATES AN APPROPRIATION OUT AND FROM A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT AND CREDITS SAME TO A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT TO PROVIDE A GRANT TO WAIKOLOA
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FOR EXPENSES
RELATING TO THE VISITING FILM ARTIST PROGRAM
Transfers $2,500 from the Clerk-Council Services – Contingency Relief account
(Council District 9); and credits to the Department of Research and Development,
Big Island Film Office account.
Reference: Comm. 831
Intr. by: Mr. Richards
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Motion to Approve: Mr. Richards moved to adopt Res. 555-18. Seconded by
Ms. Lee Loy.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Richards.
MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. Just a brief summary. We’ve already had
a great explanation about this. And the way I view a lot of this is that we’re
exposing the youth to the next events in their life. And by reaching out a little bit
farther and exposing them to something that they may otherwise not have contact
with, I think we can trigger some things. I’m reminded that Auli‘i Cravalho from
Kohala, who we know better as the voice of Moana, she came from Kohala. And
this is the film industry in that same venue. So again, I ask for my colleagues’
support. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Any other discussion? Seeing or hearing none, all those
in favor say “aye.”
Vote on Res. 555-18: The motion to adopt Res. 555-18 was carried by the
(Adopted) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards,
and Chair Poindexter – 8.
Noes: None.
Absent: Council Member Ruggles – 1.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Okay, Reso. 555 is adopted.
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Bill 109: AMENDS SECTION 25-8-33 (CITY OF HILO ZONE MAP), ARTICLE 8,
CHAPTER 25 (ZONING CODE) OF THE HAWAI‘I COUNTY CODE 1983
(2016 EDITION, AS AMENDED), BY CHANGING THE DISTRICT
CLASSIFICATION FROM SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL – 15,000 SQUARE
FEET (RS-15) TO SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL – 10,000 SQUARE FEET
(RS-10) AT WAIĀKEA HOMESTEADS, SOUTH HILO, HAWAI‘I, COVERED
BY TAX MAP KEY: 2-4-010:028
(Applicant: OYS Properties, LLC) (Area: approx. 21,815 square feet)
The Windward Planning Commission forwards its favorable recommendation for
this change of zone, which would allow the applicant to subdivide the property
into two lots. The applicant intends to build a new dwelling on the newly created
lot and retain the existing dwelling on the other lot.
Reference: Comm. 753
Intr. by: Ms. Eoff (B/R)
First Reading: March 28, 2018
Motion to Approve: Ms. Eoff moved to pass Bill 109 on second and final
reading. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Eoff.
MS. EOFF: Mr. Kern, did you want to provide any further comments? I know
we’ve been discussing this in a favorable light for several readings.
(Note: At this time, Zendo Kern, applicant’s representative, came forward
to address the members of the Council.)
MR. KERN: Thank you very much. I’m Zendo Kern, planning consultant
representing the applicant. Good morning, Madam Chair and members of the
County Council. Really, only if you folks have questions. It’s very simple,
straight forward. I think we did go through it multiple times. So, I’m happy to
answer any questions, and thank you for your time.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. Anyone with any questions? Seeing or
hearing none, all those in favor say “aye.”
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Vote on Bill 109: The motion to pass Bill 109 on second and final reading
(Adopted) was carried by the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards,
and Chair Poindexter – 8.
Noes: None.
Absent: Council Member Ruggles – 1.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Bill 109 is adopted.
MR. KERN: Thank you for taking me out of order, and I hope you’ll all have a
really smooth day. Bye.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you.
Res. 558-18: AUTHORIZES THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AN
AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE OF HAWAI‘I DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION, PURSUANT TO HAWAI‘I REVISED STATUTES
SECTION 46-7, FOR A GRANT TO THE HAWAI‘I FIRE DEPARTMENT
Funds in the amount of $35,000 would be used to reimburse the department for
battery-powered rescue tools to be used by the Honoka‘a Fire Company to
respond to motor vehicle collisions.
Reference: Comm. 847
Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R)
Waived: FC
Motion to Approve: Ms. David moved to adopt Res. 558-18. Seconded by
Mr. Richards.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member David, we have our Battalion Chief.
MS. DAVID: Yes, I think Battalion Chief Todd is here. Would you please come
up, Chief, and then give us a short description of the funding? And just identify
yourself for the record first.
(At this time, Battalion Chief Kazuo Todd came forward to address the
members of the Council.)
MR. TODD: My name is Kazuo Todd. I’m a battalion chief for the Hawai‘i Fire
Department and I run Auxiliary Services, which is pretty much everything else in
the department besides the response to emergencies.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
So, for the $35,000, reimbursement is actually a Federal grant through NHTSA
(National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), which is basically dealing
with Department of Transportation and the Highways. And the equipment that
will be purchased is going to be used to allow us to respond. And if you guys
have ever seen the television shows with the different fire companies and such
and you see the jaws of life, this is essentially what we’re buying here for the
Honoka‘a Fire Station.
The newer equipment nowadays doesn’t require a lot of the older heavy pieces of
equipment that used to come with it, and also the existing that we have out in the
field is approximately like 20 years old and aging. So, we’re trying to bring in
newer equipment that’s lighter, more efficient, and stronger than our older stuff
and a little bit easier to get in there and get the job done. You have any
questions?
CHR. POINDEXTER: Any questions or concerns? Hearing none, all those in
favor of Resolution 558 say “aye.”
Vote on Res. 558-18: The motion to adopt Res. 558-18 was carried by the
(Adopted) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 558 is adopted.
Res. 559-18: AUTHORIZES THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR TO ENTER INTO AN
AGREEMENT WITH THE STATE OF HAWAI‘I DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION, PURSUANT TO HAWAI‘I REVISED STATUTES
SECTION 46-7, FOR A GRANT TO THE HAWAI‘I FIRE DEPARTMENT
Funds in the amount of $13,340 would be used to reimburse the department for
child passenger safety inspection clinics to be held throughout Hawai‘i Island in
support of the department’s Child Passenger Safety program.
Reference: Comm. 848
Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R)
Waived: FC
Motion to Approve: Ms. David moved to adopt Res. 559-18. Seconded by
Mr. Kanuha.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member David.
MS. DAVID: Thank you. Battalion Chief, could you just give us a brief
rundown? This was waived from Committee and that’s why I’m asking you to
describe this for us. Thanks.
(At this time, Battalion Chief Kazuo Todd came forward to address the
members of the Council.)
MR. TODD: Again, I’m Battalion Chief Todd from the Hawai‘i Fire Department.
So, the $13,340 is actually still part of that NHTSA grant, and this allows us to
fund our program where we do training around the island and a variety of events
throughout the year. And we train our recruits and some of our personnel to be
techs in terms of how to properly install car seats. So, our records show that
almost 99 percent of the cars that do end up coming in for our clinics are not
installing them correctly.
And we also use the funding to provide car seats for some families that need
them. So, we give out over 40 car seats a year. And we see about 200 cars a year
that come in with newborns or families that have kids or maybe they’re a little bit
unable to purchase the kinds of things they need to properly keep their kids safe.
So, that’s one of the programs we’ve been running for five years now and seeing a
lot of good, I guess, feedback into the community. And it’s very successful.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Richards.
MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. Just compliments to the Fire Department
for running that program. I have three-and-a-half-year-old twins, and installing
those car seats can be quite challenging. If someone just shows you the tricks, it’s
real quick. So again, thanks for doing that. A good program. I yield.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. Council Member Lee Loy.
MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Battalion Chief, for being here. I
just had a question as to where the funds are generated. I know it’s coming from
the National Highway Safety Administration. Is that like a Federal program, or is
it when we pay our fuel tax? A portion of it goes into these buckets of money
which then get kind of doled back to us.
MR. TODD: So, I’m not actually familiar with where that funding source comes
from. I know it’s Federal and that, basically, we’re allowed to apply for the
grants to fund certain types of programs. So, some of those things would be like
extrication things and it deals primarily with NHTSA for highway-based issues.
So in this case, we’re seeking the extrication equipment as well as the car seats for
the needy families out there.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. Actually, that would be really interesting to know. I
mean, we pay taxes all over the place and it would be actually good to understand
that return on investment.
MR. TODD: I will see if I can get you that information.
MS. LEE LOY: That would be really interesting. Thank you, Battalion Chief.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. Any other discussion? Seeing or hearing
none, all those in favor of Bill 559, say “aye.” All those opposed?
MS. DAVID: Resolution 559.
CHR. POINDEXTER: I mean Resolution 559, I’m sorry; I said “bill.”
Vote on Res. 559-18: The motion to adopt Res. 559-18 was carried by the
(Adopted) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 559 is adopted.
Bill 130: AMENDS ORDINANCE NO. 17-39, AS AMENDED, THE OPERATING
BUDGET FOR THE COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
ENDING JUNE 30, 2018
Increases revenues in the State Grants – Wireless E911 Fees account ($92,000);
and appropriates the same to the Wireless E911 account for a total appropriation
of $1,170,000. Funds would be used to purchase dispatch workstations for Fire
Radio Dispatchers and upgrade current real-time monitoring of 911 call center
operations to a PowerOps system.
Reference: Comm. 846
Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R)
Waived: FC
Motion to Approve: Ms. David moved to pass Bill 130 on first reading.
Seconded by Mr. Kanuha.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member David.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
MS. DAVID: Yes. Battalion Chief, could you please explain? This was also
waived. Thank you.
(At this time, Battalion Chief Kazuo Todd came forward to address the
members of the Council.)
MR. TODD: Not a problem. Again, my name is Battalion Chief Kazuo Todd.
So, this particular expenditure of funds is something that’s going to be reimbursed
through the State, through the E911 fees. So, when you guys have cellphones,
you’re paying actually towards the E911 fund which accumulates, and there’s a
board in Honolulu. And one of the things that the E911 funds’ purpose is, is to
help each of the jurisdictions in this County or in the State secure when someone
dials 911, that it actually gets into the center. And so, they fund certain things
that allow us to make that work.
So, one of these things on this list is a PowerOps system. And basically, the
PowerOps system is a realtime monitoring thing that lets us know how many calls
are coming in, how long those calls have waited. The current system we have
inside the system which does that is becoming obsolete, will no longer be
supported. And so, pretty much throughout the State, different dispatch centers
are upgrading their system to the new one, which is something that’s being paid
for through E911.
So, the money that we’re asking to be set aside is actually just being reimbursed.
But to fund it properly through the County, there has to be a line item for us to
pull it from initially and so on and so forth. So, that’s why we need this passed.
The other 70,000, approximately, is going to furniture which is designed to make
the workstations a little bit better. We have it sort of just put together currently at
the moment and it works, but this will allow us to work a little bit more
efficiently. And I should also mention that if any of you were ever interested in
actually coming and visiting dispatch and seeing what it’s like, that offer’s always
open.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. Okay, any questions? No? Okay, all those in
favor of Bill 109 say “aye.” All those opposed? Okay, Bill 109—
MR. MAEDA: That was Bill 130.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Oh, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m looking at Bill 109. We did
Bill 109; that was Zendo’s. Bill 130. So, everyone in favor of Bill 130, say
“aye.”
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Vote on Bill 130: The motion to pass Bill 130 on first reading was carried by
(Approved) the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Bill 130 is approved.
Bill 131: AMENDS ORDINANCE NO. 17-39, AS AMENDED, THE OPERATING
BUDGET FOR THE COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
ENDING JUNE 30, 2018
Appropriates revenues in the Federal Grants – Hawai‘i Fire Department (HFD)
Cordless Extrication Kit grant account ($35,000); and appropriates the same to the
HFD Cordless Extrication Kit grant account. Funds would be used to reimburse
the HFD for battery-powered rescue tools to be used by the Honoka‘a Fire
Company to respond to motor vehicle collisions.
Reference: Comm. 847
Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R)
Waived: FC
Motion to Approve: Ms. David moved to pass Bill 131 on first reading.
Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member David.
MS. DAVID: Yes, this is the companion to Resolution 558-18, which he already
explained. So if anyone else has questions, otherwise I ask for your support.
CHR. POINDEXTER: I see no lights on. Okay. So, everyone in favor of
Bill 131 say “aye.”
Vote on Bill 131: The motion to pass Bill 131 on first reading was carried by
(Approved) the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
CHR. POINDEXTER: Bill 131 is approved.
Bill 132: AMENDS ORDINANCE NO. 17-39, AS AMENDED, THE OPERATING
BUDGET FOR THE COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
ENDING JUNE 30, 2018
Appropriates revenues in the Federal Grants – Child Passenger Safety Program
account ($13,340); and appropriates the same to the Child Passenger Safety
Program account. Funds would be used to reimburse the Hawai‘i Fire
Department for child passenger safety inspection clinics to be held throughout
Hawai‘i Island in support of the department’s Child Passenger Safety program.
Reference: Comm. 848
Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R)
Waived: FC
Motion to Approve: Ms. David moved to pass Bill 132 on first reading.
Seconded by Ms. Eoff.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member David.
MS. DAVID: Thank you. This is the companion to Resolution 559-18, and I ask
for your support.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Any other discussion? Seeing or hearing none, all those
in favor of Bill 132 say “aye.”
Vote on Bill 132: The motion to pass Bill 132 on first reading was carried by
(Approved) the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Bill 132 is approved. Thank you. Thank you for being
here.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Bill 114: AMENDS ORDINANCE NO. 17-39, AS AMENDED, THE OPERATING
BUDGET FOR THE COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
ENDING JUNE 30, 2018
Increases revenues in the Federal Grants – Housing Choice Voucher Program
account ($2.5 million); and appropriates the same to the Voucher Rental Subsidies
account, for a total appropriation of $17.5 million. Funds would be used for
payment of rental assistance for eligible participants.
Reference: Comm. 781
Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R)
First Reading: March 28, 2018
Motion to Approve: Ms. David moved to pass Bill 114 on second and final
reading. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member David.
MS. DAVID: Yes, I believe this passed first reading with nine ayes, but
Mr. Gyotoku is here and Sharon if anyone has questions.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Any questions? Seeing or hearing none, all those in favor
of Bill 114 say “aye.”
Vote on Bill 114: The motion to pass Bill 114 on second and final reading
(Adopted) was carried by the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Bill 114 is adopted.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Bill 121: AMENDS ORDINANCE NO. 17-39, AS AMENDED, THE OPERATING
BUDGET FOR THE COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
ENDING JUNE 30, 2018
Increases revenues in the Federal Grants – Housing Choice Voucher Program
account ($75,000); and appropriates the same to the Voucher Rental Subsidies
account, for a total appropriation of $15,075,000. Funds would be used for
Housing Assistance Payment subsidies.
Reference: Comm. 799
Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R)
Approve: FC-96
Motion to Approve: Ms. David moved to pass Bill 121 on first reading and
adopt Finance Committee Report No. 96. Seconded by
Ms. Lee Loy.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member David.
MS. DAVID: Yes, this is also another bill that passed unanimously. So, I just
ask for your support.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Okay, any other discussion? Mr. Gyotoku, did you want
to say something?
(At this time, Housing Administrator Neil Gyotoku came forward to
address the members of the Council.)
MR. GYOTOKU: Yes. I just wanted to mention that this increase in revenue is
for our housing voucher program. It relates to what we call VASH, Veterans
Affairs Supportive Housing, vouchers that are designated for veterans only. It
increases our Housing Choice Voucher subsidies up to about $250,000 a year.
So, this will just be for the balance of this fiscal year.
In early January, I believe, HUD (United States Department of Housing and
Urban Development) informed us that we had an allocation of VASH vouchers
available. Ms. Sharon Hirota, here on my left, was very instrumental in applying
and getting those additional vouchers for our program. It’s a very small allocation
but it does help a little bit more.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. All those in favor of Bill 121 say “aye.”
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Vote on Bill 121: The motion to pass Bill 121 on first reading and adopt
(Approved) Finance Committee Report No. 96 was carried by the
following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Bill 121 is approved.
Bill 122: AMENDS CHAPTER 2, ARTICLE 39, SECTION 2-194 OF THE HAWAI‘I
COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING TO THE
WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPORTUNITY ACT (WIOA)
PROGRAM
Allows the County to accept State funds for the WIOA program.
Reference: Comm. 814
Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R)
First Reading: March 28, 2018
Motion to Approve: Ms. David moved to pass Bill 122 on second and final
reading. Seconded by Ms. Eoff.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member David.
MS. DAVID: Yes, this is also a bill that passed first reading unanimously. So, I
ask your continued support.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Okay. Any other discussion? Seeing or hearing none, all
those in favor say “aye.”
Vote on Bill 122: The motion to pass Bill 122 on second and final reading
(Adopted) was carried by the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
CHR. POINDEXTER: Bill 122 is adopted. I want to say that we go to Bill 115,
but I think that’s it for you, yeah?
MR. GYOTOKU: Thank you very much.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you very much.
Bill 115: AMENDS ORDINANCE NO. 17-39, AS AMENDED, THE OPERATING
BUDGET FOR THE COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
ENDING JUNE 30, 2018
Decreases the appropriation in the Geothermal Other Current Expenses account
($30,000); and appropriates the same to the Geothermal Parks and Recreation
account. Funds would be used by the Department of Parks and Recreation to
provide access to computers and wireless internet connection (Wi-Fi) at the Pāhoa
Community Center.
Reference: Comm. 786
Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R)
First Reading: March 28, 2018
Motion to Approve: Ms. David moved to pass Bill 115 on second and final
reading. Seconded by Ms. O’Hara.
MS. DAVID: I will yield to Ms. O’Hara.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member O’Hara.
MS. O’HARA: Thank you. This was actually a “by request” bill, and we have
both Planning and Finance here who played a part in developing this request for
Geothermal Relocation and Community Benefit funds. And we spent a lot of
time discussing this in its first read. So, I don’t want to reiterate things that we
already discussed and get very wordy.
But there were a couple new developments I would like you to be aware of and
that is, subsequent to our meeting two weeks ago Wednesday, I made a call to the
Mayor’s Office and had a conference call with Mayor Kim to find out what
actions he was taking towards realizing and giving relief on the three actions that
are being demanded here and have been demanded for 29, 30 years. Those three
actions are the source monitoring request, which can lead us to a realtime
notification system, and an emergency evacuation plan. The community has not
had that in 29 years. The plant has been operating since 1989. This is a real
travesty in my opinion. I totally agree.
What I did find out was the very day we had our Council meeting two weeks ago,
he was meeting with oceanographer Dr. Steve Businger from UH Mānoa
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
(University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa) about a new type of approach to monitoring the
source and that will be using infrared technology. What the Mayor was presented
with was basically a white paper. It wasn’t a full proposal; it was the concept
idea. And the Mayor, rightly so, didn’t feel he had the technical expertise to
evaluate. So, he asked Dr. Businger to visit DOH (Department of Health) and
also the company PGV (Puna Geothermal Venture).
I then had a meeting with the folks from Puna Pono Alliance. Unfortunately,
Luana Jones, who had testified today and testified previously, was unable to make
that meeting. I believe it was a week ago. Although, most of the other testifiers
that came before us today and previously were at the meeting, other than
Jane Hedtke who testified this morning. I’m sorry that she wasn’t at the meeting
because we were able to sort out some of the background issues.
And basically, we’re at a point where if Dr. Businger’s approach can be verified
to have technical merit and will provide for that realtime notification system and
then we can do the emergency evacuation plans, then we can move on to the
second step which is getting that funded. That would normally be funded out of
the Geothermal Asset Fund, which is the separate fund from the one that we’re
talking about today. And currently, that fund has 2 million in unencumbered
balance. And according to Dr. Businger, his estimate on fully rolling out the
technology, the source monitoring, the realtime notification system would cost
somewhere between 3-$400,000. So, the money resides in the Asset Fund to do
that.
But first, we have to evaluate whether or not the technology is robust enough to
meet the needs of the public and keep them safe. So, I’m in communication with
Dr. Businger. We’ve had phone calls, emails going back and forth, and he will be
sharing the full proposal when he gets it written. He is used to having all of his
proposals vetted, and he would expect that much.
So, I’ll be reaching out. And we had a discussion with Puna Pono Alliance as to
who would make a good third-party evaluator other than DOH, other than the
company itself. We want a third-party evaluator. And it’s recognized that
Tom Travis, who’s head of our State Civil Defense, has background here. He
previously lived in Kapoho and is very familiar with the whole geothermal issue.
So, I’ll be reaching out to Tom—and Dr. Businger knows Tom Travis as well—
will be reaching out to him for a reference on who would be the technical person
who could advise us as to the approach and whether it meets muster.
So, that’s where we left things last week at our meeting. And I told him that I was
going to be proceeding with this $30,000 request, which was initiated internally
by the Administration due to the fact that we couldn’t shift CIP monies that were
left over from the original conversion of the fire station to the senior center into
an operations account—and this is operations.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
So, the additional clarification that some people were confused about, I’m not
sure that they’re seeing this pink sheet out in the public that explains that it’s for
both facilities: the senior center, the Pāhoa Neighborhood Facility. This is why
this pink sheet is attached to clarify the use. So, that’s all that’s new. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. Council Member Ruggles.
MS. RUGGLES: Thank you. I appreciate the information, Ms. O’Hara. I
reached out to Puna Pono Alliance, and I actually became aware, I wasn’t aware
of this, but there are actually three pending lawsuits right now. And I wanted to
really understand what the reservations were considering that this wouldn’t touch
the Asset Fund, which is responsible for taking care of these projects that the
community wants. And their explanation was that they’re hesitant to spend the
funds because we don’t know the final cost of what all of these projects will be,
and which are for the emergency preparedness plan and the air monitoring and the
phone notification, and now gas masks.
So, I keep asking myself is there any way that we can protect these funds until we
know what the costs are and provide the seniors with Wi-Fi. Certainly, these
funds should come out of the General Fund. But yes, since I’ve brought up many
times before, and as many testifiers have brought up, Puna is underserved. It’s
unfortunate that we have to look towards taking royalties from a toxic industrial
operation that’s operating in one of our neighborhoods where people live because,
very simply, we’re not getting our fair share. We have to divide our underserved
community to scramble for scraps for basic services; internet for our seniors that
makeup—we’re almost a quarter of the population and we don’t even have
internet for our community out there. So, I want to ask Director Sako if you could
come up, please?
(At this time, Finance Director Deanna Sako came forward to address the
members of the Council.)
MS. SAKO: Good morning. Deanna Sako, Director of Finance.
MS. RUGGLES: Thank you. I just wanted to confirm with you that there’s
absolutely no mechanism that we can use that would take the CIP funds that are
left over from the park and use it for the Wi-Fi at the senior center.
MS. SAKO: My understanding is that it’s going to be used for Wi-Fi and
computers at the senior center—that’s equipment. In our operating budget, we do
have Salaries and Wages – Operating Funds and Equipment. That’s not the same
thing as a capital project. A capital project is more like a building or a road or
something that’s substantial in nature. And frequently, it’s the things we use our
bond money for.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
So, we have criteria we have to follow through Governmental Accounting
Standards Board, and we get audited on those things. So right now, based on my
understanding of the project, no, we cannot use the money that’s in the capital
project fund for that.
MS. RUGGLES: Okay, thank you. I did talk with Mr. Kamelamela earlier just to
see if there was some way that we could finagle the definition of “capital
improvement projects” to meet this Wi-Fi installation, and it doesn’t meet the
criteria in any way. That’s all the questions I have. Thank you.
So, after hearing all of the testimony, the feeling in my gut changed towards this
bill because we don’t know how much these plans are going to cost; how much
the source monitoring, the emergency response plan, and the phone notification is
going to cost. And until we do and until we can ensure the community that they’ll
get what they’re entitled to, what the funds were originally for which was to
mitigate the impact of this toxic industrial operation in our neighborhood, that I
don’t think we should spend the funds on anything unrelated. It isn’t right. It just
doesn’t feel right to me.
So, I’m with the community that’s impacted by geothermal. It doesn’t make
sense that they would make up stories of the blowout, of passing out. Why would
they make these stories up? So they can get free gas masks? So they can get a
fancy emergency response plan? There’s no alternate motive from them, and
they’re here testifying before us like they have been for almost three decades
because they’re concerned for their safety. And this is reasonable.
So, I checked my Contingency Relief Funds, and I actually have exactly $30,000
in my CRF (Contingency Relief Funds) left because a few of our CRFs were
denied. Thank you, Joe. And so, this was originally going to go for emergency
call boxes in Kalapana, but because the contract is taking so long with the
company in Canada that it’s not going to happen until next budget cycle anyway.
So, I’d be happy to commit my current contingency funds for the Wi-Fi at the
senior center so that we can protect these funds until we know what the costs are
going to be for these three projects. Because, you never know what’s going to
happen down the road and what the costs associated are going to be. And I
commit my funds to fund the Wi-Fi at the senior center. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: I guess the denial of your other CRFs is a blessing in
disguise. Council Member O’Hara.
MS. O’HARA: Hallelujah, that’s all I’ve got to say. It doesn’t feel right even
though we’re talking different funds and even though we have a fairly good
estimate on what these three actions are going to cost, 3-400,000, and we know
that we have the money in the bank. But there are unknowns always. And I
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
appreciate that you have an alternative solution to pay for the program. This is
wonderful news. The senior center is actually in your district. So, I really
appreciate this.
And I’m just going to ask the Director of Finance, would that be a way to move
forward on this particular program so she can give her CRF to Parks and
Recreation and move this forward that way? ‘Cause Roxy, who was here earlier,
said she’s already committed to the project and moving on it. So, that’s really
excellent alternative. Thank you, Ms. Ruggles.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Chung.
MR. CHUNG: I’m glad this is heading toward a happy ending. I’m going to be
voting against this measure. I had sought some guidance from both of the
Council Members from Puna but, having not received a clear signal from one of
them, I voted no. Tried to reconsider my vote, was not allowed to do so. But
having given it more thought over the ensuing two weeks or month—ah, two
weeks, I believe that using the monies from this fund, notwithstanding the fact
that it was allowed for by some rule change, flies in the face of the purpose of that
fund.
And I’m glad that Ms. Ruggles can find the money because it seems to be a much
needed service over there in Puna. But I believe that they also—this service has
to be funded from the General Fund and not this other fund. So, I’d be voting
against it. I’m wondering if it’s moot, however, given the fact that Ms. Ruggles is
going to be funding it with her Contingency Relief Funds.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Before I give it back to Ms. O’Hara, Council
Member Lee Loy.
MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Yeah, I voted against this bill down in
Committee, and I’m a little annoyed right now because the Finance Committee
Report lists everybody saying “aye.” And we can edit that later. I voted against
this measure because, like Mr. Chung iterated, there’s a community out there and
a fund that was established, and there were conditions applied to that and they
have not been met. And I think it’s time that people stand up and have some
courage to start holding this fund accountable to what it’s supposed to deliver. As
Mr. Chung said, it might be a moot point and maybe even withdrawing it at this
point might be just a better venue.
But I just want to share this is going to be kind of a signal going forward. If we
cannot move the other asks and the other conditions that this fund was established
for after waiting 30 years, it’s unacceptable for us to pinch out the money. That’s
just disrespectful. And some real robust conversations need to be had with the
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Administration, and hopefully there will be more people at the table to get those
things accomplished. Thirty years is a long time to wait. So, that’s where I stand.
I’m going to be voting against this measure.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. And I think for clarification purposes, I think
it was at the Committee level the vote was no.
MS. O’HARA: It was nine ayes.
CHR. POINDEXTER: I mean, the Committee level it was nine ayes, and then the
first reading it was no. So, that’s just to clarify that the pink copy we have in here
is correct. It was at the Committee that everybody voted aye. But, Council
Member O’Hara.
MS. O’HARA: Well, I’m really delighted we have an alternative solution to this.
I agree that the three asks need to get done, and they should have gotten done all
these years. And I think maybe we’re on a path to getting that done. I want the
Council, though, to recognize there isn’t just one fund. There are two funds, and
they have different missions assigned to the two funds. And it’s most appropriate
that the technical dispersion modeling, or whatever we want to call the effort to
get source monitoring, is put in place as soon as we possibly can and that we
reserve the $2 million that’s in the Asset Fund until we get these things done.
There is concern in my mind because there is work being done and we’re moving
it forward. And I would hope this group can help push that through ‘cause it
needs to be properly evaluated. So, I’m really happy that we have a solution.
I would like to postpone the current bill indefinitely. I’m not the maker but I
think I can do that, yeah?
CHR. POINDEXTER: Yeah.
MS. O’HARA: Okay.
Motion to Postpone: Ms. O’Hara moved to postpone Bill 115 indefinitely.
Seconded by Mr. Kanuha.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Any discussion on—no? Okay, all those in favor say
“aye.”
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Vote on Motion to The motion to postpone Bill 115 indefinitely was carried by
Postpone: the following voice vote:
(Approved)
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Bill 115 has been postponed indefinitely.
Return to Order The Chair directed the Council to return to the order of business.
of Business:
Comm. 844: AUTHORIZES THE ACCEPTANCE OF A DONATION OF 14 FOLDING
CHAIRS AND 3 TABLES
Donated by On Target, Inc., with a total estimated value of $558, this donation
would be used at the Department of Parks and Recreation’s Hilo Trap and Skeet
Range.
Waived: FC
Vote on Comm. 844: Mr. Richards moved to approve the donation of 14 folding
(Approved) chairs and 3 tables. Seconded by Ms. Eoff and carried by
the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 8.
Noes: None.
Absent: Council Member O’Hara – 1.
Excused: None.
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.)
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Res. 526-18: AUTHORIZES THE PAYMENT OF FUNDS OF A LATER FISCAL YEAR
AND MORE THAN ONE FISCAL YEAR FOR A MULTI-YEAR LEASE OF
REAL PROPERTY (WAREHOUSE) FOR THE OFFICE OF THE COUNTY
CLERK, ELECTIONS DIVISION
Authorizes the Mayor to enter into a new five-year sublease agreement with
Men’s Shop, Inc., to allow for the continued occupancy of warehouse space
located at 210 Maka‘ala Street, Hilo, with an approximate monthly cost of $1,630.
Reference: Comm. 790
Intr. by: Ms. Poindexter
Approve: FC-93
Vote on Res. 526-18: Ms. David moved to adopt Res. 526-18 and Finance
(Adopted) Committee Report No. 93. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy and
carried by the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 8.
Noes: None.
Absent: Council Member O’Hara – 1.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 526-18 is adopted.
Res. 527-18: AUTHORIZES THE PAYMENT OF FUNDS OF A LATER FISCAL YEAR
AND OF MORE THAN ONE FISCAL YEAR FOR A MULTI-YEAR LEASE
FOR ONE COPY MACHINE FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND
RECREATION
Authorizes the Mayor to enter into a five-year lease agreement for one copier to
be used by the Hawai‘i County Band, with an approximate monthly cost of $61
plus additional cost for each copy.
Reference: Comm. 797
Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R)
Approve: FC-94
Motion to Approve: Ms. David moved to adopt Res. 527-18 and Finance
Committee Report No. 94. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member David.
MS. DAVID: Just ask for your support.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
CHR. POINDEXTER: Okay. Any other discussion? Seeing or hearing none, all
those in favor say “aye.”
Vote on Res. 527-18: The motion to adopt Res. 527-18 and Finance Committee
(Adopted) Report No. 94 was carried by the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 8.
Noes: None.
Absent: Council Member O’Hara – 1.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 527 is adopted.
Res. 528-18: AUTHORIZES THE PAYMENT OF FUNDS OF A LATER FISCAL YEAR
AND OF MORE THAN ONE FISCAL YEAR FOR A MULTI-YEAR LEASE
FOR ONE COPY MACHINE FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE
Authorizes the Mayor to enter into a five-year lease agreement for one copier to
be used by the Real Property Tax Division in Hilo, with an approximate monthly
cost of $343 plus additional cost for each copy.
Reference: Comm. 798
Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R)
Approve: FC-95
Vote on Res. 528-18: Ms. David moved to adopt Res. 528-18 and Finance
(Adopted) Committee Report No. 95. Seconded by Ms. Eoff and
carried by the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 8.
Noes: None.
Absent: Council Member O’Hara – 1.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 528 is adopted.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Res. 537-18: TRANSFERS/APPROPRIATES AN APPROPRIATION OUT AND FROM A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT AND CREDITS SAME TO A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT TO PROVIDE A GRANT TO LĀLĀKEA
FOUNDATION FOR THE 2018 KA ‘AHA HULA ‘O HĀLAUAOLA
CONFERENCE
Transfers $2,500 from the Clerk-Council Services – Contingency Relief account
(Council District 2); and credits to the Department of Parks and Recreation,
Administration Other Current Expenses account.
Reference: Comm. 808
Intr. by: Mr. Chung
Postponed: March 28, 2018
(Note: There is a motion by Mr. Chung, seconded by Mr. Richards, to approve
Res. 537-18.)
Vote on Res. 537-18: The motion to adopt Res. 537-18 was carried by the
(Adopted) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 537-18 is adopted.
Res. 545-18: TRANSFERS/APPROPRIATES AN APPROPRIATION OUT AND FROM A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT AND CREDITS SAME TO A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT TO PROVIDE A GRANT TO
COMMUNITY FIRST INC. TO SUPPORT TROPIC CARE 2018
Transfers $1,000 from the Clerk-Council Services – Contingency Relief account
(Council District 2); and credits to the Department of Research and Development,
Business Development account.
Reference: Comm. 820
Intr. by: Mr. Chung
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Vote on Res. 545-18: Mr. Chung moved to adopt Res. 545-18. Seconded by
(Adopted) Ms. David and carried by the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 545-18 is adopted.
Res. 546-18: TRANSFERS/APPROPRIATES AN APPROPRIATION OUT AND FROM A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT AND CREDITS SAME TO A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT TO PROVIDE A GRANT TO THE
GRASSROOTS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GROUP TO SUPPORT THE
FOREST ROOTS II FAMILY EDUCATION DAY AND HUNTING
TOURNAMENT
Transfers $2,500 from the Clerk-Council Services – Contingency Relief account
(Council District 4); and credits to the Department of Research and Development,
Hawai‘i County Resource Center account.
Reference: Comm. 821
Intr. by: Ms. O’Hara
Motion to Approve: Ms. O’Hara moved to adopt Res. 546-18. Seconded by
Mr. Richards.
Vote on Motion to Ms. O’Hara moved to postpone Res. 546-18 to April 25,
Postpone: 2018. Seconded by Mr. Richards and carried by the
(Approved) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 546 is postponed.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Res. 547-18: TRANSFERS/APPROPRIATES AN APPROPRIATION OUT AND FROM A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT AND CREDITS SAME TO A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT TO PROVIDE A GRANT TO THE
KEA‘AU COUGARS ATHLETIC BOOSTERS CLUB FOR THE
2018 KEA‘AU HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT GRAD NIGHT
Transfers $2,000 from the Clerk-Council Services – Contingency Relief account
(Council District 3); and credits to the Department of Liquor Control, Public
Programs account.
Reference: Comm. 822
Intr. by: Ms. Lee Loy
Motion to Approve: Ms. Lee Loy moved to adopt Res. 547-18. Seconded by
Mr. Richards.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Lee Loy.
MS. LEE LOY: Asking for your support.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Any other discussion, questions? Seeing or hearing none,
all those in favor say “aye.”
Vote on Res. 547-18: The motion to adopt Res. 547-18 was carried by the
(Adopted) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 547-18 is adopted.
Res. 548-18: TRANSFERS/APPROPRIATES AN APPROPRIATION OUT AND FROM A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT AND CREDITS SAME TO A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT TO PROVIDE A GRANT TO BIG ISLAND
RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL FOR THE
TH
34 ANNUAL QUIKSILVER/BIG ISLAND PRO-AM SURFING TRIALS
Transfers $2,000 from the Clerk-Council Services – Contingency Relief account
(Council District 2); and credits to the Department of Liquor Control, Public
Programs account.
Reference: Comm. 823
Intr. by: Mr. Chung
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Motion to Approve: Mr. Chung moved to adopt Res. 548-18. Seconded by
Ms. Lee Loy.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Chung.
MR. CHUNG: I’m going to be asking for this body’s support. But in the spirit of
full disclosure, I want to point out that I received or my office received an e-mail
from Council Member, it doesn’t say “Chairman” so I don’t know if it was in her
capacity as chairman or as council member, but Val.
And I’m going to read it to you so all of you can just consider it and see if this is
an appropriate use of funds: “Public funds should not be used to sponsor
fundraising events and neither should such funds be used”—sorry, my eyes are
really bad—to be “used as donations for a fundraiser. In accordance with
Section 2-137, Hawai‘i County Code, public funds go toward a service or activity
that would provide direct benefits to the public. Having a service or activity for
the public at no charge clearly provides a direct benefit to the public. Also,
pursuant to Section 2-139(2)(a), Hawai‘i County Code, sponsoring a fundraising
event is not a specified service or activity for the public to participate at no
charge.”
I have a response to that, but I didn’t know if this was just an advisory or a
directive. I don’t know if any of you have ever received any type of memo like
this pertaining—
CHR. POINDEXTER: I can explain that, how it happened.
MR. CHUNG: Okay, please.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Because, I think it was taken out of context.
MR. CHUNG: I’m just reading what was sent to my office.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Yeah, right, it was sent to Amy because—
MR. CHUNG: My office.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Right. Because, I had gotten an email from the same
person saying that Council Member Chung is going to give money and why
couldn’t I give money. Well, what I did when I got the request, anytime I feel
like it may or may not be okay, I always send my information to Corp. Counsel to
get some advice from Corp. Counsel. So, when this guy sent me the e-mail and
he said he was referring to you and that you were giving so I should be able to
give, but I had already asked for my opinion from Corp. Counsel. So, I went to
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Amy and I said, “Amy, I know I got the same request but I’m not going to be able
to give because I got a response back from Corp. Counsel.” She asked me for
what that was and that’s the reason why I sent it to her.
So, it was not intended for me to tell you how to make your decision. I was
telling her, based on what the member said. The person who was requesting this
grant asked my office and referred to your office that you were giving. It’s two
separate. You can do what you want. I did what I needed to do. Amy asked, and
I said, “I can send you what Corp. Counsel sent me.” That’s the only reason why
I sent that. She wanted to see it. So, that was the only reason. You can make up
your own mind. I am not giving you that advice. I was giving Amy what she
requested to see from me. So, I just wanted to get that clear.
MR. CHUNG: So, just yes or no, did you guys vet this request? Okay, thanks.
Because, I did check with Joe. And quite frankly, look, I don’t know what people
are telling you. Because, I’m sure people who are requesting funds might say,
“Well, Ms. Ruggles gave and we’re wondering if you could give.” That doesn’t
mean I’m going to tell Ms. Ruggles, “Well, read something like this.” Right? It’s
your decision what you want to do, if you want to give or don’t give. It’s not like
I told them, “Eh, go talk to Val and get her to give money,” or anything. I have
no involvement in this. I’m just giving my money. Hopefully, it will have the
support of everyone here. And just keep me out of it unless it is a directive or
advisory to me, which I would still take offense. Right? But just leave me out of
it.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Because they mentioned your office and said that you said
certain—and I can share with you the e-mail—all I did out of courtesy, Council
Member Chung, is go to your office and tell Amy that, because he was expecting
that you and I. Amy just asked for that. I kindly sent that to her. That was it.
MR. CHUNG: Look—
CHR. POINDEXTER: My conversation with that—so all I’m saying is that was
out of courtesy that I just told—when your office staff asks me something, I will
check with you first before I send them anything. I’ll do that out of courtesy to
you.
MR. CHUNG: Me? Courtesy? ‘Cause I hope you understand my confusion.
I’m getting this thing, and all I’m looking at are the words.
CHR. POINDEXTER: I didn’t send it to you.
MR. CHUNG: Well, my office—
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
CHR. POINDEXTER: I sent it to Amy. Okay, I won’t send anything to your
office unless I check with you if it’s okay. So, okay. So, we’ll move on from
there.
MR. CHUNG: Wait. No. It’s not okay. Because, look, Val, all you had to do
was come and tell me, “Eh, Aaron, I’m getting a call from this guy and he’s
telling me you guys gave but I cannot give, okay. I’m not going to give you the
reasons why—”
CHR. POINDEXTER: Right. Well, I went to—
MR. CHUNG: Why do you have to put all of these legal details—
CHR. POINDEXTER: No, I went to your office to see you weren’t in. So, Amy
just asked me for that, so that’s why I gave it to her. So when she gave it to you,
if she would’ve explained what had happened, then you should’ve called me if
that—
MR. CHUNG: No, wait. No.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Okay, I’m going to stop. I’m taking a recess, five
minutes. We can talk about this some other time. This has nothing to do with
this. Recess five minutes.
Recess: At 12:14 p.m., the Chair called for a recess.
Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 12:20 p.m.
CHR. POINDEXTER: On Resolution 548-18, is there any further discussion?
MR. CHUNG: Yes. So, I’m just going to get to the merits of this matter. I have
to tangentially address it in terms of what has been written here. This is an event
that’s being held I think at Honoli‘i, not even my district, right. And it has been
funded by the County’s Mayor’s Office for I don’t know how long. So, what
happened was the surfing community came to, I’m sure, many of the members
here. I know they approached me. I told them, “Look, I don’t have much money
to give but I’ll give 2,000.” All right? We don’t have the war chest that the
Mayor’s Office would have because they’re not getting funding from the
Administration this year.
So, I committed 2,000. I believe it is a worthwhile cause. I think all of you know
that I’ve always tried to advance cultural activities on this island. As far as I
know, surfing is our State individual sport, canoe paddling being the team sport.
And I don’t think that the Parks and Recreation has any kind of surfing contest
throughout the year. So I figured, “Yeah, why not? Just give these guys some
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
money.” Now, they are charging an entrance fee. But the fact that they’re doing
that should not necessarily be considered as them making a fundraiser. It’s akin
to the women’s conference that all of us gave; they charged, I don’t know what
you call it, I’m going to use “entry fee” but that’s probably not the right term. But
they charged something for attendance.
The organizers of this event are not making a cent. In fact, they’re taking a loss.
And this is really to defray all of the costs of the t-shirts and all of this thing. And
really, there’s even a broader benefit to our island. Really, when you look at
surfing, many people might look at it as being something that’s enjoyed by the
different sort of people, alternate lifestyle kind of guys. But many of the people
who participate in surfing, as best I can tell, I’m not a surfer, but they’re at-risk
kids. And this is their opportunity to really get some self-esteem. If I had to take
a guess, most of the participants in this event are not even coming from my
district. They’ll probably be coming from Puna and Hāmākua.
I’m not trying to upstage anybody or anything like that. I don’t know how I got
sucked into this whole matter, but I’m just trying to help a cultural pursuit. It’s
not a fundraiser. I don’t see anything that they’re doing which would make it run
afoul of our County Code. And I’m asking for your support. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Any other discussion? Council Member Richards.
MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. Actually, Councilman Chung, I agree with
your intent to support for similar reasons, also a little bit different. When you
touched on at-risk kids, I think we use the County and our charge is to try to make
things better for the constituency going forward. And that means putting
resources towards things that may be a little bit different, not at a State level not at
a Federal level but at a local level, and whatever capacity we can to encourage
kids to maybe break the mold and do something a little bit different.
As I read through this stuff and the chance to go off island, I’m sure none of my
constituents are going to be participating in this. This is not our area. And
Big Island’s not known for its surfing. It’s just we don’t have the area and we
don’t have as deep a culture. It’s there but I totally support the intent. And then if
this is a springboard to get guys to the big stuff on O‘ahu and you may have one
kid make a difference going forward. So, I totally support it and I’ll be
supporting this. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Lee Loy.
MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. Thank you for bringing this forward,
Mr. Chung, ‘cause I got a similar email. And just a little bit of a backdrop for this
specific ask: The first time I got asked to support this program was last year, and
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
the ask actually came from Roy Takemoto of the Mayor’s Office. And at that
time, I didn’t have funds because freshman council members, we only had half of
that contingency money.
So when this year rolled around, I got an e-mail from the organizer and I said,
“Okay, well, I wasn’t able to give last year but I want to give this year.” And we
had a very robust discussion over two or three committee meetings on public
purpose, public intent, and the use of our contingency funds. And if I recall
correctly, the consensus was we’re the Council Members that decide what is the
public purpose.
So, I focused on a use of special duty officers, portable toilets. Portable toilets
down at the beach—the most needed thing to help our environment. Those were
the public purposes that I focused on, and started drafting and had staff draft a
resolution to ensure that the money was going to that, not to cover somebody’s
entry fee. And I’m a little concerned right now if this is going to be a new
qualifier, that if an event has an admission or some type of charge to get through
the door that now we no longer can contribute public monies—we going have
Mr. Kamelamela up here again.
I hope Ms. Ruggles is working on those edits for that part of our Code. I’m going
to be wholeheartedly supporting this. And I just think we need, as colleagues, to
support one another and not get in the way of us trying to serve community. I
yield. Mr. Chung, thank you for raising the issue. Ms. Ruggles, if you’re going
to be editing that section of the Code, I’m looking forward to it. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member O’Hara.
MS. O’HARA: Yeah, let’s get this clear so we don’t run into this obstacle in the
future. Surf events generally have an entry or registration fee; that’s just typical.
But that fee is often set so low so that the kids can participate; they’re kids and
they don’t have a lot of money.
I know there was a really good event last month at Pohoiki. Yes, we do have
some surfing here on the Big Island, Tim. And it was the eighth annual, I believe,
Uncle Boogie surf tournament put on by Nohealani Chun and her son Ikaika were
the lead organizers. They had two weeks before the event, which they had
already gotten the permit from Parks and Rec., they got a new letter from Parks
and Rec. informing them that instead of having just one port-a-potty, they had to
have four, and that they had to have off-duty police and that they had to have
some way of cleaning the site afterwards.
I got involved in the intervention there because they came to my office. They
weren’t prepared. They weren’t charging a rate that they could pay for all of that.
So, we went to work and Parks and Rec. agreed that they didn’t need the off-duty
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
police ‘cause they had Koa Puna to police the event. They agreed that—the
poster even, it said that they would have a cleanup event on Monday; it was a
long weekend. So, they were going to cleanup anyway, regardless. And we got
the port-a-potty cost down through donations. But I had exhausted my
contingency funds at that point. I couldn’t have helped them ‘cause it was just
such a last-minute notice.
So, there are entry fees associated with some of these things that don’t cover all of
the associated costs of putting on the festival. In that case, there were 300-400
people down there. They had music. They had free food. They had tents that
they rented. It was an expensive event to put on for a three-day event, and it
wasn’t covered just by their little bit of their entry fees. So, I think it’s real
important that we don’t set this as an obstacle for making donations. Because in
truth, Parks and Rec. is looking at co-hosting that event next year as a result of
that experience, and I’m really pleased with that.
In the past, the Mayor’s Office provided things like the port-a-potties and whatnot
for the Uncle Boogie surfing meet. In the future, I think it’ll be co-hosted by
Parks and Rec. because we got that connection and involvement. So, I don’t want
to set up obstacles like that. It’s not necessary.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Any other discussion? Council Member Chung.
MR. CHUNG: Thank you. And something that Ms. Lee Loy said kind of jogged
my memory, as well. And first of all, I want to apologize to all of you, and Val
included, if I made this discussion degenerate into a “me versus Val” kind of
stuff. But you’ve got to understand the backdrop here. Coming off the heels of
Ms. Ruggles’ experience, which actually turned out to your benefit, I think I
stated at that time I didn’t like the idea of there being gatekeepers, right, to the use
of our funds. And that was in support of my colleague, even if I kind of agree
with some of the points that Joe brought up.
But as a Council, we have to stand fast. This is our money. We should be able to
use it as long as we are not totally misusing it. And I’ve stated publicly that I’ve
gone to bat for each and every one of our appropriations. I have never seen a
blatant misuse or even a misuse on the part of this body. We’ve always exercised
our authority responsibly. But at some point, we have to stand fast as a council.
So after that experience, then I see this, right? No offense but you’ve got to
understand how I’m going to all of a sudden see red now. You mean first we had
to deal with—Joe, no offense too—and then now from within?
CHR. POINDEXTER: Yeah, and again, it was out of proportion it ended up,
because it was just an innocent think that your staff had asked to see what the
recommendation came back from Corp. Counsel. Because of what had happened,
like you said, with what Ms. Ruggles had brought up, every time I feel uncertain
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
that if it may be something that will be challenged by Corp. Counsel, I will
always ask Corp. Counsel for an opinion. I have asked Corp. Counsel for an
opinion on many things. And so, that’s why I asked on that opinion, and that’s
what I got back. And it was innocently asked by your office if they could see
that. So, I just shared what Corp. Counsel Kamelamela had sent me. So, thank
you.
MR. CHUNG: Look how good this is now. Now you found out that this is okay,
you can give money too now.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Yeah. But yeah, so it was taken out of context and
unfortunately it just happened and you took it the wrong way. So, I apologize if it
was taken the wrong way. But now with Resolution 548-18, all those in favor say
“aye.”
Vote on Res. 548-18: The motion to adopt Res. 548-18 was carried by the
(Adopted) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 548-18 is adopted.
Res. 549-18: TRANSFERS/APPROPRIATES AN APPROPRIATION OUT AND FROM A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT AND CREDITS SAME TO A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT TO PROVIDE A GRANT TO GOING
HOME HAWAI‘I FOR ITS GOING HOME CONSORTIUM CONFERENCE
Transfers $2,000 from the Clerk-Council Services – Contingency Relief account
(Council District 4); and credits to the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, Other
Current Expenses account.
Reference: Comm. 824
Intr. by: Ms. O’Hara
Motion to Approve: Ms. O’Hara moved to adopt Res. 549-18. Seconded by
Ms. Lee Loy.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member O’Hara.
MS. O’HARA: We’ve heard already about this program. I don’t need to say
much more, just ask for your support.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
CHR. POINDEXTER: Okay, any other discussion? Seeing or hearing none, all
those in favor say “aye.”
Vote on Res. 549-18: The motion to adopt Res. 549-18 was carried by the
(Adopted) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 549-18 is adopted.
Recess: At 12:35 p.m., the Chair called for a recess.
Reconvene: The meeting reconvened at 12:46 p.m.
Res. 550-18: TRANSFERS/APPROPRIATES AN APPROPRIATION OUT AND FROM A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT AND CREDITS SAME TO A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT TO PROVIDE A GRANT TO
CAMP AGAPE HAWAI‘I TO ASSIST WITH EXPENSES RELATED TO THE
2018 CAMP AGAPE BIG ISLAND
Transfers $5,000 from the Clerk-Council Services – Contingency Relief account
(Council District 3); and credits to the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, Other
Current Expenses account.
Reference: Comm. 825
Intr. by: Ms. Lee Loy
Motion to Approve: Ms. Lee Loy moved to adopt Res. 550-18. Seconded by
Ms. Eoff.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Lee Loy.
MS. LEE LOY: Just urging the rest of my colleagues’ support. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Okay, any other discussion? Seeing or hearing none, all
those in favor say “aye.”
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Vote on Res. 550-18: The motion to adopt Res. 550-18 was carried by the
(Adopted) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 550-18 is adopted.
Res. 551-18: TRANSFERS/APPROPRIATES AN APPROPRIATION OUT AND FROM A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT AND CREDITS SAME TO A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT TO PROVIDE A GRANT TO KAHUA
PA‘A MUA, INC., FOR PROJECT REACH OUT, A SUICIDE PREVENTION
PROGRAM FOR SCHOOLS IN SOUTH KONA
Transfers $2,500 from the Clerk-Council Services – Contingency Relief account
(Council District 6); and credits to the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney, Other
Current Expenses account.
Reference: Comm. 826
Intr. by: Ms. David
Motion to Approve: Ms. David moved to adopt Res. 551-18. Seconded by
Mr. Richards.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member David.
MS. DAVID: Yes, I just urge and ask for my colleagues’ support. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thank you. Any other discussion? Seeing or hearing
none, all those in favor say “aye.”
Vote on Res. 551-18: The motion to adopt Res. 551-18 was carried by the
(Adopted) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 551-18 is adopted.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Res. 552-18: TRANSFERS/APPROPRIATES AN APPROPRIATION OUT AND FROM A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT AND CREDITS SAME TO A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT TO PROVIDE A GRANT TO THE
HAWAI‘I ISLAND PORTUGUESE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
TH
CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL CENTER FOR THE 140PORTUGUESE
IMMIGRANT ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Transfers $1,000 from the Clerk-Council Services – Contingency Relief account
(Council District 7); and credits to the Department of Research and Development,
Tourism Promotion account.
Reference: Comm. 827
Intr. by: Mr. Kanuha
Motion to Approve: Mr. Kanuha moved to adopt Res. 552-18. Seconded by
Ms. Eoff.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Kanuha.
MR. KANUHA: Thank you. Just happy to support, and I ask for all of your
support as well.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Okay, any other discussion? Seeing or hearing none, all
those in favor say “aye.”
Vote on Res. 552-18: The motion to adopt Res. 552-18 was carried by the
(Adopted) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 552-18 is adopted.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Res. 553-18: TRANSFERS/APPROPRIATES AN APPROPRIATION OUT AND FROM A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT AND CREDITS SAME TO A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT TO PROVIDE A GRANT TO THE HONPA
HONGWANJI MISSION OF HAWAI‘I TO COMPLETE A FILM
DOCUMENTARY ABOUT KATSU GOTO
Transfers $2,500 from the Clerk-Council Services – Contingency Relief account
(Council District 3); and credits to the Department of Research and Development,
Big Island Film Office account.
Reference: Comm. 828
Intr. by: Ms. Lee Loy
Motion to Approve: Ms. Lee Loy moved to adopt Res. 553-18. Seconded by
Ms. David.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Lee Loy.
MS. LEE LOY: Happy to support and asking for the rest of my colleagues to
support.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Any other discussion? Council Member Chung. No?
Okay. All those in favor say “aye.”
Vote on Res. 553-18: The motion to adopt Res. 553-18 was carried by the
(Adopted) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 553-18 is adopted.
Res. 554-18: TRANSFERS/APPROPRIATES AN APPROPRIATION OUT AND FROM A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT AND CREDITS SAME TO A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT TO PURCHASE A BATTING CAGE AND
NET FOR ‘ĀINAOLA PARK
Transfers $3,000 from the Clerk-Council Services – Contingency Relief account
(Council District 3); and credits to the Department of Parks and Recreation,
Friends of the Park account.
Reference: Comm. 829
Intr. by: Ms. Lee Loy
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Motion to Approve: Ms. Lee Loy moved to adopt Res. 554-18. Seconded by
Mr. Richards.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Lee Loy.
MS. LEE LOY: Thank you. Urging my colleagues’ support. This actually is an
interesting one. We have a tennis court at that particular park that’s in disrepair.
And so, the Pirates’ baseball program is loaning a lot of the labor to help repair
and convert that tennis area into a batting cage. And so, this was a perfect kind of
public-private partnership to help get something going for the kids that use the
fields for baseball. So, I’m urging my colleagues’ support. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Thanks. Any other discussion? Seeing or hearing none,
all those in favor say “aye.”
Vote on Res. 554-18: The motion to adopt Res. 554-18 was carried by the
(Adopted) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 5—where am I?
MR. MAEDA: 554.
CHR. POINDEXTER: 554 is adopted.
Res. 557-18: AUTHORIZES THE ACCEPTANCE OF A MONETARY DONATION OF $75
TO THE DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
Donated by the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie #3642, this donation would be
used by the department’s Pana‘ewa Rainforest Zoo and Garden.
Reference: Comm. 845
Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R)
Waived: FC
Motion to Approve: Ms. David moved to adopt Res. 557-18. Seconded by
Mr. Kanuha.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member David.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
MS. DAVID: Yes, I would just like to ask your support and also thank the
Fraternal Order of Eagles—is that Aerie number three, six—
MR. MAEDA: Aerie.
MS. DAVID: Aerie, yeah, 3642 for the donation. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Okay, any other discussion? Seeing or hearing none, all
those in favor say “aye.”
Vote on Res. 557-18: The motion to adopt Res. 557-18 was carried by the
(Adopted) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 557-18 is adopted.
Res. 560-18: APPOINTS DRU MAMO KANUHA AS REPRESENTATIVE AND
VALERIE T. POINDEXTER AS ALTERNATE REPRESENTATIVE TO THE
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE HAWAI‘I STATE ASSOCIATION OF
COUNTIES FOR A TERM COMMENCING JULY 1, 2018, AND ENDING
JUNE 30, 2019
Reference: Comm. 849
Intr. by: Mr. Kanuha
Waived: GREDC
Motion to Approve: Mr. Kanuha moved to adopt Res. 560-18. Seconded by
Mr. Richards.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Kanuha.
MR. KANUHA: Thank you. This is just housekeeping. Continuing on for
HSAC (Hawai‘i State Association of Counties), the bylaws require that we
th
designate a member and alternate prior to April of each year. So—April 15,
sorry. We’re kind of late finding this out. So, just ask for all your support.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Any other discussion? Seeing or hearing none, all those
in favor say “aye.”
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Vote on Res. 560-18: The motion to adopt Res. 560-18 was carried by the
(Adopted) following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 560—
MS. EOFF: Do we need to waive that holdover period or just go with it?
MR. MAEDA: (Inaudible).
CHR. POINDEXTER: Okay. So, Resolution 560-18 is adopted.
Res. 561-18: TRANSFERS/APPROPRIATES AN APPROPRIATION OUT AND FROM A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT AND CREDITS SAME TO A
DESIGNATED FUND ACCOUNT TO PROVIDE A GRANT TO THE
HILO-HĀMĀKUA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION FOR
THE 2018 HONOKA‘A WESTERN WEEK FESTIVAL
Transfers $5,000 from the Clerk-Council Services – Contingency Relief account
(Council District 1); and credits to the Department of Parks and Recreation,
Administration Other Current Expenses account.
Reference: Comm. 850
Intr. by: Ms. Poindexter
Vote on Res. 561-18: Ms. Eoff moved to adopt Res. 561-18. Seconded by
(Adopted) Mr. Richards and carried by the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Resolution 561-18 is adopted.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
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 118: AMENDS CHAPTER 24, ARTICLE 10, DIVISION 5, OF THE HAWAI‘I
COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING TO
PARKING
Amends Section 24-279, Schedule 27 (Parking on pavement prohibited at all
times), Subsection (f), Kona, by adding a portion of Puuhalo Street.
Reference: Comm. 791
Intr. by: Ms. Ruggles (B/R)
Approve: PWPRC-40
Vote on Bill 118: Ms. Ruggles moved to pass Bill 118 on first reading and
(Approved) adopt Public Works and Parks and Recreation Committee
Report No. 40. Seconded by Ms. Eoff and carried by the
following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Bill 118 is approved.
Bill 119: AMENDS CHAPTER 24, ARTICLE 10, DIVISION 1, OF THE HAWAI‘I
COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING TO
SPEED LIMITS
Amends Section 24-257, Schedule 5 (35 mile per hour limit), Subsection (f),
Kona, by revising an existing listing and adding a new listing for two distinct
portions of Ka‘iminani Drive.
Reference: Comm. 792
Intr. by: Ms. Ruggles (B/R)
Approve: PWPRC-41
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Vote on Bill 119: Ms. Ruggles moved to pass Bill 119 on first reading and
(Approved) adopt Public Works and Parks and Recreation Committee
Report No. 41. Seconded by Ms. Eoff and carried by the
following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Bill 119 is approved.
Bill 120: AMENDS CHAPTER 24, ARTICLE 10, DIVISION 1, OF THE HAWAI‘I
COUNTY CODE 1983 (2016 EDITION, AS AMENDED), RELATING TO
SPEED LIMITS
Amends Section 24-260, Schedule 8 (45 mile per hour limit), Subsection (f),
Kona, by revising an existing listing for a portion of Ka‘iminani Drive.
Reference: Comm. 793
Intr. by: Ms. Ruggles (B/R)
Approve: PWPRC-42
Vote on Bill 120: Ms. Ruggles moved to pass Bill 120 on first reading and
(Approved) adopt Public Works and Parks and Recreation Committee
Report No. 42. Seconded by Ms. Eoff and carried by the
following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Bill 120 is approved.
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 51
Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Bill 98 INITIATES AN AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE XIII, SECTION 13-28 OF THE
(Draft 2): HAWAI‘I COUNTY CHARTER (2016 EDITION), RELATING TO THE
SALARY COMMISSION
Requires that at least 30 days prior to the approval of any salary adjustment, the
salary commission submit copies of a detailed report of its findings and
conclusions to the Office of the County Clerk and Office of the Mayor, publish a
notice that said report is available for public inspection and include in the notice a
detailed account of proposed salary increases or decreases, and hold at least one
public hearing in either East or West Hawai‘i using video conference technology
to allow for participation from both East and West Hawai‘i. Also requires that
any increase or decrease of more than 10 percent be approved by a two-thirds vote
of the entire membership of the commission.
Reference: Comm. 712.2
Intr. by: Ms. Lee Loy
First Reading: March 14, 2018
Second Reading: March 28, 2018
2/3 Vote: Third of three required readings,
Section 15-1(a), Hawai‘i County
Charter
Motion to Approve: Ms. Lee Loy moved to pass Bill 98, Draft 2, on third and
final reading. Seconded by Mr. Richards.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Lee Loy.
MS. LEE LOY: Yeah, thank you, Chair. I continue to urge my colleagues to
continue to support this. This discussion was initiated a long time ago and really
done based on some reaction from the community. And we created through
Bill 98 and subsequently with Bill 98, Draft 2, a framework that would provide
the electorate a way to engage.
I’m going to take the liberty to point out within our communication file, Mr. Hugh
Ono submitted testimony, Communication 712, asking for suggestive edits to
Bill 98. He frames it with, “These additional requirements should make the future
salary changes by the Salary Commission clearer” with “all future changes to
include public and political involvement as well as better reconciled with the”
Hawai‘i County “annual budgets.” We are at third reading. I’m going to continue
to urge my colleagues to support this.
I want good policy. And if it is the will of this body to glean through what
Mr. Ono is providing in a way to provide better continuity between the
Commission and what the Commission is doing along with a ballot initiative in
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
which it fits perfectly into some of the other mechanisms and then actually sets a
standard for future boards and commissions, I’m willing to entertain it. But for
right now, I’m going to yield. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Any other discussion? Council Member O’Hara.
MS. O’HARA: Thank you, Chair. I’ve been supporting this bill. And I also have
been listening to the Salary Commission’s independent testimonies on this. And I
understand that the Salary Commission is undergoing intense effort to revise and
update their rather archaic rules. And I do think it’s important that whatever we
adopt here as a Charter amendment that needs to go out to the public to be voted
on dovetails properly with the revised rules. And we’ve got to be at least
sensitive to the fact that they’re doing these revisions currently.
I can’t really evaluate the suggested changes in terms of their rules, ‘cause we
don’t have a copy of their rules, and how they all fit together, but I’m going to
assume that Mr. Ono has undertaken a thorough review. There’s no rush on this.
We’re in April and at third reading, and I don’t think we have to have Charter
amendments ready until—we still have plenty of time. Okay.
So, I don’t think it would hurt to try to see if changing up this language as
requested makes it clearer as he claims it does. We definitely want clarity. So,
I’m not in a position to really evaluate because we don’t have the other side of the
picture. We don’t have the update on the commission rules to see how this plays
out. But, it may be worth holding off for a meeting.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Richards.
MR. RICHARDS: Thank you, Chair. A question for Clerk. If we amend the bill,
does this go back? Does it reset the clock for the amendments? Or do we have to
go through three readings again?
MR. MAEDA: No, we don’t.
MR. RICHARDS: Okay. Okay, I yield.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Okay, any other discussion? Seeing or hearing none, all
those in favor of Bill 98, Draft 2, please say “aye.”
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Vote on Bill 98: The motion to pass Bill 98, Draft 2, on third and final
(Draft 2) reading was carried by the following voice vote:
(Adopted)
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 8.
Noes: Council Member O’Hara – 1.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Bill 98, Draft 2, is approved.
Bill 113 AMENDS CHAPTER 2 OF THE HAWAI‘I COUNTY CODE 1983
(Draft 2): (2016 EDITION, AS AMENDED), BY ADDING A NEW ARTICLE
RELATING TO COMMERCIAL SPONSORSHIP OF COUNTY ASSETS
Establishes a process for individuals, corporations, and other organizations to
obtain sponsorships for County facilities, parks, programs, equipment, and
tangible property in exchange for financial considerations to increase County
revenue from sources other than real property tax.
Reference: Comm. 780.4
Intr. by: Ms. Lee Loy
First Reading: March 28, 2018
Motion to Approve: Ms. Lee Loy moved to pass Bill 113, Draft 2, on second
and final reading. Seconded by Mr. Richards.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Lee Loy.
MS. LEE LOY: Thank you, Chair. This is a future tool in the toolbox that might
be able to provide other revenue sources to help with improving all of our County
assets. So, I’m going to be urging my colleagues to support this. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Okay. No other discussion, all those in favor say “aye.”
Vote on Bill 113: The motion to pass Bill 113, Draft 2, on second and final
(Draft 2) reading was carried by the following voice vote:
(Adopted)
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
CHR. POINDEXTER: Bill 113, Draft 2, is approved.
Bill 123: AMENDS ORDINANCE NO. 17-39, AS AMENDED, THE OPERATING
BUDGET FOR THE COUNTY OF HAWAI‘I FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
ENDING JUNE 30, 2018
Appropriates revenues in the Federal Grants – Child Exploitation Task Force
account ($24,000); and appropriates the same to the Child Exploitation Task
Force account. Funds would be used to reimburse the Office of the Prosecuting
Attorney for software licenses, hard disk drives, thumb drives, and overtime costs
incurred by staff performing investigative work in support of the FBI Child
Exploitation Task Force project.
Reference: Comm. 815
Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R)
First Reading: March 28, 2018
Motion to Approve: Ms. David moved to pass Bill 123 on second and final
reading. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member David.
MS. DAVID: I just ask for your continued support. Thank you.
CHR. POINDEXTER: No other discussion, seeing or hearing none, all those in
favor say “aye.”
Vote on Bill 123: The motion to pass Bill 123 on second and final reading
(Adopted) was carried by the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Bill 123 is adopted.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
Bill 124: AMENDS ORDINANCE NO. 17-40, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO PUBLIC
IMPROVEMENTS AND FINANCING THEREOF FOR THE FISCAL YEAR
JULY 1, 2017, TO JUNE 30, 2018
Increases the Environmental Management Lono Kona Improvement District –
County project by $4 million, bringing the total amount to $5,698,000. Funds for
this project shall be provided from General Obligation Bonds, Capital Projects
Fund – Fund Balance and/or Other Sources. These additional funds for the
acquisition of easements, design, and construction of this public sewer system
improvement project are needed due to higher than anticipated initial bid
responses.
Reference: Comm. 816
Intr. by: Ms. David (B/R)
First Reading: March 28, 2018
Note: Requires 2/3 vote of the entire
membership to amend, pursuant to
Section 10-6(e), Hawai‘i County Charter
Motion to Approve: Ms. David moved to pass Bill 124 on second and final
reading. Seconded by Mr. Kanuha.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member David.
MS. DAVID: I’ll yield to Councilman Kanuha.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Council Member Kanuha.
MR. KANUHA: Just briefly, I ask for your support. I know Director Kucharski
was here earlier, but I’m just wanting to make sure that this is going to be enough
money. Hopefully it is. Hopefully the bids aren’t overwhelmingly more than
what is anticipated. So, hopefully we can get this project done as soon as
possible, but I ask for your support.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Okay. Any other discussion? Seeing or hearing none, all
those in favor say “aye.”
Vote on Bill 124: The motion to pass Bill 124 on second and final reading
(Adopted) was carried by the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
CHR. POINDEXTER: Bill 124 is adopted.
REPORTS: The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business, Reports.
PC-53 NOMINATION OF MARK HINSHAW TO THE PUNA COMMUNITY
(Comm. 795): DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE
Requires Council
Confirmation by: April 21, 2018 (Section 13-4(l),
Hawaiʻi County Charter)
Vote on PC-53: Ms. Ruggles moved to adopt Planning Committee Report
(Adopted) No. 53. Seconded by Ms. Lee Loy and carried by the
following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff, Kanuha,
Lee Loy, Ruggles, and Chair Poindexter – 7.
Noes: None.
Absent: Council Members O’Hara and Richards – 2.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: We have seven ayes, two excused to file PC-53.
PC-54 NOMINATION OF BRENT NORRIS TO THE PUNA COMMUNITY
(Comm. 796): DEVELOPMENT PLAN ACTION COMMITTEE
Requires Council
Confirmation by: April 21, 2018 (Section 13-4(l),
Hawaiʻi County Charter)
Vote on PC-54: Ms. Ruggles moved to adopt Planning Committee Report
(Adopted) No. 54. Seconded by Ms. David and carried by the
following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: Okay, PC-54, Communication 796 is filed and approved.
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Hawai‘i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
EMC-4 NOMINATION OF MYRICK W. GAFFNEY TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL
(Comm. 794): MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
Requires Council
Confirmation by: April 21, 2018 (Section 13-4(l),
Hawaiʻi County Charter)
Vote on EMC-4: Ms. David moved to adopt Environmental Management
(Adopted) Committee Report No. 4. Seconded by Ms. Eoff and
carried by the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
CHR. POINDEXTER: EMC-4 is filed and approved.
REFERRALS FOR The Chair directed the Council to proceed to the next order of business, Referrals
EXECUTIVE for Executive Session.
SESSION:
(There were none.)
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.
(There were none.)
ADJOURN-There being no further business, at 1:13 p.m., Ms. David moved to adjourn the
MENT: meeting. Seconded by Ms. Eoff and carried by the following voice vote:
Ayes: Council Members Chung, David, Eoff,
Kanuha, Lee Loy, O’Hara, Richards, Ruggles,
and Chair Poindexter – 9.
Noes: None.
Absent: None.
Excused: None.
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Hawai`i County Council-35 April 11, 2018
CHR. POINDEXTER: Meeting is adjourned.
Council Approval: MAY 21 261$
COUN CLERK
SM/dg
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