16 Water Resources Committee - Regular Meeting

Aloha. Will the agriculture diversification, environmental and public transportation committee meeting of 03/12/2026 please come to order. Time is now 09:04AM. Good morning, members. Members in accordance with the Sunshine Law, if you're not in the council chamber, please identify by name who, if anyone is in the room, vehicle or workspace with you today. Minors do not need to be identified. Also, please see the last page on the agenda information on meeting connectivity and remember to silence all cell phones, please. Good afternoon, good morning everyone and aloha. I look forward to chairing a productive meeting. I'm Gabe Johnson, your committee chair. Joining us today is vice chair Shane Senancy. Aloha council members.

Happy to be here. Just a quick report on the East Side. No big rain or wind events just yet. But very overcast. No testifiers in China and chair. I do have a schedule conflict at eleven that I'll just have to step out for And

going we're sure table. Able to Aloha, council member.

Aloha and all the way from Africa, Angola, we say hola. Hola. And from

Charlie. And from the the Key Hay District Office, we have Councilmember Tom Cook. Hola.

And happy rainy day. It's going to get really green. I'm looking forward to your meeting, Chair.

Okay. Thank you for that. Moving on to committee member, council member Tamara Poulton. Aloha, council member. And the the

case.

Residence. I do have two adults in the house with me. The first is my son, and the other is my husband, William. To report to on the weather. Behind me, you can see it. It's dark enough, but not too much rain. Thanks, chair.

Thank you for the update. Of course, our nonvoting members are always welcome. That would be councilmember Rollins Fernandez and councilmember Sugimura. From the administration we have, first up, the Department of Agriculture. We have Director Kaliaozi, Deputy Director Koheva, Advocates Maya Hunter, Ag Conservation ison Janine Rosa, Food Security Coordinator Lauren Nelson is online.

And then we have for the Department of Environmental Management, we have Corporation Counsel Adrian Reifsnyder. And then we have deputy director of environmental management, environmental protection and sustainability manager. From the Department of Water Supply, we have the planning program administrator, planner Der Robles, Department of Transportation, Deputy Director. We have program specialists Nakamoto and Haney. From the committee staff, we also have good morning for all the committee staff joining us today.

Now we have a big agenda members, four items on the agenda. That's and I'll go through them right now. Operational and budgetary review of the Department of Agriculture at depth one parentheses two. Operational and budgetary review of the watershed protection grants by the Department of Water Supply, that's a debt one parentheses five. Operational budgetary review of the Environmental Protection and Sustainability Division of the Department of Environmental Management was one parentheses three.

And finally, operational budgetary review of the Department of Transportation, one parentheses four. These items are informational only and no legislative action will be taken. I plan to take up three departments take up three departmental operation and budgetary views before lunch. The Department of Ag, Watershed Protection Grants, administered by the Department of Water Supply, the Environmental Protection and Sustainable Division of the Department of Environmental Management, and then the review of the Department of Transportation will be done in the afternoon, members. Thank you members and administration personnel for being here today and let's begin with public testimony on all items on the agenda.

Staff, do we have any testifiers? Chair, there's no individual signed up at the beginning of

the meeting, but I do see one individual approaching the podium. JC Log commonly know he probably knows our our script here, so I'll skip it for you.

You don't have to read all that stuff.

Thank

you. I welcome Melina Mike Kako, JC law, Moku Ocula, Waiako, Ahupua, Ahupua, Ahupua. That's Kula Oka. So the rain's coming down to your area. Mister Cook, We miss you over here, Mr. Cook. I don't have no way to pick on today. Thank you, Mr. Chair. When I got up this morning, had a like a hopeful feeling because I knew you'd be here doing the agricultural stuff.

And I would really like to work on help one of the farmers up country. It's been very difficult trying to have no transportation except for the bus. And the one farm that the bus goes by, the lady was crazy and I tried 10 times to get a job there, she did shoot. They weren't having none of it. I did see I did hear of there was this one veteran disabled veteran farmer up there somewhere and he's hopefully he's paying attention today and it's kind of frustrating because I get different answers from the government.

I haven't been over to the ag department very much. I know they're just getting started and so I didn't want to bother him too much. But it's it's frustrating because sometimes I don't wanna put my roadblock in there, but sometimes the government says, well, that's confidential information. We can't help you with that. So it's like, I'd like to work somewhere. Only part time, though. So if maybe then I I mean, I know it's going to be your farm is going to be needs and help here after all this rain. So thank you for your time. As usual, I saved my time for the people of Hawaii.

Thank you, JC. Louding clarifying questions for our testifiers seeing none. Thank you once again. This time, if there's anyone wishing to testify on these items, please use the raise your hand function and you'll be called on to testify staff do we have anybody else wishing to testify

chair there's no individual signed up to testify at this time would you like me to do a last call yes please this is the last call for oral testimony please come up to the podium or raise your hand on teams and staff will meet you here's a countdown three two, one. Seeing none, Chair, no one has indicated that they wish to testify.

Okay, members seeing there's no one else wishing to testify, I'll now proceed with the agenda. With the FY twenty seven budget deliberations around the corner, 've invited the various departments under the debt committee's jurisdiction to present today on administration of the FY twenty six budgets and to let us know their priorities in FY '27. Our first agenda item is operational and budgetary review of the Department of Agriculture. I'd first like to hear from the Department of Ag whose important task is to support the development and continued management of the sustainable regional agricultural model, promote resident and ecosystem health and well-being, and create a circular agroeconomic system that can be a thriving example for the rest of the world. Oh, lofty goals, love it.

Director Arce and Deputy Director Hewa Hewa, thank you for being here today. Please proceed with your presentation.

Aloha Kakahiaka, Chair Johnson and ADIP committee members. The County of Maui Department of Agriculture is ready this morning to share the fiscal year twenty twenty six operational budgetary review department's accomplishments for this fiscal year, our projects in progress, and our We session. The the department. We'll proceed with our slideshow. Slide number two, please.

The Department of Agriculture's total budget of 16,000,000 of reflects a 3.6 Directors percent increase approved by the union as well as the raises for the department heads as approved by the salary commission. The department's operations budget increased by 118.1 percent of the total department budget grant subsidy funds that the department administers is 14,356,000. No equipment was needed this fiscal year except for the annual lease of the Xerox copier and is reflected in the 95.9% decrease in equipment budget. This fiscal year, the department was approved an additional 3.5 expanded positions. The positions include one, Secretary III, one, Information and Education Specialist, one, Value Chain Coordinator and one half time park project coordinator.

Each of these positions were approved funding for eight months. The department is developing PDs for 2.5 expanded positions. One is the value chain coordinator, position, which may require creating a new class unless an existing class has relatable tasks for this position. The second position is the Secretary III. This position will be reallocated to a Boards and Committee Secretary because the department administers the Kula Ag Park Committee and with the transfer of the Maui Humane Society grants, the department is now assigned to Animal Board Committee.

Additionally, the newly hired agriculture conservation liaison is vice chair for the conservation committee, which may require the department's assistance for committee work. The half time expanded position for the park project coordinator is being reallocated to a half time program specialist. It was intended that the park project coordinator would facilitate the Ag Park CIP projects, but I have been doing so since fiscal year twenty three, the first year of the department's establishment. The PD for the halftime program specialist is currently being developed. This position will collect crop and economic data from the Ag Park, which we did not have upon the transfer of the program from the office of economic development.

The data will establish a baseline for the department to compare over time how much food and other products are produced on county owned land, which is directly contributing to Maui's food security, Maui's landscape and flower industries. The department hired the education and information specialist who is onboarding on April 1. This position will work closely with our leaders, the subject matter experts on developing educational materials, outreach flyers and share about the department's programs of that We the working recreations department who has the need for inspection of and inventory on park and beach trees as well as the equipment and other personnel. With the agriculture liaison, agriculture conservation liaison on board, the total positions established in the department are 15. Slide three, please.

We will now share the Department of Agriculture Programs. Slide four. Starting with our Food Security Division. Next slide. Under the leadership of Food Access Coordinator, Lauren Nelson, program accomplishments of the Food Security Division includes the following accomplishments.

The twenty twenty five Maui Food Summit took place on Friday, October 10. It included an agriculture resource fair, a keynote presentation from Kalo producer Jerome Kekevi, Jr, a presentation of the food and nutrition security plan, breakout group discussions, which focus on implementing the objectives in goal number two of the food and nutrition security plan. Also, panel discussion on the barriers food producers face that limit production, a panel discussion on the future of agriculture education, the launch of the Eat Local Maui Challenge, and a closing keynote talk from the farmer and rancher Karen Kanekoa. Through the Farm to Family grant program, five Maui County based organizations were awarded the Farm to Family grant to purchase or enter into purchasing contracts for or to establish consumer subsidy programs for foods grown or harvested in Maui County. Developed in partnership with the Parks Department and Council Member Johnson, the Lana'i Farmers Market launched in October 2025 with purpose to expand economic opportunities for producers and to improve healthy local food access for residents.

The market is managed by the Hawaii Farmers Union and nine vendors are currently signed up to sell at the market. The Lanai food stimulus program co developed with again with council member Johnson, this program provides food vouchers to three fifty low income Lanai households to purchase locally grown meat, fish, produce, eggs, poi to improve food security and community health while supporting economic growth for local farmers. MEO was contracted to administer the program and they successfully launched the program at the Lana'i Farmers Market in January. Working with council member Gabe Johnson again, the Food Access Coordinator utilized the Food and Nutrition Security Plans goal and actions to draft an addition to the countywide policy plan, developing the goal to strengthen food systems and food access to add to the countywide policy plan to strengthen food systems and expand food security. A collaborative effort of the Food Access Coordinator, and Department of Human Services, Office of Aging and Kahuna Senior Services, the locally grown healthy food for Kupuna program was developed.

A vendor was selected to administer the program, which aims to expand the availability of healthy locally sourced food at senior congregate dining sites across Maui County. Next slide. The food security program in progress include the following. This April, the Food Access Coordinator will launch an RFP for food as medicine programs in Maui County to support health centers and care providers' ability to purchase local food for produce prescription programs and medically tailored meals. The food access coordinator is also currently developing a meat processing needs survey and assessment to support workforce development and the creation of a butchery and meat processing program in Maui County.

Following the Lanai Farmers Market six month pilot, the Food Access Coordinator in partnership with HFU will implement the Lanai Farmers market vendor survey to assess opportunities for improvement of the market's frequency, advertising and management to improve the market for future years. The food access coordinator is also working with the management department's GIS team to develop our Maui County Farmers Market story map, sharing the location, opening hours and photos of each farmers market in Maui County with information about each market's available food access programs. The Food and Nutrition Security Plan annual update requires a food access coordinator to compile data from each action lead in the food and nutrition security plan to provide an update on a plan's progress and identify areas of need and the local impacts caused by shifts in federal funding. This update will be shared on the department's website when it is complete. Last week, we presented the Kaia Haui Foundation's congressional earmark request to develop a produce stand at Hawaii Taro Farm to expand market access for their cooperative of over 30 farmers and ranchers and to expand food access in Waikapu.

Next slide. The fiscal year priorities of the food security programs for 2027 include the following, expand the fiscal year twenty six local food for Kupuna program pilot project to include additional sites across the county and expand the length of the program and number of elders served. Expand the fiscal year twenty six food as medicine pilot program to include health center host sites across Maui County and to expand the length of the program and number of patients served. The meat processing program will train the future generation of slaughterhouse workers, managers and butchers in Maui County, partnering with our existing ranches and meat processing operations to provide students with hands on learning opportunities and robust food safety training. This program will utilize the meat processing needs assessment data to design the course around the labor needs for Maui County slaughterhouses, ranchers, grocery stores and delis.

The program will utilize the Hawaii Community College's Ka Education Center in Honoka'a's six week non credit butchery course, which started in spring twenty five as the model. Funding for the Eat Local Maui Challenge would provide funding to organize their annual challenge, including developing new educational materials for classrooms and families online services for where to resource local and funding for printing materials. Funding for the middle school ag field day will enable STEMworks to conduct their programs, including middle school agriculture career fair for students in sixth to eighth tenth grade and expose students to agriculture aiming to have these students involved in high school agriculture classes and programs and later pursue agriculture model. New U. With

S.

Manager and stipend program will provide farmers markets across Maui County with a stipend to compensate their food access managers' time spent on administering food access programs, including the SNAP, the The Bucks program to double SNAP purchasing power on local produce and the WIC program. This pilot program would fund up to five farmer markets across Maui County for ten hours per week at $20.20 dollars per hour. Next slide.

We will transition now over to our grants program, that is led by our grants coordinator Ana Mihiel Vasconcelis and her wonderful grants management specialist team. Slide nine, please. The grants program awarded a total of 61 grants in FY 2026 with a total amount of $14,286,391 28% of grant funding for competitive opportunities, while a larger percentage, 72% was appropriated to line items, including the Maui Humane Society transition over from DHC. The funding, dollars 14,200,000.0 was distributed to all Maui County islands. Funding for each island is specified in the middle pie chart.

Maui with 52%, Molokai 6%, Lanai 2% and projects consisting of multiple islands countywide was 40. The pie chart to the right shows the distribution between the types of entities that were awarded. The majority of grants were nonprofits, covering 87%, followed by our for profit businesses, 6% sole proprietors at 4% and the state at 3%. Move over to slide number 10. And then I'll share grant programs and process.

The grants division is currently managing 136 active grants with our team of three. This includes 61 in FY '26, 58 in FY '25, 12 in '24, and '5 and '23. The team is diligently working with grantees and finance department to complete final payments on the grants from '23 and '24. The grants division made over 1,000 contacts with community members and grantees with general grant inquiries and technical assistance during FY 2026. Approximately 50 meetings were provided to grantees for one on one technical assistance for reimbursement requests.

The division is working on improving guidance materials to assist grantees through the reimbursement process. And currently at this time, the division is working on releasing the grant application for the Lanai food stimulus program. Next slide please. Right here, we briefly go over our FY twenty twenty seven priorities anticipated priorities. So there's a need for financial literacy workshop for ag producers and it has become progress in in the And with the communities.

The grants division will be mapping on developing mapping of the geographical areas where funding has been distributed and identified underfunded locations as well. Outreach events will be planned to target those areas. The division strives to streamline the grants process, but we need continuous feedback from grantees. Our survey will be developed and distributed to grantees upon granted closure to provide feedback for continuous improvements. Another area we continuously hear from our grantees is that it is difficult to find upfront capital to purchase or pay for goods and services upfront, then submit and wait for reimbursements.

So the vision is working on gathering other funding resources that could help and other supporting agencies that could help grantees obtain capital for the grant or other more suitable grant or loan opportunities that have different payment methods and schedules, resources will be made available on our ag department's website. Okay, next slide. Thank you. Now we will share our advocacy division led by, our agricultural advocate Maya Hunter, who's sitting with us today. Next slide.

Our advocacy legislative priorities during our opening of the season, advocacy division was able to share a department of ag's twenty twenty six legislative priority list with senators and representatives on Oahu. Using the department of agriculture's strategic plan as a guide for major themes surfaced revolving around agricultural infrastructure, invasive species and environment, food security for residents and agricultural workforce. Beneath these four categories, we identified great need for advocacy around expansion of food hubs, commercial kitchens and meat processing facilities. We advocate for advanced prevention of CRB and invasive pests to safeguard our agricultural production, as well as protect and expand access to agricultural land. We aim to support the procurement of my county grown food supply to community and support programs that will increase food security and resiliency to natural disaster.

And finally, advocate for enforcement of agricultural theft in our county and support the expansion of our local butchering programs for next generations. Slide 14 please. Now I'll speak on the progress of our department of advocacy, our division. Maya, our ag advocate is tracking county and state legislation related to ag. This helps us to stay informed about new bills, funding opportunities, and regulations.

When relevant, we identify where Maui Department of Agriculture should submit testimony to represent the needs of our farming community. The department has a list of 14 bills so far that testimony has been drafted for and will be presented after the cross on March 12. Next, we are collecting stories and data from local producers, real experiences and numbers from the field to help make our testimony stronger. These stories show decision makers the real impact of agricultural policies, both the challenges and success. Finally, we are coordinating with existing partners like our farm bureaus, non profits and other agencies.

Collaborations help us avoid duplication of efforts strengthen our joint advocacy. Working together ensures unified messages that supports the entire agricultural sector. Next slide, please. And quality standards required by buyers. We'll provide hands on guidance, checklists, connections, incentives and resources to make certifications easier.

That's what we aim to do. Also, aim to incentivize farmers in the FSMA certification workshops, which is the food safety modernization act. It focuses on food safety from farm to table. This incentive will help farmers comply with federal requirements and reduce risk of contamination. Planning to also review and revise some county codes to better support our agricultural operations, including zoning updates, water use policies and simplifying permits to often slow down farm projects.

Access deer continue to damage crops and pastures. Have a key for dedicated funding to support their management through research, fencing support and coordinated control efforts. Another effort is improving the I was Lastly, we are promoting subsidies and incentives for farmers covering costs like water, feed, fencing and transportation. The goal is to keep farming financially viable to strengthen our local food systems.

Next slide, please. Now, we will share about the agriculture park program led by our new agriculture maintenance specialist and ag park manager, Kai Thelk and his crew of park caretakers. Next slide. Daily activities of the agriculture park program include the ag park maintenance specialists coordinating work that are carried out by the caretakers, park caretakers that include keeping culverts clean, removing large trash in, weed whacking the sides of the interior roads and along the fence lines as part of the weed management. The team also assists Department of Water Supply in keeping eyes on reservoir through intermittent inspections and cleaning filter systems as needed, reporting any issues to Department of Water Supply.

One CIP that is about to break ground end of this month is the replacement of the booster pump station, which will be constructed by PB Sullivan. It cost the county $433,472 for the design and $3,957,532 for construction. Funds were encumbered in fiscal year twenty twenty four and twenty twenty five from the CIP funding. The booster pump is required per an agreement between Mahipono and the county in order to supply the water allocations determined by sea worm, which are currently 1,500,000 gallons to the ag park and in the future 1,000,000 gallons to the new Upper Maui Ag Park that is planned as a second agriculture park developed for organic production. Next slide.

Having a larger reservoir is a priority for the agriculture park. This past January, Goodfellows was awarded a $17,375,000 contract to construct the 2,400,000 gallon concrete reservoir. The reservoir will provide additional water storage for the agriculture parks, water for fighting fires and water for drought amelioration. The agriculture conservation program is funded by a grant from the USDA NRCS strategic partnerships pathways program and managed by our conservation liaison who's here this morning with us. Her name is Janine Rasa.

Next slide. The agriculture conservation program goals are to improve communication and collaboration between conservation and agriculture sectors to strengthen disaster resilience, restore the environment and support local food production and culture. The three objectives of the program are to promote innovative land management solutions for fires, floods and erosion. Promote cultural and science based vegetation and restoration management strategies and to cultivate science based conversations through outreach and education. Next slide.

Projects in progress under the agriculture conservation program include developing and access to your resource web page that will be on our web site. Coordination with watershed working groups, coordination with MIMA land management, coordination with department of water supply and partners on water conservation and access, protection of agriculture lands, developing outreach and education materials and going into the community, and one on one meetings with farmers and ranchers. The agriculture conservation program priorities include participating in the access to your working group, support watershed restoration projects as a resource person, assist MIMO with county land management after fuel hazard reduction activities, support water conservation projects as a resource person, ag lands support for the imperiled agriculture mapping, and biosecurity outreach and education. Next slide. Due to the passing of Senate Bill 2,401 in 2024, which says the counties are to develop a feral chicken control and education program, the calls and inquiries about control options increased and residents had no assistance from other government agencies.

The $50,000 funding for Senate Bill 2,401 was vetoed which the counties would have to match, leaving counties to determine if they want to fund their own program. Through my research, was found that the State Department of Ag and Biosecurity only addresses agriculture communities. DLNR will only address wildlife concerns. Department of Health will only educate on the effects of feral chicken and birds towards someone's health. At the time when I approached Humane Society with the previous executive director, she was not wanting participate and stated their focus was on domestic animals.

Although they would occasionally trap loose rabbits and guinea pigs. USDA animal wildlife would assess residents and businesses feral chicken issues and are willing to develop a control program. But it will be with it would be all the expenses would be on the resident and businesses. With prompting from Mayor Bisson to look ir proud And program was between December sorry, October and December of last year. The purpose was to determine the cost of trapping.

A total of four fifty one chickens were trapped. The total cost came out to $30.55 per chicken. A second round will start to get more cost data. Although the department does not have enforcement or regulatory powers, this pilot will help the department advocate for funding and may lead to an incentive program to reduce the cost for community members providing funding is secured. Next slide. This concludes our presentation. Thank you.

Thank you so much Director, Deputy Director and all of your staff for joining us and thank you for that great presentation. Okay, we're going to move on to public testimony. At this time, if there's anyone wishing to testify on this item, please use the raise your hand function from and you will be called upon to testify staff. Is there anyone wishing to testify?

Chair, there's no individuals wishing to, signed up at this time to testify. Would you like me to do a last call? Yes, please. This is the last call for oral testimony. Please come up to the podium or raise your hand on teams if you would like to testify. The countdown is three, two, one. Seeing none, Chair, no one has indicated that

they wish to testify. You so much. Members seeing there are no more individuals who wish to testify. Are any objections to closing oral testimony for this item? Thank you. I'll now close public testimony for this item and give the deliberations on operational budgetary review of the Department of Agriculture Debt one pretenses two. I propose three per council member for each round of discussion starting with Vice Chair Senensi. Before we get into that, I just want to first off shout out for the slides on Lanai. Thank you. You guys have been doing such great work there and boy, that chicken slide. Bet I saw the members faces, everybody's eyes lit up and we're gonna probably talk a lot about that. But we're gonna turn this over to Vice Chair Sanancy.

Hello, chair and hello for that presentation. Yeah, my first was what are you doing with the chickens?

The contractor collects it and takes it from there. Like to a chicken farm. There's disposal and he has other outlets.

Okay. Yeah. All right. And then my other question was I did was there any state funding allocations or is that coming up next year?

Thank you for the question. So when that bill had passed, they had proposed 50,000 for each county. After it passed, the funding got vetoed.

Oh, that was for the chickens.

Right. So we're taking our own money and implementing the pilot program. So we're going on round two.

I thought I heard some monies for from the legislature for the park.

I'm not sure about Oh, the CIP? Oh, the CIP funding that was encumbered was from, you know, previous funding.

Got

it. But, the one upcoming for reservoir is using the remainder of all the funding that was re was sourced from other government periods like fiscal year twenty twenty and it's all the balances that's left over from the previous secured funding.

Focus on it was very inspiring. I mean, just hearing all the different stories and how we can affect our county residents. Of course, we're getting a lot of people are getting cut with snap, the snap benefit. So including the kupuna. How how this department can help get some freshly sourced foods to our vulnerable community is I'm glad that's one of the department's priorities.

For the grants you mentioned underfunded locations. So when grants come in, are you guys is that one of the objectives to see that some of these locations that need more freshly sourced

Yes. Food team are using that to develop the baseline. Now, also wanted to add council member that the department secured 2,500,000.0 for Hana the aggregation. Congressional earmark. Yes. For your community kitchen.

Yes. Thank you for that. Then I know you mentioned some partnerships with some water advocates including the DWS but for the East by water authority we did currently add on copabi pahia onto the board as as the upcountry farmer position. So I don't know if working with him as far as getting water from East Maui would because he would represent the park area of country. Okay. Thank you for that. Thank you, Chair.

Okay. Thank you, Vice Chair Nansen Nancy. We're going to move to Councilmember Bhutangan, followed by Councilmember Uhudges, Councilmember Cook, Chair Lee, Councilmember Paulin. First quarter we

quarter quarter twenty twenty

I don't. Okay. Thank you for reminding me about If And

we you can't bring a your presentation back up, that's okay. But I guess I just had a question on the org chart.

I don't think we had the

org think chart staff,

can you help with the Our Yeah. It's in

the version that's posted to ground a

kiss. Yeah.

Anyway. Okay. Oversight. Okay. But it seems like an odd, organ organizational chart. One, because the mayor had always said that he wanted his deputies to oversee operations and to because when I was a department head, we were told that we didn't they didn't DPS didn't want direct reports to the ir respective roles.

To

I knew that deputy director was just coming on and was not experienced with executive management. So we're slowly transitioning over programs to him as he now he has more time. And a lot of time, a year and a half was spent in recovery. And it was difficult for him to manage you know, recovery because he was co leading natural resources. So that was also another factor for me to step in to help with the management of department's divisions and we're also creating new divisions at this concurrently.

You. To your point of information, org chart from their 2025 presentation.

Sorry. Was in

the future.

Forgot about, including that. So my oversight. Okay. I can get that to you later though. Thank you.

You like, we can ask for that in writing if you need a reminder director. Okay, Steph, you got that right

And The other point of information today's slideshow wasn't uploaded to Granicus yet. So maybe that's why he was looking at last year's. Okay. Thank you, chair.

So director, you mentioned the pilot program for trapping feral chickens. You have data on how much it costs to trap a chicken. Do you have any data to measure success in other ways? Like community.

That's point. And

very

half with 20.

That. Then 're to

And

And

two weeks for a week for four traps or $117 for two traps for one week. That's an expense out of the family's budget.

Thank you. Has there been consideration for do ir

that. To

own. So,

regarding for that. All caps, no, that is already done by conservation, other conservation organizations. And our main focus, we want to keep it on agriculture. And that is more a conservation related issue. As far as feral pigs, if that's what you're referencing, no, we haven't looked into that. But I do know that USDA Animal Wildlife, they do have division that handles that.

Thank you. And last question has to do with enforcement. I think you mentioned that the department does not have any enforcement authority on any of feral animals? Would the department be looking for some from this council?

Well, so that's an interesting question because we were developed to not have enforcement and to not regulate. So, some of these issues that have come up are floating. There's like the grilled chicken, there's no agency that's going to touch it. So it just kind of falls with no one. So we're just taking the initiative to see what the county can do.

Thank you, Director. Thank you, Chair.

Okay. Thank you for that line of questioning. Let's move on to councilmember Uwa Hajis followed by councilmember Tom Cook.

Thank you, chair. Aloha, everyone. Thank you so much for your presentation. I appreciate all the work that you folks do. Last time I ran into deputy director, and I've seen he just left, but we had a quick conversation about ag crimes. And in recent months, I've seen a couple ranchers and farmers deal with some poaching issues, which I know necessarily isn't in your purview, but more particularly, ag crimes. What can we do to help you folks reduce the amount of ag crimes or increase the fines or increase the penalties on ag crimes? Because I there's been, I think, a mini spike.

Department? Thank you for the question. So it kinda connects with council member

state

of expanding their enforcement into Maui County. Because currently, they only have it focused on Oahu. But maybe that's something that the county could work together with the department so that it's Maui County focused and that we take care of our own Pilikia rather than waiting for, you know, the state. But although we don't want to be redundant, it has to be crafted in a manner that, you know, doesn't overlap other agencies. Okay. We also have, Maya who wants to add in. Testing.

Mahalo for the question council member. So, tomorrow, our department will be providing testimony in support of a bill to pass the pilot program that is happening on Oahu and Hawaii Island to come to other islands, including Maui County. So we've been in communications with HPT and, Maui Police Department. So our department will be providing testimony and support tomorrow for that measure.

What measure is that? Can you tell me the bill

number? SB2798.

SB2798. Relating to law enforcement. Mahalo. Thank you. I saw that you had, a blip in your slide in partnering with NEMA and wildfire reduction, I'm wondering if you can expand on that a little bit.

Director?

I'll have our agriculture conservation liaison respond. Thank you for the question.

Thank you. Thanks for the question, councilmember. It's such a big topic that it's hard to write it all out in the slide, hence the little blip. But that, know, obviously, MIMA is our agency that's leading that effort. And specifically, when I was talking with Amos, they have a whole team right now where they're looking at reducing fire hazard and intensity on County lands.

My job is more that I would work with them on what we do with the lands after their fuel reduction work. But I would also like to just let you know that I actually used to fight wildfire back in the day when I was much younger and stronger. Not recently. And, so I do have some background in that and, lots of other places. Thank you.

Awesome. Thank you. Thank you so much for your answers. Thank you, Chair.

Okay. Thank you, Councilmember, for that line of questioning. Let's move on to councilmember Tom Cook followed by Chair Lee.

Doctor. Well, thank you, Director and all of the department for your work and the presentation. First, had a question on the update on the deer fencing. The council did a grant for I think $1,500,000 with allocating a certain amount maximum. Is there do you have an update on how that's going? Department?

Thank you for the question, Council Member Cook. I believe Anna is online right now. I see her. And I also wanted to just really quickly add for Council member, Uu Hajins, that the department is also looking into we're developing the grazing application working with corp council. So, Anna, are you on? Can you please respond? Thank you.

Hi, good morning. Thank you for the question. Yes, so we have a $1,500,000 grant that was granted to Lokahi Pacific. And I did get an update that the application will be coming out in the next week or so. So it's forthcoming and we'll let all of our community know about that opportunity.

Okay.

Thank you very much. I was in contact the Directors Board Board

of of of

of

board is getting traction in your wings. I have one question about if you could bring up the slide about the grant funding, and there was a percentage for sold the part that was for sole provider and a profit. I was curious what difference between for profit and sole provider is sole proprietor.

Yes. So the sole proprietor would be an individual that doesn't necessarily have a registered business, whereas the for profit is a business that would be, for example, under an LLC. So they're incorporated in some form have a business structure. That would be the primary difference between both of them.

Okay, thanks. And basically, is the first of

from

Board

of of the the of

Arce for your presentation.

Of

It's clear that all of you are very dedicated and hardworking. I am concerned, however, that you seem to be expanding a lot of little programs. And our thought when we created your department was to make a difference with the overreliance on out of state food production and purchases. And my understanding is that it's at 90 in in the area of 90%. So have any of your programs that you have assisted or created made a dent in that 90%?

Director?

Thank you for the question, Charlie. I understand what you're asking and the way the programs have been developed, those programs is generated by the need from the community. As far as the dent in reducing the 90%, we haven't did any work on measuring if it has been done, but I know our food access coordinator is online. She may have a more comprehensive answer. Lauren, are you available to speak on that, please?

Yes, of course. Council member, you for the question. So we have had a really difficult time tracking down that imported statistic. How do we displace imported food with food grown here? It's something that we're focused on with each of our programs. In communities like East Maui, Lanai, and Molokai, a small program, small amount of funds can make a huge impact because our community of farmers out there are just, you know, they're doing so much with so little. I would say our grants program has had a huge impact on scaling up our producers, increasing the amount of food that's getting to local people through farmers markets, through summer food programs. Excuse me, Lauren.

I have a limited amount of time.

Oh, thank you, sir.

You bring up a lot of small programs, is fine, but we're talking about an investment of $16,000,000 And so I'm asking, what is our return? Is it substantial or is there a goal to reduce the 90% to 80% in so many years, etcetera? I mean, we cannot continue to just rely on these little programs that help just small numbers. And so that's what I just want to know. Do you do you have an overall goal to cut that 90% down at some point?

Yes, Charlie. We are very much in support of our statewide goals supporting specifically institutional purchasing. Our small pilot programs around food as medicine and also our efforts to scale up farm to school purchasing will have a very large impact over time even though the pilot programs are small now. Thanks for the question.

All right. Thank you, Chair Johnson. Thank you.

All right. It sounds like Chair Lee wants to increase your budget and

you

I'm you you off, I'm not not trying sure to be rude. The focus of my questions is like the continuity from one year to another. Have the administrative rules been created? Last we heard March 5, it was with Randy Pereira of HTA for a consultation.

No. We're it's still in draft form. Our administrative assistant is just has so much stuff to work on, but we're it's on our list to do. And we knew you were gonna ask us about that.

Okay. And then in fiscal year twenty five, the dashboard was one of your big priorities. What's the progress on that?

Okay. Thank you for asking the question. So, the dashboard is actually we're considering the mapping that we're doing with GIS as the dashboard. So that will reflect all the food access locations, etcetera. And we have more details that Lauren can answer if you want more on that.

That's good. Thank you. In your 04/07/2025 transmittal, you had said that there's not a need for the cooler ag park committee to exist for several reasons, but it's still existing and now we're taking the Secretary III and making it a Boards and Committee Secretary. Is it going to still remain cooler Ag Park or was it going to just be an Ag Park Committee?

Director?

Yeah, thank you for the question. So currently, we're looking at bill chapter 22 to make some code changes so that it specifically says Kula Egg Park or Upper Maui Egg Park. So the other thing is we don't have enough to fill quorum. And because the administrative assistant and myself are doing all the secretary work, it's just a huge task. So the secretary three would help, but we are intending to continue it if, you know, because the code hasn't changed it, so it's still in effect. Do you

still feel that it's not necessary and that it should be made into an park committee rather than focused on Kula and the UMAP? Yes.

I feel that a committee for the ag parks would be more of a benefit than focus on Kula Ag Park because the department might develop more agriculture parks like I know that he wanted one at one time if we can find, you know, land. Maybe Molokai wants one, although they do have state ag parks. So I think that would benefit the county. And then I think we were

anticipating Lot 30 And 31 of Kula Ag Park would be rented out by now. Has that occurred?

No. That hasn't been leased out. The lots through litigation were returned to the county. We are intending to move into Lot 31 to have presence in the Kula Ag Park and to show support for our tenants there. Lot 30 will eventually be out for applications, but there's code changes that need to be need to happen as recommended by our corp council in Kula Ag Park. Do you do

you need our assistance with those code changes or you're drafting the code?

We're drafting it with our corp council at the moment. Okay. And then and then we'll review it or we'll share it with council. Okay. Because we thought the thing would be available for solicitation at the April. Unfortunately, it's just our corp council has other departments and it's just a waiting game. I know they're working very hard and we're just giving them respect to do what they need to do.

Okay. For my round of questioning director, I noticed your slide about the grants and that's what I'm curious about is it says 61 grants were awarded, but you have 136 active grants in addition to that. Think I'm trying to get the root of my question will be the needs of the community. You feel like there was a big a lot of people applied and you could only give out X amount of grants, but there was a big number of applicants. Can you talk about the number of applicants for these particular grants?

Yes. Thank you for the question, Chair. I'll give what I know. I understood from the grants team that there were a large number of grant applications. And I guess based on the scoring criteria that would have determined the amount of award and who would or would not get awarded. But Anna very point.

I think think

important point. Year '26, we actually did receive 91 applications and we were only able to award six, I'm sorry, 50, let me look back over here. 57 of competitive opportunities. So we do have quite a bit of a demand, but because we have lot

of And the the pot a little bit bigger of so you can bring in more applicants? Kernan

May I add on that before you add, Anna? If we can have more EPs because currently we're running it with two GMPSs and one grant coordinator and we're definitely needing an accountant or two and more GMPS specialists.

Okay. Fair enough. The food as medicine partnership was impressive. Are you working with community health centers, the federal community health centers? And if so, how is are they talking about their budgets getting cut and everything?

Thank you. Lauren, would you be able to address that question?

Great question, Chair. The RFP will be open to all health care providers, including federally qualified health centers and native Hawaiian health centers. We encourage everyone to apply. We'll be doing outreach when the RFP is open in April. Okay,

great. Thank you. I'm going go back to the grants, specifically the farm to family grants. Can you guys remind me the number of grants applicants and number of who received? Was it less than five, I think, who received that? Can you guys tell me the number?

Thank you. I believe it was five. Anna or Lauren can We award

go ahead. We received 15 applications, and we were able to award five.

That's right. Okay. Again, that's a going I case. Have second round, how about we go councilmember that's Senanci.

Thank you, chair. And yes, I agree if there is any need to invest in our community, is the department that we should. I think the discussion when we did create the department is how much the state Department of Agriculture invested in our agriculture system. Point 5% of the money. I think they failed when their idea was expanding agriculture was to rent out our important ag lands to outside seed companies.

That was the plan back in the day. I think you guys are working on establishing the infrastructure to build up that program. It was always a big agriculture community but because of the shortfalls, now we're gonna we're having to start all over again. So hence more investment into this department. You mentioned county codes. And I know that is it chapter 18 agriculture?

Chapter 19.

Chapter 19. A lot of the codes are still stuck in old plantation era, you know, mono cropping.

I'm sorry, I think it's 22.

Are you looking at changing some of those codes because those are still stuck in the plantation era and a lot of those codes are just for mono cropping, sugar and pineapple. And right now we see that there's a need for diversified agriculture where we don't want big crops that attract all of the invasives. We want to use composting and smaller types of farming. So, are you addressing some of these county code changes?

Yeah. Thank you for the question. Right. Currently, now we're going through Bill 160 and we're working on that. Then, we'll go back to our chapter and go through it one by one. And, we've really been working on the section with all the, you know, the A through N and all the duties that we're supposed to do and we realized that we've been addressing each of them. So that might change a little just to be focused on the Maui County needs. But currently, we're working on Bill 160.

Okay. Thank you for that. And then for the grants, you mentioned that some of the smaller non profits that cannot start up monies and then get the And to going do

I believe there are pots that. Of money available. I think the as Anna had pointed out in her priorities was to educate financial literacy education on our farming community so they know that there are other resources out there. But at the same time, we don't want to have our agriculture community dependent on our funding and eventually be weaned off. Ana might be able to add more on the side if you request a question in writing.

Okay. And then real quick, Chair. We see the federal government cut drastically the funds to farmers and to other countries? Are you looking for are there any federal grants available? I mean, are looking for those big grants that can really put in the infrastructure, whether it be water infrastructure, CIPs?

Yeah, thank you for the question. We just offered the position that the grants management position and it has 30 or 40% FTE towards seeking for grant funding and writing to secure for the department in order to have federal funding. And we do know that our department was developed to be self sustaining. That would be a start and that was a difficult thing for us to do. But there are funding out there. We just don't have we didn't have the staffing capacity.

Okay. Oh, one more. Go ahead.

Sorry. And also, I just recently was talking with NRCS and they actually have received quite

a lot

of funding. So they are feeling very excited about going forward. Of course, they provide irrigation infrastructure and all it.

We we Council it. Member Batanggan, any questions?

Thank you, chair. None for me.

Okay. I'm just gonna go down the line here. So council member Palma, any questions for the department?

Thank you. I was wondering, you know, I trying to pay attention to what goes on worldwide and the street of Hormuz, they're kind of not using that. And they were saying not only oil, but also, like, fertilizer inputs and like that. Are we working on, creating those inputs locally, maybe organically without the petroleum pet basis, because we got a lot of manure here that I see from

certain area

Thank you for the question. We do know that Department of Environmental Management, we work closely together. Cecile has been looking into biochar. She's working with some

Is the shade of harms affecting our ability to No. I don't

know about that. I can't answer that. But in terms of Some more environmental management. Yeah. Local created. I know they have a handle on that as well as composting. But we'll support the the farmers, the producers.

My other question was, member Johnson, the chair said about 61 current and a 136 grants reviewing like from from 2023. Are you evaluating, like, you know, we gave out the COVID money, plenty of people were getting into farming because everything was shut down. But then it seemed as though some of those that got the micro grants went back to their regular system when COVID kind of slowed down. Are you reviewing with like the 23, 24, 25 grants, like if they're still doing farming, if they're like expanding, if they're doing more since you still have those to close out? Director?

Yeah, thank you for the question. That's an excellent question. I've had expressed that to our grants team that I do want to see from day one when we started. All the grants that we assumed from Office economic development, I want to see where they are and how did the funding improve and where they are now, where they were and where they are now. Our team is working on some system to develop a system to see those metrics. And if you can like project it in which you pick that this is like touching this entity is gonna pay off in bigger dividends on the year or this is just like

a niche thing where they might wanna do farming for one year and the next year they do something else?

Yeah. I believe once we collect that data to see each project where they where they were and where they are now, then we'll move to the next step would be, you know, what do we do with this data? How can we utilize our funding to make sure that the ones that are actually helping the county meet their goals in reducing the imported food, I think we'll tailor it towards that. And then representative case was saying like, know, stop in Medicare, Medicaid cuts. I just wanted to commend your food as medicine. And if we can,

like, link it to those things, food as medicine, Medicaid cuts, snap cuts, and locally grown, like, if we can perpetuate that because I don't think those guys care too much about us except for military expansionist ideas over here. We got to feed ourselves.

Yes. Thank you. And Lauren is connecting those two together. Is, yes.

Okay, great. Thank you for that question. We're going to move on to Chair Lee followed by Councilmember Cook. Chair Lee?

Thank you. Oh, and by the way, Director Arcea, I'm becoming an expert with feral cats. If you just saw the screen, I had one. And the trouble is that they're very expensive. Mine just had an $858 surgery.

So I'm looking for a second job just in case you need grants managers or something. But speaking of grants managers, okay. So, is the issue only that you don't have enough staff or is it the system itself that is is so slow because because being a prior director, I know it. People don't understand it not only goes through application, not only goes through your department, but they they reviewed twice by corp council, the budget office, the finance office and so forth. It that system that's causing the backup?

Director?

Yeah. Thank you for the question, Charlie. That is one of the problems. But also, if you recall, my budget is in grants 14,356,000.000 of my total budget of 16.4. Majority of my budget is in grant subsidy and with two grant managers, it's a bit overwhelming.

And also, our grant coordinator has to not only coordinate, but she also has to be the financial accountant for all of these. So, we see gaps in our system. We're happy to give up money, but we just need to develop the amount of staff that can manage it comprehensively. You

must have a healthy carryover savings then?

Director? Yes. I believe we have some carryover savings and part of it is attributed to the positions which take a long time to develop. Because we are new, we don't have classes that have any relatable tasks. So we've developed like four new classes and that does take time. But also, I believe we've done it the fastest and filled it the fastest.

Okay. Do you need any more, positions?

Yes.

What beyond what the mayor

is proposing? Yes, we do. Especially in grants, we are asking for an accountant or two and and at least one more grant manager. Like, I want to be, you know, I don't want to ask for like too much but because I don't want to over commit. But yes, we do need more staff. Not only there, but I do part to And do

Member Tom Cook followed by Council Member Oo Hodgins.

Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Director. Hopefully, between the state and the county, can come up with a way to address the feral chickens. Think we'd make a lot of money if we just put like a $10 bounty on each one. Then everybody would be getting them and the thing I've discovered this, don't ask what you do with them after you

catch them.

I was trying to Doctor. That's the

problem. You get into like cruelty to animals and all this other kind of stuff, and it's like. You know what about the health for the community and sanitation and restaurants and sanitation at stores and. Fact that they are. They go on public property on a sidewalk on the road and they walk on the private property and then they go across to somebody else's property.

It seems like our government is being very unrealistic as far as the rights that they're giving chickens. So I'm hopeful that we all collectively can work on it and acknowledge the Department of Agriculture. Thank you for all you're doing, young department growing. And I would just, director, I really like the fact, I think all three times that I've heard you come, you've said, I don't want to over commit. And I told you once you're the first director who's offered money and you go, no, not this year. And I think that's a very big sign of your responsible management. And I just wanted to give you credit for that.

Thank you. Well said, councilmember. Okay, let's move on to councilmember Ula Hajens.

Thank you, chair. I agree with Member Cook. Sometimes I have to just tell my kids that animals go to the big farm in the sky and we move on. But other than that, I really don't have any other questions. Thank you so much for scheduling this chair and thank you department of ag for all the good work you're doing. I really do appreciate your passion and hard work. Thank you.

Okay. Great. Well said. I guess I'm last. So, director, the Humane Society grant stuck in your department, would you say? It doesn't seem to fit your department. It seems departments have been playing hot potato with this. What do you consider

to

to going

do does. Well, the Maui Humane Society grants are pretty spelled out and there's it seems to be just award them, you know? But, however, we want to focus on agriculture, livestock animals.

Yeah.

But, fortunately, the Maui Humane Society already has like a simple system to award. In the beginning, I think it was a bit burdensome, but we have a really awesome grant team and I think we're managing at the moment. But more money we manage, we need more people. Understandable. You made it very clear to the body and I think that's important to do that.

That's the end of my line of questioning. Any last chance for me because I'd like to move on to the next agenda and thank the department. I don't see any hands so

I just had one last question about the half resources. Hearth dissolved. Are you guys overseeing their resources? Like, I think the county was contributing to their big barn and stuff like that.

Do you reckon? Yeah. Thank you for the question. I hate to say, what

is HARF? Oh, I'm sorry. It was like Hawaii Animal Rescue Foundation, and the main lady that was like they did the other animals besides just like, dogs and cats. Think they did

like Okay. Horse think and Anand can answer that. I know I recall Koa talking to me about that, but he oversees the grants team. And Anand, are you still on? Can you do you have a response on that?

Yes. Thank you for the question. We have not assumed any responsibility for HARF. I have heard of them in the past, but we do not we have

not a source of any resource. Okay. Alright. Thank you. I wonder. I'm not sure what happened to that because we like paid money for a barn or something.

Right.

Do you want us to have the committee that's And think

good

right number number

we're right

question. To I'm going to question. Question. 32 I'm AM. Aloha members will the adept committee of 03/12/2026 come back to order from our short recess as we switch topics.

And the next fascinating topic is operational budgetary review of watershed protection grants administered by the Department of Water that one parentheses five. I see the director on the call, so so happy. Here we go. Members, water is life and these watershed protection grants help to ensure our water sources are clean, healthy, and sustainable. Again with the budget session coming soon, I want to hear about the FY '26 operations and budget and learn about any needs for upcoming '27. Ms. Blumensing, Mr. Derobles, as well as Director Stuffelbien, thank you all for being here today and if you're ready to present, we're all ears.

Thank you, chair. Well said, and I'll turn it over to Robert who is our grant who manages the program, and he has the presentation. Thank you. Great.

Let me see. Let me share my screen here,

I guess.

Robert, if you don't mind, can you pronounce your last name for me? So I'm getting it right.

Sure. Robert De Robles. Got it. Okay. Go me. Okay. Give me one second. I'll share the screen. I I wasn't sure if you guys were gonna put it up.

Well, sure. This is not the budget. Just

Yeah. Bring us the grants. The question. I I protection grants program is protect a forested watersheds providing ecosystem services for essential groundwater source to recharge, to control feral ungulates, like feral pigs and access deer to combat invasive non native plant species, to protect priority upper watersheds with fencing, to reduce ladder fuels in the wildland urban interface or the WUI, and to promote community engagement. So every year, we advertise, an RFP, which is, all the proposals are evaluated by committee.

What we expect are detailed proposals, qualified and existing project applicants, and a a wild land urban seven. Our current grantees are East Maui Watershed Partnership, Pugacui Watershed Preserve, Wakamori Source Protection And Watershed Preserve Management, Ponokawai Wahikuli Source Protection,

And

on

MISC, and developing wilt the resistant Acacia koa for Maui watershed restoration by HARC, and developing disease resistant Ohia for Maui watershed protection on Maui by ARC. I'm not sure if you could see this. It's not showing up here. Well, this slide here, it is currently blank. I don't know why it's not showing. I'm not sure. Can everybody see this

It was there for a moment and then it disappeared. But maybe you can just talk us through. Oh, thought I saw something. Yeah. Sure.

Sorry about that. That's okay. Anyway, it's supposed to be a map here indicating all the locations of our watershed partners. We cover hundreds of thousands of acres at any given time. They're covering about 10 to 15% of those lands, depending on the size, like East Maui Watershed Partnership covers over 100,000 acres. But at any given time, cover 12,000. So as they get smaller, they're able to cover more ground every year. Oh, now it's showing. Okay, this is kind of strange. I'm sorry, my If you like, well, now If it's

you like, the staff could present that. Is that correct, staff? Are you able to pull it up?

Sure. We do have the presentation downloaded on our end so we could also screen share as well.

Do you want us to do that?

Sure, maybe. This

is It could not be weather related. Why don't we just if you close yours out and let these guys set it up, is that okay? You guys can handle

that? Absolutely.

Jared's got it coming up there. Okay. So I

guess we could move on to the next slide since I already mentioned this one. Okay. So we monitor grantee projects over four quarters every fiscal year, which includes reviewing reports for consistency and substantive updates, correlate expenditures, address project issues, ensure that online amplifying submissions are accurate and timely, check for issues that may prevent tasks from being accomplished. And just to go over quickly the main deliverables that we support, ungulate control, fencing, invasive plant control, reach, vegetation and planting, resource monitoring and research, and community outreach. We have two grantees, HARC and MISC, that only cover certain aspects of the deliverables as mentioned here.

Next. So without breaking down each award and anticipated funding for FY '27, FY '26 awards total about $3,511,125. FY '27 proposals grew a bit to about $4,000,642,255. These are proposals. And the FY '27 requested amounts, it drops to a total of 3,861,269.

Next. The FY twenty seven requested amounts, you know, as a I should have mentioned this earlier, includes a cooler community watershed alliance, still waiting for the IRS to issue their five zero one c three nonprofit documents to qualify for our grant, but communications with them indicates that they they should be getting that sometime this year, which will make an exception and and have them as a grantee for f y twenty seven, starting in January 2027. So all current grantees I'm sorry. Can you go back one? So all current grantees are preparing right now for the status of FY '26.

They're preparing to we're to process arriving first quarter FY twenty six first quarter reports and requests for payments at the March 2026, so end of this month. We have only three applicants right now from all University of Hawaii for FY '26 that we haven't issued an NTP form due to requested amendment to their contract. But this issue has been resolved as of last week. So we're processing their contracts for execution hopefully in the following week or two. Okay.

Next. So here we have a few before and after pictures just to give an idea of the kind of work that's being done in the upper watersheds. Before and after pictures from Hawaii Forest, Waikamoy, East Molokai, and also Mauna Kahalabai. And so the hard work, as you could see, is evident here. It's hard work.

I don't think a lot of people understand just how hard the work is. There's a lot of turnover because you're out there every day, rain or shine, trying to do this work, and, we appreciate what they're doing. Next. As mentioned earlier, it's hard work in the watersheds. And, you know, we continue each year on January 1 to December 31 so that we issue NTP every January to December.

And there are some some not issues, but everything we analyze every year to determine how they're doing. So for FY 2026, operational costs are on the rise a little bit. And then also, there's also ongoing staff turnover that's it's just persistent because of the nature of the job, which requires retraining and operations onboarding. So a lot of times, we get a lot of turnover with our grantees and we have to kind of not us, but the grantee staff themselves have to retrain their staff. And it takes a takes a toll sometimes, but we're working through that.

Grantees are continuing to expand and improve their operations in the wildlife lot wild wildland urban interface in West Maui and East Maui. PKW, Aloha Pubukui, established the first private endowment amongst our grantees to ensure the project's survival. So we're really happy about that. Waikumoy, TNC, they don't do work in the OUI, but received outside funding to pilot a biochar, charcoal like products from invasive trees and plant species to create useful products for carbon sequestration amongst amending soil and post remediation for community needs. Hoping something good comes out of that.

And next,

please. So priorities and opportunities for FY27. Based on our experience and discussions we've had with our grantees, we're still encouraging all grantees to standardize data collection methods for consistency. So technology is on the rise and we want to make sure that we're able to collect data and information accurately for our program analysis and for the benefit of our grantees to continue and encourage grantees to practice acceptable accounting practices. So a lot of times we have to go back and forth to make sure that everything is submitted properly and documented.

Expand before and after photos for project areas to increase efficacy measurements. So last couple of years, we required grantees to submit before and after pictures since we can't always be on the ground to see progress. And as you can see from the last few slides with the before and after pictures, some of the pictures are really dramatic and helps us understand what's going on. As costs rise, we would like to hire a consultant to conduct an efficacy study evaluating the progress and effectiveness of grant projects, establish a watershed protection grant committee composed of program grantees. And we've had preliminary discussions with some grantees now who are willing to, develop that, committee and to develop a competitive nationwide internship program with grantees to support watershed initiatives and maintain a steady pipeline of qualified candidates.

A lot of times our grantees, have openings that can't be filled for a year or longer, mainly because there's not enough people to hire on the island. They go out and try to hire locally, but sometimes, the qualifications and, the pool candidates, is just not there. The Kula community co community watershed alliance is also preparing their compliance documents that I mentioned earlier, for this program to restore and mitigate wildfire risks. So we're trying to work with them, and we've sent them supporting a supporting letter so they could get their five zero one c three and to encourage grantees to establish endowments like PKW or Puuu Picouille. Next, please.

So here's just a few pictures of some of the community outreach and some of the benefits received by the community through grants program and watershed partners. Thank you.

Okay. Thank you so much for your presentation. We're going to move on to public testimony for this item. At this time, if there's anyone wishing to testify on this item, please use the raise your hand function and you will be called upon to testify.

Staff, is there anyone wishing to testify? Chair, there's no individual sign up to testify, but I see one person approaching the podium.

Aloha. JC Law from Kulaoka Waikua. Pono ole. Right. So I'm like yeah. You your time. I'll save the rest of my time for the Hawaiian people's.

Okay. Staff, do we have any other testifiers?

Thank you, chair. There's one individual on teams. It's Johan and he's unmuted on our end. He just needs to unmute himself and begin his testimony. Thanks.

I see you, mister Law. Are you ready to testify?

Yeah. Aloha, Johan Law. I'm testifying on my own behalf, and I wanted to comment on this super important topic. I myself worked in watershed conservation on Oahu, and I can attest to the issues with my turnover and all of that. You know, this is this is one area where there's really great opportunity to create jobs, especially for like locals who are like straight out of high school, straight out of college and have a lot of those skills if they studied resource management or anything like that.

You know, there's an opportunity to create internships and then all that and have more people stay in Hawaii to do work rather than go to the Mainland and do stem and all that over there. You know? So if you guys can find any way to provide more funding, that would be like, oh, it's not just win win. It's like win win win win because water is so important for

to

we're

a we're if this grows, you know, it's going to help in so many different ways. That's my that's my 2¢. Mahalo.

Well said you Mr. Long to us members. Do we have any clarifying questions for our test ifier? I don't see any hands, so thank you once again for your testimony. Staff, will you call the next testifier, please?

Chair, that's all the individuals signed up to testify. If anyone in the audience or teams would like to testify, please come up to the mic and begin your testimony, or use the raise your hand function on teams and staff will unmute you. Here a brief countdown. Three, two, one. Seeing none, chair, no one has indicated that they wish to testify.

Okay, members seeing there's no one else wishing to testify or any objections to me closing public testimony for this item? Okay. I don't see any objections. So members I'll now close public testimony for this particular item and jump into our deliberations on operational budgetary view of watershed protection grants administered by the Department of Water Supply. I propose three minutes per council member for each round of discussion and council member Senensi has left the building. So we're going to move on with committee member Batangon followed by council member Hodgins.

Thank you, Chair. No questions. Just want to mahalo the department for

their hard work and our partners as well. Well said. Councilmember Hodges followed by councilmember Cook.

Thank you, chair. I too really don't have any questions. I know the department works really well with their grantees. Thank you so much for all that you guys do. Thanks, Chair.

Okay, great. Moving down the list, we

have Councilmember Cook followed by Chair Lee. Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Department, for your presentation and your work. Presentation showed that you're very responsible in your review with the applicants. And I see that like also was reviewing.

Very supportive of the program. I think we need to do more of it. It is work that is I've walked up there on a tour with MISC and was it was a dry day and it was hard. So, I'm very supportive of funding it, and I'm hoping that we could somehow, someway get some permanency in the labor, as Mr. Lal was saying. It's an opportunity, but it's a really hard job, it would have to have some a bit of a future to it to be able to stick it out. But I don't really have anything thing to say besides being supportive. Thank you, Chair.

Okay. Thank you, Councilmember Cook. We're going to move on to Chair Lee followed by Councilmember Ripaulin.

Thank you for the presentation. I have no questions. Thank you.

All right. Moving along. Councilmember Repoulton.

Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Mr. Derobos for your presentation. I was wondering if you can go into a little bit more detail about the contract amendment that University of is requesting?

Yeah. Good question. Great.

Thank you for the questions. Good question. Well, we have this issue with sometimes where they want to change the identification. So we ask them to indemnify the county regarding the hard work because the work this type of grant is different from other grants. People are you know we're pulling off the helicopters and doing a lot of dangerous work that, we wanna make sure the county is identified. The state doesn't always feel like, we should they should be indemnified.

Oh, trust. I had an issue with them about a unilateral agreement. I know what know what you're dealing

Yeah so so it happens but we work through it and a lot of times it happens it happens about every two or three years where somebody new comes in and doesn't understand the negotiations that we just previously had, and they wanna go over it and make it a long process to get signatures. But, you know, after that is another two or three years until they have turned over. So

but we'll work with

you, and we should be processing it. Yeah.

And then, can you tell me what the quarter, timelines are? If it's just, processing first quarter payments now in March? What are the quarter, delineations?

So that's a really good question. We actually before the grant the grants would start, NTPs would start with individual grantees any time of the year, and it created a lot of overlap problems. So that's why I mentioned January 1, December 31. So basically, every three months, they submit. So end of of March, they would submit a request, a report and a request for payment, and then they have about thirty days to reconcile that if they need to.

Sometimes they submit early, sometimes they submit late, but they always try to, be in communication with us regarding that. And then the final payment or final report is not due until ninety days after, December 31. So we're starting to close, FY '25, for example, right, from last year. So does that hope that answers your question?

Yeah. Yeah. And then I think my last question is, like, do you know the percent of the whole that their budget is? Like, certain watersheds get, like, million plus, others get less than a million. But, do you also track, like, how much other money they're able to hustle or what percent of their entire budget that the county is providing? And if we're I mean, I'm stoked on doing their endowment thing, but, are we moving all of them towards that? Is that a possibility?

Well, the endowments are established between, Fukuokui MLP, and private investors. So it it it really is depending on, the location and if landowners feel like they have a benefit for this type of work. We're encouraging it, but it's never been done before. I think is an example. And then with regards to the outside funders, there are, and we track that. So in our application process, we ask them to disclose how much funding they're getting outside of our funding stream.

Thank you so much. I heard the timer. Great presentation. Love the pictures.

Yeah. Okay, great. Thank you for that line of questioning councilmember. So for my turn, first off, thank you for your presentation and thank you for the work that you guys do on the mountain. I'm so energized to work on the Nougou Cloud Bridge on this upcoming budget and to see the work that you guys are already doing by helping partners to do that kind of work is great, but we need to do more of course.

Now having said that, I'm really the testifier Johan Lau worked in conservation and I too worked in conservation and what his struggle was, was my struggle. They just didn't pay conservation workers the wages that you could make in a hotel. That's so frustrating for me to get trained, like you say, for the helicopter training or the training to do

I

a with a stipend like a housing stipend or something to help bump the wages up? Something, anything. I'm just trying to hear you guys' feedback on what your feelings are for that.

Okay. Thanks for the question is a good question something we've been discussing over the years. Just to be clear like you mentioned it's hard work so it's not always about the amount of money but just the difficulty of work and as they creep expand their scope of work. You know there's more stress on on on the worker themselves up in the mountains so they could be out there for two or three days.

Yeah.

And then come back to completely exhausted. But we have we have talked about certain aspects Some other. Grantees have had in the past a workforce housing or some kind of. You know place that people could stay temporarily but you know since the fires and everything, it's been a little bit harder to do that. But I also mentioned the internship program to hopefully have some kind of constant stream of applicants.

And do acknowledge that we need to hire locally. It's important to hire locally, a lot of times, again, they're not able to fill those positions with local participants or applicants. So we're trying to expand that and we're exploring how we could do that. But unfortunately, it's not always money. I'll give

you an example. My daughter is intern at Haleakala and her wages are so low, she can apply for snap. I mean, that's not I don't think that's the best way for folks, right? But that being said, I wanted to ask something about a different topic, the WUI, right? In your slideshow it said you guys are working on WUI in West Maui and was it Wailuku or Central? East Maui, thank you. Why not South Maui? For me in my mind, I look at South Maui and the Wui is right there. There's literally ranch land, the highway and then the town. I mean, it wasn't mentioned, so maybe or I see Ms.

Bloom is seen on, so maybe you can clarify on that.

Yes, let me

just take a stab at it first, I'll just continue, Rob. Yes, thank you for the question, Chair. We have encouraged all existing grantees and new applicants to expand their work where possible into the wildland urban interface, but it also has to have the connection to the water supply and the resources that we tap into and our customer because these are 100% rate funded grants. So we are we have we're hoping to take on the cooler, Kundalini Watershed Alliance, which is really a great example of restoration work in The U. So that is Makwa Aquifer, which, you know, it benefits, of course, customers in Makwa, but it indirectly, it benefits the watershed and all the way Makai, right?

So it just have to have that connection to our customers and our system, but we are kind of lenient in the type of restoration work that could benefit the resource or just prevent wildfires. Okay. I'll let you finish, Rob. Thanks.

Yeah. Good point, Eva. And so right now, the the WUI is really that urban interface, right, between the four wildlife wildland urban interface. So, we've never really had a Maukoto Makai connection because these are essential critical watersheds we're working in, upper watersheds above 3,500 feet and above. But, we are looking into the implications of the work there and and and below.

And so, we're still developing. Our grantees are still developing the best strategy, the Wuest strategy. And like what Eva mentioned, before, the cooler community watershed alliance, they're doing work now. And hopefully we get them on board and have something new like this. We don't have many grantees come up applicants all the time. So we're excited about it.

Well, me follow-up on that. You listed a total of FY twenty twenty seven grant proposals on Slide seven. And just to be sure there's any proposals submitted to the department that were not included on the list. I'm just trying to ballpark total funding needs for the watershed just to that's what that's what do you think?

Right now that includes the 250,000 was included in our ask for FY '27. It's just that we're waiting for Kula community watershed alliance to submit their the proper documentation so they can qualify to to receive funding. If there's additional funding in the pot in

the budget for forestry, not necessarily in department water supply, would the department be willing to refer applicants to that department and fund so that they can meet their funding graphs? I see you have not in her head yet. You guys are working with find all the pots of money, right? So with the grant?

Yes. Well the one thing just to keep in mind is we do talk about these things all the time with our grantees is just we want to make sure that their staff is not stretched too thin. Regarding the scope of work that they they they propose to us. We try to be realistic and hopefully if funding was made more available, they could hire more people. But then again, we get into that conundrum, right, of how to hire more people and keep staff. It's a vicious cycle.

Okay. Well, thank you for that first round of questions. A lot of members didn't have a first round. So I'll just do a raise hands. Anybody have questions for second round? You can raise your hands. I don't see anybody with their hand raised. So members, think they did a great job presenting and I want to thank you for your time department. That's a sign of a good presentation. You guys squashed all our questions. Thank you so much once again for all the work you do. Mahalo. Members, if there's no objections, I'll defer this item. Okay. I didn't see any objections.

All right. No objection. So next we have environmental review and they're in the chamber. So we won't take a recess if you don't mind. We'll just we'll just go on through for this one because they're here and they're ready to rock and roll.

All right. The next agenda item as they come down and and take their seats is operational and budgetary view of the Environmental Protection and Sustainability Division of the Department of Environmental Management, Adept one parentheses three. Members, this division has the task of guiding, leading and implementing our county's environmental initiatives, including natural resource protection, sustainability, conservation, and restoration efforts. In response to the climate emergency and recognizing our island's unique and fragile systems, the work this division does is of the utmost importance. Through their green grant and recycling programs, support for this division in turn supports our community partners who are putting in the work boots on the ground to care for our land, water and air.

We have today Deputy Director Peterson and Ms. Powell. Thank you for joining us today and if you're ready please proceed with your presentation.

Good morning, Chair, Council members. My name is Mike Peterson, Deputy Director, Department of Environmental Management. Next to me, we have Cecile Powell, our EP and S Division Manager. Thank you for the opportunity to provide an update on the EP and S Division. Today's presentation will summarize our current operating budget, our grant management scope, and goals and priorities for 2027.

Our work focuses on protecting the county's natural resources, ensuring compliance with environment environmental regulations, and advancing sustainability initiatives that support long term environmental and community

the pleased the team. Pleased the We are carry out this important work. I'll let

the Cecilio We Powell present the details on budget, grants and upcoming goals.

Thank you, Deputy. And thank you, Chair. So we have, the Environmental Protection and Sustainability. I did want to mention here that it was part of a charter amendment back in 2012 aimed to guide and fund environmental initiatives around natural resource protection, community leaders to support innovative programming and community based initiatives in public education. So we are committed to building a sustainable community with Malama Aina as its guiding principle.

This slide is showing our FY 'twenty six operating budget status. As of,

let's

see here, the second of March, we do anticipate using all funding by the end of this fiscal year, maybe not every penny, but pretty close. And you can see the first six index codes at the top are our general funds, and we have a subtotal there. And then the bottom two index codes are showing our revolving funds. Next slide, please. Our grant program consists of about $9,000,000 this fiscal year.

Dollars 2,700,000.0 is of competitive grant funding, which is the majority of our grants programming. We have environmental and a a number of questions. Descriptions underneath each one. Know I don't need to go into detail. Have Next slide, please.

So now, the following pages, each one has its own each type of grant funding source has its own slide. So the first one is the environmental and green grants. The total, funding is $460,000 for FY 'twenty six and we did receive over $1,800,000 in grants applications. And you see a list of the grantees that were selected through the grants review committee. And please note that the grants review committee that selected these grants, these competitive grants, it was the same committee that selected all of the EP and S grants for FY '26.

Next slide, please. Green Building and Resilience Housing, our approved funding was $100,000 and the applications we received was $240,000 Next slide please. Wetland restoration, first half understanding get future. To We're

we're

a able do

the other one way And Recycling. So

we're the approved funding to for FY 2026 was $1,000,000 We received just under $5,000,000 in applications. And the grantees are listed here, totaling a little over $1,000,000 Next slide. Highway Beautification approved funding $300,000 Total applications received was $300,000 Highway Beautification is funded through revolving, side note. Next slide. And this is a list of our Proviso grantees, totaling 6,400,000.

And the status of each one is there in case you have questions. Next slide. So these are FY 26 grants awarded to Department of Environmental Management. So we do have a state Department of Agriculture grant for $200,000 for CRB mitigation, and that is to develop a compost facility out in Hana. We received 3,600,000.0 for a West Maui recycling center from the environmental protection and sustainability, the EPA.

I'm not saying that right. Environmental Protection Agency. There we go. And we also got a State Department of Health pending $200,000 award for electronic recycling education and outreach and another 180,000 award pending from the State Department of Health for a glass disposal fee. Next slide.

Our expansions for FY '27, I know that this meeting is not about our expansion request, this is just a quick summary. And I can't read it. Hold on. Increased participation of our Tow and Scrap program. We're launching an environmental podcast and speaker series, continuing to develop a facility at the Central Valley Landfill for our compost and the grease sila system, bank, bank, own.

Question.

I think impact of we're going going able COVID-nineteen I

your presentation department. Now we're going to open up for public testimony and first off staff do we

have any testifiers? Sure.

There's no individual signed up to testify but I see one individual in the chamber who would like to testify.

Do you need me read the script? All right. Just give me a moment, will you? I'm gonna read the script. JC, I know you know everything, but let me just put this

up You for the gotta read the script, I'm just not gonna testify because they already know what I like. So we save time for the staff will go to lunch early. Thank you, Mr.

Chair. Okay. All right. Moving on. Any other testifiers?

There is one individual signed up to testify on Terry's All

right. Okay. Testifiers wanting to provide testimony should sign up for the lobby to join online meetings via team link or call in the phone number noted on today's agenda. Written testimony is encouraged and can be submitted via e comment link to the meeting at mauicounty.us/agendas. For those wishing to testify via teams, please let staff know by using the raise your hand function. Once you have been added to the test fire log, staff will lower your hand. If calling in, follow the prompts via via phone 5 or to raise your hand and lower your hand and 6 to mute and unmute. Staff will add names to test fire list in order to test fire sign up or raise their hands. For those on Teams, staff will lower your hand. Once your name is the staff will then be then call the name you're logged in or under or the last four digits of your phone number when the time is testified.

At that time the staff will enable your microphone and video. Please ensure your name appears in Microsoft Teams is the name you prefer or anonymous if you wish to testify. If you're in person, please notify the staff if you would like to testify and honestly otherwise, please state your name for the record at the beginning of testimony. Oral testimony is limited three minutes per item. If you're still testifying me on that time, you will hear a second timer go off after thirty seconds, and I will kindly ask you to complete your testimony. Once you're done testifying or if you do not wish to testify, you can view the meeting in the Kaku Channel fifty three Facebook live or mollyconia at US forward slash agendas. Thank you all for your cooperation, chair will maintain the quorum at all times. We'll do our best to take each person in orderly fashion. We'll now call testifiers beginning meetings that were at this time called the test fires.

Thank you chair. The first testifier is on teams. It's the Royal House of Hawaii. They're unmuted on our end. They would just need to unmute themselves and begin their testimony.

Royal House, are you ready?

Aloha. Aloha. Yeah. This is a descendant of the Royal House of Hawaii, and I'm a land tenant and president and title holder. And I'm just wondering, amplifying if any of the said lands that are being used, if any of the original title holders, have been contacted, that were the owners from the Mahele.

And, yeah, for all the said lands and but I don't think they've been contacted or anything because we yeah. They haven't been contacted. And and as you guys should know, all of Hawaii is royal titled. It's mentioned in the TMKs but are being erased from the TMKs for some odd reason, online. I don't know I don't know why it shows online, but, yeah, but the yeah.

I don't know. If you ask for a title history, it shows, but why are they showing it not online, though? Because you're supposed to be showing it online. K. But, yeah, are any of the we're, oh, yeah. It's a title from the kingdom of made by Kamehameha, third, the original title holder holder. Yeah. And, yeah. Please contact the descendants and heirs. Okay. And the descendants of the original title holder. Okay, Mahalo.

All right. Well, thank you for your testimony. Let me see if I have any clarifying questions for you. I don't see any hands, so thank you once again for your testimony. We do have a second test fire coming down. And go ahead, JC

My apologies, Mr. Chair. Was just trying to save time for everybody. JC law from Kooloka and I'm. First of all, I want to mention the carp.

That word hasn't been thrown around here for a while, I'm pretty sure that's in your vocabulary, the climate action resiliency plan. And my personal testimony for what I want to ask was been trying for a while now to track down. There's a rumor to be a recycle curbside recycle up there in Kula in my town. And I've been trying to find that guy and talk with him and maybe get some kind of work with him even if it's just voluntary. Where do I go?

We'll just walk around Kula and ask, does anybody know the guy or just stand on the side of the road and look for him? So if anybody can provide me with the contact information, I sure would like to help recycling up in Kula and if councilmember Sugi Moore is watching, maybe she knows. She seems to have everybody's number.

All right. Any clarifying questions for our test fire seeing none thank you once again for your testimony staff is

there any other testifiers today? Thank you chair that's all the individual signed up to testify if anyone in the audience or teams would like to testify please come up to the mic and begin your testimony or use the raise your hand function on teams and staff will unmute you. I'll provide a brief countdown. Three, two, one. Seeing none, Chair, no one has indicated that they wish to testify. Oh, I do apologize. There is one individual on teams signed in

as M. Okay. M, if you're ready to testify, the floor is yours.

Hi. I was just wondering if anybody could provide clarification on funding for open space we can

the

last call. Please come up to the podium or raise your hand on Teams if you'd like to testify. And the countdown is three, two, one. Seeing none, Chair, no one has indicated that they wish to testify.

Okay. Members, seeing there's no one else wishing to testify, any objections to closing testimony on this item? Seeing none, I will now close public testimony. Thank you so much members. Okay. Let's enter deliberation on this item. I propose three minutes per council member from each round discussion. We were starting on this end, so we'll go on this side starting over. Start with council member Patonga and followed by council member Paulton.

Thank you, Chair. Thank you, administration. Can I ask for a little bit more detail on the recycling program? What kind of things do you collect? How do you collect them? What happens to the things that you collect? And how is the county charged for the recycling of its of the goods that it processes department?

Thank you, deputy. Thank you, chair. So I'll

try

to keep it short. We have a multiple community recycling drop box centers where it's self haul and it's what's called source separated. So we have one contractor that manages the sites as far as monitoring and hauling. And that's about 700,750 thousand dollars a year for that contract. And then we have one processor, material recovery facility that processes them.

So essentially they bail them and then they ship them off island. If you click on mauicounty.gov/recycle, there is a where does my recycling go, button there that will show where our recycling goes, and how many tons. I do need to update it. Okay. So, it has older information, so we will update that for you. And then what was the other question about it?

What are the type of materials that we recycle?

Oh, okay. So we have mixed cardboard, mixed paper, which is new. Just a year or two, we started doing that. Number one and number two, plastic bottles, bimetal cans, and glass containers. It's basically it's reliant on the global commodity market, but we are moving towards on island recycling and to remanufacture commodities to be used on islands such as glass crushing for fill, we're looking at a new technology to make, pulp out of cardboard that can be used for seating and insulation. I mean, there's a lot. I could give you a whole hour discussion on this. Do you have any specific questions about it?

Actually, you answered it. I was going to follow-up with what if you had any plans for on island recycling of the products that you collect. But thank you. And I just want to note that I also understand the challenges of updating our department websites. Think

that's

and tow and scrap program was a halted on emergent or electric vehicles and hybrid vehicles temporarily because Hammerhead didn't have capacity to continue storing those batteries. Are we looking to expand capacity? Because as we've seen at Ukemehame, when people don't have a place to dispose of those batteries, are highly combustible, they'll throw them in the bushes on county land. There's another

And I

team working

a

we're we're going do to

of

And sense

next we'll 20.

We're And get the from with Mattson guys. In order for them to be permitted, they need to be essentially deactivated in a salt bath, stripped apart and shredded and then salt bath again. And then what's left over is this residual waste that we don't know what to do with. Frankly, it's a lot of Are working at all with EOPOLAR?

They had a contract with Redwood Industries to take them to Vegas, I believe.

Yes. We've been working with everyone to come up with a solution as soon as possible. And as far as the cleanups go, we're still receiving and processing EV vehicles through our cleanup abandoned vehicle program. It's just not included in the tone scrap. We're just asking residents to hold their vehicles until we get our ducks in a row, which should be in a few months.

Is there any way to, put this cost on the front end of hybrid and electric vehicle importers?

Producer responsibility. Definitely looking into that bill. I was hoping something was gonna be introduced this ledge season, and I haven't seen anything yet. Okay. And then I

saw money for West Maui redemption. How is that coming along? Because I don't know of any place in West Maui that we can redempt

our 5¢. Yes. We've been working with a local family over in the West Maui. There was a delay in procurement, but we are looking to open soon. It was a fiscal sponsor with the new terms and conditions with the grants program. We're just getting some technicality issues squared away for procurement and the project be vote We're going going on

right

Lee followed by Councilmember Cook.

Thank you for the presentation. I have no questions. Thanks.

Okay. Let's move on to Councilmember Cook followed by Councilmember Ohajes.

Thank you for your presentation. And I take bottle scans, cardboards to the Kihei site, and I was really amazed that they do 15,000 tons every other week, 30,000 pounds, mean, amazing amount. So, that's super successful. That's going is that going off island to the mainland be recycled Thank

you, councilmember.

That's the plastic? Yes.

Plastic and aluminum.

Are you talking about the ADF, the high fives or are you talking about the commodities?

The high five.

The high fives do go off island. They have that's a state program and the redemption centers are required to report to the state Department of Health on where they go. Don't know that offhand I know about our commodities because that's a local program. And that again is on our website, mauicounty.gov/recycle. If you click on the where my recycling goes, you can see exactly the remanufacturing plant that our recyclables go to.

Okay. Thank you. Could you give me an update, kind of an overview on the green waste? Is that like how many people do we have processing and how many people do you work with on that? Department?

Are you talking about am I close to the composting? The composting at Central Maui Landfill or composting island wide with our partners, community partners?

Composting island wide with your community partners.

Okay, great. We have been having a lot of meetings with Hawaiian compost over on Malaya side. They are producing quite a bit of compost that's available for sale now. We're looking to submit our solid waste management permit to start composting at the Central Mile Landfill very quickly here. It's just in its final stages and then permit pending.

We can start composting on-site. We've been working with a grantee to start food waste, producing fertilizer from food waste. We've been working with other grantees that are doing mass waste to micro production for microorganisms. And I'm in process of developing a compost facility in Hana with a local family as well as we're continuing to support West Maui Green Cycle on the West Side. And we have a new grantee for Molokai that we're gonna be developing question first

of question. That used to be done and now it's not being done. Is that correct? Department?

Thank you. Thank you, Chair. Okay. So co composting with biosolids is included on the permit. So it's able we're to going that.

Do

And

our permit application. Should And we not get co composting, then we are looking at more things like fish emulsion, utilizing on local fish waste and making make

to to to

and thank you, DEM, for your presentation. I wanted to talk to you about one of the grants that we have in my area, which is Malama Hamakua. I'm pretty sure that was Mire testifying earlier. So we appropriated $50,000 for their trash cleanup this year. As you know, it's county property with open space, and they're tasked with cleaning it, and they do a really good job, but we do they do need our help. It is our property that they're kind of, at this point in time, more volunteering than anything else. So I just wanted to check on the status to to

and working

directly on on with Miley that. To get that encumbered and get their money out to them as soon as we can. So we have this was actually just last month's report that I'm pulling off from, but I do recall signing their grant packet. So it's definitely moved towards draft at this point. So it has maybe like eight signatures to go. We do have a rush stamped on it. So hopefully we'll get it, ratified here in the next couple of weeks.

Okay. It takes a couple weeks to get eight signatures.

They have to still be reviewed. Correct. Yes. There is a there is a process. There's a routing process for all grant amendments and initial drafting of grants. Yes. Okay.

So they can expect it in a couple weeks. I will let her know. She was emailing us. She's really trying desperately to clean up that place, and she's doing a really good job, as you folks, probably know. Is there anything else we can do to support you folks as you guys work your way through all of the grants that you now have to oversee? I know I saw some expansion positions, but is there anything else we could do on our end?

Department?

You for the Board Directors

of

of think of

a 20.

20. Be that to make And

able

sure to

our section or division is having to manage. Cecile, anything to add?

Thank you. Just quickly, streamlining is the keyword here. We're we have a new team and we have new procedures in place from finance and corp council. We're all working as a team to move forward and make sure that FY 'twenty seven grand season, we're well geared up for it.

Thank you, chair. If I may, can I, I won't need a second round, if I could ask just one question? Please. You. How do you propose you folks streamline your grant process? I do know that the grants has been an issue. So how how are you guys gonna streamline your process? I'm I'm excited to hear about it.

Thank you. So am I. I'm excited to share. So it's just identifying how we're standardizing it countywide and just making things as clear and concise as possible from the get go from our grants information session. Our grants for FY27 are going to go live in April for the competitive ones. And we're just going to be really clear about all of the new procedures in place and the direction and what to expect with all of our grantees including requirements, proof of payment requirements, and encumbrance pre procurement requirements so that they can be prepared at the application process so we won't experience hiccups throughout procurement. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Chair.

Of course. All right. My turn for a round of questions. So really, we're going to get into the grants here. So do you anticipate the proposed expansion budget for grants will increase the number of organizations getting funding? Or will it keep that number about the same but increase the grant amounts? Can you speak to the division's capacity to manage more grantees?

Thank you, deputy. Thank you, chair. It's going to do a little bit of both, but like for instance, the wetland restoration grants, we had to just give 60% to all the op just going to other a of a lot work to be do able to that. That. So And that they can be more effective in their programs.

Okay. You had a slide of 100,000 for Kirk. Can you get into the details of what that 100,000 was for? Call of the Island Reserve Committee Commission. Yes.

Yes, for that one, we are working with them for a feasibility for their irrigation system. And to support their ongoing restoration efforts. They're doing replanting in the wetlands area of Kahoolawe. And, I believe that that about covers that they're doing some soil amendments and plantings and discontinuing their efforts we're fact

do

to capacity to is to do that. That. Yes. And Yes. As far as the capacity for for that project. I mean, I wouldn't anticipate the larger figure for the grantees. It takes the same amount of administrative work a little more administrative work, higher the price tag is on the grants. But for us on the administrative level, we're prepared and again, we're streamlining everything to make it more easy.

It's a very important topic for me and just for everybody I would hope for is to bring back the Nougou Cloud Bridge and the work that Kirk is doing over there. I think a 100,000 we could do more. So just letting you guys know. I think it's very important and it's something that I'm gonna advocate for this upcoming budget. Those are my lines of questions members. Second round, second round is the weather is getting really gnarly outside. I don't know if you guys can see that, but any is round any chance anybody need a second round question? Do we have any customer problem?

Thank you. I had asked Department of Agriculture about, you know, the fertilizer, like locally grown inputs because of, what is going on with the state of Hormuz. Are you guys working on anything that would I don't know if that is affecting our ability to get, fertilizer, but That is like petroleum based fertilizer. Do you guys have any initiatives to help folks over here get locally made fertilizers? Department?

Yes. Do have a number of grantees that we worked with over the last couple of years. One is this fiscal year we purchased we provided funding for a $250,000 accelerated digester to turn food into fertilized pellets. And we've also worked with

a

grantee bio bamboo out in Ma'aleiocide. She's Charlotte O'Brien actually built FAT 12 bioreactors and has an abundance currently of fertilizer that is available for use. We're also working with Colima O'Malley for a upcycling agricultural waste using a fish pilot, and we we wanna expand on that using, fish emulsion as a fertilizer. It recently got tested. I can't wait to see the results.

Are they able to distribute it locally?

Yes. And replace that. The plan is we wanna develop a distribution plan and how to get it out to

the folks who can utilize this. Thank you. Then my other question, on the West Mai Greene cycle. My understanding is they didn't receive the funds. They had to lay off people and then there was a fire on the site and so they may not have the site. Do you have an update on that

grant? I believe that we just sent the notice to proceed to Gretchen. Oh, great. I will double check on that, but I'm 95% sure I can update you guys. I can send an email out to you folks with an update. Okay. And then I'll text Gretchen to The invasive

species, how is that going in your coordination with agriculture? Because I know they have a portion of it and you folks have a portion of it. How is the coordination going? Department.

Okay. You. We have a working group. We collaborate a lot together. So I think that it just happens organically. We just kind of just do our thing and they do their thing and we work together as a team.

What is the biggest concerns in the invasive species groups rate at this moment? Department.

Right now is is mitigating coconut rhinoceros beetle. There's been a lot of complaints about cokey frogs. But from environmental perspective, our big concern is, you know, our food source, which coconut rhinoceros beetles will impact that. Whereas cokey frogs are a nuisance and they're going to continue to be, addressed, but they're not going to, impact our food source the way that coconut rhinoceros beetle can. Are you guys working towards quarantine areas at the harbors and port airports and things like that?

I I believe that the Department of Agriculture is designing a biosecurity plan. So that's not really our kuleana. We're just providing input and working in collaboration with them, but they're spearheading the biosecurity plan.

Thank you. I heard the bill.

Okay, members. Anybody else for a second round? Seeing none, I want to thank the department first for your hard work and thanks for your presentation. As you can see, we had a lot of good questions and good discussion. Thank you once again for spending time with us today. Members without objection, can I defer this item? All right. Seeing no objections, this item now is considered deferred. Members, we're going to have I wanted to do take up Department of Transportation after lunch, but it seems that this weather is kind of maybe maybe making us push it forward. But we don't know yet.

I gotta hear from them. So I'm gonna take a ten minute recess, sort this out, and I hope if they need to come back at lunch, I hope we're able to. Otherwise, it would be after lunch, but I'm trying to sort out their schedule right now. So just give me ten minutes members and I'll come back on and tell you the plan. That is that okay for you?

Pardon me, chair?

Yeah, go ahead.

The latest update is that they will be able to be online after a ten minute break. Okay. And they won't be available later.

See, that's the thing. Members, they're not going to be available after lunch. So can we just do like a little bit longer for and jump in your lunch break and then we'll be done for the day. Okay? Sound good? I I got

do have a 12:00 meeting.

Okay. What you have a twelve anybody else unable to make make this okay. Thank you.

I see the deputy director online now if you'd like to maybe take a two minute break and we can hear from her about a timing maybe. Could

Okay. Let's just 11:47, we'll come back. Thank you, 11:47, this meeting is in recess. Aloha members. Welcome back from that short agenda as we sort out what were our path forward and we're gonna we're gonna take on our last item on the agenda, which is budgetary and operational reviews under the adept committee's jurisdiction plan for today.

It is the last one and it is I really appreciate you guys for standing hanging in there with us. We have with us deputy director Yogi, mister Nakamoto, and mister Hanay, and help me with your last names, I beg your pardon. Thank you all for being here today. And if you're ready, we'd love to hear your presentation. If you can turn on your camera and yep, there's a presentation.

Thank you so much for making accommodations for us. I really appreciate it.

I understand the weather is unique.

Thank you. Good afternoon, committee chair Johnson and committee members. Thank you for having me here today. My name is Diane Yogi. I'm the deputy director for transportation.

Also joining me in this meeting is Neil Nakamoto, our program specialist three, and William Haney, who was hired as our second program specialist three last month. I will be reviewing the department's fiscal year twenty twenty six operations budget. Next slide, please. The following is an organizational chart for our department listing the programs that I will be covering today. Next slide, please.

Our department's budget is broken down into three funding sources, the general fund, the highway fund, and grant revenue. The general fund covers our administration program, the human services transportation program, the air ambulance program, Park Maui program, and the ferry program. The highway funds covers the Maui fixed route, ADA paratransit, and commuter services, as well as the matching funds necessary for the country to secure outside grants. The grant revenue fund covers projects for which we are able to secure grant funding. Next slide, please.

Also included in this program are fiscal year twenty twenty six funds for the Mali economic opportunity bus replacement program. The increases in salaries are due to salary commission increases, collective bargaining increases, and three additional EPs in fiscal year twenty six. Increase in equipment equipment's budget is for the office furniture for expansion positions. Next slide, please. Our department currently has 11 EPs and four vacancies.

We are in active recruitment for a plan of five, which became vacant in February, and a contract assistant limited term appointment, which became vacant in December. We are also in the process of preparing a recruitment for our grants coordinator, LTA, which became vacant in February. We are also in the final stages of recruitment for an administrative assistant one and are awaiting a qualified applicant list from DPS for that position. For operations, MEO is in the process of procuring 14 a 14 passenger two wheelchair electric bus to support their transition to an electric fleet. Next slide, please.

The general fund additionally provides for the human services transportation program operated by Mali Economic Opportunity, which includes services for senior service transportation, senior nutrition, Mali adult daycare, and youth transportation. We're also including included is rural shuttles and dialysis. The general fund also fund Maui County services for excuse me. Maui County portion of the air ambulance services. The increase in the human services transportation program was requested based on actual cost increases related to prevailing wage increases, software licensing fees, vehicle maintenance, and insurance premiums.

Next slide, please. Regarding the human services transportation program, MER remains dedicated to the ongoing reliability of these essential services and is actively recruiting for drivers to meet the demand. Longtime drivers have since retired, and the ongoing nationwide shortage of CVL drivers has contributed to the difficulty of building these vacancies. Regarding the air ambulance program, we continue to partner with the state department of health for the air ambulance program. The state's contract for the service is over $3,000,000 and the county share remains unchanged at $672,215 Next slide, please.

The general fund program also funds the Park Valley program and the ferry program. No changes were requested for Park Maui and funds were requested for the ferry to move the program forward. Next slide, Keith. The following is an overview program for fiscal year 2026. For our Wailuku and town garage portion, our parking ambassadors, launched in Wailuku in August 2025.

An ordinance was adopted updating Waiuku paid and permit parking map, and the Yao Theater parking lot has been restriped and signage for the program has been installed. We began with initial pilot locations at county beaches and parks. We're starting with the Kamaole one, two, and three launch for for beach parks for county beaches and parks. An ordinance has been adopted updating South Maui paid parking zones. An SMA permit has been approved for pay stations and signage.

And signage has been installed and coming soon banners are also installed at the parks. Next slide, please. For commercial towns, the office of recovery requested Park Maui's implementation for the Lahaina Harbor reopening. In Lahaina phase one reopening, Park Maui initiated three parking lot. 500 French Street lot, 1116 Prison Street lot, and 750 Luakimi lot.

We're continuing to work with OOR on the Lahaina reopening. What's next in fiscal year twenty twenty six? We are working on a marketing campaign for Wailuku Garage and South Maui launch. We will be doing the implementation of peace stations at the South South Maui site, ongoing data collection of parking utilization, and an ordinance for Lahaina Town to establish pre parking and permit parking zones. Although this summary is very brief, it consisted of a lot of work and coordination with other departments to get to this point.

Neil will be available after the presentation if you have any questions. Next slide, please. The following is a brief description of what has transpired in the ferry program so far in fiscal year twenty twenty six. A contract was awarded to KPFF to assist the county in planning and developing documentation for vessel procurement, operations contracts, and environmental requirements. To inform the information plan, comprehensive meetings were held with existing ferry operators, including the New York City ferry, Puerto Rico ferry, and the Nationwide public ferry coalition, along with other West Coast operators.

Wauwee was also introduced as a new member of the public ferry coalition, which serves as a form for ferry coordination and advocating for and advocating for continued federal funding. An RFP was prepared and posted for the Maui County Ferry Environmental Study with a bid opening on March on April 9. The county anticipates that services for the environmental study may begin as early as May. The department also began coordinating with FTA Region nine regarding compliance with environmental requirements as well as potential federal funding opportunities. Further meetings were held with DNLR and DOBAR to discuss harbor and vessel limitations, which will impact the vessel procurement process.

Draft ferry ordinances were also developed and are being finalized for discussion. Next slide, please. What's next in fiscal year twenty twenty six for the ferry program? We'll complete the environmental study vendor selection and award, which is anticipated to take approximately one year to complete the HEPA, Hawaii invite to environmental assessment, and the NEPA, the national environmental requirements. Work on finalizing the operations and maintenance RFP is also underway and the RFP the RFP to be completed with further planning contingent on Afansi, finding of no significant impact for the environmental process.

We'll be finalizing new vessel procurement documentation as well. During the first seven and a half months of fiscal year twenty six, our program specialist three, Neil Nakamoto, Nakamoto, needed to split his time between the Park Moly program and the ferry program. We now have a program specialist three dedicated to the ferry program, which is Will Mr. Will Haney. Neil and Will are available after the presentation for any questions.