HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/04/2021 Council minutes COUNCIL MEETING
AUGUST 4, 2021
The Council Meeting of the Council of the County of Kaua`i was called to order
by Council Chair Arryl Kaneshiro at the Council Chambers, 4396 Rice Street,
Suite 201, Lihu`e, Kaua`i, on Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 8:31 a.m., after which the
following Members answered the call of the roll:
Honorable Bernard P. Carvalho, Jr.
Honorable Mason K. Chock
Honorable Felicia Cowden (via remote technology)
Honorable Bill DeCosta
Honorable Luke A. Evslin
Honorable KipuKai Kuali`i
Honorable Arryl Kaneshiro
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Good morning. Today's meeting will be
conducted pursuant to Governor Ige's Supplementary Emergency Proclamations with
the most recent relating to the Sunshine Law being his Twenty-First Supplementary
Emergency Proclamation dated June 7, 2021. For the record, we have no registered
speakers today for any of our agenda items.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA.
Councilmember Kuali`i moved for approval of the agenda, as circulated,
seconded by Councilmember Carvalho.
(No written testimony was received and no registered speakers requested to
testify regarding this agenda item.)
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any questions or is there any
discussion from the Members?
The motion for approval of the agenda, as circulated, was then put, and
unanimously carried.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: The motion is carried. Next item.
There being no objections, C 2021-171 was taken out of order.
CONSENT CALENDAR:
C 2021-171 Communication (07/15/2021) from the Director of Finance,
transmitting for Council information, the Period 12 Financial Reports — Statement of
Revenues, Statement of Expenditures and Encumbrances, Revenue Report, and
Detailed Budget Report as of June 30, 2021, pursuant to Section 21 of Ordinance
COUNCIL MEETING 2 AUGUST 4, 2021
No. B-2020-866, relating to the Operating Budget of the County of Kaua`i for Fiscal
Year 2020-2021.
Councilmember Kuali`i moved to receive C 2021-171 for the record, seconded
by Councilmember DeCosta.
(No written testimony was received and no registered speakers requested to
testify regarding this agenda item.)
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any questions or is there any
discussion from the Members?
The motion to receive C 2021-171 for the record, was then put, and
unanimously carried.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: The motion is carried. Next item.
COMMUNICATIONS:
C 2021-172 Communication (06/02/2021) from the Director of Finance,
requesting Council approval to dispose of the following government records, pursuant
to Hawai`i Revised Statutes (HRS) Section 46-43 and Resolution No. 2008-39 (2008), as
amended, which have met the ten (10) year retention period:
• Accounts Payable (Supporting documents, reports for Accounts Payable
for January 2011 and older)
• Asset Inventory (Inventory records, reports, and logs from June 2011 and
older
• Cash/Investments (Cash/Investment reports, audits, and supporting
documents from 2005 and older)
• Miscellaneous Deposits (Deposits for Fire meals, Golf Fund, and Treasury
Trust Fund from 2007 and older)
• Contract Files (Various contract folders, payments and supporting
documents from January 2011 and older)
Councilmember Carvalho moved to approve C 2021-172, seconded by
Councilmember Kuali`i.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any questions or discussion on this
item? Councilmember Cowden, do you have a question on this item?
Councilmember Cowden: No. I know how difficult it is to hold on to these
records.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any other questions,
Councilmembers?
(No written testimony was received and no registered speakers requested to
testify regarding this agenda item.)
COUNCIL MEETING 3 AUGUST 4, 2021
The motion to approve C 2021-172 was then put, and unanimously carried.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: The motion is carried. Clerk, did we approve
the minutes?
JADE K. FOUNTAIN-TANIGAWA, County Clerk: No, we did not.
MINUTES of the following meeting of the Council:
July 21, 2021 Council Meeting
Councilmember Kuali`i moved to approve the Minutes, as circulated, seconded
by Councilmember Carvalho.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any questions or is there any
discussion on this item from the Members?
(No written testimony was received and no registered speakers requested to
testify regarding this agenda item.)
The motion to approve the Minutes, as circulated, was then put, and
unanimously carried.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: The motion is carried. Back to
Communications.
C 2021-173 Communication (07/02/2021) from the Chief of Police and
Elliott K. Ke, Assistant Chief of Police, Administrative &Technical Bureau, requesting
Council approval to receive and expend funding from the Enhanced 911 (E-911) Board,
in the amount of $991,994.00, for annual recurring and non-recurring expenditures
to operate 911 services as part of the Kaua`i Police Department's (KPD's) Public
Safety Answering Point (PSAP) and Alternate Dispatch Center (ADC), and for travel
expenses for designees to attend monthly board meetings on O`ahu and
board-approved trainings available out-of-state.
Councilmember Kuali`i moved to approve C 2021-173, seconded by
Councilmember Carvalho.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any questions or discussion from the
Members? Councilmember Cowden.
Councilmember Cowden: Can we have a simple explanation? I see this
is reoccurring, but I appreciate the work they do and happy to hear their summary.
There being no objections, the rules were suspended.
BRYSON M. PONCE, Assistant Chief of Police, Investigative Services Bureau
(via remote technology): Good morning, Council Chair and Councilmembers. Assistant
Chief Bryson Ponce sitting in for Assistant Chief Elliott Ke. The State of Hawai`i
COUNCIL MEETING 4 AUGUST 4, 2021
Enhanced 911 (E-911) Fund is a special fund, which receives funding for monthly
enhanced 911 service charge. It is enclosed on each communication connection for cell
phones. The charge is sixty-six cents ($0.66) per month, excluded from the charge are
government entities, prepaid connections, and PUC landline phones. So the E-911
funds are to be expended exclusively for Public Safety Answering Point or what we refer
to as PSAP to deploy and sustain 9-1-1 service in any future 9-1-1 technologies.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Cowden, then Councilmember
Evslin.
Councilmember Cowden: Is it almost one million dollars ($1,000,000) for
the cell phones or the entire system? I see there is training that might be out-of-state.
That is going to be more than just the cell phone costs, right?
Mr. Ponce: Yes. The nine hundred ninety-one thousand
nine hundred ninety-four dollars ($991,994), some of the reoccurring costs are for the
computer needed dispatch or Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) maintenance, the JIS
Database, 9-1-1 logging recorder, Hawaiian Telcom 9-1-1 services, trainings, travel—it
encompass the whole system for the CAD dispense system that we use.
Councilmember Cowden: Thank you.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Evslin.
Councilmember Evslin: Do you folks still have the ability to text 9-1-1?
Mr. Ponce: Yes, we do.
Councilmember Evslin: That is a great service. I have used it before. I
appreciate it.
Mr. Ponce: Yes, thank you.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any further questions from the
Councilmembers on this item? Is there any final discussion from the Members?
There being no objections, the meeting was called back to order, and proceeded
as follows:
(No written testimony was received and no registered speakers requested to
testify regarding this agenda item.)
The motion to approve C 2021-173 was then put, and unanimously carried.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: The motion is carried. Next item.
There being no objections, C 2021-175 was taken out of order.
COUNCIL MEETING 5 AUGUST 4, 2021
C 2021-175 Communication (07/16/2021) from Susan Burriss, Chair of the
Board of Ethics, transmitting for Council consideration, A Bill For An Ordinance
Amending Chapter 3, Kaua`i County Code 1987, As Amended, Relating To Financial
Disclosures.
Councilmember Chock moved to receive C 2021-175 for the record, seconded by
Councilmember Carvalho.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: This will come up later in the meeting as a
proposed draft bill. Do we have any questions from the Members? Is there any final
discussion from the Members?
(No written testimony was received and no registered speakers requested to
testify regarding this agenda item.)
The motion to receive C 2021-175 for the record was then put, and unanimously
carried.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: The motion is carried. Next item.
C 2021-176 Communication (07/20/2021) from the Director of Human
Resources and Jill Niitani, Human Resources Manager III, requesting Council
approval of the indemnification provisions contained in the ADP Global Master
Services Agreement (GMSA), for the leveraging of ADP's industry standard
processing services for Employment Taxes and Unemployment Claims as part of the
County's Human Resources Management System (HRMS).
Councilmember Kuali`i moved to approve C 2021-176, seconded by
Councilmember Carvalho.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Do we have any questions from the Members
on this item? Is there any discussion on this item? Councilmember Cowden, do you
have a question or discussion?
Councilmember Cowden: I just wanted a simple summary/explanation.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Okay.
There being no objections, the rules were suspended.
ANNETTE L. ANDERSON, Director of Human Resources (via remote
technology): Good morning, Annette Anderson, Director of Human Resources and also
Jill Niitani. Basically, we have entered into the terms for the ADP contract, which is
one of the contracts, as you know, for the HRMS project and there is a clause in the
contract that was insistent upon by ADP, otherwise, we would not be able to have the
contract executed and its indemnification clause, I am told through our County Deputy
Attorney that this is a standard clause indemnification that is put into these types of
contracts. She has indicated that it is highly unlikely that we would ever, as a County,
COUNCIL MEETING 6 AUGUST 4, 2021
do anything that would cause liability for ADP where we would have to indemnify if
they were sued and found liable, so that is the purpose of the indemnification clause.
Councilmember Cowden: Thank you.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any further questions from the
Councilmembers? Is there any final discussion from the Members?
There being no objections, the meeting was called back to order, and proceeded
as follows:
(No written testimony was received and no registered speakers requested to
testify regarding this agenda item.)
The motion to approve C 2021-176 was then put, and unanimously carried.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: The motion is carried. Next item.
C 2021-177 Communication (07/20/2021) from the Executive on
Transportation, requesting Council approval to receive and expend a Fiscal
Year 2020 Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5339(c) discretionary grant,
in the amount of $2,450,001.00, and to indemnify the FTA. The 5339(c) grant will
provide eighty-five percent (85%) of the cost to replace three (3) diesel-powered buses,
with three (3) hybrid electric buses.
Councilmember Kuali`i moved to approve C 2021-177, seconded by
Councilmember Carvalho.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Evslin has a question.
Councilmember Evslin: Hi, Celia, are you there?
There being no objections, the rules were suspended.
CELIA M. MAHIKOA, Executive on Transportation (via remote technology):
Aloha. Good morning.
Councilmember Evslin: Good morning, Celia. Can you explain the
technology for the hybrid electric and the rationale with some of the issues with
transitioning to a full electric bus, instead of a hybrid electric bus?
Ms. Mahikoa: Thank you. Celia Mahikoa, Executive on
Transportation with the County Transportation Agency. In regards to the hybrid
electric buses, what we are planning on pursuing for that is in our transitioning to
fully electric fleet by the year 2035, which is our Statewide goal. We are taking this
first step, which will be far more advantageous for us to determine what routes to
apply our electric buses to as they come in without needing to make the infrastructure
investments that come with fully electric vehicles. These buses will have that feature
where they recharge their diesel electric or diesel battery operated. So the
COUNCIL MEETING 7 AUGUST 4, 2021
functioning throughout the route will be the recharge method, they will not need to
have infrastructure placed into our baseyard or any other location in order to
recharge the vehicle. We see this as a good step towards transitioning our vehicles.
Needless to say, thankfully, we have also received the Low-No Federal Grants in
which we are partnering with our Hawai`i Department of Transportation (HDOT)
and outer island transit operators to pursue that and meanwhile, we see this as a
healthy transitioning where it will take no infrastructure investment to pursue.
Councilmember Evslin: Thank you. When do you anticipate
transitioning to the first fully electric buses?
Ms. Mahikoa: This is the first time we are going through
fully electric actual implementation and we are doing it as a group, so we are aiming
for the next couple of years to be able to implement. But we will provide updates as
we get closer and we are able to firm up the plan and actions that we are going
through. Right now, we are working with the consultants that have been brought on
board through HDOT to apply the funds for the vehicles that we are going to scope,
as well as the infrastructure complete for the fully electric vehicle implementation.
Councilmember Evslin: Thank you. The last question, is every
County using this grant for hybrid electric or are they using it for other purposes?
Ms. Mahikoa: Yes, this was specifically for the purchase of
hybrid vehicles, so Maui, Hawai`i Island, and Kaua`i are equally sharing the
allocation that was provided through the Federal Transit Administration.
Councilmember Evslin: Okay. Great. Thank you so much, Celia.
Ms. Mahikoa: Thank you.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember De Costa, Councilmember
Chock, and Councilmember Cowden.
Councilmember DeCosta: Hi, Celia. Thank you for everything that you
folks do in the Transportation Agency. I was concerned about fully moving into an
electric bus fleet that we are going to be introducing in the next couple of years. How
ready are our technicians on hand, right now, to work on these electrical buses? I
would like to know if we are in contact with Kaua`i Community College (KCC), who
could possibly create an electrical program where we can turn out mechanics and
technicians to work on our new buses. We definitely do not want to be caught in a
situation where we do not have our certified technicians up to par with the most
current technology of the electric bus.
Ms. Mahikoa: Typically, with each purchase of vehicles that
we have we, also include in the scope, training for our team for any new features that
are on them. Needless to say, this initiative is going to provide training with our
team and the maintenance will be less than what is needed on diesel vehicles, but it
is completely new, so I certainly see the concern in that. We are blessed with an
incredibly hardworking and great team in our repair shop right now, who are already
COUNCIL MEETING 8 AUGUST 4, 2021
aware of the fact that we are headed there. Our repair shop manager has been
(inaudible).
Councilmember DeCosta: Councilmember Kuali`i and I learned at the
National Association of Counties (NACo) conference that there is a company who
conducts training online and virtually with Zoom. Basically, it looks like our
technicians would need as much help as possible. We would not want them to feel
that we are asking them to fix something that is not in their scope of work, so if you
need grant funding or if we can help you with training funding, we would want our
mechanics up to par. Let us know how we can help you.
Ms. Mahikoa: That is very helpful, thank you.
Councilmember DeCosta: Yes.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Vice Chair Chock.
Councilmember Chock: Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Celia. The
communication outlines the discretionary application and their additional amounts
of other Federal funds for four hundred fifty thousand dollars ($450,000) and a local
match of six hundred twelve thousand dollars ($612,000). Can you explain these
two (2) other line items and if they are secured?
Ms. Mahikoa: I am sorry, which one is that?
Councilmember Chock: I am looking at a communication from Ryan
Sugamoto for Fiscal Year 2020. I do not know if that is the right one we are looking
at, but I am guessing it is because the numbers match. It mentions other Federal
funding of four hundred fifty thousand dollars ($450,000) and the local match, which
is six hundred twelve thousand dollars ($612,000).
Ms. Mahikoa: As far as the other 5339 discretionary
application amounts that he has listed, these are amounts that the FTA has made
available for HDOT to forward to the outer islands for use for standard vehicle
replacements, which would be for maintaining our ongoing fleet and maintaining
them in a state of good repair. With those, they are showing that we have those
amounts available and if needed to supplement for the purchase of these special
project procurements that we do, such as for hybrid or electric vehicles. These would
be typically part of the standard replacement plan and those are the discretionary
funds that they are listing there. We have our vehicle replacement plan...a number
of buses each year to ensure that we will not end up in a place where we do not have
enough vehicles to carryout reliable transit service for the public.
Councilmember Chock: Okay, thank you.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Cowden.
Councilmember Cowden: Thank you, Celia, for all that you do. Most of
my questions were answered. How about the space in the garages? I know that it is
COUNCIL MEETING 9 AUGUST 4, 2021
limited. Will these buses will fit in our garages for repair and do we have dimensional
challenges in parking them?
Ms. Mahikoa: Thank you for asking that as well. It has been
a longstanding issue for us, whereby our repair shop is currently not deep enough for
storing our vehicles overnight. Our shop has been extremely creative in the methods
in which they have been utilizing the area to maximize our use of the current repair
shop. We are unable to keep vehicles in there overnight. They typically are brought
back out. To answer your question, the repair shop needs to be expanded and we are
in the very early stages of planning that out as well.
Councilmember Cowden: Thank you for that. What goes through my
mind is that I am appreciative that we are actually doing the hybrid, so if for some
reason we could not make those long hauls...I am assuming these are going to be
doing the longer distance runs. If we see that we have a problem, we will be able to
capture that before we move to fully electric. When we are looking at the dimensions
at what we have with these hybrids, are they close to the dimensions of what would
be the fully electric buses? Just knowing that we have an issue with parking and
garage repair time, I am hoping we do not have a problem and then another problem.
I know we have already been bouncing against that edge of available space. Has that
been looked at?
Ms. Mahikoa: The changes that we will be needing to make
to our facility include ensuring that we are including those changes in our scope. We
will be ensuring that we have added space for our shop. That is one of our highest
priority items right now. Thank you.
Councilmember Cowden: Thank you.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Evslin.
Councilmember Evslin: I have two (2) more quick questions. You were
breaking up a little bit there. You may have answered it and I apologize if you did
and I did not hear it. Is the intention going forward to only purchase hybrid electric?
Before you do full-electric, we will not be purchasing fully-diesel buses, or will we be
purchasing a mix of them going forward?
Ms. Mahikoa: Because we have to replace at least ten (10) to
twelve (12) buses a year in order to maintain our fleet soundness, we will need to
continue to purchase diesels, just to keep the active fleet at the proper size. We will
be gradually transitioning and thankfully we have been provided the funds to proceed
with these initiatives. Our goal is to have the entire fleet transitioned by 2035.
Councilmember Evslin: Is there an interim goal in there to have it
transitioned entirely to hybrid?
Ms. Mahikoa: No. We would not look at transitioning the
entire fleet. We see hybrid as a good, healthy step in the interim as we are trying to
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identify the best way to have the infrastructure provided for the fully-electric
conversion.
Councilmember Evslin: My last question...you may not have it
on-hand, but I am interested in knowing if you have some sort of cost estimates for
lifetime cost, including fuel of a hybrid electric compared to the diesel ones, and some
sort of lifetime cost including the upfront cost of purchase just to see how they balance
out.
Ms. Mahikoa: I do not have that on-hand right now, but
would be happy to forward that to you.
Councilmember Evslin: Okay. Thank you so much.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember DeCosta, then
Councilmember Kuali`i, and then Councilmember Cowden.
Councilmember DeCosta: 2035 is our estimated goal to transition out of
the buses that are fully powered by diesel. That gives us thirteen (13) years from
today. What is the life expectancy of these diesel buses? Do they last thirteen (13)
years? What is the expected timeframe that we transition them out of our rotation?
Ms. Mahikoa: Our diesel buses typically go for three (3) or
maybe four (4) years in our rotation. The hybrids and electrics have a life expectancy
of ten (10) to twelve (12) years. As we transition to those, we will be able to utilize
them for significantly longer periods of time.
Councilmember DeCosta: Those three (3) new diesel buses that you are
going to purchase, what is the offset in cost if we were to buy hybrid buses instead of
diesels since we are going to have three (3) times the life out of them than we would
be getting out of the fossil fuel diesels? Is there a price difference that we could throw
out there?
Ms. Mahikoa: There is a significant price difference that we
get for the extended life and the added technology. We anticipate hybrids and
electrics to run about four (4) times the price of the diesels currently. At the same
time, we are transitioning from cutaway vehicles to full transit vehicles, which are
more properly designed for public transit use. Right now, we are using the
shuttle-type buses as our diesel cutaways that we have been using historically.
Councilmember DeCosta: Thank you. So if we did the number
crunching right now, we would be able to buy three (3) more four (4) year term diesel
buses before 2035, and we would have the life expectancy of four (4) years out of them.
We can get them out into the rotation. Then we would go to hybrid and fully-electric
buses by 2035. Thank you, Celia.
Ms. Mahikoa: Thank you.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kuali`i.
COUNCIL MEETING 11 AUGUST 4, 2021
Councilmember Kuali`i: Aloha, Celia. Earlier, when you were
answering Council Vice Chair Chock's question, I do not think you got to the part
about explaining the local match. I do not think I saw it in here. That local match is
the fifteen percent (15%) part that the County is responsible for. Do those moneys
come from the regular Federal pot of moneys for bus replacement?
Ms. Mahikoa: If necessary, we will pull from our 5339(c)
discretionary funds. We will start with the special allocation, which was specifically
for the hybrid purchase. If necessary, we utilize the additional 5339(c) discretionary
funds that are made available for fleet replacements. For the local match, it is timing
wise each year...we are extremely grateful each year to be provided the matching
funds that are needed for the local match for these grants. It is all based on the
timing of these purchases occurring. It is sometimes quite hard to predict when we
are going to be provided actual authorization to draw funds and to actually carry out
the procurement of the vehicles. We have an amount allocated this year. If we find
we are in a place where we may need additional funding, we will certainly be coming
to you to request that. We have been successful up to this point with allocating our
vehicle purchases to keep our fleet in good operating quantities with the amount that
we have been provided each year within our budgeted funds. We are hoping that
again that will happen this year. If not, we will certainly be approaching the Council
to ask for assistance with anything that we find that we need. Thank you.
Councilmember Kuali`i: When you reference the special allocation
fund, is that the entire two million four hundred thousand dollars ($2,400,000) or is
that just a portion of that?
Ms. Mahikoa: The two million four hundred thousand
dollars ($2,400,000) is the amount that the Federal Transit Administration
provided...that is actually one-third (1/3) the amount that was provided to the State
of Hawai`i, of which Kauai has been provided one-third (1/3) of the total award
provided to the Department of Transportation.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Is that dedicated to these new electric hybrid
buses?
Ms. Mahikoa: Yes.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Can you tell us the price difference between
the regular diesel buses that you have been replacing over the years and these new
hybrid electric buses? Is it two (2) times as much or three (3) times as much?
Ms. Mahikoa: Four (4) times as much is probably about
where they fall, but you are looking at at least four (4) times as much, and they can
actually carry more passengers, as well. So we will be able to transport more
effectively.
Councilmember Kuali`i: In this communication, when it shows Fiscal
Year 2019, 5339(c) discretionary grant and it has a total of one million seven hundred
thousand dollars ($1,700,000) and Fiscal Year 2020, a total of three million five
COUNCIL MEETING 12 AUGUST 4, 2021
hundred thousand dollars ($3,500,000), of course that is accounting for the local
match, as well, that significant increase, was that something that can be anticipated
once and will not happen again, or in the future will we potentially have these
additional funds to help with additional hybrid electric vehicle replacements?
Ms. Mahikoa: I wish that I had the ability to foresee that. It
has been rather unpredictable, so we have needed to be relatively conservative and
at the same time ensure that we are replacing a sufficient amount of vehicles each
year to keep service reliable for the public. So it is hard to say which way it is going
at this point. We try to effectively allocate the sufficient amount for vehicle
replacements each year and thus far it has worked out very well for us with our very
capable repair shop team that keeps our vehicles in good operating condition.
Councilmember Kuali`i: Thank you for that. I will just state that there
is a hope too, that perhaps with the new infrastructure Bill relating to that is about
to be passed in the Federal government that that funding could help there as well.
Of course, we will stay on top of it with NACo's analysis and share whatever
information we have with you as well. Thank you.
Ms. Mahikoa: Thank you.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Cowden.
Councilmember Cowden: I am not sure if you quite answered my
question last time, are these going to be tested on long hauls, or are they going to be
for the short runs? Is this a long haul bus, meaning to Kekaha and Hanalei?
Ms. Mahikoa: They can be utilized on either. They are set
up to where we can service them well with these vehicles as well; however, my
understanding at this point, is that these vehicles tend to operate better in more
frequent stop and go type of operating scenarios. Therefore, we intend to place the
"initially in service" in our shuttle routes in Lihu`e, where they are doing frequent
stop and go. If we see that does not work...thankfully my team has the ability to flex
and change them around to be able to do what is most beneficial for the vehicle
operating as well as the operators with something new. So we will see how that works
out.
Councilmember Cowden: Thank you on that. Is there an anticipated
increase in gas mileage? I think that is the reason why people get hybrid vehicles,
are we going to see a substantial savings on fuel costs, do we anticipate that?
Ms. Mahikoa: That is the hope, truly, the hope for applying
these new technologies. I do not have the exact statistics in front of me at this point,
but I can certainly obtain some from our resources for that, if you would like.
Councilmember Cowden: Okay, thank you. When it is convenient.
Ms. Mahikoa: Thank you.
COUNCIL MEETING 13 AUGUST 4, 2021
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Carvalho.
Councilmember Carvalho: Celia, can you touch briefly, I know we had
this discussion, which was a good discussion for today, do you remember we talked
about charging stations, can you give a brief overview of that? Was it centrally
located or out in the community? I know we had a discussion on the charging stations,
as some of that would happen as we continue to move forward.
Ms. Mahikoa: Thank you for asking about that. As part of
the Hawai`i Zero Emission Bus Project that we are a partner with HDOT and the
other outer islands, we have a consultant on board who is helping us to define what
is needed to get those first electric buses able to operate on Kaua`i. As far as
infrastructure goes, we are looking at needing to identify exactly where would be most
beneficial to setup the charging stations needed and there are various options,
thankfully, for vehicle charging stations for public transit and different methods of
g g
setting them up. We have been in communication with Kaua`i Island Utility
Cooperative (KIUC) thus far, very early type of simple discussions, but we will be
exploring the additional options and seeing what we are able to work out with them
and getting the Council through the various resources we have in identifying the best
way to set it up along with the consultants that we have onboard.
Councilmember Carvalho: Okay, good. The other thing was, I know
there was a true relationship happening between the neighbor islands, like Maui and
Hawai`i Island, and all of you folks are going through this team effort. Can you share
a little bit about importance of that? Everyone is doing the same and trying to reap
the benefits of this opportunity statewide.
Ms. Mahikoa: Certainly, thank you. Through the Hawai`i
Zero Emission Bus Project that is being carried out, having the consultants onboard
who are helping to guide us—we are all working together with Hawai`i Island, Hele
On Transit, and the Maui Bus folks and centrally coordinating the purchase. Hawai`i
Island has thankfully stepped up to serve to lead in the procurement for the electric
bus purchase that will be coming down in the next year or two (2), so we are all
collaborating. It is wonderful. We are all learning from each other's experiences and
just working together to make this a successful transitioning for all of our fleets
together, so it is a wonderful thing to have those peer networks available for us as
well.
Councilmember Carvalho: I just wanted everyone to know that there is
that communication happening, and all are on the same page and sharing some of
the ups and downs, if you will. The last thing mentioned by Councilmember DeCosta
and Councilmember Kuali`i, is that NACo had a big discussion on transportation in
general, so I think we can look at that opportunity there and getting some of the
benefits, and I know we have talked about that earlier. Thank you, Celia, for all your
work.
Ms. Mahikoa: Thank you.
COUNCIL MEETING 14 AUGUST 4, 2021
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any further questions from the
Councilmembers on this item? If not, thank you, Celia. Is there any final discussion
from the Members? Councilmember Cowden, then Councilmember DeCosta.
There being no objections, the meeting was called back to order, and proceeded
as follows:
Councilmember Cowden: I just wanted to thank Celia, Leonard, Robin,
and the whole Transportation team for pursuing this and working to being creative
and forward-thinking, just gratitude to the group. I am very proud of our bus system
and when I ride it, they are always so nice. Thank you.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember DeCosta.
Councilmember DeCosta: Hi, Celia. Thank you, again. I just wanted to
assure you that I am going to follow-up for you folks on this electrical technician
legwork. The high schools have a good mechanic program, but it is diesel and gas, I
am thinking that maybe now we should incorporate some curriculum with electrical,
since we are moving towards 2035. I will also speak with the Chancellor at Kaua`i
Community College to see if they have a program turning out future electrical
mechanics that our County would hire, who are competent. Thank you.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Carvalho.
Councilmember Carvalho: Again, thank you Celia for all of your folks
work—reaching out and at the same time making it fit here on Kaua`i. That is a big
thing, and making sure that we look at every benefit of transportation and bring that
back home. So continue doing what you are doing. I know the big thing that was
mentioned earlier by Councilmember Cowden, is the baseyard. We talked about that
and I would definitely look into that to see how we can support some kind of additional
baseyard space or something that can happen to accommodate a lot of the
maintenance that is needed so much for Transportation programming. Mahalo for
all of your folks work and we will continue to discuss.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Evslin.
Councilmember Evslin: Celia, thank you folks for pursuing this grant,
which seems like a "no brainer," especially with the high cost of hybrid electric. If we
get the Federal government to cover the up front cost and reap the cost savings down
the line and extra lifespan—that is great. I also want to recognize the work that you
folks are doing and the challenge you are facing in the conversion to fully electric,
which we all recognize is necessary to do as quickly as possible, but is a monumental
challenge having to maintain your regular service, because so many people rely on it,
while totally overhauling your operation over the next decade or so, from
maintenance, to your routes, to your charging, to your driving, to all of it—it is just a
huge challenge and I thank you folks for "taking it by the horns" and looking forward
to a day where we are all sitting in electric buses one day. Thank you.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kuali`i.
COUNCIL MEETING 15 AUGUST 4, 2021
Councilmember Kuali`i: I just wanted to say that this is really exciting
and I think it is a long time in the making. I know with our previous Mayoral
Administration there was a lot of focus on sustainability, energy, and all of that. It
moves too slow, obviously, and I think even when you said it is going to take a couple
of years to implement and I know you are working Statewide and cannot help it, but
whatever you folks can do to push it along, the sooner the buses are running on our
roads the better to get it started, because we have a long way to go to transition the
entire fleet. Even though 2035 seems like it is far off, it really is right around the
corner. Congratulations on the work thus far and let us go get it done. You have my
full support. Mahalo.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Is there anyone else?
(No written testimony was received and no registered speakers requested to
testify regarding this agenda item.)
The motion to approve C 2021-177 was then put, and unanimously carried.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: The motion is carried. Next item.
CLAIMS:
C 2021-178 Communication (07/13/2021) from the County Clerk, transmitting
a claim filed against the County of Kaua`i by Christopher Scott Chase, for damage to
his vehicle, pursuant to Section 23.06, Charter of the County of Kaua`i.
C 2021-179 Communication (07/22/2021) from the County Clerk,
transmitting a claim filed against the County of Kaua`i by Leilani Higashi, for
damage to her vehicle, pursuant to Section 23.06, Charter of the County of Kaua`i.
C 2021-180 Communication (07/26/2021) from the County Clerk,
transmitting a claim filed against the County of Kaua`i by David Vandervoet, for
damages to his personal property, pursuant to Section 23.06, Charter of the County
of Kaua`i.
C 2021-181 Communication (07/26/2021) from the County Clerk,
transmitting a claim filed against the County of Kaua`i by Anthony J.K. Morita, for
damage to his vehicle, pursuant to Section 23.06, Charter of the County of Kaua`i.
Councilmember Kuali`i moved to refer C 2021-178, C 2021-179, C 2021-180,
and C 2021-181 to the Office of the County Attorney for disposition and/or
report back to the Council, seconded by Councilmember Chock.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any questions or discussion from
the Members? Councilmember Cowden.
Councilmember Cowden: I just wonder if it is possible for us, when we
get this information from our attorneys, if they could indicate which roads they were
COUNCIL MEETING 16 AUGUST 4, 2021
on and if they include if those roads had been recently repaired? I know that will
come up in the future when we discuss them in Executive Session. I have been so
pleased at how many of our roads the Department of Public Works has been repairing.
I have been hoping and expecting to see less routine claims for damaged vehicles. My
presumption is that these claims are probably occurring on bad roads. If the County
Attorney can note that when we look at this in the future, it would be nice to see if
these occurred on repaired roads or unrepaired roads. Thank you.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: We will see them when they come up on our
claims report in Executive Session. They will let us know what roads they are on.
Two (2) of these are from roads, one is an accident between two (2) vehicles, and I
cannot remember what the personal property one was. Are there any other questions
or final discussion from the Members?
(No written testimony was received and no registered speakers requested to
testify regarding these agenda items.)
The motion to refer C 2021-178, C 2021-179, C 2021-180, and C 2021-181 to
the Office of the County Attorney for disposition and/or report back to the
Council was then put, and unanimously carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS:
PUBLIC WORKS & VETERANS SERVICES COMMITTEE:
A report (No. CR-PWVS 2021-03) submitted by the Public Works & Veterans
Services Committee, recommending that the following be Approved as Amended on
second and final reading:
"Bill No. 2824 — A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE AMENDING
CHAPTER 16, KAUAI COUNTY CODE 1987, AS AMENDED, RELATING
TO TRAFFIC CODE,"
Councilmember Kuali`i moved for approval of the report, seconded by
Councilmember Carvalho.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any questions or discussion from
the Members?
(No written testimony was received and no registered speakers requested to
testify regarding this agenda item.)
The motion for approval of the report was then put, and unanimously carried.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: The motion is carried. Next item.
COUNCIL MEETING 17 AUGUST 4, 2021
HOUSING & INTERGOVERNMENTAL RELATIONS COMMITTEE:
A report (No. CR-HIR 2021-02) submitted by the Housing &
Intergovernmental Relations Committee, recommending that the following be
Received for the Record:
HIR 2021-02 — Communication (05/06/2021) from Committee Chair
Kuali`i, requesting the presence of the Housing Director, to provide a briefing on
the County's Housing Policy and Housing Agency programs and projects,"
A report (No. CR-HIR 2021-03) submitted by the Housing &
Intergovernmental Relations Committee, recommending that the following be
Received for the Record:
"HIR 2021-03 — Communication (06/08/2021) from Councilmember
Cowden, requesting agenda time to receive an informational briefing from
Councilmembers who attended the 2021 National Association of
Counties (NACo) Annual Conference held July 9-12, 2021 in Prince George's
County, Maryland,"
Councilmember Kuali`i moved for approval of the reports, seconded by
Councilmember Carvalho.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any questions or discussion from
the Members?
(No written testimony was received and no registered speakers requested to
testify regarding these agenda items.)
The motion for approval of the reports was then put, and unanimously carried.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: The motion is carried. Next item.
BILL FOR FIRST READING:
Proposed Draft Bill (No. 2830) — A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE AMENDING
CHAPTER 3, KAUAI COUNTY CODE 1987, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURES
Councilmember Kuali`i moved for passage of Proposed Draft Bill (No. 2830) on
first reading, that it be ordered to print, that a public hearing thereon be
scheduled for September 1, 2021, and referred to the Committee of the Whole,
seconded by Councilmember Chock.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Do we have any questions from the Members
on this Bill?
COUNCIL MEETING 18 AUGUST 4, 2021
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Cowden.
Councilmember Cowden: I appreciate that this Bill is being presented. It
looks like good and important work has come forward. I wonder if there is someone
from the Board of Ethics that wants to give a review of which additional positions are
needing to give disclosure and the thought process behind it.
There being no objections, the rules were suspended.
DEAN TOYOFUKU, Board of Ethics (via remote technology): Good
morning. I can give some background. Mia, please jump in if I miss anything. As
transmitted, all of this came from our invitation to attend the First Annual Ethics
Conference coordinated by the City and County of Honolulu and the State of Hawai`i.
Kaua`i, Big Island, and Maui were all in attendance. I have to say that at first, I was a
little hesitant to go. They did cover everything. They did provide a lot of insights. They
were very polite in a lot of their recommendations. We learned a lot. This was one of
the issues that came out in regards to our disclosures. There were many changes that
we have already done with our disclosure statements internally with our forms
available online. They no longer need to be notarized. As far as this, I do not know if
you have received a list of positions that would fall under the "Regulatory Employees"
category. If not, I believe Ellen can get you that list. That is to answer your question
on that, Councilmember Cowden.
Councilmember Cowden: We did get a list. Your core response that I
believe I am understanding is that this was a proactive effort as a result of training that
the Board of Ethics got, rather than as a response to complaints. I was curious if we
had been having pressure against the County. It sounds like this is a proactive effort
as a result of attending that event. Is that correct?
Mr. Toyofuku: Yes. We did clean-up some of the language.
Everything has been compared. We compared and pulled the language from the County
of Hawai`i, the County of Maui, City and County of Honolulu, and the State of Hawai`i
to compare the disclosure language and requirements, as far as who is required to file.
We did pretty extensive research in all of this before developing the first Charter
Amendment request that was approved and the regulatory Employee Definitions.
Councilmember Cowden: Okay. Because I am looking at it, I am just
going to briefly state for the people who might be watching, because this is also for the
public, even though we are in COVID-19. It includes supervisors and inspectors of
groups like the Department of Public Works, Liquor Control Commission, Real Property
Tax appraisers, Planning Department, Fire Department, Housing Agency, Motor
Vehicle, Department of Water, and Office of the County Auditor. Just for people beyond
this room, as the Council we are looking at it, but for the people to understand that the
County is working to ensure that we are looking to see that there is not...sometimes
COUNCIL MEETING 19 AUGUST 4, 2021
there are accusations of too much familiarity between the regulators and the regulated.
This is an effort in that direction, so I appreciate that. It is also adding the Managing
Director, heads and deputies of all departments, agencies, and divisions. I think that
is really good and I think it is important for people to know that. My recommendation
is that there is better training. You can require this, but if people do not even
understand what the expectation is, they might turn in a document that gets approved.
When there is no clarity of what that document means or what is expected, I think that
is not necessarily a best practice. That is just my feedback. I appreciate that this action
is in-place and it means a lot to me to know that this is a proactive effort and it is not a
reflection of lack of faith by the community...like there has not been something that we
have not heard about. I appreciate the work and effort that went into this. Thank you.
Mr. Toyofuku: Thank you.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any other questions from the
Members on this item? It is for first reading. Is there any final discussion from the
Members? If not, roll call vote.
There being no objections, the meeting was called back to order, and proceeded
as follows:
(No written testimony was received and no registered speakers requested to
testify regarding this agenda item.)
The motion for passage of Proposed Draft Bill (No. 2830) on first reading, that
is be ordered to print that a public hearing thereon be scheduled for
September 1, 2021 and referred to the Committee of the Whole was then put,
and carried by the following vote:
FOR PASSAGE: Carvalho, Chock, Cowden,
DeCosta, Evslin, Kuali`i, Kaneshiro TOTAL— 7,
AGAINST PASSAGE: None TOTAL— 0,
EXCUSED & NOT VOTING: None TOTAL— 0,
RECUSED & NOT VOTING: None TOTAL— 0.
Ms. Fountain-Tanigawa: Seven (7) ayes.
BILL FOR SECOND READING:
Bill No. 2824, Draft 1 — A BILL FOR AN ORDINANCE AMENDING
CHAPTER 16, KAUAI COUNTY CODE 1987, AS AMENDED, RELATING TO
TRAFFIC CODE
COUNCIL MEETING 20 AUGUST 4, 2021
Councilmember Kuali`i moved to approve Bill No. 2824, Draft 1 on second and
final reading, and that it be transmitted to the Mayor for his approval,
seconded by Councilmember Chock.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Do we have any questions from the Members
on this? Councilmember Evslin.
Councilmember Evslin: I can actually ask in writing...it is more just
clarification.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: This is second and final reading, will it affect
your vote?
Councilmember Evslin: No, it will not affect my vote. Troy, are you
there? I asked this on first reading and I am still a little unclear. If a resident has a
complaint or concern about speeding in their neighborhood, we often get E-mailed
about it. Currently, at least in the past, we have initiated an investigation on this
side. We forward it to Council Services and Council Services sends it to the
Department of Public Works, and you do a speeding investigation in conjunction with
the Kaua`i Police Department, and you come back with potential recommendations if
there is speeding. With the fifty dollars ($50)...if someone is concerned about
speeding and wants speed humps...instead of getting seventy-five percent (75%) of
the residents to sign something, now they just pay fifty dollars ($50) and they can
initiate an investigation. That seems more specifically to whether they want speed
humps or something specifically installed. What happens if someone is just
concerned in general about speeding and they do not have the specific answer as to
whether they want speed humps? They may just want to see if there is something
that can be done. Do they have to pay the fifty dollars ($50) or can they just E-mail
their Councilmember and Council can put the request in? How does that work or how
will it change?
There being no objections, the rules were suspended.
TROY K. TANIGAWA, Acting County Engineer (via remote technology): I
would think that they could still put the request in.
MICHAEL MOULE, Chief of Engineering (via remote technology): I
would say that we would indeed accept requests. It does not even have to come
through the Council. We get requests, concerns, and complaints about things along
streets, drainage areas, and other County facilities all the time. We respond to those
appropriately. If someone comes in with concerns about speeding issues on their
street, we would respond accordingly taking action as appropriate. If they specifically
request traffic calming measures, then they would need to pay the fee. That is how I
would interpret how we drafted this Code amendment and plan on managing this
part of the Code. The other thing that I would like to point out is that we do intend
to develop rules or procedures that are made available to the public as called for in
the Code to identify what that whole process would be in outlining exactly what I just
outlined to you in more detail.
COUNCIL MEETING 21 AUGUST 4, 2021
Councilmember Evslin: That sounds good. So I am totally
clear...someone just came to me with speeding concerns in their neighborhood. I just
want some clarity on how to get back to her on this concern. If they specifically want
speed humps or some specific traffic calming measure, they pay fifty dollars ($50)
straight to you to initiate the investigation. If they are just concerned that there is
speeding in their neighborhood and are wondering if there are some mitigation
measures and they want an investigation done, they could contact the Department of
Public Works directly or the Council to do the investigation without paying the fifty
dollar ($50) fee, and you will develop rules to be more specific on how to interpret
that, correct?
Mr. Moule: Yes, that is correct. It is similar to how we
Previously applied the seventy-five percent (75%) rule. We would take the request,
do a traffic count, and then provide to the resident the information about who needs
to sign those documents, then they would go through that process. I think we would
do a similar process in this case. It would be a fee instead of the threshold of
signatures.
Councilmember Evslin: Understood. If they are concerned about
speeding and they go to you,you come back and tell them speed humps are warranted,
at that point, are they expected to pay fifty dollars ($50) to actually initiate the speed
hump process?
Mr. Moule: Yes, that is correct. That would be how that
would work.
Councilmember Evslin: Okay, thank you.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember DeCosta.
Councilmember DeCosta: My question is more along the lines of
crosswalks near schools with the flashing lights. Thank you, Troy, and also to your
Deputy Engineer Boyd Gayagas, for working with me. Waimea has some speeding
happening by the Kaua`i Veterans Memorial Hospital (KVMH) and the road to
Koke`e. I am not looking for a speed hump on the main highway, but for a crosswalk,
because the subdivision across has a lot of children going to the high school. With
that being said, they do not have to pay the fifty dollars ($50) to get that put in, right?
We spoke about it and Troy, you were doing the legwork for me. Would that exclude
them from requesting a future crosswalk in a school zone area.
Mr. Tanigawa: I think so.
Mr. Moule: No, it would not.
Mr. Tanigawa: As a traffic calming measure, it is a
crosswalk.
Councilmember DeCosta: Okay, thank you.
COUNCIL MEETING 22 AUGUST 4, 2021
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any further questions from the
Members on this item? Is there any final discussion from the members?
Councilmember Evslin.
The meeting was called back to order and proceeded as follows:
Councilmember Evslin: I strongly support this and I really respect the
Department for coming forward with this. I think it is important to look at traffic
calming beyond speed humps and that the Department has the flexibility to quickly
enact traffic calming measures and adapt those as they need to. Once they come up
with what is working and how people are using it, then they can come to the Council
for final approval for a permanent installation. This Bill is important to give the
Department the flexibility to figure out what is best for a specific area using all the
potential tools available.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Cowden.
Councilmember Cowden: I also want to express my appreciation for
this. I think there are many areas where there are problems even if it is that "No
Parking" signs are needed or things that create conflict in a tight area. The process
of going through the Council can be very long. I value that we can still step in on the
backend of things, but I recognize how important it is on the frontend of things
particularly in more emergency types of situations. Thank you. I support this.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Councilmember Kuali`i.
Councilmember Kuali`i: I just wanted to say, "Ditto" to the comments
from my fellow Councilmembers and to express my appreciation to everyone who
worked on this. I think it is a big issue and it involves quality of life. For many years
now, the work of people like Get Fit Kaua`i, Ho`ola Lahui Hawai`i, and the work that
they were doing with the Great Kaua`i Weigh-Out, in looking at the sidewalks and
how inadequate they were, even in our town right out here. The whole movement
towards improving our infrastructure and making it easier for people to walk and
bike is just improving our quality of life and is really important. Keep up the good
work and keep moving forward.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: I just wanted to say thank you. I have sent in
a few requests for information regarding the reduction of speed limits in certain areas
of high traffic or speeding. Michael, you have done an amazing job in providing a
good and clear analysis of what your recommendation is. Based on the study that
you do when you put the counters out, you tell me what the percentage of vehicles
that are going over the speed limit, how many are going under the speed limit, and
you provide a whole analysis of whether you are recommending speed limit reductions
or traffic calming measures. You look at the width of the road and a lot of other
factors that is really good. When I get information like that and pass that back to the
constituent, there are no questions about the County doing their research. You write
back and it is very clear. I also appreciate that you make it very clear that a reduction
in speed on a speed limit sign does not mean it is going to prevent vehicles from
speeding. The best deterrent is having a police officer monitoring the area for a little
COUNCIL MEETING 23 AUGUST 4, 2021
while. You make it very clear that we can reduce the speed limit, but if people are
going to speed, they are going to speed. Thank you for that clear analysis that you
provide. If people get an analysis like that for every request that comes in, I think
our constituents will be happy because you cover all the bases on it. Councilmember
Kuali`i.
Councilmember Kuali`i: The one other thing that I wanted to mention
is that the data absolutely is there and examples of how counting measures work is
key. There are many examples of how that works in bettering the community. I also
wanted to mention the importance of the work that has been happening with Safe
Routes to Schools. I am looking forward to the day when we can see what a
"Peanut-About" roundabout looks like over there in Kapa'a Elementary and High
School.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Does anyone else have any final discussion?
If not, could I get a roll call vote?
(No written testimony was received and no registered speakers requested to
testify regarding this agenda item.)
The motion to approve Bill No. 2824, Draft 1 on second and final reading, and
that it be transmitted to the Mayor for his approval was then put, and carried by
the following vote:
FOR APPROVAL: Carvalho, Chock, Cowden,
DeCosta, Evslin, Kuali`i, Kaneshiro TOTAL— 7,
AGAINST APPROVAL: None TOTAL— 0,
EXCUSED & NOT VOTING: None TOTAL — 0,
RECUSED & NOT VOTING: None TOTAL— 0.
Ms. Fountain-Tanigawa: Seven (7) ayes.
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
ES-1057 Pursuant to Hawai`i Revised Statutes (HRS) Sections 92-4 and
92-5(a)(4), and Kaua`i County Charter Section 3.07(E), the Office of the County
Attorney requests an Executive Session with the Council, to provide the Council with
a briefing on the retention of Special Counsel for legal services related to the
condemnation and development of Tax Map Key (TMK) No. (4) 5-2-005-024. This
briefing and consultation involves consideration of the powers, duties, privileges,
immunities, and/or liabilities of the Council and the County as they relate to this
agenda item.
ES-1058 Pursuant to Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) Sections 92-4 and
92-5(a)(4), and Kaua`i County Charter Section 3.07(E), the Office of the County
Attorney requests an Executive Session with the Council, to provide the Council with
a briefing and request authority for a possible settlement proposal in a claim filed by
Kaua`i Island Utility Cooperative and related matters. This briefing and consultation
COUNCIL MEETING 24 AUGUST 4, 2021
involves consideration of the powers, duties, privileges, immunities, and/or liabilities
of the Council and the County as they relate to this agenda item.
Councilmember Chock moved to convene into Executive Session for ES-1057
and ES-1058, seconded by Councilmember Kuali`i.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any questions or discussion from
the Members?
Councilmember Chock: Regarding ES-1057, I just wanted to see what
the parameters are in terms of sharing this particular TMK. It is not very clear. If
it is possible to hear what that is, I would like to hear it on the floor.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: That may be a question for Matt. We are
going to have to come back out for this item to vote on it after Executive Session.
Matt, if you want to opine on it now, or we can address it in Executive Session and
see what we can announce on the floor after when we come out and vote.
There being no objections, the rules were suspended.
MATTHEW M. BRACKEN, County Attorney: Yes, that
might be best. We can discuss it in Executive Session and go into your question a
little bit further. Then we can disclose what we want to disclose after the Executive
Session.
Councilmember Chock: Thank you.
There being no objections, the meeting was called back to orders and proceeded
as follows:
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Are there any questions or discussion from
the Members? We will go into Executive Session and then we will come back out to
vote on C 2021-174. May I have a roll call vote to go into Executive Session?
(No written testimony was received and no registered speakers requested to
testify regarding these agenda items.)
The motion to convene into Executive Session for ES-1057 and ES-1058 was
then put, and carried by the following,vote:
FOR EXECUTIVE SESSION: Carvalho, Chock, Cowden,
DeCosta, Evslin, Kuali`i, Kaneshiro TOTAL— 7,
AGAINST EXECUTIVE SESSION: None TOTAL— 0,
EXCUSED & NOT VOTING: None TOTAL— 0,
RECUSED & NOT VOTING: None TOTAL— 0.
COUNCIL MEETING 25 AUGUST 4, 2021
Ms. Fountain-Tanigawa: Seven (7) ayes.
There being no objections, the meeting recessed at 9:39 a.m. to convene in
Executive Session.
The meeting reconvened at 10:29 a.m., and proceeded as follows:
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Welcome back. Clerk, could you please read
the final item for this Council Meeting?
There being no objections, C 2021-174 was taken out of order.
C 2021-174 Communication (07/15/2021) from the County Attorney,
requesting authorization to expend funds up to $180,000.00 to retain Special Counsel
for legal services related to the condemnation and development of Tax Map Key
No. (4) 5-2-005-024.
Councilmember Kuali`i moved for approval of C 2021-174, seconded by
Councilmember DeCosta.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Do we have any questions or discussion from
the Members on this item? Councilmember Cowden.
Councilmember Cowden: I just wanted to let it be known that this is in
Kilauea for affordable housing.
Council Chair Kaneshiro: Does anyone else have any final discussion?
(No written testimony was received and no registered speakers requested to
testify regarding this agenda item.)
The motion to approve C 2021-174 was then put, and unanimously carried.
Council Chair Kaneshiro That concludes the business on our agenda.
Not seeing or hearing any objections, this Council Meeting is now adjourned.
ADJOURNMENT.
There being no further business, the Council Meeting adjourned at 10:30 a.m.
Re I ectfully submitted,
at o
JADE K. FOUNTAIN-TANIGAWA
County Clerk
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