At its meeting today, the Maui County Council received copies of grant-award letters supporting County programs for vital senior services, Council Chair Gladys C. Baisa announced.
The Arakawa Administration transmitted a grant-award letter from the State Executive Office on Aging providing the County with federal funds to help fulfill the objectives of the County’s Office of Aging. The grant is for $710,247.
The County’s Kupuna Care Program submitted a grant-award letter for the fiscal biennium 2013-2015, announcing the receipt of $1,357,556.
An additional $52,986 was also awarded for the provision of services to older adults who are at risk of elder abuse.
“It is always exciting to receive grant-award reports, especially for our senior care,” Chair Baisa said. “It means someone has worked really hard to fight for our programs, and it paid off.”
In addition, Council received an announcement that the State Department of the Attorney General has awarded the County Department of Prosecuting Attorney $126,984 in federal funds for the Criminal Justice Information System Program. The grant aims to improve the prosecutors’ records management system.
Also today, the Council filed a report from the Department of Finance announcing the County executed 97 contracts worth a total $17.7 million in June. The report includes the purchase of vehicle-tracking systems for several County departments.
The Council agreed on three items to be included in the proposed 2014 Hawaii State Association of Counties legislative package, to be submitted to the State Legislature in January.
One proposed State bill would amend the Sunshine Law to allow more than two Council members to freely attend community and educational meetings.
“These are meetings that we don’t have control over the agenda or outcome,” Councilmember Mike White said. “We are not deliberating, not engaging, but we are there to learn as part of our job.”
Council Chair Baisa noted the State Legislature is exempt from the Sunshine Law. She said she is “hoping for statewide support on this matter (because the existing law) limits council members’ ability to adequately represent their community.”
The other proposed State bills approved for consideration as part of the HSAC package would authorize county liquor commissions to provide funding to support alcohol-abuse programs and authorize counties to maintain public roads whose ownership is in dispute without liability, respectively.
The Council passed on first reading a bill granting a zoning change for the Kihei Veterinary Clinic from R-3 Residential District to B-2 Community Business District.
Five bills passed on second and final reading at today’s Council meeting;
Bill 56 (2013) – An amendment to the Fiscal Year 2014 Budget adding $130,750 to the UH Sea Grant College Program. The grant will be used to establish reconstruction guidelines and protocols that could be quickly implemented following a major coastal storm event.
Bill 57 (2013) – To allow electronic notice of real property tax assessments;
Bill 58 (2013) – Amending the Maui County Code to reflect current geographic references relating to parking by the (demolished) Old Wailuku Post Office and Kaohu Street in Wailuku;
Bill 59 (2013) – Prohibiting parking on Onaona Street in Wailuku.
Bill 60 (2013) – Prohibiting parking on a section of Front Street in Lahaina.
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