Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can I contact a Councilmember?
Please visit MauiCounty.us/contact or the councilmember page for phone, fax and email contacts.
2. Which Councilmember has been elected from my residency area?
Please note that all county voters are eligible to vote in council elections for all nine residency areas.
- Alice L. Lee: Wailuku-Waiheʻe-Waikapū
- Yuki Lei K. Sugimura: Upcountry
- Tasha Kama: Kahului
- Tom Cook: South Maui
- Gabe Johnson: Lānaʻi
- Tamara Paltin: West Maui
- Keani N.W. Rawlins-Fernandez: Molokai
- Shane M. Sinenci: East Maui
- Nohe Uʻu-Hodgins: Makawao-Haʻikū-Pāʻia
3. Which Councilmember should I contact to voice my concerns?
Although they are subject to district residency requirements, Councilmembers are elected “at large” by the voters of the county. Therefore, concerns may be voiced to any Councilmember.
4. Is the public allowed to testify at Committee/Council meetings?
Yes. The public is welcome to submit oral or written testimony on any agenda item at all Council and Committee meetings. Oral testimony may also be received via video conference technology for remote meetings, or from each of the Council residency-area offices for Council and Committee meetings held in the Council Chamber.
See How to testify.
5. What is the procedure to testify at a Council meeting?
Oral and written testimonies are accepted on any agenda item. The Council receives oral testimony first from persons whose testimony forms are submitted prior to the convening of the meeting. Initially, each person will be allowed to speak for three minutes on each item, and at the discretion of the Council Chair, an additional minute may be granted to conclude the testimony. An additional three minutes on each item will be granted to those who are unable to conclude their testimony, after all others desiring to speak have been heard.
See How to testify.
Thereafter, persons whose testimony forms are submitted after the meeting convenes, but before the testimony portion ends, will be allowed to present oral testimony for three minutes on each item. The Chair may grant an additional minute to conclude the testimony. Written testimony shall be submitted to the Council staff before or during the testimony portion of the meeting.
6. What is the procedure to testify at a Committee meeting?
Oral and written testimonies are accepted on any agenda item. Because procedures vary slightly from one Committee to another, please contact the appropriate Committee staff for details or refer to the Committee’s agenda for instructions.
See How to testify.
7. How do I submit testimony if I can’t be there in person?
For Committee meeting agenda items, written testimony should be addressed to the Committee Chair and mailed or faxed to the Office of Council Services, 200 South High Street, Wailuku, HI 96793, 808-270-7686 (fax).
See How to testify.
For Council meeting agenda items, written testimony should be addressed to the Council Chair and mailed or faxed to the Office of the County Clerk, 200 South High Street, Wailuku, HI 96793, 808-270-7171 (fax). Testimony for Council meetings may be emailed to county.clerk@mauicounty.us.
For Council and Committee meetings held in the Council Chamber, oral testimony may be received by telephone from each of the Council district offices in South Maui, West Maui, Makawao-Ha‘ikū-Pā‘ia, Hana, Lānaʻi, and Molokai.
8. To whom should my written testimony be addressed?
For Committee meeting agenda items, please address testimony to the Committee Chair. For Council meeting agenda items, please address testimony to the Council Chair.
9. Do I have to sign up prior to the start of the meeting or can I sign up during the meeting?
Generally, testifiers may sign up before the Committee meeting convenes or during the Committee meeting, provided the testimony portion has not ended. For Council meetings, testifiers may sign up after the meeting convenes, provided the testimony portion has not ended.
10. How do I receive Committee or Council agendas via email?
You may subscribe to the agendas by visiting MauiCounty.us/agendas.
11. Where are the Councilmember offices located?
The Council Chair’s office is located on the 7th floor and the other Councilmember offices on the 8th floor of the Kalana O Maui (County) Building, 200 South High Street in Wailuku.
12. How does the Council act on my request? How does the legislative process work?
The public contacts the Council, via letter, telephone, fax, e-mail, or in person. If the Council has advisory, investigative, or legislative authority over the matter, the Council Chair places the communication on the next Council meeting agenda. At the Council meeting, the issue is introduced and referred to the appropriate standing committee. (If the issue requires expeditious legislative action, the Council may, by a two-thirds vote, waive the referral to committee and take action at the meeting.)
The Committee schedules the issue for discussion and accepts public testimony. The Committee may act (i.e., draft a bill or resolution) or may conduct further research on the issue. When the Committee makes a recommendation to the full Council (adopt, accept, file, first reading, etc.), a committee report is prepared and scheduled for consideration by the full Council at the next Council meeting.
At the Council meeting, the Council acts by adopting the recommendations contained in the committee report (bill is passed on first reading, resolution is adopted, communication is filed, etc.). Digests of all bills that pass first reading, along with the Council’s voting record, are published in the newspaper at least three days before final reading. Sometimes, the issue may be recommitted or returned to Committee for further discussion. All bills and certain resolutions requiring two readings are placed on the following Council meeting agenda for final action.
If a bill is not passed on second and final reading at the Council meeting, it may be: (1) recommitted to Committee, (2) filed, or (3) postponed until a specific date. If the bill is passed on second and final reading, the bill title and Council voting record are, once again, published in the newspaper. The bill is sent to the Mayor for approval.
For bills relating to the Fiscal Year’s Budget and Capital Program, the Mayor has 20 days to approve or veto the bill. If the Mayor does not return the bill with a disapproval within that time, the bill shall take effect as an ordinance as if the Mayor had signed it. The Council may, within 10 days after the bill has been returned, reconsider and pass the bill by a two-thirds vote. The County Clerk assigns an ordinance number.
For all other bills, the Mayor has 10 days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays) to approve or veto the bill. If the Mayor does not return the bill with a disapproval within that time, the bill shall take effect as an ordinance as if the Mayor had signed it. The Council may, after 5 days and within 30 days, reconsider and pass the bill by a two-thirds vote. The County Clerk assigns an ordinance number.
13. What’s on the Council and Committee meeting agendas?
Please visit MauiCounty.us/agendas for upcoming agendas.
Need assistance? For Council meetings, please contact the Office of the County Clerk at (808) 270-7748. For Committee meetings, please contact the Office of Council Services at (808) 270-7838.
14. What is a bill and how do I get copies?
A bill is a draft of a proposed law presented for approval to a legislative body. Generally, bills are referred to one of the standing Council Committees. Please contact the Office of Council Services at (808) 270-7838 for the specific Committee information.
15. What is an ordinance and how do I get copies?
An ordinance is a law or regulation enacted by the County. Ordinances from 1999 can be viewed by visiting the “Ordinances” link here. The Maui County Code is the codified collection of ordinances.
16. How do I get copies of resolutions?
Please contact the Office of the County Clerk at 808-270-7748 for copies of these documents in final form or by visiting the “Resolutions” link here. Drafts may be obtained from the originating department.
17. How do I get copies of Committee Reports?
Visit MauiCounty.us/agendas and select Council Meetings. Committee reports typically start with the acronym “CR” followed by a number. Ex: CR 16-123
Need assistance? Please contact the Office of Council Services at (808) 270-7838.
18. What does the Office of Council Services do?
The Office of Council Services is established under Section 3-7 of the Maui County Charter of the County of Maui. The Office provides legislative services to the nine Council members and eight standing committees. The Office also provides assistance to other governmental agencies, and to the general public
19. What does the Office of the County Clerk do?
The Office of the County Clerk is established under Section 5-1 of the Maui County Charter of the County of Maui. The Office provides legislative services to the Council, and conducts elections in the County. The Office also provides assistance to other governmental agencies, and to the general public.
20. How do I contact/call Councilmembers if I live on Lānaʻi?
The Office of Council Services can be reached by dialing toll-free: 1-800-272-0098.
21. How do I contact/call Councilmembers if I live on Molokai?
The Office of Council Services can be reached by dialing toll-free: 1-800-272-0026.
22. Does the Council have satellite offices?
Yes. The County Council has offices in South Maui, West Maui, Makawao-Ha‘ikū-Pā‘ia, Hana, Lānaʻi, and Molokai. You can also visit MauiCounty.us/contact.
23. How do I request a public record?
Please visit MauiCounty.us/public-record-requests for information on how to request public records.
24. What is the Council’s 3 Minutes?
Council’s 3 Minutes is a twice-monthly column discussing the latest news on county legislative matters. You can review past articles here.
25. What are the Council’s official social media accounts?
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