Council committee prioritizes public safety By Tamara Paltin A bill to improve public safety by updating the regulation of air guns and replica guns is up for second and final reading by the Maui County Council on Tuesday at 9 a.m. Bill 169, CD 1 (2022) was proposed by the police department and recommended for […]
Planting seeds with the fiscal year 2024 budget By Gabe Johnson As I’ve said before, a government’s budget is a moral document, demonstrating how we take care of each other. My initiatives included in the county’s fiscal year 2024 budget reflect my values and solutions to the problems and concerns that have been raised by […]
‘Ohana Assistance Program holds promise for more affordable housing By Alice L. Lee On June 8, Bill 50 was signed into law to allow grants of up to $50,000 to be issued for the construction of small-sized housing units on properties with existing residences. Under Ordinance 5525, the ‘Ohana Assistance Program can help those with […]
Water, infrastructure and housing work in South Maui By Tom Cook As chair of the Maui County Council’s Water and Infrastructure Committee, I was energized by hosting a community townhall last month. Here are a few updates shared at the townhall that impact South Maui. The completion of the proposed Kīhei North-South Collector Road along […]
Ongoing public investment for affordable housing needed to keep Maui residents on Maui By Tasha Kama Decades ago, when “Dream City” in Kahului was being built, homes were priced within reach for Maui’s working families. However, today’s costs of materials, labor and demand have created a market that’s unattainable. As chair of the council’s Housing […]
Councilmember requesting local participation in government, boards and commissions By Nohe Uʻu-Hodgins The County of Maui is seeking applicants for more than 700 vacant jobs and 30 vacant seats on boards and commissions. These positions provide great opportunities for Maui, Lānaʻi and Molokai residents who want to improve our quality of life by providing public […]
By Tamara Paltin As chair of the new Disaster, Resilience, International Affairs and Planning Committee, I look forward to using my experience and interests as a former Ocean Safety Officer to collaborate on disaster preparation and mitigation with the Department of Fire and Public Safety, the Maui Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Police and […]
Council finally ready to get to legislative work By Alice L. Lee It may have taken us a little longer than normal, but the Maui County Council for the 2023-25 term is ready to get to work on the people’s business. After a nearly 18-hour meeting on Jan. 27 (and Jan. 28), followed by a […]
By Keani Rawlins-Fernandez I ka ‘ōlelo ke ola, i ka ‘ōlelo ka make. In the word is life, in the word is death. This traditional Hawaiian proverb speaks volumes about the importance of language and how it informs our worldview. Language contains the power to manifest or change a condition. Our Budget, Finance and Economic […]
Strengthening multi-level collaboration to address the climate crisis By Councilmember Kelly Takaya King Last month, I was honored to serve as a delegate to the annual United Nations Climate Conference, also known as the Conference of Parties (COP). This year marked the 27th COP held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, where I attended on behalf of […]
