2026-10-20 - Governmental Operations and External Affairs Committee

03:38Good morning, everybody.

03:40Welcome to the 43rd session of the

03:44Committee on Governmental Operations and

03:46External Affairs. Today, we're in the

03:48West Hawaii Civic Center, and the day is

03:52October 20th, 2026.

03:55The time is

03:579:03 a.m.

03:59Welcome.

04:00Today in our committee

04:02have with me here council members

04:05Kimball, Viegas, Kanieki, Kleinbilder,

04:09Inaba,

04:10uh Onishi, Kirk-Green, and Eustace. My

04:14name is Jennifer Kagiwada, and I will be

04:17your chair for today.

04:19We have two items on our agenda. If we

04:21could get started, Mr. Kirk, with um

04:24see if we have any public testimony.

04:26>> Thank you, Chair Kagiwada. Mr. Araceli,

04:29do we have any testimony for this

04:31committee?

04:32>> Thank you so much. Just noting that we

04:34do not have testifiers at any of the

04:36remote sites. We do have one testify via

04:38Zoom, Lila

04:41Binak,

04:42testifying on resolution 706. Lila, when

04:46you're ready to begin, if you could

04:47unmute, introduce yourself, and you'll

04:48have 3 minutes.

04:54>> Aloha, County Council and Committee

04:56Chair Ashley Kirk-Green.

04:58My name is Lila Binak. I live in Puna,

05:01and I'm a senior at Hawaii Academy of

05:03Arts and Sciences.

05:04Furthermore, I'm in full support of

05:06resolution number 706.

05:10In my neighborhood, I've been negatively

05:12affected by albizia trees countless

05:14times. From road blockage and down power

05:17lines to completely preventing people

05:19from accessing essential resources such

05:22as food and clean water.

05:24These trees have repeatedly proved to be

05:26a dangerous threat during high winds.

05:29When they fall, the consequences extend

05:32far beyond property damage and could

05:34potentially cause loss of life by

05:37by complicating emergency response.

05:40These incidents highlight the importance

05:42of taking preventative measures rather

05:44than waiting for another dangerous

05:45situation to occur.

05:47For these reasons, I believe that

05:49providing funding for hazardous albizia

05:51removal is necessary investment in

05:54public safety.

05:56Although removal requires resources and

05:58planning, the potential costs of

06:00inaction are far greater.

06:02Doing this would strengthen our

06:04community's ability to withstand severe

06:06weather. Resolution 706 is a practical

06:09and necessary measure to help prevent

06:11future harm and ensure safety.

06:18>> Thank you so much for your testimony and

06:20chair, with that I believe those are all

06:22the testifiers we have at this time.

06:24>> Thank you so much, Billy.

06:25Mr. Clerk, can we go ahead with

06:27communication 1114, please?

06:29>> Communication 1114, nomination of Arthur

06:32D. Cobe to the fire commission from

06:33Mayor Rick Blangiardi dated September

06:3530, 2026 requesting the council's review

06:38and confirmation.

06:40>> I have a motion, please.

06:44>> Chair motion to close file on

06:46communication 11

06:4814 and forward nomination of Arthur Cobe

06:53to council with a favorable

06:55recommendation.

06:56>> Second.

06:56>> I have a motion by Council Member Inaba

06:58and a second by Council Member Eustace

07:00to close file on communication 1114.

07:03Thank you so much. Um with that I will

07:05turn it over to Mr. Alameda to introduce

07:07the mayor's nominee.

07:09>> Mahalo nui, uh good morning council

07:11members, uh Vice Chair Kymberly Pine

07:13Folder, Chair Kaguwada. My name is

07:15Michael Alameda, executive assistant,

07:17office of the mayor. Uh before I

07:19introduce this morning's nominee, I just

07:21like to start with gratitude and say

07:23mahalo. Um you know, this past Saturday

07:26I got to go to an event down in Puna at

07:28Wai Kahului Beach Park um where there

07:31was a key pie pie for a Honolulu landing

07:33which was purchased through the pong

07:35program which all of you folks um are

07:38stewards of and so grateful you are. I

07:41got to see council members Connelly,

07:43Kleinhelder, and council member

07:45Kurkowitz.

07:46Um and he was driving away from that

07:48event where

07:49I was just

07:50overwhelmed with gratitude for their 8

07:53years of service um not just to Puna,

07:57but to the entire island of Hawaii.

08:01Um

08:02And you know, that got me thinking that

08:04even though time has been moving super

08:05fast lately, it feels like um it's never

08:08lost on us the the work that you folks

08:10do, the way that you step up for for our

08:13island. Um

08:15and yeah, just on behalf of, you know,

08:17the mayor's office and myself, really

08:20mahalo you guys for all of that you guys

08:22do within like the last couple months. I

08:24think I only come before you one more

08:26time in committee to bring nominees

08:28before this term is over. And um yeah, I

08:31would just would like to just say, you

08:32know,

08:33I'm so grateful for all the work that

08:35you folks do and for the way that you've

08:37shown me aloha in the last year and 10

08:40months. Um

08:41With that, Madam Chair, it is my honor

08:43to bring forward a communication 1114,

08:46nominating Mr. Arthur Cope to the fire

08:49commission representing Council District

08:516.

08:52Um if confirmed, Mr. Cope will serve um

08:56he's serving a vacancy. Uh recently, Mr.

08:58Rick Porter resigned. Um so, he will

09:01serve a remainder of this term, which

09:03would end in 2028, December 31.

09:07You know, Mr. Cope here, he applied for

09:09this position back in 2023.

09:11Uh and the previous administration chose

09:14to go with Mr. Porter. Uh and it was

09:16shortly after um

09:18that Mr. Porter resigned that, you know,

09:20Mr. Cope reached out, still interested,

09:23yeah, still wanting to serve um even

09:26after being, you know, turned down. Uh

09:28he was still waiting in the wings. Um

09:30so, I was super privileged to talk story

09:33with him, to get to know him. He's a

09:3525-year veteran with the United States

09:37Navy.

09:38He retired as a E9 and a master chief.

09:41He's born and raised in Yakima,

09:43Washington.

09:45Moved here about 7 years ago. By way of

09:48his brother who served in the Marine

09:50Corps who was stationed at Connie O'Hay

09:52Bay.

09:53Who just told him all the amazing things

09:54about Hawaii and that you know, we got

09:56to move here, right? And by you know,

09:58way of Kealakekua,

10:00Arthur moved here. He lives in Ocean

10:02View.

10:03He was telling me the stories about you

10:06know, about what his community went

10:07through during the past recent storms

10:09and the way he stepped up. Um

10:12Yeah, super honored to nominate Mr.

10:14Cope. Super

10:16glad that he's still interested.

10:18And yeah, I think he'll add immediate

10:20value to if our commission has a big

10:22week. He he understands that he's coming

10:24in right after probably the biggest

10:26Kuleana that that a lot of them will see

10:29in their term, right? Hiring the fire

10:30chief. Which they take on tomorrow in

10:33their oral interviews. So, I asked him

10:34right here, how do you feel about that,

10:36you know, that you're not able to

10:38participate in this critical part of

10:41your service.

10:43He said it is what it is.

10:45You know, like this is what

10:47this is the hand that we've been dealt.

10:49And he says he's doing this for the

10:51firefighters. He said he's known many

10:54great firefighters in his lifetime.

10:56Right here, back home.

10:58And he's just looking to do a solid one

11:00for them.

11:02And hopefully we can do a solid one for

11:04him and for this island community by

11:07confirming Mr. Cope. Malo, Madam Chair.

11:10Back to you.

11:11>> Thank you, Mr. Alameda. Mr. Cope, would

11:13you like to say anything to the body

11:15here?

11:18>> Aloha. Thank you for being here today.

11:21We've got one member missing.

11:24>> She's right here.

11:25>> she shows up right in time.

11:27>> [laughter]

11:28>> Aloha.

11:29Yes, I uh

11:32applied in 2023. Uh Uh, I had some

11:35friends that are

11:39firefighters here on island, also.

11:41And uh, you know, my need or to serve

11:45the community is uh, good and great.

11:49I enjoy working amongst people.

11:52In my military career, we uh

11:55we work together to get a job done.

11:58And the biggest part of doing the job is

12:00the people on the ground.

12:03Uh, the firefighters themselves. And I

12:06feel that uh

12:08by

12:09with my past experience and and

12:11managerial skills

12:14uh, the ability to

12:16act quickly and and get things done.

12:20I is a favor in my side.

12:24And I want to serve the community and

12:26serve the firefighters of District 6.

12:31>> Thank you, Mr. Cope. Appreciate that

12:33very much.

12:34Um, I'll go ahead and then and turn it

12:36over to the body. See if any council

12:38members would like to make any comments

12:39or ask any questions of Mr. Cope.

12:45Council member Viegas.

12:46>> Aloha. Thank you for being here today. I

12:48just want to express my gratitude to you

12:51for your willingness to step up and lean

12:53in and your recognition of the value of

12:57um

12:59ensuring that our first responders

13:02are uh, not only taken into

13:04consideration,

13:05but um, also held accountable, which is

13:08part of the commission's duty.

13:10Um, so there's a lot of responsibility

13:12there, but I appreciate your stories

13:15also about your relationships

13:17uh, with people who have served in these

13:20capacities and your personal desire to

13:24continue to contribute to your community

13:26and serve us collectively in our county.

13:29So, thank you for that. I'll be in

13:30support of your nomination today.

13:32>> Thank you.

13:33>> Thank you, Councilmember Viegas. Anybody

13:35else?

13:36Councilmember Kirkwood.

13:38>> Thank you. Really appreciate you being

13:40here and for your willingness to step up

13:42and serve. I did want to take this

13:43opportunity to just inform you that a

13:46few years ago there was a facilities

13:48assessment done

13:49by our late fire chief Kazuo Todd, which

13:52evaluated basically the living

13:54conditions of every single fire station

13:56around the island. I urge you to take a

13:58look at that document and to find

14:00opportunities within the commission to

14:02talk about how the administration is

14:05going to be prioritizing funding

14:06[snorts] for these critical pieces of

14:09infrastructure in community. Again, it's

14:11the home away from home for our

14:13firefighters and many of these

14:16fire stations are in deteriorating

14:19condition.

14:20So, just wanted to make sure that you

14:21were aware of that report and can bring

14:24it up when you are confirmed to the

14:25commission. Thank you again for your

14:27service.

14:27>> Thank you.

14:28>> Thank you, Councilmember Kirkwood, for

14:30sharing that resource with our nominee.

14:33Councilmember Galimba.

14:35>> Thank you. Also, just wanted to thank

14:38you for your willingness to serve on

14:41this commission and I'm especially

14:44grateful that you're willing to

14:47come from Ocean View and represent that

14:49community and we we definitely need that

14:52representation from that community. So,

14:54thank you so much.

14:56>> Thank you.

14:58>> All right, seeing no other lights. Thank

15:00you very much, Mr. Cope, for stepping up

15:02and

15:03as you can hear we're all very

15:05appreciative of you being willing to put

15:08your valuable time into this volunteer

15:10position and appreciate you very much.

15:13Thank you.

15:13>> Thank you.

15:14>> And with that we will take a vote. All

15:16those in favor on closing file on

15:19communication 1114 and sending the

15:22favorable nomination of Arthur D. Cope

15:25for the fire commission to the full

15:26council, please say I.

15:28>> I.

15:29>> Any opposed?

15:31Mr. Clark, you have nine I's. Motion

15:33carries. Thank you very much, Mr. Cope.

15:36>> Thank you.

15:37>> Thank you, Mr. Thank you, Mr.

15:38>> Thank you, Mr. Alameda.

15:41Okay, can we please move on to

15:43resolution 706-26?

15:46>> Is there any testimony for resolution

15:47706-26?

15:52Hearing none, resolution 706-26 urges

15:55the governor and the mayor to prioritize

15:57and fund proactive vegetation management

15:59to mitigate potential destruction caused

16:01by natural disasters

16:02issued by Council members Kirkwood and

16:04Inaba.

16:05>> Chair, motion to forward resolution

16:07706-26

16:09to the council with a favorable

16:10recommendation.

16:11>> Second.

16:12>> I have a motion by Council member

16:13Kirkwood and a second by Council member

16:15Inaba to forward resolution 706-26

16:19to the full council with a favorable

16:21recommendation.

16:22I will go ahead and turn it over to

16:24Council member Kirkwood.

16:26>> Thank you, Chair. Um, you know, this

16:28resolution is very timely given the

16:30hurricane that our community um just

16:32suffered through a couple of months ago.

16:35You know, Council member Inaba and I

16:36have seen time and time again what

16:37happens when we don't stay ahead of

16:39hazardous vegetation management here on

16:41our island. We saw it in 2014 because of

16:44Hurricane Iselle, particularly in Puna,

16:47when albizia trees came crashing down.

16:49They blocked roads, they took out lines,

16:51they cut off communities from essential

16:53services for weeks on end. And again, we

16:56saw that a couple of months ago with

16:58Hurricane Lala, not just in Kau, but in

17:01communities island wide they suffered

17:03significant damage. Whenever something

17:06like this happens, we spend an enormous

17:08amount of time, money, and resources

17:10responding um to that damage when in

17:13some cases a lot of it could have been

17:15prevented or reduced.

17:17After a sale, government agencies,

17:19utilities, community partners came

17:21together to develop an albizia

17:24mitigation plan. More than 10,000 trees

17:27were treated along priority corridors in

17:292016 and 2017. So, we know that it's

17:32possible for there to be coordinated

17:34action across stakeholders. But, this

17:36kind of work requires sustained

17:38attention, maintenance, and funding.

17:41This resolution is being introduced at a

17:43very strategic time. Um it does require

17:46for an action plan to be developed by

17:48the administration and deliver that to

17:50council in 180 days.

17:53That happens to be around our favorite

17:54seasons of the year, April, merry

17:57monarch time, but also budget hearing

17:59time. Um this resolution would also be

18:01adopted in early November if, again,

18:04moved forward by the council, at which

18:06time a new legislature would have been

18:08seated and received this message.

18:11This resolution asks for a couple of

18:13things. First, we're urging the governor

18:14and the mayor to prioritize recurring

18:17funding for proactive vegetation

18:18management. Not just when there's an

18:20emergency, but we need an ongoing

18:22investment in public safety and

18:24protecting our critical infrastructure.

18:26Second, we're asking the administration

18:28to work with the state, utilities,

18:30community partners like BISC, that's Big

18:33Island Invasive Species Council, to

18:34develop a countywide vegetation

18:37management action plan, again, within

18:39180 days. This plan would identify

18:42priority roads, emergency access routes,

18:45and infrastructure, determine what

18:47mitigation and maintenance will cost,

18:49identify opportunities to create

18:51resource coordinate resources, and

18:53address one of our most difficult and

18:55pressing challenges as an island

18:56community, hazardous vegetation on

18:59private property, especially vacant and

19:01absentee owner parcels.

19:04We recognize that some property owners

19:06simply cannot afford the cost of

19:08removing dangerous trees, and so we need

19:10to help explore with these residents um

19:13what other solutions are out there while

19:16strengthening our existing enforcement

19:18tools.

19:19I just want to emphasize that we're not

19:21asking the administration to start from

19:22scratch. There are plans, there are

19:24partnerships, there are successful

19:26projects that have built that have been

19:28built over the years. So, let's build on

19:29that to sustain this work.

19:32In 2023, my office convened state,

19:36utility, county, and community partners

19:38to revisit the 2016

19:41or 2015 albizia tree mitigation and

19:44management plan. Significant progress

19:47was made to evaluate what has happened

19:50and what there is left to do. I

19:52encourage the administration to pick up

19:55that work and find ways for us to

19:59invest in preventing that sort of damage

20:01that happens during hurricanes again

20:04from happening in the first place. Happy

20:05to answer any questions and thank you,

20:07Council member Inouye, for

20:09co-introducing this with me. Shall I

20:11yield?

20:11>> Thank you, Council member Kirkwood, for

20:13the introduction. Council member Inouye,

20:15would you like to add to that?

20:16>> Yes. Just emphasizing the point that

20:18Council member Kirkwood brought up. I

20:20mean, her district and Council member

20:22Kounalakis' district having experienced

20:25probably

20:26a bulk of hurricane

20:29impacts over the years

20:31on that side.

20:32But really emphasizing that this isn't

20:35starting from scratch. You know, we have

20:37those plans back from 2015 that could

20:40simply be amended. But in this last

20:43storm, Kounalakis, of all places, where

20:47there's usually no wind, we experienced

20:49some significant damage up here in

20:51Kokoland. You know, some folks were out

20:53of water for 2 weeks with without power

20:56as well. So,

20:58it has to get done at some point. The

21:00proactive, responsible

21:03method is probably the way we should be

21:04going, which is what this resolution is

21:06calling for, rather than a reactive when

21:09all hands are on deck trying to address

21:12damage island wide. So, I ask for your

21:14support and um you know,

21:17this is for our community and making

21:19sure that we are more prepared and will

21:22be more resilient should and when I

21:24should say these storms come rolling

21:26through. Mahalo.

21:28>> Thank you, Council member Inaba. Council

21:30member Kaniele Kleinbuilder.

21:31>> Yeah, thank you, Chair. In full support

21:34of this, the the most poignant piece of

21:36this resolution that I see is

21:40finding a way to assist private land

21:42owners in addressing

21:44vegetation.

21:46I spoke with uh

21:48Ms. Zelko

21:49Elko Zelko Schlatter uh

21:53Jeez, maybe about a month ago, 2 months

21:55ago, right after the hurricane and the

21:57storms.

21:59And she and I were discussing how

22:01something like this could come about

22:02from the county.

22:04And I [clears throat] told her that

22:05look, we we can ask for and we can

22:07create process

22:09to require folks to remove vegetation

22:11where there's power lines or

22:14infrastructure that'll be damaged if

22:15they were to fall.

22:16But the reality is someone who owns

22:19an acre to 100 acres to 500 acres, if

22:23they have a fronting road on their

22:25private property,

22:28that they are required to remove

22:3110 to 100 trees,

22:34the average home owner doesn't have that

22:35much funds.

22:37It's going to cost a fortune. So, there

22:38has to be some

22:40something in place to assist a land

22:42owner in providing the safety mechanisms

22:45for the community.

22:47And I'm hoping that this resolution can

22:50find uh some

22:53kind of middle ground between the cost

22:55that would that would home owner would

22:57incur to remove vegetation and the

23:00benefit that the entire county and

23:03community receives by doing so. So,

23:05so in full support of the resolution.

23:08Look forward to seeing what happens.

23:09Now, I'll be watching from the other

23:10side of the dais.

23:12>> [laughter]

23:15>> Thank you, Council Member Kaniela Ing.

23:17Council Member Council Member Justis.

23:19>> Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Council

23:20Member Kirk-Greeney, Council Member

23:21Inaba for bringing this forward and

23:22having this conversation. You know, and

23:25alongside Council Member Kimball, we

23:26also have eucalyptus trees that kind of

23:28line a lot of our community roads.

23:30Uh who all those greatly impacted by the

23:33recent storms. Uh North Kohala had a lot

23:35of

23:35uh down vegetation kind of in these some

23:38of these in the public right away

23:39primarily. So, that was that's kind of

23:41the issue we have in some of these

23:42spaces.

23:43Um also want to bring in the thoughts

23:46about wildfire mitigation and kind of

23:48that really that proactive vegetation

23:49management in some of these high-risk

23:51areas.

23:52Uh really it's that important piece of

23:54reducing risk, uh protecting some of our

23:56infrastructure in community,

23:58and then really also maintaining some of

24:01our evacuation routes in community that

24:02we designate. So, really that overall

24:04kind of management and maintenance in

24:06those spaces. We also uh had some

24:08testimony and appreciate the thoughts

24:09from community

24:11on some of the challenges with invasive

24:12species. So, this also speaks to that uh

24:15that proactive measure there and kind of

24:16that that burden of vegetation

24:17management uh that

24:20private individuals are facing,

24:21especially those uh in our kupuna and

24:24those that are kind of limited in their

24:25ability to do so. So, thank you for

24:27bringing this forward, for pushing for

24:29greater coordination between departments

24:31across the state and the county. Thank

24:32you.

24:33>> Thank you, Council Member Justis.

24:35Council Member Kimball.

24:37>> Um yes,

24:39fully supportive. As as James mentioned,

24:41this last um hurricane had several

24:45impacts on our our districts as well

24:47with respect to invasive flora. Um

24:49wanted to ask because it it's brought up

24:51in here and I know in my district it is

24:53one of the bigger issues is vacant

24:56properties. And I do recall we passed

24:59legislation that you introduced for a

25:01registration system for vacant

25:03properties.

25:04Um I know it's tangential to the

25:06resolution before us, but Council member

25:07Kirkwood, do you have any updates on how

25:09that process is going? Is that

25:11proceeding?

25:14Yes, please go ahead.

25:16>> Thank you for bringing that up, Council

25:17member. I was hoping that someone would

25:18remember. Um yes, real property tax is

25:21collecting information, contact

25:22information, um phone number, email

25:25address so that there is a reachable

25:27person for every property here on Hawaii

25:30Islands. When we adopted that piece of

25:32legislation, we did talk about using

25:34that information for public safety

25:36purposes. This is a public safety

25:38purpose. So, there are opportunities for

25:40the county to proactively engage

25:43property owners to see if they're able

25:44to handle removal of the trees

25:47responsibly. But to the point of Council

25:49member Kaniela Ing, I felt her

25:51local families simply cannot afford. Um

25:54we do have legislation in our code um

25:56that I know there was a valiant effort

25:58made by Vice Chair Onishi to try to

26:00address this

26:02planning period would allow the county

26:04to really look at what is legally

26:07possible and to see if there are ways to

26:09make the existing code much more

26:12effective and to see if there are

26:13funding resources available so that when

26:16we as the county are contacting property

26:18owners, we have solutions that we can

26:20provide them to take care of their

26:22kuliana.

26:24Sorry, very long-winded, but I just

26:25wanted to provide context.

26:27>> Thank you, Council

26:27>> been I've been

26:28>> Oh, sorry.

26:29>> Go go ahead.

26:29>> Yeah, I've been meaning to ask somebody

26:31about that for a long time. Like,

26:32whatever happened with that because um I

26:33I think it's it's it's valuable. Um you

26:36know, I'm I'm not going to suggest an

26:38amendment to this, but I I would suggest

26:40that the county also engage in

26:44somehow, maybe through the Realtors

26:46Association or or some other way to

26:48actually communicate at a in a

26:49preventative way, too. Providing new

26:51homeowners with information about where

26:54not to plant, what not to plant, um so

26:57that that we don't even have these

26:58homeowners in the situation where they

27:00have to find money to cut down trees.

27:01They know in advance that you know, you

27:03shouldn't plant um whatever right next

27:05to the power lines. I think there's

27:07opportunity for education too as a

27:09preventative step. Thanks.

27:12>> Thank you, Council Member Kimball.

27:13Anybody who hasn't had a chance to speak

27:15yet?

27:20Oh, okay.

27:22Coun- Council Member Caniglia, Pine

27:24Folder.

27:24>> Thank you. Just wanted to point out that

27:26uh the communication associated with the

27:27resolution is 1111, which is

27:31is a serene number, you know, well done.

27:35>> Thank you for that important

27:36information.

27:37Um

27:40All right, I don't see any other lights.

27:42I just want to make a couple comments um

27:44in full support and I think this uh

27:46dovetails nicely with the priority um

27:50that our county has put forward to HSAC,

27:53which is to

27:55um prioritize legislation related to

27:58increasing funds for emergency

28:00preparedness since this doesn't

28:02necessarily

28:03It says in collaboration with the state,

28:06but doesn't necessarily kind of um

28:08ask for that. I think it it this is a

28:10good combination with that priority that

28:12we put with HSAC and hopefully there'll

28:14be legislation that um

28:17comes forward with some funds for some

28:18of this work at the state level as well.

28:22Um so, thank you for that. I think it it

28:24does uh

28:26we'll hopefully get that priority on

28:27with HSAC. All right. Seeing no other

28:30lights, all those in favor uh

28:34of

28:35Sorry.

28:37Moving resolution 706 to the full

28:40council with a favorable recommendation,

28:42please say I.

28:43>> I.

28:43>> Any opposed?

28:45Mr. Clerk, you have nine eyes. Motion

28:47carries.

28:49Thank you so much, everybody. We come to

28:50the end of our committee meeting. The

28:53time is

28:559:28 a.m. The next committee will start

28:58shortly. Thank you.

29:02>> 10:00, right?

29:03>> Yep. Yep.

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