Ask the Mayor: Abandoned Vehicles in Wailuku

Mayor Michael Victorino answers some of the most-asked questions.

Q: Our businesses are being affected by abandoned vehicles on Kolu Street in Wailuku. They’re now being stripped for parts. There is one vehicle in particular that has been parked in front of a property for two months. This vehicle is on County property, now being occupied by an individual, and has been reported several times to Maui Police Department and tagged. Please Mr. Mayor can you help the businesses around us?

A: Our Abandoned Vehicles and Metals Section (AVM) is aware of a number of vehicles on Kolu
Street and removed three cars last week, and another the previous week.

As you have stated, we found one of the vehicles occupied and this can understandably delay
the process in removing the vehicle. We always want to be compassionate in working with
these individuals, but also work to remove these vehicles which can present health and safety
concerns for surrounding residents.

In these situations, AVM personnel advise the Department of Housing and Human Concerns
(DHHC) to address homeless individuals who are occupying an abandoned vehicle. DHHC then
contacts Family Life Center. Its staff responds and attempts to contact the individual, offering
him or her services. Finally, Department of Environmental Management staff works with a tow
company and the Maui Police Department to safely arrange the towing of the vehicle.

As you can see, removing abandoned vehicles from our roadways involves many different
departments, businesses and agencies, so we continue to ask for the public’s help. AVM staff
work hard every day to clean up our community and are also looking to expand the Junk
Vehicle Disposal Assistance Program to further assist residents.

Remember, dumping cars is a crime. Owners are charged and fined. To report an abandoned
vehicle, call police at 244-6400 and select “0.” Also, when you transfer ownership of a vehicle,
make sure you do so, in person, at the County Division of Motor Vehicles and Licensing. That
way, you know you’re no longer legally responsible for a sold vehicle.

To learn more about how to properly dispose of a vehicle, visit the County Office of Abandoned
Vehicles & Metals website at mauicounty.gov/avm.

Want to Ask the Mayor?

Submit your Maui County related questions to Mayor Michael Victorino by email at askthemayor@mauicounty.gov, by phone at 270-7855 or by mail at 200 S. High St., ninth floor, Wailuku 96793. Questions submitted will be considered for inclusion in the “Ask the Mayor” column; to request a personal response to a concern, email mayors.office@mauicounty.gov.