Maui Council breezes through remaining agenda items after marathon meeting

After a long “regular” meeting Friday-Saturday, the Maui County Council reconvened Monday morning and made short work of the rest of its agenda items in less than two hours.

On second-and-final reading, council members passed:

Bill 49, which provides Office of Council Services staff a 15% pay increase, plus an additional 5% for experience- and performance-based “step” increases.

Bill 18, which amends the Maui County Code to add a new section for pay range and scales for the Board of Ethics’ staff.

Bill 77, which authorizes an agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to place four temporary housing units on former county property at 767 Luakini St. in Lahaina.

Bill 39, which updates an obsolete Fire Code reference for civil fines.

Bill 58, which amends the County’s fiscal 2025 budget to reimburse the general fund $5,790,476 for projects disqualified from tax-exempt bond issuance, by shifting funds from general fund carryover/savings to a new Department of Finance appropriation, and adjusting totals.

Bill 63, which amends the fiscal 2025 budget to allocate $3.25 million in bond/lapsed bond funds for the acquisition of the 105 North Market Street Building and property, establishing it as a new capital improvement project under the Department of Management.

Bill 80, which establishes criteria under the Maui County Code for applicants who are sole proprietors to qualify for County grants administered by the Department of Agriculture.

The bills advance to Mayor Richard Bissen for final action.

On first reading, council members passed:

Bill 104, which would permit kitchenettes (with long-term occupancy and added parking) and restrict wet bars in residential/rural zones on Maui and Lānaʻi, along with conforming definition updates.

Bill 76, which would allow mobile food trucks or trailers of 1,000 square feet or less as permitted accessory uses on farms in Maui County’s agricultural district. (The committee report has more details.)

Bill 158, which would authorize the mayor to execute an intergovernmental agreement for the Maui Police Department to help Kaua’i County with forensic drug testing. (See committee report for more details.)

Bill 83, which would disband the South Maui and Pāʻia-Haʻikū advisory committees to the Maui Planning Commission.

Bill 84, which would amend the fiscal 2026 budget to appropriate another $95,600 from the state Department of Health Clean Water Branch to the Department of Environmental Management to update the Māʻalaea Wastewater Study to evaluate pumping to Central Maui and Kīhei Wastewater Reclamation Facilities, and small-diameter pressure sewers for reduced dewatering during sewer construction.

Bill 85, which would amend the fiscal 2026 budget, adding an $80,750 “Emergency Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant” appropriation to the Office of the Mayor. According to a transmittal letter from Budget Director Lesley Milner, the County will use this grant to purchase two electric vehicles.

Maui County’s fiscal 2026 budget went into effect today, July 1.

Bills passed on first reading move on to second-and-final reading before the Council. The next full Council meeting is set for 9 a.m. July 8 in the eighth-floor Council Chambers of the Kalana O Maui Building in Wailuku. To view the meeting agenda, click here.

Editor’s note: This post has been updated from its original version to include the date of the next regular meeting of the Maui County Council.