Maui Council files bill on police response to Hawai‘i Army National Guard alarms

The Maui County Council filed a bill Friday that would have authorized the mayor to enter into an interdepartmental agreement allowing the Maui Police Department to respond to alarms at Hawai‘i Army National Guard facilities.

Council members voted 7-0 to file Bill 121, with members Keani Rawlins-Fernandez and Shane Sinenci absent. Filing the bill essentially dismisses the measure without passage. The bill would have implemented a draft memorandum of understanding between the MPD and the Hawai‘i Army National Guard regarding Intrusion Detection System alarm response procedures.

Although a separate bill regarding an intergovernmental agreement with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a Joint Terrorism Task Force (Bill 92) was not taken up for discussion or testimony, public concern over federal-county collaboration led a couple of residents to testify against Bill 121 and the MPD’s potential role in responding to National Guard alarms.

The testifiers expressed concerns about the use of county-funded resources for federal matters, particularly in what one called “not normal times” of heightened political tensions.

Maui resident Marnie Masuda urged the council to apply “the appropriate amount of scrutiny and vigilance” to the measure. She said that while the proposal “pertains to our Maui Police Department responding if there’s an alarm at the National Guard post here, which on the surface seems fine,” she quickly shifted her focus to the current federal political climate.

“These are not normal times,” Masuda said. “And so when business as usual resolutions and bills come across, I think it’s very, very important that the appropriate amount of scrutiny and vigilance is applied when it has to do with anything coming from the federal government right now.”

Masuda expressed concern about federal policies, referencing the Trump administration’s promise “to target the enemy from within” and mentioning a specific memo, National Security Presidential Memo 7, which she said could potentially red-flag peaceful groups as “stochastic terrorists.”

(According to Wikipedia, stochastic terrorism is process in which an influential figure or organization repeatedly uses hostile, dehumanizing or inflammatory rhetoric against a targeted person, group or community. This increases the statistical probability of random, unpredictable acts of ideologically motivated violence by unknown individuals known as “lone wolves.”)

Masuda told council members: “I’d like you just to look with scrutiny at anything where we’re using county resources and directing them toward the federal government because we need to be very careful and very vigilant at this point.”

“This administration and our FBI under Kash Patel are instead of investigating crimes or crimes that are about to be committed, they’re looking for reasons to make the opposition criminals,” she said. “We’re fighting for democracy in a peaceful way.”

Council Member Tamara Paltin, chair of the Disaster Recovery, International Affairs and Planning Committee, attempted to clarify that the bill was being filed and not passed. (Her committee vetted the bill and produced a committee report.)

She told Masuda that the National Guard “can do it without our approval because there’s no money involved and it’s within the scope of their normal work.” Masuda, however, responded by expressing concern over the use of limited Maui County police resources.

“I’m under the assumption that when . . . we have too few Maui police officers and whenever they are being used to for federal work now, that’s a resource that is funded by the county,” Masuda said. “And so I just think we need to consider how we’re using our resources, especially when they are so overburdened at this point.”

Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura asked Masuda if she did not want the police to help the National Guard with an emergency call, but Council Chair Alice Lee interjected to clarify the scope. “No, these are alarms,” Lee said.

Masuda responded: “I’m saying that that the proper amount of scrutiny normally this would be fine and it is fine, but we the public wants to have scrutiny over any partnership with the federal government.”

Jake Carton, an activist with Maui Indivisible, also testified on the bill. He questioned the use of county funds and local police resources.

“Why are stretched county tax dollars and MPD resources being devoted to help the military defend itself?” Carton asked.

Carton also raised concerns about response priorities, asking: “Will MPD not respond to our 911 calls because they are responding to an intruder at guard facilities while the guard is sent to another state.”

In other action Friday, council members passed on second-and-final reading:

Bill 99, which amends the fiscal 2026 budget to provide a “preservation rate” for water used primarily for Native Hawaiian species habitat preservation or restoration.

Bills 100 and 101, which amend the fiscal 2026 budget for the Department of Water Supply to provide $750,000 from a state revolving-fund loan for granular-activated carbon filter replacements at the Napili and Honokahua well field.

Bill 82, which amends the definition of “authorized emergency vehicle” to include vehicles used by the Maui Emergency Management Agency.

Bill 21, which exempts uses within the park and public-quasi-public districts of Dole Park on Lānaʻi from the Maui County Code’s chapter on “Off-street Parking and Loading.”

Bill 78, which grants a change in zoning from agricultural to R2 residential district for nearly 0.71 acres at 1550 Nukuna Place in Wailuku.

Bill 111, which simplifies the application process for Maui County’s circuit breaker tax credit program for qualified homeowners by allowing those who’re at least 78 years old to verify income through submission of an affidavit instead of Internal Revenue Service documents.

Bill 113, which allows property owners who miss the Dec. 31 deadline for the home or long-term rental exemption to file for a partial exemption by Sept. 30 of the tax year, subject to a penalty; and clarify the Jan. 1 effective date for the home exemption.

Bill 109, which updates requirements for outdoor lighting fixtures to minimize light pollution and support public safety, security, crime prevention and quality of life for residents.

Bill 130, which renames the Animal Control Board the “Dangerous Dog Adjudication and Appeals Board.”

Bill 133, which amends the fiscal 2026 budget (Office of the Mayor, Economic Development Program) to decrease funding for the Makawao-Pāʻia-Haʻikū residency area cleanup by $15,000 and increase the appropriation for the Aloha Classic by $15,000.

Bill 134, which amends the fiscal 2026 budget to shift $450,000 within the Maui Emergency Management Agency to provide $250,000 for the Living Pono Project and $200,000 for the Hāna Business Council.

Bill 135, which amends the fiscal 2026 budget to provide $10,000 to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

On first reading, council members passed:

Bill 141, which extends the effective date of a new requirement that Maui County public meeting agendas be published in both English and ‘olelo Hawai‘i. The new effective date would be Dec. 31, 2025. Until now, the requirement is in place, but council members recognized Maui County staffs’ need for more time to implement the requirement.

Bill 148, which reduces the membership of the Kula Agricultural Park Committee from 11 to nine. The panel has been having difficulty achieving a quorum to conduct business.

Bill 149, which amends the fiscal 2026 budget to add an appropriation of $1,526,031 for the Department of Water Supply to use federal funding to demolish and replace the deteriorated and leaking Haʻikū-Kauhikoa Tank that was built in 1998. The new 250,000-gallon tank will be stainless steel. The project includes valves, inflow and outflow piping and site paving.