Council members give initial approval for $10 million to fund emergency expenses related to Hurricane Lala

The Maui County Council approved spending $10 million from emergency funds for recovery efforts following Hurricane Lala, although overall damage costs are rising to nearly $15 million.

During Friday’s regular Council meeting, members passed Bill 122 on first reading by a vote of 7-0, with Council Member Nohelani Uʻu-Hodgins absent and excused, and Council Member Kauanoe Batangan abstaining. The measure amends the fiscal 2027 budget to include Hurricane Lala damages, including county departments’ overtime and damage services for the community.

An emergency proclamation was issued for Tropical Storm Lala on Aug. 13.

Budget Director Lesley Milner said that in her last discussion with Managing Director Josiah Nishita “it looks like costs may now be over $15 million, so we may be coming back in the future for additional funding.”

Ongoing damage assessments may require a new bill or an amendment on second reading, she said.

Of the $10 million, as much as $1 million would be set aside for Maui Economic Opportunity Inc. to provide financial assistance to residents for rebuilding and recovery, Milner said. The funding would be grants, so the county will keep track of expenditures through regular reporting and invoicing, she said.

Council members asked for a breakdown of the county’s Lala-related damage expenditures, and Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura later received a report from Milner. Expenditures included: $4 million for debris removal, $250,000 for emergency protective measures, $719,000 for roads and bridges, $1,112,000 for buildings and equipment, $1,704,000 for utilities, $2,144,017 for parks and other facilities. The total amount is more than $9.9 million.

Batangan abstained from voting because the MEO would receive funding from the measure, and he has a conflict of interest and a Board of Ethics advisory about his prior employment with the agency.

In other action, council members unanimously passed Bill 98 on second and final reading. The bill creates a new chapter in the Maui County Code to include a Food and Nutrition Security Plan as a permanent framework guiding agricultural development and food access in Maui County.

Council Member Gabe Johnson, chair of the the Agriculture, Diversification, Environment and Public Transportation Committee, introduced the measure. On Friday, he met with representatives of the Maui Farm Bureau to address their concerns and gain their support for the bill.

He noted that, during stormy weather, the barges don’t come to Neighbor Islands. “When the barges don’t come, the food isn’t there because we import so much of our food,” Johnson said.

Passage of the bill this month is timely, he said, because September is Hunger Action Month. “I hope this really helps our farmers, our producers, and everybody else to the table,” he said.

Hugh Starr, testifying on behalf of the Maui Farm Bureau, spoke in support of the bill, saying he appreciated the opportunity to meet with Johnson on the matter.

“We’ve had a constructive conversation about the particular concerns of the Farm Bureau that were expressed at his committee’s first reading regarding making meaningful progress on the important ag lands state statute implementation at the county level,” Starr said, adding that the bureau is 100% in favor of the bill.

The Council also passed Bill 117 on first reading, authorizing an intergovernmental agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers for an early flood warning system along Iao Stream near Market Street in Wailuku.

Department of Public Works Director Jordan Molina explained the system would use cameras and automated alerts to notify emergency managers of rising flood levels in real time, replacing the current in-person monitoring process.

Council members also adopted Resolution 26-149, authorizing the acquisition of two condominium property regime units in Lahaina for up to $850,000 to complete site control for a flood mitigation project in the area.