Mayor Bissen proposes $30M in bond funding to protect critical Molokaʻi lands, water assets

Mayor Richard Bissen is proposing that the County of Maui establish $30 million in general obligation bond funding for the proposed acquisition of key land and critical water infrastructure on Molokaʻi, advancing efforts to protect essential public services and preserve important resources for future generations.

Mayor Bissen this afternoon thanked the Council for supporting the administration’s proposal. Maui County Council voted 8-1, with Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura dissenting, to approve the funding request on first reading. The measures are scheduled for second and final reading at Council on Nov. 13.

“Mahalo to the County Council for its strong support of these generational decisions, and especially to Council Member Rawlins-Fernandez for her advocacy and leadership,” Bissen said. “These acquisitions would help return control of important ancestral lands to organizations accountable to the people of Molokaʻi, protect essential public services and preserve community access to resources vital to their future. Decisions about our land and water must remain rooted in the interests of our people and our responsibility to future generations.”

At its regular meeting Friday, Council heard Bills 150 and 151, which would amend the Fiscal Year 2027 budget to provide funding for potential land acquisitions on Molokaʻi. In May 2025, the Council adopted Resolution 25-105, introduced by Rawlins-Fernandez.

“For generations, the people of Molokaʻi have worked to protect our ʻāina and ensure that decisions about our island’s future remain in the hands of our community,” said Rawlins-Fernandez. “This funding represents an important step toward realizing that vision. It’s about more than acquiring property. It’s about protecting our water, preserving access to lands that sustain our people, and creating opportunities for future generations of Molokaʻi families to thrive on their ancestral home.”

If approved by Maui County Council, the funding would be used to acquire various properties on Molokaʻi, including property in Kaunakakai used for essential County operations, to protect land for the long-term benefit of the Molokaʻi community. A preliminary estimate on acreage that would be acquired is not available at this time because of ongoing negotiations and due diligence.

Bills 150 and 151 provide for $30 million in bond funding to finance the proposed acquisitions. Establishing funding would be an initial step in the acquisition process and would not, by itself, authorize the purchase of specific properties. Following the necessary budget and bond approvals, the County would continue to evaluate potential properties, including their value, condition and long-term public benefit. The County Council would then consider individual acquisitions through subsequent legislation, subject to applicable approvals and requirements.

The Molokaʻi initiative reflects the administration’s broader countywide efforts to protect critical land and water resources, strengthen public and community stewardship, and ensure that decisions about Maui Nui’s future remain in the hands of its people.

Council Chair Alice Lee also expressed support for the proposal during Friday’s meeting.

“Everybody will benefit and everybody will have opportunities,” Lee said before the vote. “So I am strongly in support of this request for funding. Mark my words – this is going to be a highly successful project and development.”

For more information, watch Friday’s Council meeting at https://mauicounty.us/.