Maui Council committee votes to discharge vehicle noise fine bill; some enforcement skepticism expressed

A Maui County Council committee voted unanimously last week to send a bill increasing fines for vehicle noise violations to the full Council, even as some members questioned whether the measure would have any real-world impact.

The Water Authority, Social Services and Parks Committee discharged Bill 119 on a 4-0 vote on Thursday following a spirited discussion that exposed divisions over the legislation’s merits. Council Members Kauanoe Batangan, Tom Cook, Yuki Lei Sugimura and Keani Rawlins-Fernandez were excused.

The bill, introduced by Council Chair Alice Lee, would amend the Maui County Code to increase monetary penalties for violations involving loud sound amplification systems in vehicles. A proposed amendment drafted by committee Chair Shane Sinenci removes a previously proposed forfeiture clause and raises fines for first and second offenses, while keeping the third offense at the $1,000 maximum allowed under Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes.

Both the Maui Police Department and the Department of the Prosecuting Attorney expressed support for the amended version. Sgt. Ryan Ehlers of Maui Police Department’s Vehicle Homicide Unit Traffic Section said he agreed with “dropping the forfeiture and just increasing the monetary fine.”

District Court Supervising Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Anderson Teshima explained why forfeiture was problematic, citing the complex court proceedings, storage logistics and auction process required—all for relatively little monetary return. He added that unpaid fines already serve as an effective deterrent because they act as a license stopper at the Division of Motor Vehicles and Licensing.

“If you do have unpaid fines, you’re not able to renew your license,” Teshima said. “We found that to be a very effective deterrence.”

Council Member Gabe Johnson bluntly opposed the bill.

“I don’t like this bill,” he said. “I don’t like these types of bills. I think they’re more like a ‘Footloose’ bill.” He suggested that law enforcement had “bigger fish to fry, and, in my opinion this is a guppy.”

He also raised concerns about the cascading consequences of unpaid fines—noting that an inability to renew a license could eventually lead someone to drive without a valid license, a criminal offense carrying up to 30 days in jail.

Council Member Tamara Paltin echoed some of those concerns.

“This isn’t necessarily like a priority or Earth-shattering revelation,” she said. “I can understand that it can be a nuisance, especially in neighborhoods, especially at night. But, in the scheme of things, if this is your biggest complaint, I’d like to be you.”

Paltin also pointed to the Maui Police Department’s written response to the committee: no noise citations of this type were issued in 2024.

“It feels like a paper tiger,” Paltin said. “It’s already illegal, and we’re still having that problem.”

Teshima acknowledged that in his 15 years with the prosecutor’s office, he had never seen anyone come to court to challenge a noise violation citation—though he allowed that could partly reflect how few citations have been issued.

After a brief recess, David Raatz, Director of the Office of Council Services, outlined procedural options. He explained that a motion to discharge would place the bill before the full Council via a committee report, while an alternative pathway exists through the Council chair placing it directly on a Council agenda.

With no objections from any of the five members present—Sinenci, Lee, Johnson, Paltin and Uʻu-Hodgins—the committee moved to discharge Bill 119. The motion passed with five ayes.