#Maui County Council

The Maui County Council unanimously passed a $1.6 billion fiscal year 2027 budget on first reading Friday, approving a contested shoreline stabilization grant after a lengthy discussion and splitting 5-4 on election-year spending limits on the mayor’s office.

The Maui County Council will take up a $1.6 billion budget Friday morning, following a committee recommendation to trim Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposal by reducing capital improvement projects while still increasing funding for day-to-day operations.

With three weeks left before the June 2 candidate filing deadline, the Maui County candidate line-ups are taking shape. Two incumbents — West Maui Council Member Tamara Paltin and East Maui Council Member Shane Sinenci — have officially committed to campaigns for re-election while others haven’t jumped in officially, yet. Five council members — Kauanoe […]

The 54-year-old said his passion is public service, but he does not plan to run for the permanent lieutenant governor post in Hawai’i, saying he is more of an operations guy than a politician.

Maui County Council Chair Alice Lee said Wednesday evening that she will not seek re-election this year. Instead, the veteran council member is throwing her support behind Marvin Moniz, a longtime state Department of Transportation airports manager, to succeed her in the Wailuku-Waiheʻe-Waikapū residency seat.

Former Maui County Council Member Kelly King has officially announced her candidacy for the South Maui residency seat on the Maui County Council, setting up a rematch against incumbent Tom Cook less than a year after losing to him by 97 votes.

Maui County Council members passed on second and final reading Friday a bill to refund $234,050 to Kamalani Ventures LLC for overpayments related to a 2015 workforce housing agreement. Action on the measure had been postponed from a regular Council meeting on April 2.

The incumbent mayor is contending with a lawsuit and a slate of challengers as he defends his first term, with one political analyst calling it “probably the most interesting race this election cycle.”

The Maui County Council’s Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee completed its review of Mayor Richard Bissen’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget this week, unanimously adopting a revised spending plan of approximately $1.608 billion.

Department of Environmental Management officials now forecast the planned Central Maui Wastewater Reclamation Facility in Waikapū will cost from $298 million to $420 million, or two- to three-times higher than the $130.6 million project estimate published in the project’s final environmental impact statement in February.

Maui County Council Member Kauanoe Batangan has proposed an across-the-board 1.25% budget cut for non-first-responder departments that would yield somewhat more than $5 million in savings from Mayor Richard Bissen’s fiscal 2027 $1.61 billion budget proposal.

The Maui Division of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 142 has officially endorsed Bobby Pahia for the Maui County Council Upcountry residency seat, citing his deep roots in the community, lifelong commitment to working families, and strong alignment with the union’s priorities.

The Maui Police Department is requesting a $12.2 million budget increase next fiscal year, or 11.6% more than this year, to address staffing shortages and modernize public safety technology across Maui County.

The Maui County Department of Public Works now has a single engineer working to manage two disasters — the recovery from the August 2023 wildfires and the recent Kona Low storms.

Local farmers told Maui County Council members Thursday that the government is falling short of providing island agriculture the help needed to sustain operations. Representatives of the Maui Humane Society also warned that the island’s only open-admission shelter is facing a “perfect storm” of rising costs and record demand.

Waiving bus fares for Maui County employees would have a “minimal impact” on revenue received from the Maui Bus ridership, Department of Transportation Director Marc Takamori told council members Tuesday.

The Maui County Council celebrated local high school wrestling champions Thursday before grappling with a contentious request for an affordable housing project refund.

The Maui County Council’s Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee launched its first day of fiscal year 2027 deliberations on Wednesday in Council Chambers, beginning with an overview from the Department of Finance.

University of Hawaiʻi economist Carl Bonham warned Maui County Council members Wednesday that a stagnant job market and a precarious reliance on wealthy tourists leave the county vulnerable as it begins annual budget deliberations.

Mayor Richard Bissen presented a $1.616 billion proposed fiscal 2027 budget to the Maui County Council on Wednesday morning, prioritizing affordable housing, Lahaina wildfire recovery and water system improvements.