#Maui County

Maui County is considering returning some of the soil runoff from last month’s flooding back to landowners who lost large swaths of property so they can rebuild.

The proposal would create automatic annual rate increases for the two state-regulated water carriers, Young Brothers and the Lāna‘i Expeditions ferry.

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 Hyatt Regency Maui says it needs to shore up the beach after last month’s Kona storm swept away much of the sand, but community members say it will lead to more beach loss.

The Olowalu Fire Station, a privately funded project on donated land, would cover a growing residential community where fire is a risk and serve as a critical emergency hub between West and Central Maui.

These trucks join Maui’s fleet after the department lost four trucks in the Lahaina and Kula fires of August 2023.

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.

Hawai’i gas prices reached a record high this week, and Moloka’i saw some of the highest rates, recently surpassing $7 a gallon in what some say is a first in their lifetime.

Maui County departments presented budget proposals for fiscal year 2027 that prioritize rebuilding fire-damaged facilities in West Maui and expanding social services for the island’s aging population.

A winter and spring of record-setting rainfall in Hawaiʻi likely is linked to record-breaking heat on the U.S. West Coast, the National Weather Service said.

Maui County Council Member Yuki Lei Sugimura called for a “disciplined” fiscal year 2027 budget Monday, citing the strain high gas and grocery prices have placed on local residents. Sugimura, who chairs the Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee, said the move is necessary as inflation continues to squeeze household pocketbooks across the islands. “Our […]

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

Nā Hale O Maui blessed a new project Wednesday in Kahului that will bring seven permanently affordable four-bedroom homes to local families through a unique community land trust model.

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.

Maui County says Wailuku Water Co. should fix system damage caused by storms, but the private utility said it is financially strapped and that the county county could do the work faster under the governor’s emergency proclamation.

Eight of the nine residents at Kula Hospital’s Hale Makamae, a facility for developmentally disabled individuals, had to be moved off island.

Lahaina residents returned the favor after the Moloka’i community was among the first to respond with boatloads of emergency supplies after the fires.

Residents say more a new flood control project and better stormwater management is sorely needed.

The combination of a changing climate and development have made South Maui more susceptible to flooding over the years.

While Maui County braces for more severe weather, council members are poised to take action Friday morning on a $15 million request for emergency funding, following a Wednesday committee update on the effort to rebuild from the August 2023 Lahaina wildfire disaster.