The council debated a request to transfer funds to the Honolulu Police Department to cover projected overtime and patrol costs and ultimately amended the transfer to reduce the amount and postponed final action.

At the committee report motion, the council considered resolution 25‑146, a request to transfer $13.5 million in general‑fund monies to patrol activities. Several members voiced concern about timing and the size of the transfer given fiscal‑year timing. Council member Di Polo (spoke as reservations) and Council member Cordero raised concerns about the timing of transfers late in the fiscal year and asked HPD for clarification on unallotted funds and how the department was estimating its shortfall.

Major Ryan Hiranaka of HPD's finance division explained the department's quarterly allotment process and said that because overtime spending exceeded earlier quarterly allotments, funds were moved internally from the fourth quarter into earlier quarters to balance payroll. He told the council that an earlier projection of a $13.5 million shortfall had since been revised downward to approximately $7.5 million after updated payroll data.

Given the new figures, Council member Tupelo proposed a friendly amendment to reduce the requested transfer to $8.5 million. HPD indicated they would accept the lower figure; council members then moved the resolution to the end of the calendar to allow OCS to prepare the hand‑carried FD. "Yes. We would," Major Hiranaka said when asked whether HPD would accept the lower amount.

Members noted the department's large lapses in prior years (examples in the hearing: HPD lapsed about $50.5 million last year), and several councilors said the transfer would allow HPD to use funds that otherwise would lapse. Council member Di Polo recorded reservations about the process, saying the timing and planning for these year‑end transfers must improve. The council voted to postpone the resolution to the end of the calendar and to consider the FD1 that reduced the transfer amount.

Separately, the council adopted a task force resolution to examine HPD vacancies and retention strategies (resolution creating a task force to address vacancies and retention). Council members said the task force would develop short‑ and long‑term steps to address recruitment, retention, and equipment needs.