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County representatives map state legislative priorities at HSAC briefing
Summary
Members of the Hawaii County Council discussed priorities to advance at the Hawaii State Association of Counties (HSAC), including food innovation, cesspool conversion, disaster preparedness incentives and conveyance tax support; the committee closed file on communication 40.1 by unanimous voice vote.
The Committee on Government Operations and External Affairs discussed recommended statewide priorities to carry through the Hawaii State Association of Counties (HSAC), including investments in local food innovation, tailored approaches to cesspool conversion, disaster-preparedness financing and continued work on a state conveyance tax to fund housing and homelessness programs.
Chair Jen Kaguada read communication 40.1, minutes from the HSAC executive committee, and asked council members for suggestions on a package of priorities the county should send to the HSAC executive committee for the 2026 legislative session. Council Member Heather L. Kimball, who represents the county on HSAC, said she will collect recommendations and bring a list back to HSAC for consideration.
Council Member Kerkowitz urged state investment in ‘‘food innovation hubs’’ modeled on an Oahu facility to help rural agricultural producers expand processing and food‑security capacity. She also asked the committee to press the state Department of Health for realistic, island‑specific timelines and assistance to support cesspool conversion in communities that may lack affordability.
Council Member Eustace said resilience and preparedness funding should get more attention alongside remediation funding, and suggested exploring tax incentives that would encourage household and community preparedness for disasters including wildfire. He also asked Kimball to provide additional detail from a prior HSAC discussion about vacancy taxes and related programs.
Council Member Onishi suggested that HSAC coordinate pre-session meetings between county representatives and state legislators, to identify bills legislators are willing to sponsor and improve the county’s track record of advancing county priorities at the State Legislature.
Council Member Galimba focused on state highway maintenance transparency, asking HSAC to pursue clearer public information about how State Highways prioritizes and funds repairs. Council Member Villegas highlighted two recurring constituent concerns: closing a state‑level loophole on flavored electronic cigarette sales and potential unsafe pesticide spraying along highways.
Kimball summarized items the county previously supported at HSAC, including conveyance tax proposals intended to fund housing, game‑management funding for wild ungulates, producer responsibility for solid waste, and multimodal transportation investments. She asked colleagues to submit any additional written priorities by August 1 for inclusion in HSAC’s next meeting.
The committee voted to close file on communication 40.1 and forward any recommendations Kimball compiles to the HSAC executive committee. The clerk recorded seven ayes; Council Members Inaba and Tanya Lee Kleinfeld were excused.
