Hawaii County council approves 2025–26 operating budget after debate over $2 million food-security amendment

The Hawaii County Council passed Bill 31, the county—s operating budget for fiscal year 2025—6, on second and final reading June 5 after a daylong hearing and debate in Hilo.

Councilmembers voted 7 ye, 1 No and 1 absent to approve the $953,288,869 budget as amended. The council rejected a proposed amendment (Communication 158.22) to add a new $2,000,000 food-security line item, but approved a housekeeping account update and a separate amendment to extend two contract positions that manage ARPA-funded food and agriculture grants.

Why it matters: Testimony from more than a dozen nonprofit staff and volunteers detailed recent federal cuts to commodity food programs and pleaded for local funding to prevent gaps in services for keiki and kupuna. Council members and department officials said they shared those concerns but raised questions about department capacity, procurement and the long-term source of recurring funding.

Bill 31 and the food-security proposal Council member Kaguata moved Communication 158.22, a proposal to increase the county—s prior-year fund balance by $2,000,000 and add a $2,000,000 line in the Department of Research & Development—s "miscellaneous contractual services" for food-security programs. Kaguata said the amendment responded to recent information about federal cuts and community need and cited programs such as Malama to Farmer and Kokua Harvest that had already begun distributing ARPA-funded grants.

Kristen Frost Albrecht, executive director of the Food Basket (Hawaii Island—s food bank), told the council: "This amendment would provide essential funding to bolster food security programs that benefit our community's most vulnerable residents…