OHA trustees review $17.2 million biennial board budget, debate CIP projects, paid family leave and board counsel

Chair Kahele, chair of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees, presented the board office'''s proposed biennial budget May 27, asking trustees to consider a $17.2 million request that would fund personnel, travel, programs and a slate of capital and program projects across the state.

The budget presentation proposed a $9.1 million personnel and fringe package for the board office, trustee salaries of roughly $2.9 million across the biennium, about $589,000 for trustee travel across both years, and $7.3 million in programmatic and capital project requests. Chair Kahele described the package as "a transformational budget for the board of trustees," designed to support trustee priorities and the board'''s Mauna E Maoliola strategic outcomes.

Why it matters: the board-level budget would commit OHA trust resources to locally driven capital improvement projects and new program spending in addition to routine board operations, a shift trustees said could let OHA use its funds to match external grants and private philanthropy but also requires tighter administrative vetting before final approvals.

Major budget figures and proposals

- Top-line: $17.2 million requested for the board office for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 (biennium). Chair Kahele identified personnel as the largest single category at $9.1 million.

- Trustee compensation and staff: Trustee salaries were estimated at $1.4 million in FY26 and $1.5 million in FY27 (about $2.9 million total). Trustee office staff and board-suite personnel were estimated at about $5.8 million across the biennium. The presentation also included funding for a possible full-time board counsel, with salary and fringe estimated at about $3.71 million for the biennium (a half-year in FY26 plus FY27).

- Travel: The trustees''' travel allotment is approximately $589,000 for the biennium (about $294,000 per fiscal year), covering required neighbor-island site visits and national or international conferences trustees attend.

- Programs and CIP: The board office proposed $7.3 million in capital improvement and program requests across the biennium…