Council authorizes negotiations on 2024 PONC priority list after contested amendment fails

The Hawaii County Council voted to adopt Resolution 120 on May 7, authorizing the director of finance to initiate negotiations for the acquisition of any or all of the 10 properties on the 2024 Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission (PONC) prioritized list.

Council debate focused on two strains of concern: administrative capacity to pursue an expanding list of potential purchases and a proposed amendment that would limit automatic administration negotiation to only those properties scoring at least 70% in PONC’s ranking.

Deputy Finance Director Malia Kikai told the council that three properties were already in active negotiation and that most of the rest were recorded as “open” on the list pending prioritization and re-review. “We have 3 that are in active negotiations right now, but the rest of them are basically just open,” she said. Kikai also described finance’s limited staff capacity and noted vacancies in property management roles.

Council Member Heather Kimball introduced an amendment using a 70% PONC cutoff so only higher-scoring nominations would automatically be sent to the administration for negotiation. Kimball said the threshold would avoid setting a precedent of routinely moving entire PONC lists forward. Council Member Cherry Nava, whose district included one of the properties the amendment would exclude, objected and flagged a drafting error in the amendment’s clause reference; Nava urged colleagues not to remove properties that PONC recommended.

Several council members also raised concerns about the long-standing list of prioritized parcels that have not been re-evaluated in years. Diane Nakagawa of the Finance Department and Deputy Corporation Counsel Gear Long explained that appraisal materials and negotiations can be confidential while acquisitions are pending; Nakagawa confirmed appraisals are hired and used to inform offers and subsequent internal discussions.

After roll call, the amendment failed. The council then adopted Resolution 120 by roll call. The clerk announced the final tally in the roll call: six votes in favor and three opposed; the motion carried. Council members asked the administration to return with clearer prioritization and reporting, and several members proposed the creation of an ad hoc review to reassess the PONC process and resource allocation.

What’s next: The resolution authorizes the mayor’s administration to pursue negotiations; finance and property management staff will continue active negotiations on three parcels and will prioritize follow-up work on the larger list. Council members requested follow-up reporting and suggested a structured review of the PONC list and staffing needs.