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Committee backs two $50,000 grants to island animal nonprofits amid questions about oversight and grant vs. contract use
Summary
The finance committee voted to forward resolutions awarding $50,000 each to Aloha Animal Alliance and Hawaii Island Humane Society for spay/neuter, transport and rehoming initiatives. Members pressed county staff on whether funds should be used as grants or contracts and asked for detailed budgets and reporting standards.
The Hawaii County Council Committee on Finance voted to forward two resolutions to the full council that would award $50,000 each to Aloha Animal Alliance and to Hawaii Island Humane Society for animal care and rehoming programs.
A public testifier, Lisa Lane Carden of Aloha Animal Alliance, told the committee the funds would support trap-neuter-return (TNR) work, district hubs for microchip scanners, signage, volunteer equipment, transport, and a digital community hub for lost-and-found and TNR management. Matt (animal-control staff) described prior efforts to use a $150,000 budgeted contract to build a centralized portal; the county was unable to award a vendor contract in time for the fiscal year and officials said the funds were left in a contractual-services account.
Council members probed whether the money should be provided as grants or used to procure contractual services. Finance Director Diana Kagawa said the county sometimes reallocates funds during the year to meet needs and that departments should plan such uses in the budget cycle; she said staff could work with Animal Control to present options. Corporation Counsel Renee Schoen told members the council must decide whether the proposed uses meet a public purpose; she said the body has discretion and should document the public benefit when awarding grants.
Councilmember Reynaldo Inaba asked for a detailed budget breakdown before the full council hearing; Matt agreed to work with the finance department to provide line-item spending plans. Members added that county grant practices should be standardized so nonprofit recipients present consistent exhibits and budget information to the council. Several members expressed support for partnering with community organizations because the county cannot, by itself, deliver all spay-and-neuter services at scale.
On a roll call, the committee forwarded Resolution 140-25 (Aloha Animal Alliance spay/neuter grant) and Resolution 141-25 (Hawaii Island Humane Society transport and rehoming grant) to council with favorable recommendations. Both resolutions passed the committee by recorded votes of seven in favor and two opposed; the clerk recorded two “no” votes (Councilmember Onishi and the chair) on each measure. Other committee motions to close routine communications and to forward related budget items carried unanimously.
