Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Housing Department presents expanded staffing and revolving-fund plans; $10M request for affordable housing project cited
Summary
Director Richard Mitchell told the BFED committee the newly formed Department of Housing has increased full-time staff from 39 to 49 and proposed sizable subsidies and revolving-fund allocations, including a $10 million entry for an affordable housing project and funds intended to support Lahaina recovery.
Department of Housing Director Richard Mitchell opened his remarks by thanking staff and deputies for implementing the new Department of Housing since its establishment and described the departments FY26 staffing increases and program budget elements.
Mitchell said the departments personnel complement would increase from 39 to 49 full-time equivalent positions to support new programs. He outlined grant subsidies and revolving-fund balances called out in the mayors proposal and said the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and its staff will transfer into the Housing Department at the beginning of FY27, with several CDBG positions expected to move.
Why it matters: the housing department described both operational expansion and large capital/project subsidy commitments that will be central to the countys housing strategy for wildfire recovery and countywide affordable housing efforts.
Key budget highlights described by the director
- Staffing: growth from 39 to 49 FTEs.
- Major grant subsidies described by Mitchell included a $10,000,000 figure connected to a 5.2 "Affordable housing project" (transcript language: the departments letter references a 5.2 entry for affordable housing at $10,000,000). He also mentioned $75,000 for a Lahaina reintegration program and a $1,000,000 workforce-housing project.
- Revolving funds: the department listed an affordable housing fund at roughly $42,024,090 and a homeowner program revolving fund set at $2,000,000 for Ohana assistance.
- CDBG transition: Mitchell said the CDBG program budgeted at about $2,006,803 (the transcript records a figure in that range) would shift to the Housing Department beginning the next fiscal year; Mitchell said the department plans to bring over three, possibly four, CDBG staff positions.
Discussion and public comment
- Committee members asked the department to clarify project-level details, funding stages and how revolving funds will be used for acquisitions and construction financing. Members also pressed for specific deliverables and timelines for the Lahaina recovery projects.
- Several public testifiers later in the meeting addressed housing projects directly: public speakers requested county loans, acquisition funding, insurance-gap grants and line-item support for nonprofit housing developers and community land trusts (see separate article on Lahaina Community Land Trust).
Ending
The department said it would follow up with more detailed budget breakdowns on specific revolving-fund use, project readiness and the CDBG transfer timeline.
