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Committee seeks written explanations for lapsed affordable-housing funds, defers action
Summary
Council members asked the Department of Housing about several affordable-housing fund allocations listed in recent budget language as lapsed; the department offered to provide written explanations and the committee deferred action.
Committee members raised questions on March 18 about funds listed in recent budget action (Bill 33 language) that were described as lapsing back to the affordable housing fund. Deputy Director Samalu Matafa told the committee he would provide written explanations of why specific project allocations were lapsed and whether the department had authority to reassign or cancel allocations.
Why it matters: Several projects named in the bill — including Haleʻō Laie (the former Haggai Institute) and projects on Lāna‘i and elsewhere such as Kuikahi Village — were listed as having unspent or lapsed allocations. Council members wanted clarity about whether those funds reverted automatically, whether the department could reassign them administratively, and whether any returned funds could be reallocated to other local projects.
What happened at the meeting - Public testimony: none was offered for this agenda item. - Department response: Deputy Director Matafa said he would supply written explanations for each listed project and respond to specific questions about the department’s statutory authority to lapse or cancel council-approved allocations. He also said he would provide a clearer written summary for the committee and that he would be available for follow-up in a future meeting if needed. - Council follow-up items: Committee members asked the department to confirm whether line-item changes in the budget removed funds previously earmarked for named projects and to explain options for using lapsed dollars for other county housing needs, including whether the county could retain funds on Lāna‘i or reassign them to other Lanai projects (for example, to infrastructure elements such as a lift station).
Ending: The committee deferred decision and asked the department to provide written detail on the lapsed allocations, the legal/regulatory authority for lapsing or reassigning funds, and answers to member-specific questions about project-level reallocations.
