Committee recommends reappointment of Maui County auditor Lance Taguchi

The Government Relations, Ethics and Transparency Committee recommended reappointing Lance Taguchi as Maui County auditor for a term effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2031.

The committee voted 9-0 to forward Resolution 24-90 to the full council with a recommendation of approval after a short public comment period and a round of committee questions. The motion to recommend adoption was made by Member Paulton and seconded by Member Sugimura, and the amended resolution was approved 9-0 in committee.

The nut graf: The reappointment would keep Taguchi in the auditor’s office as the county continues recovery and oversight work after the COVID-19 pandemic and the August 2023 wildfires. Taguchi told the committee he is pursuing a countywide fraud risk assessment and follow-up audits of emergency procurements and grant distributions.

In public comment, Napua Huail, identified herself as administrator for Hana Highway Regulation and urged the committee to reappoint Taguchi while also asking the county auditor to investigate statements made about her organization at a prior committee meeting. Huail said, “We provide data, research, and facts of the matter to employ better government policies,” and asked Taguchi to audit the prior meeting where she said councilmember Hodgins made allegations about her group.

Josiah Nishita, identified in the meeting as the county’s managing director (speaking in a personal capacity), also testified in support of Taguchi. Nishita described Taguchi as “a great resource” who provides “corrective advice” and institutional knowledge, and said Taguchi and his staff are “in the right place at the right time for this moment.”

Taguchi summarized work his office is currently doing, including a countywide fraud risk assessment and reviews of emergency procurements and grant distributions. He said the auditor’s office had reported instances that “indicate fraud, waste, and abuse may have occurred” to appropriate authorities and that the office will continue to identify internal-control failures and make meaningful countywide recommendations.

Committee members asked about whether the forthcoming fraud risk assessment will include controls for distribution of specific grants and whether the auditor could recommend legislative or administrative-rule changes. Taguchi said the risk assessment is a high-level review that will lead to focused audits where the office can be most helpful and that recommendations could include county code or administrative rules changes; “the short answer is yes,” he said when asked whether the office could recommend changes to this body.

The committee amended the resolution to substitute the CD1 version posted with the agenda and approved the motion to recommend the reappointment. The item will move to full council for consideration.

Ending: The committee closed oral testimony on the item before moving to questions and voted to recommend the reappointment; written testimony will continue to be accepted by council staff.