Working group wins governors support for $750,000 PLTIS assessment; approves joint interim report with exhibits

Chair Cheryl Hulu Lindsey and members of the Public Land Trust Working Group on Dec. 11 said the governor will include a $750,000 request in a governors message to fund consultants to assess the accuracy and completeness of the states Public Land Trust Information System and related inventories. The group voted 5-0 to approve a joint interim report to the Legislature and directed staff to compile exhibits and agency responses to accompany the report.

The governors budget request was described during the meeting by Luis Salaveria, who said the administration plans to seek $750,000 and that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) could seek an additional $250,000 in its biennium budget to bring the total to $1,000,000. "The request ... is gonna be for about 750 is gonna be for 750 k from the administration," Salaveria said, adding that OHA might add funds to reach a $1,000,000 total. The working group discussed using the funds to hire third-party consultants to assess PLTIS accuracy, review the land inventory and suggest system improvements.

Why it matters: PLTIS and how state agencies report income from ceded and public-trust lands affect allocations tied to the public trust, including OHAs statutory responsibilities as a beneficiary agency. Members said they want an independent, expert review of land records and the revenue accounting that follows; several speakers emphasized that an accurate inventory must precede any comprehensive revenue audit or formula work.

Discussion and procurement approach Members discussed whether the initial procurement should focus on a narrow inventory assessment or include both land and financial experts in parallel. Cheryl Hulu Lindsey said the practical next step is to hire consultants who can craft a scope of work and help design procurement documents: "...you hire a consultant to develop the scope of work for the procurement." Members also discussed contracting options: staff noted that OHA could act as the contracting entity under its procurement exemption so the project could move more quickly if the state appropriation is passed and DLNR (the recipient agency) contractors with OHA to execute work.

Public comment and OHA's supplemental report Germaine Myers, testifying remotely, urged the working group and the Legislature to ensure the native Hawaiian voice and OHAs trust responsibilities are reflected in the report. "OHA is an agency of the entire state ... but they have a trust obligation to the beneficiaries," Myers said, adding that a unified, standardized reporting template and accurate inventory are needed to ensure OHA receives its pro rata share.

Report contents, exhibits and attachments The working group approved the draft interim report to the Legislature with a friendly amendment to include referenced exhibits. Members instructed staff to attach: (a) the PLTIS disclosure/webpage referenced in the report, (b) a spreadsheet summary of agency responses, (c) the agency response letters received, and (d) example correspondence sent to agencies. The amendment assigned Ryan and Sherry to complete compilation of the exhibits before transmittal. The chair and members agreed the report would include a note that several agencies replied and that the responses will be provided as part of the record.

Formal action The group voted to approve the joint PLTWG draft interim report to the Legislature, as revised to include exhibits and attachments. The motion passed on a roll call recorded as five yes votes; the meeting transcript records the motion maker as Ryan and a second by Sherry. The recorded amendment instructed Ryan and Sherry to assemble the referenced exhibits.

Next steps and timing Members said the governors message would be submitted quickly so the request reaches the Legislature early in the session. The working group plans to transmit the final report (with exhibits) to the Legislature; staff said the report must be finalized and transmitted to meet the statutory deadline (the transcript records a target date in late December). Members also discussed scheduling an informal briefing with legislative leadership after the report is submitted so lawmakers receive context for the budget request and the multistep process the group proposes (first verify inventory accuracy, then address revenue reporting). The group approved circulating a pre-final version of the report to members for a short review window before transmittal.

Votes at a glance - Motion to approve the joint Public Land Trust Working Group interim report to the Legislature, as revised to add referenced exhibits and attachments (motion recorded as made by Ryan; second recorded as Sherry). Amendment: assign Ryan and Sherry to compile exhibits. Vote: 5 yes, 0 no, outcome: approved.

What the report does not decide The working group did not adopt a final uniform reporting template at this meeting. Members agreed that determining a standard template and verification procedures will be part of later work once independent experts have assessed inventory accuracy and reporting practices. Members emphasized that any template or verification system would require additional resources and staff capacity at the reporting agencies.