Resident urges Maui County to create 'Coastal Kuleana' fee and value‑capture tools to fund managed retreat and shoreline resilience

Kai Nishiki testified in favor of stronger local financing tools for coastal resilience, urging the council to adopt a "Coastal Kuleana" fee targeted at shoreline properties and visitors who benefit from healthy shorelines, paired with land value‑capture mechanisms and managed retreat financing. Nishiki said the county could complement state visitor‑funded environmental streams with a local mechanism to fund repeated, ongoing adaptation needs.

Nishiki cited a county figure of "almost 2,000" sea‑level‑rise‑impacted properties identified in a county bill and noted recent hazard‑mitigation planning and federal restrictions that limit explicit climate‑change language in grants and plans. She gave an example cost of about $50,000 to remove tree stumps and debris at Baldwin Beach as a small illustration of recurring shoreline costs and argued a dedicated, stable fund will be required to move buildings out of hazard zones, restore public beaches and reduce long‑term disaster costs.

The testimony urged pairing a coastal fee with zoning and land‑value capture to unlock revenue for adaptation, recreational access and managed retreat projects; the transcript segment records the recommendation and supporting rationale but does not show council action on creating such a fee.