Tax board report highlights outreach gaps; county staff say funding exists for statewide workshop

The Hawaii County Committee on Finance reviewed the Real Property Tax Board of Review's 2025 annual report on Jan. 6, 2026, and pressed staff on how the board reaches taxpayers with information about exemptions and appeals.

Real Property Tax Administrator Lisa Mira told the committee the annual statewide workshop for tax boards used to be held every year but stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic. "Since COVID sorta ended, they've had 1 workshop and they thought they were gonna go back to annual, but city and county's budget got cut," Mira said, adding that outer counties had offered to help host but Honolulu asked to postpone the statewide event until budgets align.

Mira said the county does have funding in its budget to send board members to a workshop and that the Real Property Tax office has expanded outreach through upgraded websites, workshops and an updated assessment-notice insert. Still, she said, "...we still have people saying I didn't know I have to apply for the home exemption" and that the department has yet to fully use social media for outreach.

Council member Eustace and others thanked board members and staff for their work in resolving complaints and training the review board. Diane Nakagawa of the Finance Department confirmed that funds for conferences remain in the county budget and are available.

The committee voted to close the file on Communication 654, the board's annual report, and recorded the motion as carried. Committee members asked staff to continue outreach efforts and to explore additional mailing, social-media and in-person strategies to increase awareness of exemptions, short-term-rental restrictions and other taxpayer obligations.

The measure to close the file was procedural; no policy change was adopted at the committee level. The report was transmitted pursuant to section 19-97(e) of the Hawaii County Code.