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Trustees split on $14,500 reallocation for staff development day at Kualoa Ranch; motion fails
Summary
A proposal to reallocate $14,500 from FY2026 personnel and fringe savings to fund an OHA staff development day and holiday gathering at Kualoa Ranch drew debate over cost, safety and funding sources and ended in a 4–4 tie, so the motion did not pass. Trustees requested a detailed budget breakdown.
A motion to reallocate $14,500 from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs’ FY2026 personnel and fringe savings to fund a staff development day and holiday gathering on Dec. 19, 2025, at Kualoa Ranch in Kaneohe failed after trustees split 4–4 on a roll-call vote.
Chair introduced action item BF-25-101, which sought the reallocation and specified that any unspent funds would revert to the FY2026 personnel and fringe budget. The motion text described the funding as intended for “the OHA staff development day and holiday gathering on Friday, 12/19/2025 at Kualoa Ranch, Kaneohe, Hawaii.”
Trustees engaged in extended discussion before the vote, raising concerns about safety, procurement and the choice of funding source. Trustee Akaka highlighted weather and safety risks for outdoor activities, asking for start and end times and whether facilities for changing and showering were available; administration said training would run 12–4 p.m. and the gathering 5–9 p.m. and that limited on-site shower facilities exist. Trustee Kahele put the cost of an equivalent on-site event in perspective: “It costs about $8,000 for OHA to do an OHA all staff stand down just here at Nala Makukui,” he said, noting travel and other off-site costs can increase the total.
Trustee Alapa asked whether less expensive options were considered and requested a procurement and reconciliation accounting. “I was kinda curious about the breakdown, the cost with the vendors… It would be nice…to see an example of the budget of where these monies are going to,” Alapa said.
Several trustees expressed concern about using fringe and benefit savings as the source while litigation and broader economic uncertainties remain; administration said travel costs for neighbor-island staff are budgeted separately and that a full cost breakout would be provided. Administration also said it had considered trustee protocol allowances and manager surpluses as alternatives but had not repurposed those funds in this action item; staff noted trustee protocol funds lapse on June 30 and cannot be reclaimed the following year.
The roll-call vote was announced as a tie (4 yes, 4 no) and the motion therefore did not pass. Trustees asked administration to provide a detailed breakdown of projected event costs and the travel budget for staff coming from neighbor islands; administration agreed to supply that information ahead of the board meeting scheduled for the following day.
