Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Hazard Mitigation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances Kohala wildfire planning funds: $68,000 hazard‑mitigation grant forwarded to council
Summary
The committee forwarded Resolution 426‑25 and a sister budget bill (Bill 1‑13) that would accept and appropriate a $68,000 FEMA hazard‑mitigation grant for phase‑1 planning of a Kohala wildfire fuels‑reduction and defensible‑space project; Fire Department staff detailed the scope and said the county would contract out the work.
The Hawaii County Committee on Finance voted on Jan. 6, 2026 to advance measures authorizing and appropriating a $68,000 hazard‑mitigation grant for phase‑1 planning of a Kohala wildfire fuels‑reduction and defensible‑space project.
Resolution 426‑25, introduced by Councilmember Connelly Kleinfelder by request, would authorize the mayor to enter an intergovernmental agreement with the State of Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to accept federally derived hazard‑mitigation funds. Bill 1‑13 would appropriate $68,000 to the county’s hazard mitigation grant program account for phase‑1 planning and preparatory activities.
Deputy Dan Volpe of the Hawaii Fire Department described the planned scope for phase 1: mapping and delineation of vegetative removal areas across roughly 3,500 acres that includes Kohala Ranch and neighboring communities; marking dead trees and shrubs for removal; conducting wildfire home‑risk assessments; identifying permits and historic‑preservation constraints; and planning debris‑removal logistics and contractor needs. Volpe said the county would accept the grant and use a contractor (selected from professional services lists) to administer and carry out the work; Fire Department personnel would not perform the heavy labor.
Committee members asked about subsequent phases and additional funding; Volpe said FEMA grants and other mitigation grants were being pursued and that planning would include outreach to affected landowners and coordination with potential partners such as the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands. The committee took the related resolution off the table for discussion and later forwarded the measures with favorable recommendations.
Both measures now proceed to the full council for final action.
