Committee forwards 'Adopt a County Street' volunteer program to council

The Hawaii County policy committee voted to forward Bill 142 to the full county council with a favorable recommendation after hearing support from residents and staff. The motion passed with eight members in favor and one absence.

Council member Inaba, who introduced the measure, described the program as a formal pathway for individuals and organizations to adopt sections of county streets and commit to a minimum one-year participation, with the Department of Public Works supplying vests, gloves and trash bags and coordinating collection of the material left by volunteers. "This bill does not prevent anyone else from engaging in cleanup work," Inaba said, adding the measure includes an annual reporting requirement from DPW on adopted segments and estimated county cost savings.

Deputy Director Neil Azevedo told the committee DPW is "here to support" the program and will work with community partners. Several council members expressed support and asked technical questions about resourcing, youth participation and how the program would coordinate with existing state programs and trail maintenance. Members said the program could be modeled on an established state-level adopt-a-highway program but tailored for county streets and right-of-way responsibilities.

Next steps: Bill 142 will be placed on the full council agenda with a favorable recommendation and DPW will prepare implementation details and annual reporting provisions.