Kailua Village BID details tourism, safety and homelessness work; committee closes file on annual report

Ross Wilson, executive director of the Kailua Village Business Improvement District, told the Communications, Reports and Council Oversight Committee on Sept. 16 that the BID’s work in Kailua Kona centers on marketing, safety and place-making while collaborating with county police and social-service providers.

Wilson opened his annual update by describing the BID’s programs and history, saying the organization “transformed historic Kailua Village with its clean and safe initiatives, marketing, branding and special events.” He told the committee the BID sponsors a monthly Kokua Kailua marketplace that can draw about 5,000 people, provides interpretive signs and a smartphone app, and produces a twice-yearly magazine focused on history and culture.

The BID’s governance includes a 17-member board with county representatives, Wilson said, and the district is divided into two assessment zones. “It’s based on the assessed value of the property,” Wilson said, identifying the assessment rate as $1.75 per $1,000 in Zone 1 and $0.58 per $1,000 in Zone 2; he added that residential assessments in the village are capped at $100. Wilson also said the BID’s budget “runs about 1,000,000 dollars.”

Wilson described the BID’s contract with a national firm to manage landscaping, janitorial and security services — the so-called Block by Block program — and said those teams are “fully uniformed” so they are easily identifiable when working in the village. He told the committee the BID recently organized three neighborhood business-watch groups that meet with community police to share information and coordinate responses to shoplifting and public-nuisance issues.

On homelessness, Wilson said the BID has pursued short-term and nuisance-reduction approaches while working with service providers. “We returned over 500 shopping carts back to the various merchants,” he said, and described efforts to power-wash, redesign landscaping and increase security patrols to discourage long-term encampments. Wilson also warned the committee that the village has a population of people with mental-health and substance-use challenges: “We have about a 100 that congregate in and around the village,” he said, and he reported there have been “at least 5 or 6 deaths” in the past month among people living outdoors.

Wilson said the BID has asked the State Department of Health about establishing stabilization beds at the former Kona hospital/courthouse site but had not secured that program. He praised the Hawaii County Police Department’s community police for their day-to-day response and asked the council to continue funding for policing support.

Committee members pressed Wilson on several operational and budget items. Council Member Michelle Galimba asked why the assessment totals in the written report appeared to dip from earlier years; Wilson said the apparent change is timing-related because the BID has two assessment cycles (February and August) and that the fiscal year ends June 30. A Hilo participant asked whether the BID supports low-income or permanent supportive housing; Wilson replied that supportive housing is not part of the BID’s mission though he acknowledged the need for it.

Council Member Cindy Evans asked about the BID’s “ambassadors” line item and whether ambassadors are identifiable; Wilson said the Block by Block teams serve as ambassadors and are fully uniformed and identifiable. Evans also asked about the future of July 4 fireworks in Kona; Wilson said the display typically costs about $35,000–$40,000, the BID contributes roughly $5,000, and organizers are exploring drones and other options. On transit and parking, Wilson said past park-and-ride trials were unsuccessful and described the transition of the Kona trolley to county-operated bus service.

The committee voted to close the file on Communication 1013. Chair Rebecca Villegas called for the vote and recorded eight members saying “aye” with one member excused; the committee then adjourned.

At the committee meeting, Wilson offered to meet individually with council members to discuss specific items in the report and to provide updates at future meetings.