The meeting was called to order at 12:00 PM at the West Y Civic Center, Kona Chamber, with Hilo Chambers participating. The sole agenda item was Bill 132, an ordinance to regulate paid parking facilities in Kailua Village. After extensive public testimony and discussion, the committee voted 8-0 to postpone the bill to the May 19, 2026 meeting in Hilo.
Aloha, good afternoon. Welcome to the 13th session of the Policy Committee on Public Works and Mass Transit. It is 12 p.m. Good afternoon. We are here in the West Y Civic Center. Call this meeting to order. We are joined by members here in the Kona Chamber, Michelle Galimba, Councilmember Viegas, Councilmember Connolly Kleinfelder, Councilmember O'Neishi, and our Hilo Chambers. We have Councilmembers Kimball, Kagiwada, and Kirkkowitz. And I am your chair and presenting officer James Eustace. Mr. Clerk, we have one item on the agenda. If you could start us off with public testimony. Thank you, Committee Chair. Thank you, Committee Chair Houstis. Could I ask Gregory Ogen and Manuel Martinez to both come forward by testimony on Bill 132 and Mr. Ogen, you may be you may proceed when you're ready by activating the microphone. It'll turn red. That'll mean it's good to go, as are you, and then you can start by introducing yourself, and you'll have three minutes. Just the button at the base of the microphone. There you go. Okay, please proceed. Introduce yourself. You'll have three minutes. Council Chair and Chair People. Um, I just want to say I appreciate the interest in the village and trying to make the village a more attractive and inviting place to come, and I think that's what we're all trying to do. The I am speaking in in opposition of the amendment because um for a number of reasons. Um, the cost of providing parking in the village is extremely expensive. And controlled parking in the past has really been due to the abuse of the general public in utilizing parking that is that is basically been designated for patrons. Patron is somebody that visits employees of the establishment, and it's required by zoning. You know, you know the zoning codes, and you know that what each project is required to provide in order to facilitate the parking for their customers and their employees. The cost of controlled parking will be adjusted by the market forces. In a lot of cases, a lot of the things that were in this amendment have already been taken uh into consideration by the market. And in a lot of cases, you already have an hour and a half to three hours of free parking. Um in the beginning, it was rolled out, and you know, one can argue that it was rolled out correctly or incorrectly. And um basically, because of the input by the tenants and the customers, the rates that were originally charged changed. They changed to the market, and the market came down to basically what the amendment is now asking for. And so there really is no need to have that type of uh requirement or control over paid parking. Zoning code, the zoning code for parking stalls for for use by patrons uh for patrons of the property. One of the definition of a patron in the amendment is one that causes paid parking to happen. Well, that basically includes the general public, and parking on these various properties is intended for the customers, the employees of the property that was built on that land. By by having this type of requirement, it takes away from the government the requirement to have legitimate paid parking. You know, one of the things that we have overlooked in the past is we have never provided appropriate public parking in the village. Nobody has really addressed it. It's been talked about, it's been kicked around, but nobody has ever addressed it. And to put that onus on the um the um the private landowner is is just not right. Thank you for your testimony. Your time has elapsed. Okay, Mr. Martinez, you may proceed. Please start by introducing yourself.