2026-05-04 Committee on Government Operations and External Affairs Meeting
2026-05-04 Committee on Government Operations and External Affairs Meeting
The Committee on Government Operations and External Affairs met on May 4, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Kona chambers, with members also participating from Hilo. The meeting addressed several resolutions amending council rules, an intergovernmental agreement, a charter amendment, and a request for executive session. No public testimony was offered. All actions were forwarded to the full council with favorable recommendations, except for the executive session request which was closed.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 518-26 (Introduced by Councilmember Inaba): Amends council rules to replace committees with permitted interaction groups, requiring motions to specify scope and membership. Councilmember Inaba explained the change improves record clarity. Councilmember Kimball asked for procedural clarification. Councilmember Kirkowitz spoke in support of the transparency. The resolution was forwarded with a favorable recommendation (8 ayes, 1 absent).
- Resolution 544-26 (Introduced by Councilmember Inaba): Amends rules on voting and disclosure of interest, requiring members who disclose a substantial interest to leave the chamber during deliberation and voting. Councilmember Inaba stated it aligns with the code of ethics. Councilmember Galimba thanked Inaba for the clarification. Councilmember Coneli Kleinfelder asked for confirmation that the member must physically leave, which Inaba confirmed. The resolution was forwarded with a favorable recommendation (8 ayes, 1 absent).
- Resolution 545-26 (Introduced by Councilmember Inaba): Amends rules on excused absences, requiring written notification to the council chair, who determines if an absence is excused or unexcused. Councilmember Kimball raised privacy concerns about reasons, but Inaba clarified only the determination is recorded. Councilmember Coneli Kleinfelder asked about the process for committee meetings; Inaba initially said it applies only to council meetings but agreed to work on a friendly amendment to include committees. Councilmember Houstis noted the distinction between excused absence and recusal from voting. The resolution was forwarded with a favorable recommendation (8 ayes, 1 absent).
- Resolution 546-26 (Introduced by Councilmember Kagiwata by request): Authorizes a right of entry agreement with the State DOT for the Hakalau Stream Bridge rehabilitation. An amendment to correct a typographical error (Communication 856.1) was passed (8 ayes, 1 absent). Councilmember Kimball shared information about a DOT video on the bridge's history and noted the project's timeline: lead remediation starting in a couple of months, taking about 1.5 years, followed by structural work. The resolution was then forwarded with a favorable recommendation (8 ayes, 1 absent).
- Resolution 547-26 (Introduced by Councilmember Kagiwata by request): Authorizes an intergovernmental agreement with Hawaii Health Systems Corporation for pre-ordered lunches for senior citizens when DOE is closed. Roan Okumura, Operations Director of the Elderly Activities Division, requested support, noting it has been in place for years. The resolution was forwarded with a favorable recommendation (8 ayes, 1 absent).
- Bill 152 (Introduced by Councilmembers Inaba and Kirkowitz): Amends the county charter to clarify that the county auditor has the same powers as department heads regarding employees and may appoint a deputy. Councilmember Inaba explained the need after the former auditor's departure. Councilmember Coneli Kleinfelder noted the auditor's support letter. Councilmember Houstis thanked the introducers. The bill was forwarded with a favorable recommendation (8 ayes, 1 absent).
- Communication 859 (From Councilmember Houstis): Requested an executive session regarding Department of Environmental Management capital improvement projects, particularly wastewater. Houstis noted budget discussions had raised issues needing attorney consultation. The committee entered executive session, and upon return, Houstis reported the discussion was informative. The file was closed (8 ayes, 1 absent).
Key Outcomes
- All resolutions and the bill were forwarded to the full council with favorable recommendations, each passing with 8 ayes and Councilmember Onishi absent.
- Resolution 545-26 will include a friendly amendment to apply to committee meetings, to be presented at the next council meeting.
- Communication 859 was closed after an executive session.
- The meeting adjourned at 4:00 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
All right, good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to the 33rd session of the Committee on Government Operations and External Affairs. Today is May 4th, 2026. Then the time is two o'clock p.m. We are here in the Kona chambers. And with me here today, I have Council Members Kimball, Galimba, Viegas, Coneli, Kleinfelder, Inaba, and Houstis. Over in the Gilo chambers, we have Councilmember Kirkowitz. And I think Councilmember O'Nishi will be back shortly. Thank you. Do we have any public testimony this afternoon? Thank you, Committee Chair Kogioada. We do not have any testifiers for your committee. All right. We're going to go we're going to push the item 14 to the end of the committee meeting. So if we could start with resolution 518-26, please. Resolution 518-26 amends the rules of procedure and organization of the council of the county of Hawaii by repealing rule number seven and adding a rule relating to permitted interaction groups. Places adult committees with permitted interaction groups introduced by councilmember Inaba. Move to forward resolution 518-26 to council with a favorable recommendation. I have a motion by Councilmember Inaba and a second by Councilmember Galimba to move resolution 518-26 with a favorable recommendation to council. Councilmember Inaba. Thank you. And that is the correct term per HRS. And it also further clarifies that when we move to establish a permitted interaction group, that part of that motion include the scope of the investigation or assignment as well as the chairperson and members. And that's really to help clarify our records that when we look back, we're able to clearly see it. And it's been uh difficult in some review to see membership and scope when we look back in our minutes. So ask for your support. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember. Any questions or comments? Councilmember Kimball. Yeah, just a procedural one. So I just to make sure I'm clear in the future. It's one motion to close file, identify the scope and the members, or is it like we've done in the past, one motion to close file, and then within that a motion to identify scope and members. So the process where the communication that brings the discussion that that still stands. It's just that a formal motion be made after that specifies who and what the scope is, who's serving and what the scope is. Got it. Thank you. All right. Thank you. Anyone else? Questions, comments? All right. Councilmember Kirkowitz, please go ahead. Thank you. I just I want to sit, I want to speak in support of this role clarification. Um, you know, I I believe in in the past or actually our current rules allow for the chair of a committee to select the members of a committee. I think this is a lot cleaner for um it to be conducted um in this way. I appreciate the transparency and clarification so that the record can reflect members serving and the actual scope of the permitted interaction group. Thank you, council member. Anybody else?
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