Committee on Governmental Operations and External Affairs Meeting - August 4, 2026
Committee on Governmental Operations and External Affairs Meeting - August 4, 2026
The Committee on Governmental Operations and External Affairs (GOEAC) met on August 4, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. in Kailua-Kona, with Chair Jen Kagiwada presiding. The committee reviewed four resolutions and two bills, all of which were recommended for passage to the full County Council. No public testimony was offered.
Resolution 614-26: Handheld Mass Spectrometers for Hawaiʻi Police Department
- The resolution authorizes the Mayor to accept a U.S. Department of Justice grant to purchase two handheld mass spectrometers to detect fentanyl. Lieutenant Kelly Moniz of HPD testified that the devices will reduce officer exposure to fentanyl and improve charging capabilities, especially in West Hawaiʻi where samples are currently driven to Hilo. The committee voted 9-0 to forward the resolution with a favorable recommendation.
Resolution 615-26: Domestic Violence Prosecution Project Grant
- This resolution authorizes the Mayor to accept a state grant to partially fund a deputy prosecuting attorney for misdemeanor domestic violence and protective order cases. Grant Nagata and Shannon Kagawa from the Prosecuting Attorney's Office testified that the grant funds a dedicated family court prosecutor for East Hawaiʻi. Councilmember Onishi questioned why the position is not permanently funded and noted the high incidence of domestic violence on the island. The committee voted 9-0 to forward the resolution favorably.
Resolution 616-26: Naloxone Nasal Spray Distribution Boxes
- The resolution authorizes the Mayor to accept a state Department of Health grant for installation and maintenance of two naloxone boxes at the Hilo County Building and West Hawaiʻi Civic Center. Ms. Samura and Deputy Director Lin of the Mayor's Office testified that the boxes are free to the community and supplied by the state. The committee voted 8-0 (Councilmember Kānealiʻi-Kleinfelder absent) to forward the resolution favorably.
Resolution 617-26: NACo and WIR Board Nominations
- The resolution approves the slate of officers for the National Association of Counties (NACo) and Western Interstate Region (WIR) boards. Councilmember Kimball noted that Hawaiʻi County typically receives a presidential appointment to NACo. Councilmember Onishi provided historical context on allocation of seats among counties. The committee voted 8-0 (Councilmember Kānealiʻi-Kleinfelder absent) to forward the resolution favorably.
Bill 169: Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation - Code Amendments
- The bill amends Chapter 2, Article 42 of the Hawaiʻi County Code to require that all qualifying lands with a score of 70% or higher be included on the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Commission’s recommendation list. It also establishes timelines for acquisition and reassessment. Councilmember Hustace introduced two amendments (Communications 939.2 and 939.3) that were adopted unanimously. The first amendment simplified the acquisition timeline to five years after an adopted resolution. The second amendment added duties for the commission to review and reassess properties. Councilmember Kierkiewicz questioned the impact on the commission and the reassessment process. Deputy Finance Director Malia Kai supported the amendments, stating they provide clarity. The committee voted 9-0 to recommend passage on first reading.
Bill 179: Department of Research and Development - Code Amendments
- The bill amends Chapter 2 of the Hawaiʻi County Code to describe the responsibilities of the Department of Research and Development (RD) and establish a grant program of at least $1 million annually for community-based economic development. Co-makers Councilmember Kierkiewicz and Council Chair Inaba explained that the bill clarifies RD's duties, including data collection, technical assistance, and grant-making. Director Benson Medina and Deputy Director Lin testified that the bill aligns with current operations and provides clearer guidance. Councilmember Kānealiʻi-Kleinfelder raised concerns about the distinction between RD and the Office of Sustainability, Climate Equity and Resilience (OSCAR), and emphasized that grants should directly benefit Hawaiʻi County residents. Councilmember Onishi requested a regular reporting requirement to the council, which the director agreed to. The committee voted 8-0 (Councilmember Onishi absent) to recommend passage on first reading.
Key Outcomes
- All six agenda items were forwarded to the full County Council with favorable recommendations.
- Vote tallies: Res. 614-26 (9-0), Res. 615-26 (9-0), Res. 616-26 (8-0), Res. 617-26 (8-0), Bill 169 (9-0), Bill 179 (8-0).
- Bill 169 and Bill 179 were both amended before the final vote.
- Councilmember Onishi expressed intent to discuss permanent funding for the domestic violence prosecutor position in the next budget cycle.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome to the 39th session of the Committee on Governmental Operations and External Affairs. Today is August 4th, 2026. The time is 12 p.m. I'm Jen Kagiwada. I'll be chairing this committee today. We're here in the Kailua Kona Chambers. And with me today on the Dais, we have Council members Kimball, Kalimba, Vieigus, Connee Lee Kleinfelder, Inaba Kirkowitz and Hustis. Council Member O'Nishi will be joining us shortly. If we can go ahead, we'll go ahead and take it from the top and go straight down. Thank you, Mr. Clark. Do we have any public testimony? Thank you, Committee Chair Kagiwata. We do not. So I'll begin with resolution 614-26, which authorizes the mayor to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, receive a grant to purchase two handheld mass spectrometers for the Hawaii Police Department. The handle mass spectrometers we use to identify low concentrations or trace amounts of illicit substances, specifically fentanyl for law enforcement purposes, introduced by Councilmember Kakiwata by request. Chair motion to forward resolution 614-26 to council with a favorable recommendation. I have a motion by Councilmember Houstis and a second by Council Member Kimball to forward resolution 614 to council with a favorable recommendation. I believe we have Lieutenant Kelly Moniz here with us today. If we do you want to come and just share a little bit about this resolution. Thank you. Sorry, first time doing this. Good morning, members of the council. My name is Kelly Mooniz. I'm the lieutenant for uh the Hawaii Police Department Vice section. Um we're asking for uh money to purchase two mass spectrometers. Uh this is to help us fight fentanyl on the island. Um, right now, one of the holes that we have is field testing fentanyl in low concentrations. There's no real good way to test it. And the only the way that we test it now, it actually exposes us. We have to open the bag, put you know, get a sample and test it. Uh this device will limit our exposure to the fentanyl and eat us in getting charges for people. Um currently, right now, what we do is we will field test it. If it doesn't field test because they're the concentration is too low, we send it to the crime lab. Um the crime lab isn't always available. We fight crime 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our crime, our crime lab works Monday through Friday. Um, they're off on the weekends off at night. Um, they do come in to assist us when we do when we need help, but um there has been times where our crime lab person are on vacation or unavailable, and it makes it difficult for us to get charging. That's not difficult, impossible because if they're not, if we can't get a test result, we can't charge the person. Thank you very much, Lieutenant. Appreciate you. Um I will open it up to the dais, see if people have questions or comments on this resolution. Council member Conley Gleinfelder. Thank you for being here today, sir. Uh handheld, gonna use them in the field, or handheld take them back to the office and and sample from a location, or how does it work? So we can take it in the field. Um we'll probably do both. We'll probably take it in the field, or if for whatever reason it's raining or we're outside, we'll probably just do it back at the station. Okay, and then the 10th police officers both did uh is it area one and two gonna be trained?
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