Honolulu City Council Meeting – August 7, 2025
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Honolulu City Council Meeting – August 7, 2025
The Honolulu City Council met on August 7, 2025, from approximately 2:43 PM adjournment, to consider a range of resolutions, including a promotional fare plan for the opening of Skyline rail segment two, bond issuances, gift acceptances, and a funding transfer for the Biki bike share program. Several resolutions were adopted with recorded votes, and public testimony was heard on two items.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Resolution 25-198 (Kuhio Park Terrace redevelopment): Hakim Wansafi, Executive Director of the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, testified in strong support, noting the project replaces aging public housing, deconcentrates poverty, increases affordable units, and guarantees right of return for relocated families. Angela Melody Young, testifying on behalf of CARES, also supported the project, citing benefits for Filipino American, Micronesian, and Pacific Islander families and the inclusion of a DHS state processing center on-site.
- Resolution 25-221 (Biki bike share funding): Eduardo Hernandez, Advocacy Director for the Hawaii Bicycling League, testified in support, stating that Biki has proven to be a multimodal connector since 2017 and deserves ongoing investment and subsidy.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 25-210 (Skyline Rail Promotional Fares): Director Morton presented the resolution, which authorizes promotional transit fares and special Holo card distribution for the opening of segment two of the Skyline rail project. He explained that the opening ceremony is set for October 15, 2025, with revenue service commencing on October 16, 2025. The promotion includes targeted marketing to workers at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam (approximately 30,000 workers) and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (approximately 15,000 workers), and free fares on the entire multimodal system on the weekend of October 18-19, 2025. The estimated revenue loss is $42,000 (about 1% of monthly revenue). The council amended the resolution via FD1 to adjust the dates from October 1 to October 15, 2025, and corresponding free fare weekends. Councilmembers expressed support for targeted marketing and noted complementary bus service expansions (three new lines: W, A, U).
- Resolution 25-221 (Biki bike share transfer of funds): Discussion centered on the broader climate resiliency fund. Councilmember Tupola expressed concern about the lack of a clear vetting system for selecting projects, noting that the original resolution included multiple projects (e.g., water bottle fillers) that varied widely. Councilmember Tolba indicated a no vote, stating the need for better discussion on prioritizing climate resiliency fund projects. Director Sullivan confirmed that the other projects were pulled back and that the administration would engage further with council members.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 25-210 (Skyline Rail Promotional Fares): Adopted as amended (FD1) with no objections.
- CR249 and Resolution 25-193 (Wastewater system revenue bonds): Adopted (9-0).
- CR250 and Resolution 25-198 (Multifamily housing revenue notes for Kuhio Park Terrace): Adopted (8-0, one member absent).
- CR251 and Resolution 25-199 (Gift from Central Pacific Bank): Adopted without objection.
- CR252 and Resolution 25-203 (Transfer of funds): Adopted without objection.
- CR254 and Resolution 25-202 (Cooling centers feasibility study): Adopted without objection.
- CR257 and Resolution 25-192 (Public safety): Adopted without objection.
- CR259 and Resolution 25-184 CD1 (Special management area permit in Kailua): Adopted (8-0, one member absent).
- Resolution 25-173 (HSAC budget): Adopted without objection.
- Resolution 25-194 (Gift for Ala Moana Regional Park): Adopted without objection.
- Resolution 25-195 (Gift for water usage at Kahikani Neighborhood Park): Adopted without objection.
- Resolution 25-209 (Gift for Honolulu Police Department): Adopted without objection.
- Resolution 25-221 (Biki bike share transfer of funds): Adopted (Councilmember Tolba voted no).
The meeting adjourned at 2:43 PM, with the next regular meeting scheduled for Wednesday, September 3, 2025, at 10:00 AM.
Meeting Transcript
I don't know. Okay, good afternoon members. Umvening our meeting. We're on page ten, however, with your um permission members. I'd like to move to page sixteen and take a measure out of order. Resolution 25-210 authorizing promotional transit fares and special holocar distribution for the opening of segment two of the skyline rail project. Any objection to taking that out of order? See none very well. Um council member Tupola. Thank you, Chair. I move the resolution 25210 be adopted. Second. It's been moved and seconded. Hopefully I'm on the right one. Authorizing promotional transit fares and special holo card distribution for the opening of segment two of the skyline rail project. Am I on the right, Bill? Yes. Okay, thank you. Is there a motion to amend? Yep. I move that resolution 25210 be adopted to a CD one. Second or FD1. Thank you. Thank you. It's been moved and seconded. Councilmember Cordero for the explanation of the amendment. The proposed FD one makes the following amendments. It changes the opening date of segment two of the skyline rail system segment two from October 1, 2025 to on or about October 15, 2025. And B amends the suspended fare dates from October 4, 2025 to October 18, 2025, and from October 5, 2025 to October 19, 2025, provided that segment two service commences on or about October 15, 2025. C as a new sixth whereas clause to provide that if segment two service commences after 15 October 15, 2025, the suspended fares would instead occur on the first consecutive Saturday and Sunday following the date of commencement of services for segment two. D as references to Section 15B-2.1 D revised ordinances of Honolulu 2021 to clarify the city's authority to suspend fares and makes conforming amendments to the be it resolved clause. And E makes miscellaneous technical and non-substantive amendments. Thank you so much. Can you please um elaborate on the bill and the floor draft? Yes, thank thank you. And especially Mahalo to the council for uh considering this outside of the regular process. I really appreciate the uh the that uh the uh consideration for uh uh for looking at this at one. Uh as uh as chair mentioned, uh you know, we have recently uh set the date for opening of our second segment of skyline with a ceremony on the 15th of October and revenue service to commence on the next day on the 16th of October. That's a Wednesday, the 15th of October revenue service commencing on Thursday. Uh, as part of that opening, uh we want we want to really do two things. We want to uh to market our service so that we can build ridership. That's objective number one. And second objective is that we want to introduce this new segment to the whole island community. Uh and so we're doing it in a two-fold way. Uh number one, the uh one of the major beneficiaries of this will be the workers uh that at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickham, uh, that uh where there are uh something on the order of 30,000 workers and dependents uh affected by uh opening there, and then second, uh at the Daniel Kanoe International Airport, where there are another 15,000 workers. So what we are proposing to do as allowed in this ordinance is to do some targeting, targeted marketing, both to through the commands at Joint Base Pearl Harbor and through the airline committees, the airport committees uh at uh uh at the airport. Uh and then on on the that's a that's would be um uh opening on Thursday, and then on Saturday, Sunday, we propose to make our entire multimodal system free for that weekend so that uh interested uh island people can come and can see uh you know what they've paid for and and get to ride the system and to uh to take a look at it and just to have a little celebration. So, in a short, that's that's what we're asking the council to do. We estimate that uh uh that we would lose about 42,000 dollars in revenue uh on the Saturday and Sunday. That is about one percent of our monthly the ordinance provides for no more than five percent uh loss of revenue.
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