The Honolulu City Council Committee on Budget, chaired by Councilmember Okimoto, held an informational briefing on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, starting at 9:05 AM. The committee reviewed the executive capital and operating budget proposals for the Honolulu Emergency Services Department (EMS), the Honolulu Police Department (HPD), and the Department of Ocean Safety (OSD). The meeting included presentations from department heads, followed by questions from council members. No votes were taken; the briefing was for information and discussion.
Aloha and good morning, everyone. It is Tuesday, March 10th, twenty twenty-six, and the time is nine oh five AM. Will the committee on budget please come to order? Committee vice chair Nishimoto, Council members Cordero, Kia Aina, and Talba also joining us today. We'd like to welcome council members Los Antos Tam and Tupola. Although remote oral testimony is being permitted, this is a regular in-person meeting and not a remote meeting by interactive conference technology under HRS Section 92-3.7. Therefore, this meeting will continue notwithstanding loss of audio visual communication with remote testifiers or loss of the public broadcast of this meeting. Members of the public will be allowed to provide oral testimony on all items on the agenda in two ways in person in the council chamber and remotely via video conference or phone. Remote and in-person oral testimony will be allowed when each agenda item is taken up. Before testifying, each person shall state their name. Each speaker may not have anyone else read their statement and is limited to a one-minute presentation on each item. As both English and Hawaiian are official languages of the state of Hawaii, pursuant to Article 15, Section 4 of the Hawai'i State Constitution and Section 1-13 of the Hawai'i revised statutes. Members of the public may testify in either language. For oral testimonies offered in Olelo Hawaii, additional time as may be necessary will be allowed for the testifier to provide an English translation of their testimony. All persons who have registered to testify in person will be called upon first. When your name is called, please come up to the testifier podium. Persons who have not registered will be given an opportunity to testify following the registered testifiers. After in-person testimony has concluded, I will proceed to remote testimony via video conference or phone. When I call your name, please monitor your screen and follow the prompt to unmute. For those who are joining us by telephone only, please press star nine if you wish to testify, and I will identify you by the last three digits of your phone number. When your number is called, please listen for the prompt to unmute and press star six. Some friendly reminders and tips. Video conference from a quiet location if possible. If you're also watching the proceedings on Olelo, please mute your television at the time you are called to testify. When the timer on screen reaches zero, please conclude your remarks promptly. Written testimonies, including the testifiers' address, email address, and phone number will be available to the public as described on the posted agenda. As a courtesy, please turn off or silence all cell phones for the duration of this meeting. Members, as a reminder, if you have any supplementary questions for the departments that may come up during or after the meeting, please provide them to my office so we may compile them for the department or managing director's office to respond. We look forward to all of your questions. Members, I plan to take a break for lunch again today. The start time and duration will be dependent on the flow of the meeting. Agenda item number one, informational briefing, executive capital and operating budget review. We'll proceed first with testimony. Clerks, do we have any testifiers for this item? Yes, Chair, we have one standing by online. Okay, we'd like to welcome online Angela Young. Testifier is not logged on, Chair. Okay, like to welcome online Rush Raquel Achu. I think I saw her in here. Oh, she's there. Okay. Good morning, Raquel. Aloha, good morning. Um, apologize, I meant to be there early this morning, but storm prepping, so I appreciate the consideration. Um, and just wanting to provide um support for our budget submitted for ocean safety. Um sorry, I didn't identify Raquel Achu Wailoamoku. I am a sitting commissioner on Ocean Safety Commission, but I'm testifying as an individual. Um, I'm very confident in what Ocean Safety Chief Lager has provided and his team. Um, I believe as a newly implemented department, um, we do have some challenges ahead just based on being able to grow and set everything in place. I take great comfort and uh confidence in what they've provided and support their measures in every angle.