Aloha and good afternoon, everyone.

It is again Monday, March thirty, twenty twenty-six, and at one twenty-two, I call the committee on budget back to order.

Like to welcome with us in the chambers again, Committee Vice Chair Nishimoto, Council Members Talba, Cordero and Kia Aina, as well as Council members Tupola and DeSantos TAM.

Members moving on to agenda item number two, Bill Twenty-three, twenty twenty-six approving the executive capital budget and program for the fiscal year July first, twenty twenty-six to June thirtieth, twenty twenty-seven.

We'll first proceed with in-person oral testimony in the council chamber.

Clerks, do we have any in-person testifiers for this item?

Chair there, none.

Thank you.

Proceeding now with remote testimony.

Clerks, do we have any remote testifiers for this item?

Chair there, none.

Thank you.

Remember, we will be going through this the worksheet again on the for the C for the CD one for capital budget.

I believe we have with us director Andy Calwano.

No, okay.

Starting off with procurement of major equipment for DFM.

The budget chair's recommendation is to accept amendment, additional appropriation from executive operating proposed amendments, description to read acquisition of vehicles for the department of facility maintenance operations, including an additional mobile crane and a long reach excavator.

Any discussion.

It's a pleasure.

Thank you very much.

Budget Chair Okamoto.

So responding, I guess, to the two questions.

As I mentioned earlier during our testimony on the operating budget, the administration evaluates acquisitions based on the stated public purpose.

Also the readiness of a project and a project's underwriting and where it stands from that perspective.

With respect to the uh the James property, um I know the the property very well, and I appreciate the uh the suggestion that we purchase it.

It's literally a block from my home, so I pass it every single day.

Um it's a it's approximately a six-acre site, but it's currently owned by the bishops state.

I'm not certain if it's even for sale or or what the stated purpose.

I I assume it would be a purchase for affordable housing, but I don't think that's stated in the in the proposed um CD1.

Um so I'm I'm just not certain what what we're intended to do with it.

Okay, thank you, Director.

I will reach you under this description for the project, provide affordable housing fund AF for any projects eligible under ROH chapter 6, Article 63, and the revised charter of the city and county of Honolulu, Section 9-204, which may be administered or managed by the city and county of Honolulu or in conjunction with private nonprofit or private developers, provided that 1.5 million dollars must be used for subsidies for pre-development planning for the Wayalua Sugar Mill Plantation Camp Project, Mill Camp Project in Wayalua, Oahu, and identify.

Oh, this is the James.

I'm sorry.

Yeah.

I'm reading the wrong one.

Here we go.

It's okay.

I apologize.

It says public and public facilities improvements in I was reading the wrong item.

Yeah.

Thank you for clarifying that.

Okay.

So just wasn't clear, but but to the extent that it's owned by the bishop's estate, and they're probably better capitalized than we are at the city.

I'm not certain why we would need to buy the property.

So it just wasn't clear.

Happy to continue to work on it and appreciate the suggestion, but just not understanding what the per the intended purpose is.

With respect to the 1.5 uh uh with respect to the 3.5 million for the Waila Sugar Mill site, um, I just want council members to uh be for awareness to be to understand that we've already invested three point approximately 3.5 million dollars in that site in uh in during fiscal year 2022 and 2023 for the acquisition of the land.

We have not unfortunately seen significant progress on that site.

We've not received a revised budget or schedule of stating what the developers uh intentions are moving forward, and that's been really challenging.

I met with the developer personally about eight months ago and haven't seen any action since then, which is disappointing.

Uh I'd also point out with the impacts of the Kona storms over the last couple of weekends, that site's all also been impacted.

And I think we really need to take a step back and kind of reevaluate, you know, what what the developer's doing there, what the impacts of the storm are uh and and the flood situation in that area, uh, and just re-underwrite the the entire development.

Thank you, Director.

Certainly.

I I believe I know for the first item, the James, and forgive me for reading the wrong um description, but if Chair Rogers has come at any moment, then that was his that's in his district, I believe it was his aspect.

Council member Tupola.

Yeah, thank you so much, Director, for being here.

And um, I know Chair Waters isn't here, um, but I did want to suggest that, especially in the prioritization of acquisition of land.

One, that if we do acquire land that we have some clear intent and other funding besides just city funding that can make the land go, right?