FY2025-2026 Budget Reviews: Parks & Rec, County Attorney, Liquor Control – April 1, 2025
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
FY2025-2026 Budget Reviews: Parks & Rec, County Attorney, Liquor Control – April 1, 2025
The Finance and Economic Development Committee continued its departmental budget reviews for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 on April 1, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers. The meeting covered the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Office of the County Attorney, and the Department of Liquor Control. No public testimony was offered. Members reviewed proposed budgets, discussed operational challenges, and raised questions about staffing, equipment, and emerging issues such as the coconut rhinoceros beetle infestation.
Department of Parks and Recreation
- Administration: Proposed changes include two new janitor positions and a project manager for facilities maintenance, plus equipment (12-yard dump truck, golf course aerator for $35,000). The golf fund revenue increased by $223,000 due to higher non-resident play.
- Fiscal: Security services for the Historic County Building and Civic Center are currently unfunded after a contract lapse; increased funding is requested for 6–8 hour shifts. The state revolving fund loan for cesspool conversion ($109,000 annually) and the KSHCP seabird mitigation payment ($425,000/year for 30 years) were discussed. Councilmember Holland requested performance reports on the seabird program.
- Recreation: Summer Fun program will operate at six neighborhood centers (Kīkaha, Panopio, Kalaheo, Koloa, Līhuʻe, Kapaʻa, Anahola Clubhouse). Recruitment is open for workers; council members offered to help promote. The budget for youth meals/snacks dropped from $54,000 to $15,000 due to DOE food service changes.
- Facilities Maintenance: Overtime increase ($60,000) aimed at adding separate standby phones for plumbers and electricians to improve after-hours response. A six-year unfilled electronics trades position is currently filled by a short-term hire.
- Parks Maintenance: A reorganization of the division was finalized on March 16, 2025, consolidating mower operator duties into park caretaker job descriptions. Councilmember Holland raised concerns about the coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) mitigation budget of $50,000, calling it insufficient given the spread. Councilmember Chock noted that drone treatments and mulch management are critical; the county is collaborating with Public Works and the Department of Agriculture. Councilmember Kuali‘i suggested a dedicated position or contract for CRB response.
- Convention Hall: A $50,000 special project for restoring a 1927 Steinway baby grand piano (worth over $100,000) was proposed for its 100th anniversary in 2027.
- Golf Course: Water costs have doubled due to dry conditions and use of fresh water (R2 wastewater not available). Two of three irrigation pumps are operational; one is being repaired. The motocross group at the site is self-funding portable toilets; council members expressed interest in allocating future funds for water access.
Office of the County Attorney
- Overview: The office has 15 attorneys (10 on-island, 5 off-island). The legal backlog has decreased from 90 to 75 open matters. A salary commission proposal to offer student loan repayment for attorneys is under consideration to aid recruitment/retention.
- Budget: Moderate increases requested for travel and laptops (six laptops for replacement cycle). The office is actively recruiting for one vacant attorney position.
Department of Liquor Control
- Status: The commission is hiring a new director; a permitted interaction group will score essays, with a 30-day posting window. Two of four liquor control investigator trainee positions are vacant; the next exam is April 19, 2025. No internal candidates for director, but two investigators are interested. The department continues to cover all licensed premises with reduced staff.
- Revenue: Liquor sales reached $176 million last year, continuing to rise even in a slow economy. A bill to allow direct shipping of beer and distilled spirits to the mainland was deferred in the legislature.
Key Outcomes
- No votes were taken; the committee recessed at approximately 4:30 p.m. and will reconvene on April 3, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. to review the Fire Department, Emergency Management Agency, Police Department, and Office of the Prosecuting Attorney.
- Council members requested additional information on several items: seabird mitigation performance report, coconut rhinoceros beetle response plan, breakdown of weed control and fertilizer contracts, and details on the state revolving fund loan for cesspool conversion.
- The committee expressed support for exploring additional funding for coconut rhinoceros beetle mitigation in the supplemental budget, and for promoting summer fun worker recruitment.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, good morning. I'd like to call back to order finance and economic development committee in the fiscal year 2025-2026 departmental budget reviews that the record reflect that all members are present with the exception of council members vice chair Quilee whose excuse for the day and Councilmember Carvalho who should be returning um later on today. On the schedule today, we'll be hearing from Department of Parks and Rec, followed by Office of the County Attorney, and finally the Department of Victor Control. As we do each morning, we'll take public testimony at the beginning relating to any of the departments or agencies that we're reviewing for the day. Is there anyone in the public wishing to testify? Seeing none, I'll suspend the rules and with that um we'll call up parks and we'll go over the operation synopsis. We'll ask any questions on that, and then we'll um go right into the budget. Um good morning, headquarter, uh, director of parks and recreation. Um so quick just a real quick uh overview of the synopsis. Um basically we the changes we have for this upcoming fiscal are proposed changes are are just centered around just a few new uh positions, um two two janitor positions and uh a project manager position under the facilities maintenance, and then um and then just a couple pieces of equipment. Um so which would be like a large twelve-yard dump truck and and some equipment for the golf course air later. But um basically other than that, it's pretty much status quo for the rest of the uh the budget. Any questions? Conserver called in okay, so I'm looking on our revenue. So our golf fund went at 223,000. That's because of the increase in um the non-resident um golf. I would say so and and and play, someone clay too. More play, so we we have more volume and then have you gotten any resistance like um are you having as many visitors um still wanting to golf? Um yeah. It's been good. Okay, so we should we can consider it successful. All right. And then um I on your operational challenges number three. I appreciate the validity of what you're saying with the impacts of the house with individuals. Um that cause to your parks problem. Same thing like we have in solid waste in fire, um, probably police is actually pretty significant. Um we're trying to manage these nuisance individuals, which is what it says. Um there's no recommendation here. What do you think about creating a safety zone? Something like that. So that like because they gotta go somewhere, right? Right now, you guys are the default. And so when we just identify them as a problem. Do you have any estimate how much it costs you to be managing that community? Well, I I think we can be a part of the solution, but we but parks shouldn't be leading that spearheading that effort. I think we can be a major part in it, but I think because there's commonly a lot of houses in parks. I don't really feel like parks should be the answer to that. I I I'm in agreement. I'm just trying to cultivate your support that we need another place because right now parks are the default of the side of the road. Um is anywhere in here, I didn't see it. Is anything going to be addressing the discussion on the coconut rhinoceros beetle? I tried to look and I might not have found the right place. Um if you tell me where in here it addresses the coconut rhinoceros beetle, I will ask at that point. Yeah, so that would be under our park maintenance. Under park maintenance. Okay, so I'll ask them. Just a couple of questions. Um the two new janitor positions. That's for the old things, not not parks. Correct, yeah.
openpublica.com