OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Kauaʻi County Council Meeting – May 28, 2025

County Council & Committees — Wednesday, May 28, 2025
BodyKauai County, Hawaii
SessionCounty Council & Committees
DateWednesday, May 28, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
1:08

Morning, everyone.

1:09

Uh welcome to our council meeting.

1:11

Today is May 28th.

1:12

Call of the meeting to order.

1:14

Roll call, please.

1:15

Councilmember Bulasan.

1:17

Here.

1:17

Councilmember Cavallio?

1:19

Yeah.

1:19

Councilmember Cowden is excused.

1:21

Councilmember Holland.

1:22

Present.

1:22

Councilmember Coneshiro?

1:24

Present.

1:24

Councilmember Kuli is on his way.

1:27

Council Chair Puzzle.

1:29

Here.

1:30

Can I have a motion to approve the agenda, please?

1:33

Move to approve.

1:34

Second.

1:34

Any discussion or public testimony?

1:36

Seeing none, all in favor say aye.

1:38

All right.

1:39

Motion carry next item, please.

1:41

Chair next item is on page two, the minutes of the following meetings of the council, the May 7, 2025 public hearing regarding reson number 2025-21, bill number 2949, and bill number 2950.

1:53

And the May 14th, 2025 public hearing regarding bill number 2952 and bill number 2953.

2:00

Move to approve.

2:00

Second.

2:01

Any discussion or public testimony?

2:03

Seeing not all in favor say aye.

2:05

Aye.

2:05

Motion carry next item, please.

2:07

Next item is an interview for the Charter Review Commission.

2:09

Marissa Sandbloom for a turn ending 1231 26.

2:14

Thank you.

2:14

Would that all suspend the rules?

2:29

Morning.

2:30

Morning.

2:31

Getting used to the new mics and things.

2:35

Morning, everybody.

2:36

Ellen Shing, Boys and Commission's administrator.

2:39

I'm pleased to introduce Marissa Sandbloom.

2:45

She attended L, Waimea Canyon, and Waimea, and graduated from Wimea.

2:50

Following high school, she matriculated at UH Manoa.

2:53

She pursued a double major in business administration and corporate communication and earned a bachelor's degree at Univers at Hawaii Pacific University, as well as a master's degree in business administration.

3:08

Directly out of college, she started working at Citibank in Honolulu, but ultimately decided that Kauai was where she wanted to be.

5:00

Systemic inequities can be addressed when she's not contemplating the world's problems.

5:05

She's a proud and busy mom of four, spanning the ages of five to a 19-year-old college student attending Southern Oregon.

5:15

In the rare instances of free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and reviving her succulents as a family almost every other year is spent in Sweden visiting Huppi's family and exploring Europe.

5:29

Her dream trip would be to see the pyramids.

5:32

Marissa has served on the Charter Commission previously, and I'm so pleased that she's willing to volunteer time, experience, and technical knowledge to the commission, I guess.

5:43

Thank you.

5:44

And Marissa, thank you for agreeing to serve again for another term.

5:50

Any questions for Marissa?

5:51

Well, you have anything to say to add to that amazing bio?

5:54

What an amazing introduction.

5:57

Thanks.

5:57

No, I just wanted to say good morning, everyone.

5:59

I wanted to mahalo Ellen for that very comprehensive kind of some professional summary.

6:04

And then I just wanted to say real briefly, you know, it's an honor to be in front of you.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Budget Equity Analysis█████████████████████████████████████37%
Affordable Housing███████████11%
Public Safety██████████10%
Procedural█████████9%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Real Property Tax█████5%
Technology and Innovation████4%
Engineering And Infrastructure███3%
Wastewater Management███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Kauaʻi County Council Meeting – May 28, 2025

The Kauaʻi County Council met on May 28, 2025, at 8:30 AM in the Council Chambers, Historic County Building, Līhuʻe. The meeting covered routine approvals, committee reports, budget finalization, and several new ordinances. All votes were unanimous (6 ayes, with one councilmember excused).

Consent Calendar

  • C 2025-118, 119, 120: Approved receipts, including confirmation of Mayor’s appointee to the Building Board of Appeals (Jason Ornellas), reappointment of Glenda Nogami Streufert to the Planning Commission, and a conflict-of-interest disclosure from Vice Chair Kualiʻi.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Douglas Haig (volunteer, Head of Land Development Committee, Kauaʻi Habitat for Humanity) testified in support of Proposed Draft Bill No. 2960, stating that waiving sewer connection fees for affordable housing “helps us build more homes” and that every penny saved is spent on affordable housing. He noted ongoing projects in Lāwaʻi and Waipouli would benefit.
  • Bruce Hart (member of the public) spoke on two grants: he expressed support for the Victim Witness Assistance Program but asked for more data on the effectiveness of the Career Criminal Prosecution Program. He also warned that similar federal grants are being cut, urging the council to prepare.

Interview: Charter Review Commission

  • The Council interviewed Marissa Sandblom for a term ending December 31, 2026. She holds a BA and MBA from Hawaii Pacific University, previously served on the Commission, and expressed a commitment to addressing systemic inequities. Council members praised her background and volunteerism. The confirmation resolution was deferred to the next meeting.

Discussion Items

  • C 2025-115 – Mayor’s Supplemental Budget Communication (FY 2025‑2026): Received without discussion.
  • C 2025-121 – Proposed ordinance (Bill No. 2960) to provide sewer connection fee exemptions for workforce housing: Approved and scheduled for public hearing on June 25, 2025, and referred to the Public Works Committee. The bill provides 100% exemption for affordable housing (≤120% AMI) and 50% for gap-group housing (above that threshold, determined by Housing Director).
  • C 2025-122 to 128 – Various indemnification, grant, and donation approvals for KPD software (Hexagon Leica Map360, Exodus cryptocurrency training), Prosecuting Attorney grants ($74,434 for Victim Witness; $222,628 for Career Criminal Prosecution), Fire Department shipping containers ($10,000 value), Parks & Recreation CRB mitigation ($150,000), and Finance Department Tyler Technologies payment amendment (Amendment 5). All approved.
  • Legal Documents (C 2025-129 to 131): Approved – Second Amendment to Right-of-Entry for Wailua emergency bypass; Construction Right-of-Entry for Niumalu Temporary Bridge at Nawiliwili; License Agreement for Kekaha HI5 Redemption Center.
  • Committee Reports (CR-FED 2025-06 to 11): All approved, including the FY 2025‑2026 Operating Budget amendments, Real Property Tax Rates, and bills on EV chargers and SHOPO hazard pay.
  • Resolutions – 2025-21 (Real Property Tax Rates): Approved (no change from previous year). 2025-26 (Jason Ornellas – Building Board of Appeals): Approved. 2025-27 (Glenda Nogami Streufert – Planning Commission): Approved.
  • Bills for First Reading – Proposed Draft Bill No. 2960 (sewer fees): Approved, set for public hearing June 25.
  • Bills for Second Reading – Bill No. 2949 Draft 1 (FY 2025‑2026 Operating Budget, $347 million) and Bill No. 2950 Draft 1 (CIP Budget, $135 million): Both approved. Council members gave closing remarks highlighting housing ($14.1M added, total $33.1M in housing fund), island‑wide road resurfacing ($36M), invasive species funding, fire helicopter, YWCA services, Hoike broadcasting, free bus passes, and soccer field restrooms. Bill No. 2952 (EV charger ordinance): Approved on final reading. Bill No. 2953 (SHOPO hazard pay for FY 2024‑2025): Approved.

Key Outcomes

  • All consent items, communications, legal documents, committee reports, resolutions, and bills were approved by a 6‑0 vote (Councilmember Cowden excused).
  • Budget finalized: Operating budget $347 million; CIP budget $135 million; property tax rates unchanged.
  • New ordinance (Bill No. 2960) introduced to create sewer connection fee exemptions for workforce housing.
  • Interviewee Marissa Sandblom will be voted on for Charter Review Commission at a future meeting.
  • Council directed staff to share grant performance data with the public and to consider additional property tax relief tiers for next year.

Meeting Transcript

Morning, everyone. Uh welcome to our council meeting. Today is May 28th. Call of the meeting to order. Roll call, please. Councilmember Bulasan. Here. Councilmember Cavallio? Yeah. Councilmember Cowden is excused. Councilmember Holland. Present. Councilmember Coneshiro? Present. Councilmember Kuli is on his way. Council Chair Puzzle. Here. Can I have a motion to approve the agenda, please? Move to approve. Second. Any discussion or public testimony? Seeing none, all in favor say aye. All right. Motion carry next item, please. Chair next item is on page two, the minutes of the following meetings of the council, the May 7, 2025 public hearing regarding reson number 2025-21, bill number 2949, and bill number 2950. And the May 14th, 2025 public hearing regarding bill number 2952 and bill number 2953. Move to approve. Second. Any discussion or public testimony? Seeing not all in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carry next item, please. Next item is an interview for the Charter Review Commission. Marissa Sandbloom for a turn ending 1231 26. Thank you. Would that all suspend the rules? Morning. Morning. Getting used to the new mics and things. Morning, everybody. Ellen Shing, Boys and Commission's administrator. I'm pleased to introduce Marissa Sandbloom. She attended L, Waimea Canyon, and Waimea, and graduated from Wimea. Following high school, she matriculated at UH Manoa. She pursued a double major in business administration and corporate communication and earned a bachelor's degree at Univers at Hawaii Pacific University, as well as a master's degree in business administration. Directly out of college, she started working at Citibank in Honolulu, but ultimately decided that Kauai was where she wanted to be. Systemic inequities can be addressed when she's not contemplating the world's problems. She's a proud and busy mom of four, spanning the ages of five to a 19-year-old college student attending Southern Oregon. In the rare instances of free time, she enjoys reading, baking, and reviving her succulents as a family almost every other year is spent in Sweden visiting Huppi's family and exploring Europe. Her dream trip would be to see the pyramids.

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