Kauai County Council Meeting - November 12, 2025
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Kauai County Council Meeting - November 12, 2025
The Kauai County Council convened on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, for a regular meeting beginning at 6:30 PM with a prayer and words of wisdom from Pastor Tom Yanuchi. The session focused on public hearings for collective bargaining agreements and environmental ordinances, the interview of a nominee for the Board of Ethics, the presentation of the "Into Light Project" regarding drug addiction awareness, and the approval of a legislative package for the Hawaii State Association of Counties.
Consent Calendar
- C2025-237: Approved the indemnification provision in the Avalon Unity Software User License Agreement requested by the Assistant Chief of Police.
- C2025-238: Approved the indemnification provisions in the Department of Transportation permit agreement for wastewater maintenance requested by the County Engineer.
- C2025-239: Received the motion to approve the agenda (Motion carried).
- C2025-240: Approved the minutes from the October 29, 2025, meeting.
- C2025-241: Received claims for property, vehicle, and travel expenses (MLN Court, National Subjugation Services, Brian Arzidon) and ordered them referred to the County Attorney for report-back.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Pastor Tom Yanuchi: Offered words of wisdom and a prayer, citing Romans and First Chronicles to encourage council members to view their positions as divinely appointed roles to "stand in the gap" for the people and seek godly wisdom in understanding the times.
- Matt Bernabe (Board of Ethics Interview): Expressed skepticism regarding the efficacy and impact of the Board of Ethics. He characterized the role as potentially "ceremonial" and lacking "teeth," stating he has never seen tangible results from the board that impact tax dollars. He criticized the interview presentation as resembling a "Tinder bio" rather than a professional bio, though he later clarified he meant the bio focused more on personal details than job capabilities.
- Matt Bernabe (HSAC Proposal): Urged the council and administration to aggressively lobby the state for infrastructure funding, specifically regarding football stadiums and sports facilities. He argued that since schools have won championships, the state should contribute at least 50% to 100% of the costs for repairs or new construction, rather than relying on free county field usage or providing only minimal uniforms.
- Councilmember Cowden (HSAC Proposal Comment): Expressed disagreement with the notion of inaction, noting that the state currently funds 50% of improvements to Vidina and Hanapepe stadiums and that county facilities allow the state to host tournaments locally rather than shipping athletes to Oahu.
- Councilmember Holland (HSAC Proposal Comment): Supported the extension of the sunset provision for the General Excise Tax to 2045, emphasizing its critical role in funding road repairs and transportation projects. She advocated for removing the sunset date entirely to eliminate state leverage that threatens county bonding opportunities.
- Councilmember Kanashiro (HSAC Proposal Comment): Identified the General Excise Tax extension as the top priority for Kauai County, noting it generates over $38 million in revenue (including investment returns) and accounts for over 10% of the county's budget, making its removal financially devastating.
- Trisha Allen (Hoiki Community Media): Presented the "Into Light Project" and urged community participation, noting the risk of the exhibit being cancelled without more submissions.
- Bruce Hart: Expressed deep emotional support for the "Into Light Project," calling it a beautiful opportunity to honor lost loved ones and encourage the community to stop hiding the stigma of addiction.
- Councilmember Kulii: Expressed gratitude for the project and specifically emphasized the importance of the message that substance abuse is a disease, not a moral failing.
Discussion Items
- Public Hearing on Bill 2975: A public hearing was held for an ordinance approving a collective bargaining agreement for Bargaining Unit 12 (State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers) for the period July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2029, based on an arbitrated award. No written or spoken testimony was received; the hearing was closed.
- Public Hearing on Bill 2976: A public hearing was held for an ordinance establishing a new article in the Kauai County Code to prohibit the sale, rental, or distribution of disposable bodyboards. Six pieces of written testimony were noted, but no one spoke; the hearing was closed.
- Public Hearing on Bills 2977 & 2978: Hearings were held to amend the operating and capital budgets for the Wailua Golf Course Cart PATH improvements, transferring and appropriating $445,000 from the equity fund balance/CIP. No testimony was received; hearings were closed.
- Board of Ethics Nominee (Noelle Lau): Council member Ellen Shing Ford presented the profile of Noelle Lau, a law school graduate experienced in community benefits and grant management. Councilmember Kulii questioned the board's impact, while Councilmember Cowden defended the board's thorough investigative work, noting it is not casual and is often misunderstood by the public. Councilmember Kulii expressed concern that negative comments might discourage future volunteers.
- Into Light Project Presentation: Trisha Allen, producer for Hoiki, introduced the project founded by Teresa Clower. The project creates graphite portraits and narratives for individuals lost to drug addiction to combat stigma. The exhibit is scheduled to open February 22, 2026, at Kapi'olani Community College or the Hawaii Community College Performing Arts Center. Currently, only two of 30 required submissions have been received. The council was invited to help promote submissions and share the project's video via Hoiki TV's YouTube channel (Community Connections: Honoring Lives Through Art and Story).
- 2026 Hawaii State Association of Counties (HSAC) Legislative Package: Councilmember Cavalli reviewed the 14-item package. Key items discussed included:
- General Excise Tax: Extending the sunset date to 2045 to secure revenue for roads.
- Recreational Facilities: Supporting state funding for school athletic facilities (football, wrestling, etc.).
- Cesspool Conversion: Supporting a state income tax credit for converting cesspools to septic or aerobic systems.
- Housing Zoning: Repealing state amendments that limited local control over zoning.
- Mental Health: Establishing a psychology interjurisdictional compact for telepsychology.
- Tobacco: Removing preemption laws to allow counties to enforce their own tobacco regulations.
- Gun Violence: Funding gun buyback programs and protective orders.
- Homeless Services: Increasing conveyance taxes to fund affordable housing and homeless services.
Key Outcomes
- Budget Adjustments: Bills 2977 and 2978 were approved to transfer $445,000 for Wailua Golf Course Cart PATH improvements.
- Board of Ethics: Council voted to defer the appointment of Noelle Lau to the Board of Ethics (partial term ending Dec 31, 2026) for a vote at the next meeting; the second interview for the Historic Preservation Review Committee was rescheduled due to an absence.
- Resolution 2025-39: Approved the appointment of Juliet Souza to the Kauai Historic Preservation Review Commission (7-0).
- Resolution 2025-40: Approved the inclusion of the full 14-item 2026 Hawaii State Association of Counties Legislative Package (7-0), despite some council members advocating for prioritizing fewer items.
Meeting Transcript
Morning, everyone, and welcome to our council meeting. Today's November 12th. Before we get started with the agenda, we have a few public hearings. So with that, um, Madam Clerk, if we can start with the first bill 2975. Given that the Quay County Council will hold the public hearing. Did we have words of wisdom? Oh, I'm sorry. I apologize. My bad. It's Monday. Again. I apologize, Pastor Tom. We have Pastor Tom Yanuchi here today to give us our words of wisdom as we do on the first council meeting of every month. Sorry about that, man. I was wondering why you were here. Exactly. Thank you for allowing me to be here today. Just got back in from Tokyo last night. Oh wow. Cold and fun. My daughter's there right now. My son is there. Hey. We'd link families. I just have two. First, thank you for allowing me to be here and allowing men and women like myself to come and do this once a month. It's it's important. And uh I wanted to share just two quick scriptures with you today and just encourage you in what you do and pray for you. I'll try to keep it real quick. I know you have a busy day, and uh thank you for all that you guys do. So the first scripture I have is uh real quick, it's in the book of Romans. And it says this let every soul be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. So I believe, and the people of the Christian faith believe that God has put you here no matter how the votes went, that God has desired for you to be in the position that you're in. And there's a scripture in First Chronicles speaking about David and how he had these leaders around him, and they list all these different leaders that helped him get to this position and supported his uh kingship in uh first Chronicles chapter 12, verse 32. It says of the sons of Issachar who are understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do. So the question that comes to us as leaders of the community, as those who stand in the gap between the people and the big business of the land is uh God has placed you in this position and um to stand in the gap for the people. You're our representatives, you're the ones who are protecting us, who are trying to lead lead and guide our community to these better places, and it's always difficult between what's right and what's popular. But this scripture right here just encourages you to do you understand the times that we're in, and do you know what Kawaii ought to do? And that's my prayer for you today that you would look at the world and its bigness and our island and in its localness and understand what do we need to do? How do we how do we best serve the people? And I I learned that as a pastor and as a police commissioner. Um what's the best for the people? And that's what we hope for in our in our leaders that you guys have our backs, and and that's our prayer that give them godly wisdom to rightly understand and divide and do the right things, because that's ultimately what what we all need. So if you would let me just say a quick prayer over you, I will let you let you guys get on with the business at hand and uh move about. So Father, I come before you, we come before you, and we just thank you, Lord, that you've placed us in these spots in these positions, Lord. And truly, Lord, by your hand, Father, we we are here, and we're here not uh for our own accord, but we're here to serve and stand in the gap for the people. We're here to figure out what are the right things and the best things for the people of Kawaii. And I pray for the men and women of this council for wisdom and insight, Father, for grace and and knowledge uh beyond their years and their time to rightly divide the things that are laid before them uh for the different opinions to the left and to the right, Lord. It's always hard, Father, uh, to to get the right middle position of what's the best. So I do ask for that divine blessing over them.
openpublica.com