Kauai County Council Meeting – March 11, 2026: Water Month, Budget, and Wastewater Funding
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Kauai County Council Meeting – March 11, 2026
The Kauai County Council met on March 11, 2026, to recognize March for Water Month, hear public testimony, approve consent items, and debate several resolutions and bills. Key discussions included a resolution to accept a $1 million state loan for residential cesspool conversions and a contentious resolution to increase funding for the Wailua Wastewater Treatment Plant repairs from $14 million to $25.5 million, which was deferred after extensive debate. The council also advanced a bill to amend agricultural property tax classifications to support farmers.
Certificate & Words of Wisdom
- The council presented a certificate recognizing March for Water Month, highlighting the importance of water infrastructure, plumbing, and the workforce. Representatives from IAPMO and UA Local 675 spoke about water conservation, infrastructure needs, and the role of plumbers. Council members thanked them and noted the importance of water rate increases to fund improvements.
- Pastor Aaron Shadster from Kauai Bible Church offered a blessing and words of encouragement, praying for the council's wisdom and rest.
Consent Calendar
- Approved minutes of previous meetings and public hearings (February 18, 2026).
- Received communications C2026-50 through C2026-53.
- Approved a donation of a 2026 Kawasaki Mule (valued at $16,527.74) from the Kauai Lifeguard Association for the Hanalei Pine Trees tower, with a thank-you letter.
- Approved an after-the-fact donation of a 3D topographic map of Kauai (original cost $130,000) from the Westin Princeville Resort, now displayed in the Piʻikoi Atrium.
- Received a communication transmitting the agricultural dedication tax bill (Bill 2981).
- Approved a waiver, release, and indemnity agreement with the Department of Water for the Limaola Community Park project.
- Received and filed five claims for vehicle damage, personal injury, and medical bills (C2026-58 through C2026-62).
- Approved committee reports from Parks and Recreation/Transportation and Finance and Economic Development.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No public testimony was offered on the two public hearings (Bill 2981 on real property tax inspection powers and Bill 2984 on shoreline setback).
- During the Wailua wastewater debate, two members of the public testified: Bruce Hart urged the council to prioritize a new treatment plant and questioned the long-term cost of repairs; Tommy Pasarella Lahui suggested using advanced UV and reverse osmosis technology and noted that limiting water flow could help compliance.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 2026-08 – CDBG Action Plan: The council approved a resolution authorizing filing of the 2026 Community Development Block Grant Action Plan with HUD. The plan allocates approximately $781,170 for projects including ADA ramp for youth transition home ($40,788), Kūai Alkoi restoration for mental health ($282,000), photovoltaic system at Kalalaʻu Phase 2 ($200,000), Keala Foundation transportation ($57,735), and Makana Training Center youth program ($53,000). Council members praised the program and recognized retiring coordinator Carrie Barros for her service.
- Resolution 2026-09 – Cesspool Conversion Program, Round 2: The council approved a resolution authorizing the mayor to accept a $1 million state loan from the Department of Health for a second round of residential cesspool conversions. The Housing Agency reported that the first round had 340 applicants but only 100 could be funded; the new funding will assist about 50 homes. Council members noted the high cost of conversions (average $43,000, some over $100,000) and the need for more state funding. The partnership with Kauaʻi FCU for zero-interest loans was highlighted.
- Resolution 2026-10 – Wailua Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvements Phase 2: This resolution sought to increase the approved SRF loan from $14 million to $25.5 million to cover low bid for repairs. The administration presented the urgent need to meet compliance with new, stricter effluent limits under the NPDES permit. The low bid was $17.4 million, with additional costs for construction management, UV disinfection, and contingency. Discussion revealed that the plant is 65 years old, in a tsunami zone, and cannot be expanded. The administration noted that a new plant would take at least 11 years. Council members expressed frustration over the lack of prior warnings, the high cost, and the desire to focus on a new plant. Several members requested a detailed breakdown of costs and a timeline for the new plant. The council voted to defer the resolution to the March 25 meeting to allow for more information and a committee discussion on new plant options.
- Bill 2987 (First Reading) – Agricultural Dedication Tax Amendments: Councilmember Kaneshiro introduced a bill to amend Chapter 5A of the County Code to allow land with an approved agricultural dedication to be taxed at the agricultural rate even if other uses (e.g., cell towers, processing) exist on the parcel. The bill also expands the definition of agricultural use to include selling, processing, and distributing products, provided more than 50% of the products are grown or raised on the dedicated parcel. It also allows meat packing or processing operations to be taxed as agricultural regardless of animal origin. The bill will advance to a public hearing. Council members expressed support, noting it will help small farmers and ranchers.
- Second Reading Bills (2980, 2982, 2983): Approved unanimously. These are budget amendments for fiscal year 2025-2026 related to the Kōloa Road Parks parcel, expanding the park.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 2026-08 (CDBG Action Plan): Approved unanimously (6-0, with one excused).
- Resolution 2026-09 (Cesspool Conversion Loan): Approved unanimously (6-0, with one excused).
- Resolution 2026-10 (Wailua WWTP Funding): Deferred to the March 25, 2026 council meeting. The housing director will provide a detailed breakdown of the $17.4 million bid and the $40–50 million phase three estimate, and a committee meeting on new plant options will be scheduled.
- Bill 2987 (Agricultural Dedication): Approved on first reading (6-0, with one excused) and set for public hearing.
- Second Reading Bills (2980, 2982, 2983): Approved unanimously (6-0, with one excused).
- The council also approved the consent calendar, communication items, committee reports, and resolutions.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, good morning, everyone, and welcome to our council meeting. Uh today is March 11th. Before we get into the formal agenda, we do have uh certificate to present first, and then we'll get to the words of wisdom. Uh so with that, if we could have our friends from the plumbers and pipe fitters up, we're gonna be re-recognizing March for Water Month. And uh yeah, have a seat, and then we'll I'll just go ahead and read the certificate and then we can have a short discussion. Um the Council of the County of Kauai recognizes the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, the IAPMO, and its partners for celebrating IAPMO's third annual March for Water Month. Water is an essential resource for sustaining life, promoting public health, and ensuring economic prosperity. Aging infrastructure for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater faces a national funding and upgrade gap of over 1.2 trillion dollars in the upcoming two decades, necessitating sustained investment to protect municipalities from environmental stresses. An estimated 2.2 million Americans lack access to running water, indoor plumbing or wastewater service, and as many as 12.1 million to 19.2 million U.S. households currently lack affordable access to water services, imposing a substantial burden on low-income families. Hawaii employs approximately 2600 plumbers, pipe fitters, and steam fitters, representing a vital segment of the state's skilled workforce dedicated to maintaining the infrastructure necessary for clean water and sanitation. The month of March provides a unique opportunity to align local efforts with global movements, such as World Plumbing Day on March 11th and World Water Day on March 22nd. IAPMO, the global authority responsible for the Uniform Plumbing Code, which serves as the basis for safe plumbing systems in Hawaii, established March for Water Month in 2023 to advocate for secure and sustainable water systems through technical standards and policy work and is preparing to mark its centennial in 2026. March for Water Month serves as a platform for communities to raise awareness about water conservation, access to safe drinking water, and the importance of investing in infrastructure. The Kawaii County Council thanks IAPMO, the Plumbers and Pipe Fitters, UA Local 675 and their partners for their commitment to water preservation and encourages the public to participate in activities and programs that promote awareness, education, and actions prioritizing water as a vital resource for the county's future. So thank you for being here. Our uh water manager was supposed to be here. I'm not sure if he got caught in the rain, but um thank you for being here. No pun intended. Yeah, we can craft that. Yeah, we can uh if you could just identify yourselves and and uh share with us uh the importance of March for Water Max. Yeah, thank you, Chair. Um Chair, uh Vice Chair and members of the Council, Kika Bukowski. Uh actually, on behalf of Ayatmo International Association of Plumber of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials, as well as the Plumbers and Fitters UA Local 675. Um I have here with me the president of Local 675 as well as uh Matt Brady, as well as the Vice President Benji Panis uh from Local 675 as well. And uh we want to thank you first of all for um uh for this certificate and for recognizing the importance of of water and what it plays in our society. Uh really the what the the intent of the of the certificate is to raise awareness of the importance of water as a resource as a source of life uh and to um basically um uh recognize the full cycle of water uh from preserving and conserving it uh as a source at the source and uh also uh in transmission and distribution, uh the importance of upgrading our infrastructure to ensure that we can transmit and distribute uh uh this precious resource. And then, of course, where the plumbers plumbers and pipe fitters come in, uh, ensuring that in the living space uh in the built environment, uh we ensure that the water that that is being consumed uh or um absorbed into our system or inhaled uh is done so in in a safe manner uh for public health and safety, but also sanitation, wastewater, and then to complete the full cycle, looking and exploring at ways to reuse and recycle so that we can continue to preserve and conserve this this valuable resource. So we appreciate your your folks' time this morning and this certificate, which is very uh important to our industry. And on behalf of uh Dave Viola, who is the chief executive officer of Ayatmo, uh, as well as the the chairman of the board uh for the World Plumbing Uh Council and uh executive vice president DJ Nunez from Ayatmo and Sam Barrett Jr., who is the business manager of local 675 who wasn't able to join us here this morning. We want to thank you very much for this for this recognition and this certificate. And I think uh Matt had had some words. Yes, uh I'd like to begin first of all by thanking the chair of vice chair and the full uh council here. Could you could you just state your name, please for the captioner? Push the signal. Yeah. Okay, here we go. Uh I'm Matthew Brady, um uh president of local 675 plumbers and pipe fitters union. Um, also a licensed plumber, uh, been a plumber for 39 years now. Once again, thank you to all of you. And I also want to thank the Lord that we're here uh that this didn't get canceled. This was a big deal for us, and we were ready uh to get on that plane this morning, all excited to be here. So the drinking water and stuff like that that we're talking about is extremely important as we know. Um partnership partnerships that we have with Iatmo, and this month being um the world um plumbing world day uh is this month and plumbing world uh water day, plumbing what world water day, sorry about that. Yeah, so um so it's really um fitting that this month um that this be uh done, and we just want to thank you guys for recognizing that. Uh you know, throughout the state, um there are some issues you know going on. Uh Oahu has some aquifer issues, obviously. The big island has some issues with you know with the volcanic uh dropout and fallout and things like that. So we're we're also trying to partner and try and help them to you know find ways to keep water clean and whatnot. Um, and of course, our job as plumbers and my whole career going through my apprenticeship program all the way to continued training is to keep our water resources clean all the way to the tap for all of our customers and our our community and also for uh getting that uh water out of the house and all the way down to the uh wastewater treatment, which this also recognizes.
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