The Kauai County Council convened on August 12, 2026, at 8:30 AM in the Council Chambers, Lihue. The meeting opened with words of wisdom from Reverend Deacon Ronald Jane of St. Theresa Parish, followed by a special presentation recognizing the Understory Alliance. The council conducted public hearings on two bills, approved multiple routine items, debated a resolution to lower speed limits near a school, and held an executive session to approve a settlement agreement with the Hawaii Fire Fighters Association.
Good morning everyone, welcome to today's council meeting. Today is August 12th, and uh we will start off with a uh words of wisdom, which we do on every first council meeting of the month. And today we have Reverend Deacon Ronald Jane from the St. Theresa Parish. You can come up understanding. No, I'm sorry, we sit down. Fair enough. Let us push ourselves in the presence of the Lord. Gracious and loving God, we gather today with gratitude for the beauty and abundance of these islands, and for the privilege and responsibility of serving this community. We give thanks for the people of Kauai, those who have come before us, those who live and work here today, and the generous yet to come, generations yet to come. We ask your blessing upon the members of this council, upon all public servants, and upon everyone participating in this meeting. Grant them wisdom to understand the issues before them, courage to make difficult decisions, patience to listen carefully and humility to remember that leadership is a trust. May the decisions held here be guided by respect, honesty, and a sincere desire to seek the common good. When opinions differ, help us to listen with open minds and gracious hearts. When challenges seem great, give us the creativity, perseverance, and hope. We pray especially for those in our community who are struggling for families seeking stability, and for those facing illness or loss for our Kapuna and our Kiki, and all who feel unheard or forgotten. May the decisions made in this cat chamber contribute to a stronger, safer, and more compassionate Koaii. Help us to be good stewards of this precious island, honoring its land, water, culture, and people. May we work together with gratitude for the privilege of calling this place home. As this council begins this work, may wisdom guide every decision. Respect, guide every conversation and service to the people remain at the heart of all that is done. We ask these blessings with humility and gratitude. Amen. Amen. Thank you, sir. Uh before we get into the agenda, we have a special presentation certificate presentation for the understory alliance. Yes. Um, I'd like to invite up uh Sari Pastor and Rian Ryan Campbell to come up. Sit in these two seats. All right. Thank you both so much for being here and um the understory alliance, which is a partnership between the county parks in uh Wailoa homesteads park. And so that's something that I've been very passionate about for probably 15, 20 years is edible landscaping in public places. And so that's something I'd like to see happen in a number of different areas. But I'm gonna actually I rarely ever will read the um uh certificate, but I'd like to read the certificate for clarity, and then I'm gonna have you guys to share a little bit of information. So uh we hereby present the certificate to the understory alliance. The Kauai County Council recognizes the understory alliance for their first anniversary, an outstanding dedication to our island communities. By planting Malu Lao, community forest gardens, they have brought together volunteers, educators, and families to cultivate native medicinal plants, food crops, and lay plants right where people live. By planting Malao, I'm sorry, through a vital partnership with the county of Kauai Department of Parts and Recreation. Their first garden at Wayrua Homestead Parks includes 97 plant species, with some of the rarest and most endangered native plants in the wild. In concert with their work in Wailua, the Alliance has also planted two smaller gardens at Kenui Capono Public Charter School. Now in the stewardship phase, the group works with students directly on campus to plant, care for and learn from these immersive Hawaiian forest systems. It's inspiring how much the organization, the people of Kauai have accomplished in such a short time. The Kauai County Council extends their gratitude to the Understory Alliance, Sari Pastor, Executive Director, and Ryan Campbell, president of Aloha Aina, nurturing the roots of our island's natural environment. We look forward to watching your projects grow and inspire our communities for many years to come. Because the parks have been a part of it, you know, with the family up there. And I have a few pictures that we can just kind of rotate in the background so people can see. Okay. So that people can just kind of see, so that you can just kind of move through them. That how much happened inside of a year. And you know, this was uh this is just one fun little event.