The Disaster Recovery, International Affairs, and Planning Committee convened to discuss two primary agenda items: interim restrictions on private swimming pools in West Maui and the South Maui Community Plan update process. The meeting opened with a sovereignty statement recognizing the historical context of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Committee members, including Councilmember Shane Sinanti, introduced a moratorium on new pools in West Maui due to water shortages, supported by testimony from the public and resource personnel regarding water conservation and reliable capacity. The committee unanimously voted to pass Bill 161-2025 with amendments. The second item addressed delays in the South Maui Community Plan update, leading to a recommendation for deferral until June 2026 to resolve discrepancies and coordinate with the Department of Oceans, Environmental, and Water Resources.
DRIP 20: Bill 161-2025 (Interim Restrictions on New Private Swimming Pools in West Maui)
DRIP 9 Peren 3: South Maui Community Plan Update Process
Well, the disaster recovery international affairs and planning committee meeting of December 17th, please come to order. The time was one thirty-six, it's now one thirty-seven. If please everyone could please silence their cell phones or other noise-making devices that would help our cause. Members, in accordance with the sunshine law, if you are not in the council chamber, please identify by name who, if anyone is in the room, vehicle or workspace with you today, minors do not need to be identified. Also, please see the last page of the agenda for information on meeting connectivity. Aloha Chair, Council members, committee members. There's no testifiers here at the Lundike District Office. And I'm alone on my side of the office and early work on your pertinent agenda. Thank you, Chair. Thank you. Next up, we have um Councilmember Shane Sinanti. Aloha Chair. Aloha, everyone. She said she was going um take the meeting from home. This meeting of the Disaster Recovery International Affairs and Planning Committee of the Maui County Council is located on the traditional island of Kanaka OEB, who never ceded their sovereignty to the United States. We recognize Her Majesty Queen Liliokalani yielded the Hawaiian Kingdom to the U.S. in the rest under threat of violence to avoid the bloodshed of her people. We further recognize that Hawaii remains an illegally occupied nation state by the U.S. as documented in a 2021 scholarly article for the National Lawyers Guild review by Andrew Reed, adjunct professor of law at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Generations of Kanaka Maui and their knowledge systems have sustainably cared for Hawaii and continue to do so. We are grateful to occupy this space and learn the ways in which we can contribute as a committee. We seek to support the varied strategies that indigenous people of Hawaii are using to protect our land and their communities and commit to dedicating time and resources to working in solidarity. From the administration, we have Deputy Corporation Council Mike Hopper. From the Department of Water Supply, we have James Jensen, the engineering program manager for DRIP 20. Also for Drip 20 Online, we have Department of Public Works Director, Jordan Mulina, Department of Planning, Administrative Planning Officer Greg Faust, Planning Program Administrator, Department of Planning, Jackie Takakura, which would be for DRIP 9 peren 3, as well as Karen Komkovich, Long Range Planner, Department of Planning Drip 9 Peren 3. Committee staff, we have Yvette Boutelier, Senior Committee Secretary, Legislative Analysts, Jarrett Pasqua and Kioni Hurdle, as well as legislative attorney, Carla Nakata and Assistant Clerk Lee Din. At this time, we'd like to welcome uh Councilmember Tom Cook to the proceedings. Aloha weenala. Aloha, good afternoon, Chair. Our resource personnel for today. We have uh Kira Kahahani, Deputy Director, State Commission on Water Resource Management. Members without objection, I would like to designate Deputy Director Kahahani as a resource person under Rule 18A of the rules of the council due to her knowledge in the area of water resources and her service on the commission on water resource management. And she is a Lahaina girl as well. So expertise on Lahaina. On the agenda, so uh any objections to designating uh Ms. Kahahane as a resource person? No objection. Thank you. Um so we have two items on today's agenda DRIP 20 Bill 161 2025 imposing interim restrictions on new private swimming pools in the West Maui Community Plan area and DRIP 9 peren 3 South Maui Community Plan update process. Um we will take testimony after any opening remarks or presentations. So um DRIP 20 Bill 161 2025 imposing interim restrictions on new private swimming pools in the West Maui Community Plan area. The committee is in receipt of this ordinance. The purpose is to impose interim restrictions on the permitting and construction of new private swimming pools in the West Maui community plan area. There is also in your Granicus and Amendment Submarine Forum dated December 11th, 2025 from myself with a proposed CD1 version of Bill 16125. The proposed CD1 version incorporates non-substantive revisions and is approved as to form and legality by the Department of Corp Council. The committee may consider whether to recommend passage of Bill 161 2025 on first reading with or without revisions. The committee may also consider the filing of Bill 161 2025 and other related action. So this item was um I I introduced this measure, and the reason was um many people in the community, especially when attending CWAR meetings, have requested this. Actually, they requested more than this, but we're starting with just the moratorium. They had requested an outright ban, but this is like a first step, I guess, and seeing how in the rebuild of West Maui that we have enough water for existing or formerly existing everything structures and some new housing as well before we start doing swimming pools.