Maui County DRIP Committee Meeting - Dec 17, 2025
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Maui County Disaster Recovery, International Affairs, and Planning Committee Meeting - December 17, 2025
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.
Consent Calendar
- No items listed on the consent calendar.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Greg Rilski (Kilohana Resident): Expressed full support for the swimming pool moratorium, emphasizing that the inconvenience to new pools is minor compared to the necessity of securing water for rebuilding other structures and developments previously halted due to water issues.
- Paele Kia Kona (Lahaina Resident, Testifying via Teams): Expressed full support for the measure, noting it is an opportunity to alleviate future stress and prevent "shooting ourselves in the foot" regarding water usage. Proposed a potential dual-dollar system where new pool owners pay a fee to fund water infrastructure, such as dual-meter systems for recycling water.
- Jim Lankford: Expressed support for prioritizing life and liberty over luxury water needs. Suggested that technology like atmospheric water generation could mitigate water strain, allowing for future residential pools if used strategically in hotel zones.
- Kai Nishiki (Kahului/Kula Resident): Expressed full support for the legislation, stating that wasting water for luxury pools is unjustifiable during an extreme drought. Argued that while pool covers are a mitigation measure, they are unlikely to be taken seriously by homeowners and therefore a direct moratorium is a more practical way to free up water for affordable housing.
- JC Long (Kula, Kulaooku): Offered general support, noting that sharing pools in apartment complexes mitigates some private pool demand. Questioned if any pools in Kula were destroyed by the fire.
- His Highness Kawa (Representing a Sovereign Group): Spoke from a position of spiritual urgency, referencing scripture and the historical context of 1893. Expressed a call for the committee and government to act righteously and address the suffering of orphans and widows caused by political "murder" and mismanagement.
- Mike Moran (Kihei, CPAC Member): Expressed support for the delay in the South Maui Community Plan, noting that it is better to get the plan right than to rush it, despite the disappointment of the delay.
- JC Long (Second Appearance): Reiterated his desire for the Royal Patent Plan to be aligned with current community plans and noted the cultural significance of the number 13 in relation to Kula fire trucks.
Discussion Items
DRIP 20: Bill 161-2025 (Interim Restrictions on New Private Swimming Pools in West Maui)
- Councilmember Shane Sinanti (Introducer): Explained the bill imposes a moratorium on new private swimming pools in the West Maui Community Plan area until December 31, 2030, or until three specific water resource conditions are met. Clarified that the measure is a first step; community members had initially requested an outright ban. Noted that reconstruction of pools destroyed by wildfires is allowed if they were lawfully permitted prior to the ordinance.
- Greg Post (Planning Department): Presented the bill, noting the Department of Public Works and Water Resources supported the conservation intent but recommended placing the ordinance in Title 14 (Water Conservation) or Title 16 (Building Code) rather than Title 19 (Land Use) to stop the process at the building permit stage. The Planning Commission recommended extending the expiration date to December 31, 2030, and removing the penalty section.
- Deputy Director Kira Kahahani (Commission on Water Resource Management): Expressed strong support for conservation efforts and the bill's intent to ensure responsible use of water resources during the ongoing drought in West Maui.
- James Jensen (Department of Water Supply): Confirmed support for conservation. Addressed questions regarding water usage, stating that pre-fire daily usage was approximately 5.5 million gallons against a reliable capacity of 4.5 million gallons (approximately 141% demand). Noted that evaporation is the primary water loss factor for pools, which can be mitigated by covers.
- Jordan Molina (Director, Dept. of Public Works): Argued against moving the ordinance to Title 16, stating that land use regulation is the appropriate context for Title 19, whereas Title 16 covers health and safety building codes.
- Councilmember U. Hodgins: Clarified that the moratorium applies to West Maui only and allows reconstruction of lawfully permitted destroyed pools. Proposed and carried a motion to amend the ordinance text to explicitly insert "repairs, reconstruction, and maintenance" into the exemptions.
- Councilmember Cook: Expressed support for the West Maui-specific measure but not an island-wide ban. Questioned the accuracy of water usage estimates for pools, specifically regarding evaporation rates and the scale of rebuilds (e.g., bigger homes, French Street Apartments).
- Councilmember Johnson: Expressed concern regarding the precise boundaries of the West Maui Community Plan to ensure no properties are partially exempt and partially subject to the moratorium. Staff (Mr. Post) indicated no known properties fall on a bisecting line but committed to verifying.
- Councilmember Senanti: Confirmed the bill is signed by the Corporation Council and addresses no legal entitlement to own a pool.
- Councilmember Lee: Asked why the Department of Water Supply could not confirm reliable yield pre-fire; staff deferred to the Department of Water Supply.
- Councilmember Rollins Fernandez: Deferred to staff regarding the prioritization of municipal uses in the Water Use Permitting Assessment (WUPA) process, which the Commission noted was not yet finalized.
DRIP 9 Peren 3: South Maui Community Plan Update Process
- Chair/Committee Staff: Explained that the update process is being deferred until June 2026 to resolve discrepancies with the Department of Oceans, Environmental, and Water Resources (OEV Resources) and to ensure coordination with other departments. Noted that the South Maui plan began in 2020 before OEV Resources was staffed, leading to gaps in collaboration compared to the West Maui plan.
- Jackie Takakura (Planning Program Administrator): Discussed the deficiencies found, specifically the lack of clarity in 2.80B.070E and the need for better collaboration with OEV Resources. Confirmed the team has fully staffed the long-range planning division.
- Director Blystone (Planning Department): Addressed a request by Council member Cook for specific budget assignments for infrastructure projects (e.g., North Saw Collector Road). Confirmed that Cost Impact Projection (CIP) numbers are included in Appendix H but emphasized that these figures are estimates and should be viewed with caution as project costs fluctuate.
Key Outcomes
- Bill 161-2025: Passed out of committee and recommended for first reading with the following actions:
- Motion: To substitute Bill 161-2025 with the proposed CD1 version (dated December 11, 2025).
- Amendment: Passed to amend Section 19.98.050 to explicitly include "repairs, reconstruction, and maintenance of a private swimming pool" in the exemption list.
- Vote Tally: 7 Ayes, 0 Noes (1 Excused - Member Sukimora).
- Intent: Imposes an interim moratorium on new private swimming pools in the West Maui Community Plan area until Dec 31, 2030, or until water resource conditions are met.
- DRIP 9 Peren 3: Deferred until June 2026 to allow the Planning Department to resolve discrepancies with the Department of OEV Resources and finalize the plan before Council action.
- Scheduling: A special Council meeting is tentatively scheduled for January 5, 2026. The 2026 Council calendar will be finalized after the organization of standing committees.
- Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 3:24 PM.
Meeting Transcript
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.
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