Maui County Council Special Meeting, January 12, 2026
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Maui County Council Special Meeting, January 12, 2026
This special meeting of the Maui County Council, held on January 12, 2026, convened at 20:30 UTC (locally noted as 9:05 AM on January 5, 2026, in the opening remarks) to welcome newly sworn-in Council Member Colonoy Batanka (also referred to as Conoy/Calonoy Batanga) and proceed with administrative committee reassignments. Two public testifiers, Zandra Amaral Krause and Daniel Ornales, offered welcome remarks and advice for collaboration, while the council unanimously adopted Resolution 26-1 to adjust standing committee assignments following the vacancy left by the late Council Member Tashakama.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Zandra Amaral Krause: Expressed full support for the council's recent work despite the challenges of the past three years. She advised against adopting a "one of the four" or "four against five" mentality, urging all council members to adopt a unified "nine for the county" approach for the benefit of Maui Nui residents.
- Daniel Ornales: Stated his personal support for Council Member Colonoy Batanka, praising the new member's skills and expressing an intention to help coordinate efforts regarding local assets and the First Nations program.
Discussion Items
- Resolution 26-1 (Committee Reassignments): Vice Chair Sugimura moved to adopt the resolution amending Resolution 25-51 to assign new members to standing committees previously held by the late Council Member Tashakama. Member Rollins Fernandez supported the motion, clarifying the specific shifts: Member Noheilani U Hodgins moving from Chair to Vice Chair of the Great Committee, and Colonoy Batanka assuming the Chair of that committee (with Hodgins later identified as Chair of HLU in Fernandez's notes, though clarified as Vice Chair in Sugimura's motion) and Member Batanga being moved to the Vice Chair position for HLU.
- Committee Assignments:
- Council Member Gabe Johnson: Announced plans to add Council Member Batanka to the ADEPT committee while replacing Vice Chair Sugimura, citing Batanka's potential fit for public transportation matters and welcoming him with open arms.
- Councilmember Shane Senency: Expressed support for joining the "WhatsApp committee" (referring to a subcommittee discussing mental health and the houseless community) and welcomed Batanka to the group, noting the need for recommendations regarding the central district.
Key Outcomes
- Adoption of Resolution 26-1: Unanimously adopted to amend standing committee voting members, formally placing Colonoy Batanka in leadership and vice-leadership roles formerly held by Tashakama.
- Committee Roster Updates:
- Council Member Colonoy Batanka appointed as Chair of the Great Committee (or HLU, per conflicting clarification in the text) and moved to the ADEPT committee.
- Council Member Noheilani U Hodgins moved to Vice Chair of the Great Committee and Chair of HLU.
- Council Member Gabe Johnson added Batanka and removed Sugimura from the ADEPT committee.
- Councilmember Shane Senency added Batanka to the mental health and houseless community subcommittee.
- Procedural Action: Public testimony was closed with unanimous consent; written testimony accepted.
Meeting Transcript
Well, the special meeting of January fifth, twenty twenty-six, please come to order. It's nine oh five, and I just realized it's my brother's birthday. Good morning, uh, council members, staff, and members of the public. Special um aloha to our new newest member, Conoy Batanga, sworn in this morning. The special council meeting of January fifth will come to order, and Ms. Clerk, please proceed with roll call. Thank you, Chair. Proceeding with roll call. If there are any members that are participating online, please let us know who, if anyone except minors are present with you. Council Member Cowanoi Batangan. Councilmember Tamara Paulton. Excused. Councilmember Gabe Johnson. Aloha, Chair, Councilmembers, Commune members. Council Member Key Rollins Fernandez. Aloha Kakahaka Chair. Aloha Kakayaka Call. Thank you. Councilmember Tom Cook. Happily here. Council Member Noheilani U Hodgins. Councilmember Shane Senency. Chair, you have eight members present, one excused. So do we have any testifiers? Chair, we have one testifier currently signed up, and that is Xandra Amaral Krause. Well, Ms. Krauss is coming down. I just wanted to let you know, uh member Kalonoy Batangan. We have a tradition here, so being the newest member, you uh you have to buy us lunch. Okay, testifier. Chairwoman, does that include the audience as well? Yeah. Why not? Hello, my good morning, my friends. I'm Zandra Amaral Krauss testifying on your agenda. I know, madam, and I believe that's a 96-1. I'd like to take the opportunity to welcome the new member of your body who will be representing the citizens of Maui Nui in Tashakama's place. I'm sure he'll do a great job. All of as all of you. As the new year came. There is one thing that well, I'd like to first of all say the past three years have been very trying for all of you. And the administration, our mayor and his staff. And I'd like to say, as a citizen, thank you very much for the job you've done and continue to do. Um offer, no that it's been very difficult, especially for the citizens of La Haina and other areas. But I am really, I was looking over the suggested um committees, and I was very happy with what I saw. Um I know that with the new council member, there were three very good candidates, and I'd like to tell the sitting council that I know it was very, very difficult for all of you in making a selection, and thank you all, and thank you for those that stepped up. In the coming year, I think that collaboration between yourselves. One thing I'd like to eliminate or see eliminated, because I cannot eliminate that. I'm not, I don't I don't sit wasted, is the mentality of us against you, the four, five mentality. My dear council members, remember, if you're thinking that you're one of the five, but you one of the four, you are putting that energy out to your fellow council members.
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