Maui County Budget Hearing for FY27, Kihei, April 15, 2026
Maui County Budget Hearing for FY27, Kihei, April 15, 2026
On April 15, 2026, the Budget, Finance, Economic Development Committee held a public hearing at the Kihei Community Center in South Maui to receive testimony on the Fiscal Year 2027 County of Maui budget. The meeting began at 6:00 PM and was chaired by Councilmember Lee, with all council members present. The only agenda item was BFED-1, the FY27 budget. The committee heard from 27 testifiers representing community organizations, nonprofits, and residents, who shared their priorities, requested funding, and raised concerns about infrastructure, social services, environmental protection, and government transparency.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Maui AIDS Foundation (Linda Papolo, Walter Murphy, Carolyn Manuel, Kellen Ketchum, Sage Kim Su, Tri Sua): Thanked the council for prior funding, which expanded outreach to Molokai, Lana‘i, and Hana. Noted federal threats: $1.5 million in HOPWA housing subsidies and a $50,000 cut to Ryan White case management. Kellen Ketchum requested $331,000 for wraparound services. Tri Sua highlighted zero new HIV infections in the past two years. The organization expressed determination to continue services despite federal targeting.
- MEO (Maui Economic Opportunity) (Starlin Worthington, Adele Rug, Anna Merritt): Multiple testifiers praised MEO’s Handy Van, Head Start, and community programs. Adele Rug, a board member, requested continued funding. Anna Merritt read a letter from a Head Start parent expressing gratitude and requesting sustained support.
- Maui Green and Beautiful / Citizen Forester Program (Adele Rug): Thanked the council for the $77,000 allocation for the Citizen Forester program, which inventories trees in county parks. Requested continued funding.
- Wailea 808 (Kay Anderson): Asked eight detailed questions about the proposed Central Maui/South Maui desalination plant, including process type, power source, location, capacity, and rate impacts. Did not make a specific funding request.
- Kelly T. King (Resident): Criticized the defunding of wetland restoration projects over the past two years, urging at least $1 million annually. Also called for the North South Collector Road, immediate action on Wailuku Water Company acquisition, and prioritizing infrastructure and affordable housing before luxury development.
- Ka‘ahumanu Church (George Burnett, Pastor): Requested $1.5 million for the second phase of historic restoration. George Burnett also supported Maui Nui Marine Resource Council. The pastor noted the church was not in the mayor’s budget.
- Kihei Community Association (John Laney): Requested $4 million to fix the injection well at Cove Park (untreated wastewater leaks) and $5 million additional for the Open Space Fund to purchase wetlands.
- Marine Institute at Maui Ocean Center (Dustin Baradis, Larissa Trees): Requested $300,000; noted risk of losing $720,000 in federal funds. Programs include sea turtle rescue, coral restoration, and monk seal response. Since 2020, they have rescued over 1,400 sea turtles, planted 2,000 coral fragments, and logged 14,000 volunteer hours in 2025.
- Hui O Aina Kukoa (Tarani Richmond, Kaleo de Mello, Cody Nemet): Requested $250,000 for infrastructure and wetland restoration in Waiohuli. Currently funded at $200,000 through an OEV grant. Emphasized their work in changing community perceptions of waterways.
- Maui Indivisible (Jake Carton): Called for an independent audit of MPD compliance with state transparency laws (UIPA) and quarterly reporting, citing MPD’s repeated failure to bring federal contracts to the council. Noted MPD’s requested FY27 budget is $140 million, a 10% increase.
- Frank Barbosa (Resident): Requested a third Handy Van or a voucher program for Uber/Lyft, citing long waits and unsafe conditions for elderly riders.
- Maui Mediation Services (Beth Ann Bowers): Requested an additional $150,000 (total $285,000) to handle increased caseloads from Act 278 (eviction prevention mediation), domestic mediations, and consumer disputes. Reported 84% client satisfaction.
- Project Vision Hawaii (Robin Garrison): Requested $188,500 for street medicine and peer hygiene programs, noting the program is already in the budget and needs continued support.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Maui (Susan Ellington): Requested $280,000 for the Club on the Go mobile program, serving 60 students in Kihei and Ha‘ikū. Also noted a separate $100,000 request for workforce development stipends in the OED budget.
- Gillian Soleil (Resident): Asked about the new road from the tech park to Pi‘ilani Highway, calling for an emergency exit for Kihei Charter School, which lacks a back access route.
- Mary Grood (Resident): Supported water quality testing, reef restoration, and opposed the injection well at Cove Park and the aquarium trade. Urged a no-take zone for reef recovery.
- Jake Amiki Carter (Multiple roles including Kihei Youth Center, Maui Rapid Response, Ho‘ola iā Maui): Thanked the council for supporting disaster case management and rebuild efforts. Noted that two homes in Lahaina have been completed and three more are underway. Asked for continued support for the Long-Term Recovery Group.
Key Outcomes
- No votes or decisions were taken during the hearing. The session was solely for receiving public input on the FY27 budget.
- The committee will use the testimony and written submissions to inform budget deliberations in upcoming department reviews.
- The meeting adjourned at 8:10 PM. The chair reminded testifiers to submit written copies of their testimony if not already provided.
Meeting Transcript
Welcome everybody to our budget finance economic development committee. We're so happy to be here here in Kihay in South Maui. And just want you to know that this meet meeting is being conducted in accordance with the sunshine law, and it is now six o'clock, starting right on time. I'd like to ask Councilmember Tom Cook to introduce himself and the rest of the council members. Thank you, Chair. Can everybody hear us in the back? The acoustics okay. Yeah. And this it's never great here, but main thing you can hear and let us know. So welcome everybody. Um really happy to be in South Maui with the council for our district budget hearing. Looking forward to hearing your folks put uh your opinions and wants and needs, hopefully some compliments and cheers along with everything else. And I have here on my left member Sensei from HANA, Chair Lee from Wailuku. Vice Chair Sugi Mora from upcountry, Member Batangan from Kahloui. Member Rollins Fernandez from Molucay. Member Paul Pin from West Maui. And Member Johnson from the island of Lenoy. Thank you, everybody. I would like to also thank our staff who are um creating this event as we go along. So thank you very much for Ellen, Jen, and Lee, there's Stacey there. Thank you very much. Um also want to thank Akaku. Vinny, thank you. Thank you. And this meeting is being conducted live, so there's somebody at Akaku office who's also helping us. So whoever that is, thank you, everybody. Um this meeting is created so that we can listen to you, and we wanted to come to you and hear what you think of if are is important in your communities or in general. You can talk about anything in our budget. We have one agenda item today, which is agenda uh BFED one, which is the fiscal year 27 budget for the county of Maui. And um, as you know, we're going through the process of reviewing it in detail by talking to departments. We've gone through many communities like tonight um and have a couple more to go. And um, but what you say is very important so we understand if what is in the budget is relevant to what you think is important. You will have three minutes to testify. When you come up, please also give your name, what organization you're from, and if you are in the existing budget, we are probably gonna ask you the question, so be prepared. How much are you in the budget for? Or if you are not in the budget, what are you asking for and why? Um, and if you could provide us that information. We also like to receive copies of written testimony which will verify what you did speak on. And if you don't have it ready tonight, if you could send it to us so that we can have copies of it, it's very important. So at this time, I'd like to take the first testifier, please. Chair, the first testifier is Linda Papolo to be followed by Starlin Worthington. I got it. I got it, shorties. Um Aloha. I love you guys. You are the best counsel uh that we can imagine. Uh I've got to say that thank you first. The additional funding you gave us last year has oh, by the way, I'm Linda Popolo and I'm with the Maui AIDS Foundation. Um the money that you gave us last year to enhance our budget was critical to operations. It allowed us to travel to Molokai.
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