Maui County DRIP Committee Meeting Summary — August 5, 2026

The Disaster Recovery, International Affairs, and Planning (DRIP) Committee of the Maui County Council met on August 5, 2026, to receive updates on Maui's long-term recovery operations. The agenda listed a 1:30 p.m. start; the meeting convened at 1:37 p.m. Presentations were given by the Office of Recovery, the Department of Water Supply, and the Hawaiʻi Department of Human Services. The committee heard public testimony, held an executive session, and took no legislative action.

Recovery Plan and Program Updates

• Managing Director Josiah Nishita described the recovery as community-led and government-supported, marking the three-year anniversary of the August 2023 wildfires. He cited the public sentiment analysis, recovery needs assessment, long-term recovery plan, and CDBG-DR action plan as foundational documents.
• Office of Recovery Administrator John Smith reported that the Maui Wildfire Recovery Story Map went live that day. He also noted the Kona Low disaster declaration now includes parks and that a sinkhole had been paved.
• Smith said Maui County received $1.6 billion in federal recovery funding and has obligated $1.278 billion to date, with two more programs expected to obligate the remainder. He stated the county is leading the nation in program-launch efficiency among roughly 47 grantees.
• Among cleared properties with structures, 58.5% have submitted permits, completed work, or are on their way to completion.
• Smith described a housing gap expected until multifamily projects come online between 2029 and 2030. More than 1,100 households are currently in transitional housing. The county will take over the Disaster Case Management Program (DCMP) from the state in August and is launching a Disaster Interim Housing Program. The Kilohana site will transition from federal to county operation.
• Deputy Director Kimo Langraf (Department of Water Supply) presented the proposed Launiupoko Irrigation Company (LIC) water infrastructure acquisition. The non-potable system includes two stream diversions, two shaft wells, one well, three reservoirs, booster pumps, and about 19.75 miles of water mains. It had 416 customer connections in 2025 and produced 497 million gallons of water. The purchase price is $1.5 million; the system was appraised at $955,000.
• Langraf said post-closing improvements requested of the seller would total $2.9 million, including reservoir dredging, relining, fencing, permanent power, transmission line upgrades, and automation/communications systems.
• State Department of Human Services Director Joseph Campos and Deputy Director Trista Speer presented on emergency shelter and DCMP. By August 15, 2023, roughly 1,700 people had been moved into temporary housing, including 996 in hotels and 790 in short-term rentals.
• At Kalayola, 358 households occupy 396 units, housing 960 individuals; 15 households have moved back into pre-disaster housing. The site has 432 units plus 18 additional units on private property, a 500,000-gallon water tank, and a program running through August 2029 before transfer to DHHL.
• The RAP and GAAP rental assistance programs ended August 2025; 340 households transitioned, with 48% moving to permanent housing and 44% to other interim housing.
• DCMP currently has 1,204 active cases representing 2,852 individuals, with 898 cases closed. The program has made over 19,000 referrals resulting in more than $173 million in services. Of active cases, 55% involve children and about one-third involve seniors. Housing remains the number one unmet need; 382 cases are in state housing programs and 440 in FEMA housing programs.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Autumn Ness, a land trust and HUI participant, commended the work but raised concerns about water supply, the timeline for developing raw land, and the new single-family construction policy. She said sections such as 10.1 on homebuyer requirements are far removed from national best practices and questioned whether the program would truly preserve affordability. She offered to remain available as a resource.
• James Langford, a Lāhainā resident and wildfire survivor, said he was FEMA-ineligible and experienced significant hardship. He stated he has a court case in eight days, alleged corruption and misuse of funds in state-run facilities, and urged the county to conduct audits as DCMP transitions to county control.
• A phone testifier, Jesse Long, expressed concerns about public participation, saying he had been barred from parts of the process, and questioned the use of terms like “community” and “stakeholders” when public access had decreased.
• Kay Anderson thanked the recovery team, urged the county to never lose sight of the 102 lives lost, and called for a well-communicated countywide disaster preparedness and evacuation plan. She cited a 3.5-hour tsunami evacuation traffic jam, noted that the 1998 Kīhei/Mākena community plan infrastructure requirements went unimplemented for 30 years, and referenced a PNAS study predicting another wildfire fatality based on infrastructure gaps.
• Carolyn Awelilha, wearing a Kāhuʻoi Coalition hat, advocated for careful water planning in West Maui. She said Lāhainā's water resources are at least at 90% of sustainable yield, faces saltwater intrusion, and that adding DHHL expansion, FEMA-unit occupancy, and new construction would add roughly six million gallons per day to an already strained water budget.
• A testifier discussed Senate Bill 3034, which proposed voluntary acquisition of vulnerable coastal properties at hazard-adjusted residual value. She said roughly 2,000 West Maui properties are on such a list, suggested partnering with the Lahaina Community Land Trust, and asked the Office of Recovery to evaluate the concept.
• A representative of the Royal Pentecost Kingdom of Hawaiʻi stated that the lands at issue are not public lands, that royal patent holders and their descendants have not been contacted, and that the lands should be returned to aboriginal descendants rather than acquired or developed.
• Mr. Kamaunu testified that native tenant water rights are vested and cannot be extinguished, that some waterway corridors may be subject to land commission awards, and that the county should require proof of clear title and authority before purchasing the LIC system.

Executive Session

• After presentations and public testimony, the committee considered whether to discuss the proposed Launiupoko Irrigation Company water asset purchase and the Kamehameha Schools land portion in executive session. No members raised open-session questions on the acquisition specifics.
• Councilmember Cook moved, and Councilmember Johnson seconded, to enter executive session under HRS 92-5(a)(3) (negotiations for acquisition of public property) and HRS 92-5(a)(4) (consultation with legal counsel). The motion passed 7-0, with Councilmember Lee and Councilmember Sinenci excused.
• The committee reconvened at 4:43 p.m. Legislative Attorney Nakata disclosed that the executive session was covered by the two announced statutory bases, and that the only potentially open-session matter raised was whether to publicly discuss policies and procedures related to the Kumuhō program.

Key Outcomes

• No legislative action was taken on the recovery plan, DCMP transition, or the proposed acquisitions.
• The committee will meet next on August 19, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.
• Following the executive session, Director Mitchell said he was not aware of a reported mold issue at Haleola EA, would follow up with Paramount property management, and noted the RFP process had been paused so there was no immediate urgency for residents to move. The county is scheduled to take over the property in February 2027.
• Councilmember Uʻu-Hodgins thanked staff for their work, including coordination with HUD under a difficult federal administration.