Agriculture, Diversification, Environment, & Public Transportation Committee Meeting – August 6, 2026
Agriculture, Diversification, Environment, & Public Transportation Committee Meeting – August 6, 2026
The Agriculture, Diversification, Environment, & Public Transportation (ADEPT) Committee met on August 6, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. via Microsoft Teams and in person at the DPS Conference Room in Wailuku. The committee considered Bill 98 (2026), which would codify the Maui County Food and Nutrition Security Plan into Title 22 of the Maui County Code. After receiving presentations from the Department of Agriculture and Department of ‘Ōiwi Resources, testimony from the public, and committee discussion, the committee voted 6–0 (with one member excused) to recommend passage of the bill on first reading, as amended by a CD1 version and a minor amendment.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Hugh Starr, representing the Maui County Farm Bureau, initially requested deferral of the bill to allow producers to provide input on how the Title 19 rewrite and Important Ag Lands Act implementation should inform the bill. After clarification from Councilmember Paltin that the bill is at the committee working stage and that producers could submit comments before second reading, Starr withdrew the deferral request and asked only that the Farm Bureau have an opportunity to comment before second reading.
- Johan Law testified in support of the plan, noting the importance of planning to create food security and highlighting components such as invasive species management and watershed conservation. He also called for enforcement of agricultural zoning regulations.
- JC Law testified about personal difficulties in finding farm work and frustrations with government participation, but his testimony was not directly related to the bill.
- RL (anonymous) testified, questioning the role of farms versus individual home food production and the involvement of native Hawaiian ‘āina stewards in land use decisions.
Discussion Items
- Department Presentations:
- Department of Agriculture Director Kali Arcy described the food insecurity situation (60% of Maui County residents and 70% of fire survivors cutting back on groceries), the plan’s development with input from over 900 residents, and expressed support for codifying the plan to guide the department’s work.
- Food Access Coordinator Laura Nelson noted the committee’s enthusiasm and ongoing use of the plan to improve metrics for grants and programs.
- Deputy Director Kakai Robinson (Department of ‘Ōiwi Resources) emphasized the importance of integrating Native Hawaiian knowledge and ahupua‘a management, and requested a defined ongoing role for the department in the plan’s implementation and updates.
- Committee Deliberations:
- Councilmembers discussed the proposed online dashboard, with the Department of Agriculture indicating it would be maintained in-house and modeled after the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan dashboard. A draft was expected in Q2 of the following year.
- Councilmember Lee raised concerns about unfunded mandates and the need for economic incentives. Chair Johnson clarified that the amended bill language replaced “for the purpose of ensuring” with “to guide policy towards the goal of ensuring,” making it advisory rather than mandatory.
- Councilmember Batangan questioned the legal weight of codifying action items that lack identified leads or measurable metrics. Corporation Counsel confirmed that outside of reporting requirements, the plan is advisory and action items do not impose legal mandates on external partners.
- Councilmember Cook expressed support but cautioned against creating additional regulatory hurdles for farmers, noting challenges such as water access and the need for practical solutions.
- Councilmember Paltin proposed an amendment to add “or their designee” after references to the managing director to accurately reflect responsibility for the dashboard. Corporation Counsel stated it was not necessary but could be added for clarity; the committee did not adopt this amendment.
- A minor amendment was adopted to change “submitted to the county” to “submitted to the council” in Section F of the bill (updated plan approval).
- The committee also discussed the effective date and its interaction with the five-year update cycle but chose to retain the original language, keeping the plan evergreen.
Key Outcomes
- Motion to amend and replace Bill 98 with CD1 version: Passed unanimously (voice vote). The CD1 version included three changes: (1) amended title to identify the new chapter; (2) changed purpose language from “for the purpose of ensuring” to “to guide policy towards the goal of ensuring”; (3) added a definition for “food security.”
- Motion to amend Section F (change “county” to “council”): Passed unanimously (voice vote).
- Main motion to recommend passage of Bill 98 (2026) on first reading as amended: Passed 6–0. Voting members present: Gabe Johnson, Kauanoe Batangan, Tom Cook, Alice L. Lee, Tamara Paltin, Nohelani U‘u-Hodgins. Vice Chair Shane M. Sinenci was excused. The bill will now proceed to first reading before the full Council.
- The committee recessed from 10:25 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and adjourned after the vote.
Meeting Transcript
Aloha, will the agriculture diversification environment and public transportation committee meeting of August sixth, twenty twenty-six. Please come to order. The time is nine. Today I have uh Kate Griffith and Roxanne Marita to help me in the Lanae District office as well as Axelbeers on the sixth floor. Also, please see the last page of the agenda for information on connectivity and remember to silence all cell phones. Happy to be here. Moving on to Council Member Tom Cook, Aloha Council Member. Um, I'm in my key office, um I'm alone on the side, but my aid is here in case anybody wants to testify. Great. Thank you so much. Moving on to Council Chair Alice. Good morning, Council Member. No one's here in my workspace except me and my little kitty cat. Okay, say code to you, Chair Lee. Thank you. Moving on to committee member, uh, Council Member Tamara Polton, aloha council member. Aloha, Councilmember. Aloha Kukaiaka Kaku streaming live and direct from historic La Haina Town. I have with me, Christian Balangsu at the Laina Residency Area Office. And we have no testifiers waiting to testify at this morning. Thank you for that. Um, of course, committee member Noelani Uhanis is always well is I don't see her on, so unless okay, when she comes in, we'll introduce her when she comes in. Of course, our non-voting committee members are always welcome. That would be Councilmember Rollins Fernandez as well as Councilmember Yuki Lee Sweet Mura. From the administration, we have the Department of Agriculture, uh Director Kali Arcy, Deputy Director Heba Heva. He uh hopefully he can make that. I know he's trying to make it. Food access coordinator, Laura Nelson, uh, agriculture advocate Maya Hunter. And from the Department of OEV resources, we have Deputy Director Kakai Robinson from the Department of Corporation Council. We have Deputy Corporation Council uh Reif Snyder. Without objection, I'll designate our administration personnel as resource on the rule 18A of the rules of the council to their subject matter expertise related to the matters on this agenda. Any any objections, members? No objections. Okay, thank you. From the committee staff, we also have our adept uh team joining us this morning. Good morning. All right, members. On the agenda, thank you all for being here today. Uh online, virtually, however, we get we're here, we are here. Uh today on this agenda, we have one item, and it's Bill 98 2026, establishing a food and nutrition security plan, adept print uh 10. As this is the only item on today's agenda, I will take testimony after receiving opening comments from the departments. Members, I do intend to take legislation action on this bill today, FYI. The importance of food and nutrition security for our community cannot be overstated. Ensuring our residents have access to affordable, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food is a foundation of a healthy community where everyone can thrive. It is the guiding goal which informs efforts to improve our food system, support agriculture, cultural connection, improve public health, and manage our lands and natural resources. Data shows that our community is struggling with food insecurity. Cost of living continue to increase and have outpace wage growth. Housing costs are astronomical, and as they say, rent eats first. A 2024 survey found that 60% of Maui County residents and 70% of fire survivors report cutting back on groceries and food due to financial reasons. Our vulnerability, our vulnerable and historically marginalized communities are especially impacted, making food and nutrition security an equity issue.
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