**Oral/Written Testimony**
**BFED-1 • Bill 41 (Operating Budget) • April 23, 2025**
**Aloha Chair Sugimura and Members of the Committee:**
My name is **James R.C.S. Langford**, lead architect and creator of the 12 Stones Sovereign Charter software platform. I appreciate the Mayor’s inclusion of our major modules in the proposed FY 2026 Operating Budget. To complete and scale this vital system—extending AI governance, blockchain auditing, citizen portals, FarmBox integration, Sage Game content, and Forever ElementLOTUS Studios—I respectfully request you add the following **Professional Services** line item to **Bill 41**:
> **Operating Budget • Professional Services**
> **Account:** 001–**12Stones‐PS**
> **Title:** “12 Stones Software Development & Integration”
> **Vendor:** James RCS Langford, Sole Proprietor
> **Amount:** **\$800,000**
**Justification:**
1. **Turnkey Delivery:** Funds James Langford’s full‐time engagement to finalize all six 12 Stones modules—ensuring on‐time Q2 rollout.
2. **Continuity & Expertise:** As original system designer, I provide unmatched institutional knowledge, avoiding costly re‐onboarding or third‐party delays.
3. **ROI & Risk Mitigation:** A dedicated contract reduces integration risk by 40% and accelerates time to operational readiness, unlocking anticipated audit‐savings of \$1.2 M in Year 1.
4. **Local Economic Impact:** All fees remain in‐state, supporting one small‐business owner and associated subcontractors.
**Conclusion:**
By carving out this \$800,000 line item, the County secures the critical expert services required to deploy, integrate, and maintain the 12 Stones platform—driving transparency, resilience, and measurable savings across every department. Mahalo nui loa for your consideration.
**Respectfully submitted,**
James R.C.S. Langford
Creator, 12 Stones Sovereign Charter System
jimlangford@me.com • (808) 765-1399
My name is Katie Whiticar, and I’m here to voice my strong support of including Adaptations Dance Theater’s (ADT) $90,000 line item in the FY26 Mayor’s Budget. This critical funding would allow ADT to expand its Bring it Home (BiH) program—providing consistent, professional work for Maui-based dance artists.
I have been a dancer with ADT since 2016. I’ve taught in their youth programs and am now an emerging choreographer with the company. I grew up in Wailuku, dancing at Maui Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA) alongside fellow ADT members Ali McKeon Pineo, Emily McKeon, and Madi McGain. After graduating high school, I left Maui to pursue a professional dance career, earning my B.A. in Dance from California State University, Long Beach and working professionally in Los Angeles.
In 2016, I was offered a contract that flew me back to Maui to perform in ADT’s first Bring it Home production. That opportunity was life-changing. Not only did it reconnect me to my home community, but it showed me that professional dance work on Maui was possible. By 2018, I had moved back home—thanks in large part to the consistency, community and paid opportunities that ADT offered.
Paid opportunities for dancers and choreographers on Maui are rare. ADT’s BiH program has been a vital platform for local artists like me to grow—not just as performers, but as leaders, educators, and creators. Through BiH, I recently choreographed my first professional piece, an experience that helped shape my artistic voice and opened new doors I never thought possible without leaving the island.
My story is just one of many. This funding doesn’t only impact my career—it supports a pipeline for dancers who grew up here, are growing up here now, and want to contribute meaningfully to our island's cultural life. ADT has invested in developing dancers into teaching artists, and dancers and teaching artists into choreographers. That kind of growth matters, both personally and professionally.
The requested $90,000 will allow ADT to double its artist contracts, retain local talent, and keep more of Maui’s creative workforce employed year-round. This is not only a cultural investment—it’s an economic one. ADT hires dancers, choreographers, teaching artists, photographers, videographers, and local vendors. Every dollar stays here on the island and feeds back into our creative and economic ecosystem.
Please support ADT’s $90,000 line item in the FY26 budget and help ensure that Maui dancers can continue to live and work in the community that raised them.
My name is Hallie Hunt, and I am the Artistic Director of Adaptations Dance Theater, Maui’s only professional contemporary dance company.
This year marks ADT’s 12th anniversary as a nonprofit arts organization. For over a decade, we’ve been committed to making Maui a place where professional dance can not only exist—but thrive. Through residencies, performances, education programs, and community outreach, we’ve created over 120 performances, offered 100+ artist contracts, and built a homegrown ecosystem that nurtures Maui dancers from student to professional.
I am submitting this testimony in strong support of the proposed $90,000 line item for Adaptations Dance Theater in the FY26 Mayor’s budget. With this funding, ADT will be able to continue offering employment for professional Maui dancers—allowing them to pursue their careers on island—while providing world-class contemporary dance performances to our community, and expanding our signature Bring it Home (BiH) concert at the ʻĪao Theater to include a second season each year. This expansion will double the opportunities we can offer both artists and audiences.
BiH is more than a performance series. It’s a long-term investment in Maui’s creative economy and cultural life. In 2026, this expansion will allow us to:
* Offer two 4-week residencies for dance artists
* Present six original performances at the historic ʻĪao Theater
* Issue over 43 paid contracts to local and returning artists
* Engage 1,800 audience members, many of whom are kūpuna and students attending free or discounted thanks to our partnership with Wave of Harmony
* Channel nearly $93,000 in direct economic impact to local businesses through tourism, studio rentals, printing, and professional services
We develop local talent and build programs that reflect the values, diversity, and voices of Maui. Our dancers perform stories rooted in this place—created by the people who live here, taught here, and now give back here.
This expansion is not just possible—it’s ready. We’ve spent 12 years laying the groundwork. And with this line item, we can offer year-round employment to artists, reach new audiences, and further establish Maui as a destination for world-class, community-driven dance.
On behalf of our Board, our artists, and our community partners, I respectfully request your full support of ADT’s $90,000 line item in the FY26 Mayor’s budget. With it, we’ll continue honoring Maui’s creative legacy—and build an even stronger future for contemporary dance right here at home.
Mahalo for your time and consideration.
Warmly,
Hallie Hunt
Artistic Director
Adaptations Dance Theater
My name is Ali McKeon Pineo, and I am the Executive Director of Adaptations Dance Theater (ADT)—Maui’s only professional contemporary dance company.
I am writing this testimony in strong support of ADT’s line item to $90,000 in the FY26 Office of Economic Development budget, so that we may expand our Bring it Home program into a biannual season, increase employment for our professional dance artists on island, and deepen our service to the Maui community.
I was born and raised on Maui, trained at Maui Academy of Performing Arts, and later studied at Stanford and UC Irvine before dancing professionally in California. Every summer I returned home to perform with ADT’s Bring it Home series—because it was the only professional performance opportunity available on the island for artists like me. It allowed me to stay connected to Maui and to keep my artistic identity rooted here.
In 2021, I returned home permanently with my husband and newborn son. I stepped into a leadership role at ADT—first as Co-Artistic Director and now as Executive Director. That journey was only possible because Bring it Home existed. It’s what helped me—and many others—see Maui as a place where a professional life in the arts was possible.
Since its founding in 2013, ADT has provided over 100 artist contracts, created over 120 performances, and grown a programmatic ecosystem that supports local and returning artists, students, kupuna, and audiences across generations. Bring it Home now includes not just performances, but choreographic residencies, free classes, mentorships, and educational intensives that form a real pipeline for professional dancers raised in Hawaiʻi.
We are ready to expand Bring it Home to include two full residency and performance cycles annually—offering six performances, over 43 artist contracts, and two sets of educational intensives. We’ll reach an estimated 1,800 audience members and circulate nearly $93,000 back into the local economy through wages, rentals, partnerships, and tourism.
We are proud to be a small but mighty team with a strong track record. We’ve been included in the Mayor’s budget for two years and offered an OED grant last year, and we are grateful for that trust. Today, we ask for your help to scale our impact.
Please restore and increase ADT’s FY26 line item to $90,000. With your support, we will continue to build a future for contemporary dance on Maui—one that’s local, sustainable, and rooted in community.
Mahalo for your time and consideration.
Warmly,
Ali McKeon Pineo
Executive Director
Adaptations Dance Theater
I am writing in support of the proposed funding allocated to Adaptations Dance Theatre (ADT). Through the opportunities they have created for professional dancers, ADT has provided me with ways to come home to Maui and be with the community I care most about. As a dancer who was born and raised on Maui now living on the mainland- finding ways to stay connected to home is deeply important to me. It is thanks to ADT that I have been able to come home to be in fulfilling projects, teach workshops to dancers on island, participate in community outreach, and give back to a place that has given me so much. Those experiences are immeasurably meaningful and I hope to continue creating more with ADT. We are taught that our relationship to this island should not be extractionary, and through ADT I am able to spend time paying gratitude to home. From having the honor of sharing dance about Aunty Sally Ann's incredible life and activism, to performing for the kupuna at Kula Hospital, I am so humbled to be a part of what ADT is doing and sincerely hope they can receive the financial support necessary to continue doing their work.
As a small business owner who makes a living in the wedding industry, I strongly support any legislation aimed at providing more support to this vital sector, especially on the island of Maui. The wedding industry is a major contributor to Hawaii’s local economy, sustaining countless jobs and small businesses, mine included. On Maui, where communities are still recovering from economic hardship and natural disasters, helping the wedding industry thrive means supporting families, preserving culture, and sustaining local livelihoods. I urge lawmakers to recognize the importance of this industry and pass measures that provide meaningful relief and growth opportunities.
Mahalo Nui for your consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Chad McDonald/Stir Beverage LLC
**Oral/Written Testimony**
**BFED-1 • Bill 41 (Operating Budget) • April 23, 2025**
**Aloha Chair Sugimura and Members of the Committee:**
My name is **James R.C.S. Langford**, lead architect and creator of the 12 Stones Sovereign Charter software platform. I appreciate the Mayor’s inclusion of our major modules in the proposed FY 2026 Operating Budget. To complete and scale this vital system—extending AI governance, blockchain auditing, citizen portals, FarmBox integration, Sage Game content, and Forever ElementLOTUS Studios—I respectfully request you add the following **Professional Services** line item to **Bill 41**:
> **Operating Budget • Professional Services**
> **Account:** 001–**12Stones‐PS**
> **Title:** “12 Stones Software Development & Integration”
> **Vendor:** James RCS Langford, Sole Proprietor
> **Amount:** **\$800,000**
**Justification:**
1. **Turnkey Delivery:** Funds James Langford’s full‐time engagement to finalize all six 12 Stones modules—ensuring on‐time Q2 rollout.
2. **Continuity & Expertise:** As original system designer, I provide unmatched institutional knowledge, avoiding costly re‐onboarding or third‐party delays.
3. **ROI & Risk Mitigation:** A dedicated contract reduces integration risk by 40% and accelerates time to operational readiness, unlocking anticipated audit‐savings of \$1.2 M in Year 1.
4. **Local Economic Impact:** All fees remain in‐state, supporting one small‐business owner and associated subcontractors.
**Conclusion:**
By carving out this \$800,000 line item, the County secures the critical expert services required to deploy, integrate, and maintain the 12 Stones platform—driving transparency, resilience, and measurable savings across every department. Mahalo nui loa for your consideration.
**Respectfully submitted,**
James R.C.S. Langford
Creator, 12 Stones Sovereign Charter System
jimlangford@me.com • (808) 765-1399
Aloha Chair and Members of the Budget Committee,
My name is Katie Whiticar, and I’m here to voice my strong support of including Adaptations Dance Theater’s (ADT) $90,000 line item in the FY26 Mayor’s Budget. This critical funding would allow ADT to expand its Bring it Home (BiH) program—providing consistent, professional work for Maui-based dance artists.
I have been a dancer with ADT since 2016. I’ve taught in their youth programs and am now an emerging choreographer with the company. I grew up in Wailuku, dancing at Maui Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA) alongside fellow ADT members Ali McKeon Pineo, Emily McKeon, and Madi McGain. After graduating high school, I left Maui to pursue a professional dance career, earning my B.A. in Dance from California State University, Long Beach and working professionally in Los Angeles.
In 2016, I was offered a contract that flew me back to Maui to perform in ADT’s first Bring it Home production. That opportunity was life-changing. Not only did it reconnect me to my home community, but it showed me that professional dance work on Maui was possible. By 2018, I had moved back home—thanks in large part to the consistency, community and paid opportunities that ADT offered.
Paid opportunities for dancers and choreographers on Maui are rare. ADT’s BiH program has been a vital platform for local artists like me to grow—not just as performers, but as leaders, educators, and creators. Through BiH, I recently choreographed my first professional piece, an experience that helped shape my artistic voice and opened new doors I never thought possible without leaving the island.
My story is just one of many. This funding doesn’t only impact my career—it supports a pipeline for dancers who grew up here, are growing up here now, and want to contribute meaningfully to our island's cultural life. ADT has invested in developing dancers into teaching artists, and dancers and teaching artists into choreographers. That kind of growth matters, both personally and professionally.
The requested $90,000 will allow ADT to double its artist contracts, retain local talent, and keep more of Maui’s creative workforce employed year-round. This is not only a cultural investment—it’s an economic one. ADT hires dancers, choreographers, teaching artists, photographers, videographers, and local vendors. Every dollar stays here on the island and feeds back into our creative and economic ecosystem.
Please support ADT’s $90,000 line item in the FY26 budget and help ensure that Maui dancers can continue to live and work in the community that raised them.
Mahalo for your time and your consideration.
Katie Whiticar
Dancer, Choreographer with Adaptations Dance Theater
B.A. Dance CSULB
Thank you for considering funding Adaptations Dance Theater in the Mayor's Budget. Please see my letter in support of our local community.
Aloha Chair and members of the budget committee,
My name is Hallie Hunt, and I am the Artistic Director of Adaptations Dance Theater, Maui’s only professional contemporary dance company.
This year marks ADT’s 12th anniversary as a nonprofit arts organization. For over a decade, we’ve been committed to making Maui a place where professional dance can not only exist—but thrive. Through residencies, performances, education programs, and community outreach, we’ve created over 120 performances, offered 100+ artist contracts, and built a homegrown ecosystem that nurtures Maui dancers from student to professional.
I am submitting this testimony in strong support of the proposed $90,000 line item for Adaptations Dance Theater in the FY26 Mayor’s budget. With this funding, ADT will be able to continue offering employment for professional Maui dancers—allowing them to pursue their careers on island—while providing world-class contemporary dance performances to our community, and expanding our signature Bring it Home (BiH) concert at the ʻĪao Theater to include a second season each year. This expansion will double the opportunities we can offer both artists and audiences.
BiH is more than a performance series. It’s a long-term investment in Maui’s creative economy and cultural life. In 2026, this expansion will allow us to:
* Offer two 4-week residencies for dance artists
* Present six original performances at the historic ʻĪao Theater
* Issue over 43 paid contracts to local and returning artists
* Engage 1,800 audience members, many of whom are kūpuna and students attending free or discounted thanks to our partnership with Wave of Harmony
* Channel nearly $93,000 in direct economic impact to local businesses through tourism, studio rentals, printing, and professional services
We develop local talent and build programs that reflect the values, diversity, and voices of Maui. Our dancers perform stories rooted in this place—created by the people who live here, taught here, and now give back here.
This expansion is not just possible—it’s ready. We’ve spent 12 years laying the groundwork. And with this line item, we can offer year-round employment to artists, reach new audiences, and further establish Maui as a destination for world-class, community-driven dance.
On behalf of our Board, our artists, and our community partners, I respectfully request your full support of ADT’s $90,000 line item in the FY26 Mayor’s budget. With it, we’ll continue honoring Maui’s creative legacy—and build an even stronger future for contemporary dance right here at home.
Mahalo for your time and consideration.
Warmly,
Hallie Hunt
Artistic Director
Adaptations Dance Theater
Aloha Chair and Members of the Budget Committee,
My name is Ali McKeon Pineo, and I am the Executive Director of Adaptations Dance Theater (ADT)—Maui’s only professional contemporary dance company.
I am writing this testimony in strong support of ADT’s line item to $90,000 in the FY26 Office of Economic Development budget, so that we may expand our Bring it Home program into a biannual season, increase employment for our professional dance artists on island, and deepen our service to the Maui community.
I was born and raised on Maui, trained at Maui Academy of Performing Arts, and later studied at Stanford and UC Irvine before dancing professionally in California. Every summer I returned home to perform with ADT’s Bring it Home series—because it was the only professional performance opportunity available on the island for artists like me. It allowed me to stay connected to Maui and to keep my artistic identity rooted here.
In 2021, I returned home permanently with my husband and newborn son. I stepped into a leadership role at ADT—first as Co-Artistic Director and now as Executive Director. That journey was only possible because Bring it Home existed. It’s what helped me—and many others—see Maui as a place where a professional life in the arts was possible.
Since its founding in 2013, ADT has provided over 100 artist contracts, created over 120 performances, and grown a programmatic ecosystem that supports local and returning artists, students, kupuna, and audiences across generations. Bring it Home now includes not just performances, but choreographic residencies, free classes, mentorships, and educational intensives that form a real pipeline for professional dancers raised in Hawaiʻi.
We are ready to expand Bring it Home to include two full residency and performance cycles annually—offering six performances, over 43 artist contracts, and two sets of educational intensives. We’ll reach an estimated 1,800 audience members and circulate nearly $93,000 back into the local economy through wages, rentals, partnerships, and tourism.
We are proud to be a small but mighty team with a strong track record. We’ve been included in the Mayor’s budget for two years and offered an OED grant last year, and we are grateful for that trust. Today, we ask for your help to scale our impact.
Please restore and increase ADT’s FY26 line item to $90,000. With your support, we will continue to build a future for contemporary dance on Maui—one that’s local, sustainable, and rooted in community.
Mahalo for your time and consideration.
Warmly,
Ali McKeon Pineo
Executive Director
Adaptations Dance Theater
I am writing in support of the proposed funding allocated to Adaptations Dance Theatre (ADT). Through the opportunities they have created for professional dancers, ADT has provided me with ways to come home to Maui and be with the community I care most about. As a dancer who was born and raised on Maui now living on the mainland- finding ways to stay connected to home is deeply important to me. It is thanks to ADT that I have been able to come home to be in fulfilling projects, teach workshops to dancers on island, participate in community outreach, and give back to a place that has given me so much. Those experiences are immeasurably meaningful and I hope to continue creating more with ADT. We are taught that our relationship to this island should not be extractionary, and through ADT I am able to spend time paying gratitude to home. From having the honor of sharing dance about Aunty Sally Ann's incredible life and activism, to performing for the kupuna at Kula Hospital, I am so humbled to be a part of what ADT is doing and sincerely hope they can receive the financial support necessary to continue doing their work.
To Whom it may concern:
As a small business owner who makes a living in the wedding industry, I strongly support any legislation aimed at providing more support to this vital sector, especially on the island of Maui. The wedding industry is a major contributor to Hawaii’s local economy, sustaining countless jobs and small businesses, mine included. On Maui, where communities are still recovering from economic hardship and natural disasters, helping the wedding industry thrive means supporting families, preserving culture, and sustaining local livelihoods. I urge lawmakers to recognize the importance of this industry and pass measures that provide meaningful relief and growth opportunities.
Mahalo Nui for your consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Chad McDonald/Stir Beverage LLC