Aloha,
My name is Kaleo Demello from Waiohuli. I work in Waiohuli Kai with ‘Āinakūko’a on the wetland, waterways, and shoreline from Kelpolepo to Waipuilani. It’s not a mystery “Kīhei” has had problems with flooding and ocean water quality years before this recent storm. But maybe now more people will see and understand that Maui in a whole needs responsible and long term solutions to protect our infrastructure and natural resources. Currently our groups is focus on wetland stewardship and invasive removals, and at the same time our efforts help with disaster functions. I’d like to see more efforts throughout Maui in restoring and protecting our fragile resources, coastlines, and water quality. With added funds to support these kinds of projects, we can cover more ground with more hands and try to restore and maintain our mountains to oceans, which in return will produce more livable conditions and food security for the future.
Mahalo
I humbly ask that you support Resolution 26-87 .. proposing the creation of a Climate Action and Resilience Revolving Fund..
This Resolution is so very important to the islands of the County of Maui .. there are so many projects that we need to address immediately to include..
o walkable and bikeable complete streets .. (especially in the Kihei area) ..
o wetlands stewardship ..
o nature-based shoreline management solutions ..
o disaster readiness ..
o invasive species removal..
o community gardens ..
these are just a few of the many projects that this Resolution will address ..
again .. thank you for listening and ..
I humbly ask that you please support Resolution 26-87 ..
Aloha Chair and members of the Council,
My name is Cristina De Leon, and I am testifying in strong support of Resolution 26-87.
Maui County cannot afford to continue treating climate resilience as an optional or future priority. We are already experiencing the impacts of climate change through drought, wildfire risk, flooding, coastal erosion, rising costs of living, and strain on our infrastructure and natural resources.
The funds set aside by resolution 26-87 can be used to consistently invest in solutions instead of reacting only after disasters occur. This is a practical and forward-thinking approach that helps protect our people, environment, economy, and future generations.
I especially support the bill’s use of transient accommodations tax revenue to fund resilience projects. Visitors benefit from Maui’s natural beauty and infrastructure, and it makes sense that a portion of those revenues be reinvested into protecting the very resources that sustain our islands and economy.
This fund can help support projects like wildfire mitigation, water security, clean energy, shoreline protection, waste reduction, disaster preparedness, and community resilience initiatives.
The cost of inaction will always be greater than the cost of preparation.
Please pass resolution 26-87 and demonstrate that Maui County is committed to protecting its communities, cultural resources, and environment with long-term, accountable funding.
Mahalo for the opportunity to testify.
I support a permanent Funding mechanism for the climate action and resiliency program we need put money aside to support CARP plan that we have put in place - otherwise it is meaningless. money will never be spent on climate action Unless we create a permanent fund now because there many important ways to spend our county money including our housing problems however our climate and environmental problems will destroy ultimately our quality of life and our tourism industry and our real estate industry and pretty much everything And we just don't give enough importance to this long term issue on a day to day basis The only way this will happen is if we fund the CARP plan that we have created and it is important this money be reserved for uses that are within that jurisdiction and that there be accountability and transparency with this money and this is always necessary with how you spend our tax dollars. Mahalo Genesis
I appreciate and support many of the goals discussed by supporters of this resolution. Protecting our environment, improving disaster preparedness, restoring native ecosystems, reducing wildfire risk, protecting our shorelines, and planning for future challenges are all important responsibilities of government.
However, this resolution is not a vote on any one of those projects.
This resolution would create a permanent funding mechanism that automatically diverts public money into a dedicated Climate Action and Resilience Revolving Fund. That distinction matters.
Supporters have highlighted a long list of worthy projects that could potentially be funded. But the question before this Committee is not whether those projects sound beneficial. The question is whether taxpayers should permanently set aside a portion of County revenues outside of the normal budget process.
Every year, the Council reviews competing priorities. Housing, roads, water infrastructure, public safety, parks, emergency management, wildfire mitigation, wastewater systems, and environmental protection all compete for limited public resources. That process requires elected officials to justify spending decisions publicly and allows residents to evaluate whether priorities are being properly funded.
If climate-related projects are truly among the County's highest priorities, they should be able to compete successfully through the annual budget process just like every other County function.
I am also concerned about accountability.
Supporters reference more than 100 projects identified in the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan. That raises important questions.
Which projects receive funding first?
Who decides?
What objective measurements determine success?
What happens when projects fail to produce measurable results?
How much money will be spent on administration, planning, consultants, studies, and reports versus actual implementation?
The public deserves answers before establishing a permanent funding stream.
I am particularly concerned about references to relocation planning for areas impacted by sea level rise and climate change. Residents deserve a transparent public discussion regarding what that means. Are we discussing public facilities, private property, voluntary relocation programs, future buyouts, or restrictions on rebuilding? Those conversations should occur openly before creating a dedicated funding mechanism.
Maui County faces many urgent challenges today. Residents are struggling with housing affordability, rising insurance costs, aging infrastructure, traffic congestion, water system needs, and recovery from recent disasters. Future Councils should retain the flexibility to evaluate priorities each year rather than having increasing portions of County revenue automatically directed into dedicated funds.
I support environmental stewardship. I support disaster preparedness. I support protecting our natural resources.
What I do not support is removing significant public funds from the annual budget process and placing them into a dedicated fund without stronger accountability, performance standards, and public oversight.
For these reasons, I respectfully urge the Committee to reject Resolution 26-87.
VIA EMAIL: hannah@wildhawaii.org
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund
To: The Government Relations, Ethics, and Transparency (GREAT) Committee
Re: In strong support of RESO 26-87 Proposed Charter Amendment
Aloha Chair Batangan, Vice-Chair Uʻu-Hodgins and esteemed members:
As Director and co-founder of Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund and the Hawai’i Wildlife Discovery Center in Kāʻanapali, I am writing to wholeheartedly support RESO 26-87, a Resolution which proposes the creation of a Climate Action and Resilience Revolving Fund.
This Charter amendment would allocate 20% of the annual transient accommodations tax, minimum, to the Fund annually (using projections for the upcoming fiscal year, this would be about $13 million annually). Additional money could be added to this Revolving Fund, which must be used to implement projects identified in our County's Climate Action and Resiliency Plan.
The CARP is codified in our County due to legislation previously introduced by CM Johnson. It is the County's official plan for climate action and is required by law to be regularly updated and tracked. A list of all action items identified in the CARP, and which could be funded by a CARP Revolving Fund, is available online, listing more than 100 projects.
Here are some examples:
• composting facilities,
• waste-to-energy,
• wastewater reuse,
• curbside recycling and green waste pickup,
• walkable and bikeable complete streets,
• community gardens,
• wetland stewardship,
• invasive species removal,
• nature-based shoreline management solutions,
• evacuation route planning and implementation,
• relocation planning for culturally sensitive areas at risk of sea level rise and climate change impacts,
• green workforce development and education and
• disaster readiness.
As you know, these projects are critically important for a livable and resilient future where we play our role in regenerating the environment and sequestering carbon. While some councilmembers have expressed concerns about setting aside this funding, we believe that in a $1.6-billion County budget, setting aside money for climate action is a smart and reasonable thing to do.
These projects preserve and regenerate the land, water, and nature; support resiliency; and increase our quality of life among many things—these are the kinds of investments that are foundational and support the many other funding priorities in our County such as economic diversification and safe affordable housing. Because the CARP and uses of the Fund would need to be tracked using the dashboard, this also increases transparency and accountability in our County spending.
On behalf of Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund and the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Discovery Center, I wholeheartedly endorse Reso 26-87 in order to support funding the CARP.
Mahalo for your consideration and continued progress in protecting our environment,
Hannah Bernard
Executive Director
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Discovery Center
PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT TO ESTABLISH A CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENCY REVOLVING FUND
Chair Batangan and Members of the Government Relations, Ethics, and Transparency Committee,
My name is Edward Codelia, a resident of Kula, Maui, REALTOR®, small business owner, and survivor of the August 2023 Maui wildfires. I am in opposition to Resolution 26-87 as currently drafted.
I support responsible wildfire mitigation, disaster preparedness, infrastructure resilience, water security, and practical environmental stewardship. However, I do not support placing a permanent Charter mandate on future taxpayers requiring that at least 20 percent of Maui County's Transient Accommodations Tax revenues be automatically diverted into a revolving fund without clearly defining how the money will be spent, measured, audited, and reported to the public.
This proposal creates a dedicated funding stream before identifying specific projects, timelines, performance benchmarks, or accountability measures.
The proposed fund may be used for County programs, grants and loans to nonprofit organizations, leveraging outside funding sources, and even acquisition and management planning of real property.
These categories are broad enough to encompass an almost unlimited range of activities. Residents are effectively being asked to approve a funding mechanism first and trust that future councils, administrations, consultants, and nonprofit organizations will determine how the money is ultimately spent.
Further, the resolution allows all unencumbered balances to remain in the fund indefinitely and accumulate from year to year.
Maui County already faces significant challenges involving housing affordability, wildfire recovery, emergency preparedness, infrastructure maintenance, road repairs, drainage systems, water infrastructure, wastewater capacity, and public safety. Future elected officials should retain flexibility to prioritize emerging needs rather than being constrained by an ever-growing collection of protected special funds.
If wildfire mitigation is truly the objective, then the Council should identify specific projects and funding needs, including:
• Vegetation and fuel-load reduction.
• Firebreak construction and maintenance.
• Water system hardening and redundancy.
• Emergency communication systems.
• Evacuation route improvements.
• Fire station construction and staffing.
• Wildfire detection and monitoring systems.
• Utility infrastructure improvements.
Those are tangible projects the public can evaluate and measure.
Instead, this proposal creates a broad funding mechanism without establishing objective standards for success, independent performance audits, spending caps, grant limitations, or measurable outcomes.
Before advancing this measure to the ballot, I respectfully request answers to the following questions:
How much Maui County TAT revenue would have been deposited into this fund during Fiscal Year 2026?
How much revenue is projected to be diverted into this fund over the next five years and ten years?
What percentage of the fund may be awarded to nonprofit organizations?
What percentage of the fund may be spent on consultants, studies, planning documents, and administrative overhead?
What independent audit requirements will exist beyond standard County accounting practices?
What measurable performance standards will be used to determine whether the fund is successfully improving resilience?
How many acres of fuel reduction, miles of firebreaks, water system improvements, or emergency preparedness projects are expected to be completed annually?
Why should this funding requirement be embedded in the County Charter rather than evaluated annually through the normal budget process?
Why should future councils be required to dedicate a minimum percentage of TAT revenues regardless of future economic conditions or community priorities?
What safeguards exist to prevent this fund from becoming a vehicle for consultant contracts, nonprofit grants, and land acquisitions that may have little connection to actual wildfire prevention or community resilience?
Has the Council prepared an estimate of how much funding would be unavailable for housing, infrastructure, public safety, water, and other County priorities as a result of this mandatory dedication?
Why should voters approve a permanent funding mandate before seeing a detailed project list, budget plan, implementation schedule, and independent oversight structure?
Maui residents deserve transparency, accountability, and measurable outcomes before being asked to dedicate a significant portion of County tax revenues to a new revolving fund.
For these reasons, I respectfully urge the Committee to reject Resolution 26-87 as drafted or substantially amend it to include strict spending limitations, independent audits, annual reporting requirements, and project-specific accountability measures before placing it before the voters.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Edward Codelia
Kula, Maui
Resident, REALTOR®, and Small Business Owner
Aloha,
My name is Kaleo Demello from Waiohuli. I work in Waiohuli Kai with ‘Āinakūko’a on the wetland, waterways, and shoreline from Kelpolepo to Waipuilani. It’s not a mystery “Kīhei” has had problems with flooding and ocean water quality years before this recent storm. But maybe now more people will see and understand that Maui in a whole needs responsible and long term solutions to protect our infrastructure and natural resources. Currently our groups is focus on wetland stewardship and invasive removals, and at the same time our efforts help with disaster functions. I’d like to see more efforts throughout Maui in restoring and protecting our fragile resources, coastlines, and water quality. With added funds to support these kinds of projects, we can cover more ground with more hands and try to restore and maintain our mountains to oceans, which in return will produce more livable conditions and food security for the future.
Mahalo
Aloha, Councilmembers ..
I humbly ask that you support Resolution 26-87 .. proposing the creation of a Climate Action and Resilience Revolving Fund..
This Resolution is so very important to the islands of the County of Maui .. there are so many projects that we need to address immediately to include..
o walkable and bikeable complete streets .. (especially in the Kihei area) ..
o wetlands stewardship ..
o nature-based shoreline management solutions ..
o disaster readiness ..
o invasive species removal..
o community gardens ..
these are just a few of the many projects that this Resolution will address ..
again .. thank you for listening and ..
I humbly ask that you please support Resolution 26-87 ..
aloha from a grateful kupuna..
adele rugg :-}
808 879 9964
Aloha Chair and members of the Council,
My name is Cristina De Leon, and I am testifying in strong support of Resolution 26-87.
Maui County cannot afford to continue treating climate resilience as an optional or future priority. We are already experiencing the impacts of climate change through drought, wildfire risk, flooding, coastal erosion, rising costs of living, and strain on our infrastructure and natural resources.
The funds set aside by resolution 26-87 can be used to consistently invest in solutions instead of reacting only after disasters occur. This is a practical and forward-thinking approach that helps protect our people, environment, economy, and future generations.
I especially support the bill’s use of transient accommodations tax revenue to fund resilience projects. Visitors benefit from Maui’s natural beauty and infrastructure, and it makes sense that a portion of those revenues be reinvested into protecting the very resources that sustain our islands and economy.
This fund can help support projects like wildfire mitigation, water security, clean energy, shoreline protection, waste reduction, disaster preparedness, and community resilience initiatives.
The cost of inaction will always be greater than the cost of preparation.
Please pass resolution 26-87 and demonstrate that Maui County is committed to protecting its communities, cultural resources, and environment with long-term, accountable funding.
Mahalo for the opportunity to testify.
Testimonies received from GREAT Committee as of 6/2/2026 10:30 a.m.
If we don't establish a funding source, the plan is useless.
I support a permanent Funding mechanism for the climate action and resiliency program we need put money aside to support CARP plan that we have put in place - otherwise it is meaningless. money will never be spent on climate action Unless we create a permanent fund now because there many important ways to spend our county money including our housing problems however our climate and environmental problems will destroy ultimately our quality of life and our tourism industry and our real estate industry and pretty much everything And we just don't give enough importance to this long term issue on a day to day basis The only way this will happen is if we fund the CARP plan that we have created and it is important this money be reserved for uses that are within that jurisdiction and that there be accountability and transparency with this money and this is always necessary with how you spend our tax dollars. Mahalo Genesis
I respectfully oppose Resolution 26-87.
I appreciate and support many of the goals discussed by supporters of this resolution. Protecting our environment, improving disaster preparedness, restoring native ecosystems, reducing wildfire risk, protecting our shorelines, and planning for future challenges are all important responsibilities of government.
However, this resolution is not a vote on any one of those projects.
This resolution would create a permanent funding mechanism that automatically diverts public money into a dedicated Climate Action and Resilience Revolving Fund. That distinction matters.
Supporters have highlighted a long list of worthy projects that could potentially be funded. But the question before this Committee is not whether those projects sound beneficial. The question is whether taxpayers should permanently set aside a portion of County revenues outside of the normal budget process.
Every year, the Council reviews competing priorities. Housing, roads, water infrastructure, public safety, parks, emergency management, wildfire mitigation, wastewater systems, and environmental protection all compete for limited public resources. That process requires elected officials to justify spending decisions publicly and allows residents to evaluate whether priorities are being properly funded.
If climate-related projects are truly among the County's highest priorities, they should be able to compete successfully through the annual budget process just like every other County function.
I am also concerned about accountability.
Supporters reference more than 100 projects identified in the Climate Action and Resiliency Plan. That raises important questions.
Which projects receive funding first?
Who decides?
What objective measurements determine success?
What happens when projects fail to produce measurable results?
How much money will be spent on administration, planning, consultants, studies, and reports versus actual implementation?
The public deserves answers before establishing a permanent funding stream.
I am particularly concerned about references to relocation planning for areas impacted by sea level rise and climate change. Residents deserve a transparent public discussion regarding what that means. Are we discussing public facilities, private property, voluntary relocation programs, future buyouts, or restrictions on rebuilding? Those conversations should occur openly before creating a dedicated funding mechanism.
Maui County faces many urgent challenges today. Residents are struggling with housing affordability, rising insurance costs, aging infrastructure, traffic congestion, water system needs, and recovery from recent disasters. Future Councils should retain the flexibility to evaluate priorities each year rather than having increasing portions of County revenue automatically directed into dedicated funds.
I support environmental stewardship. I support disaster preparedness. I support protecting our natural resources.
What I do not support is removing significant public funds from the annual budget process and placing them into a dedicated fund without stronger accountability, performance standards, and public oversight.
For these reasons, I respectfully urge the Committee to reject Resolution 26-87.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Renee Kaiama
June 1 2026
VIA EMAIL: hannah@wildhawaii.org
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund
To: The Government Relations, Ethics, and Transparency (GREAT) Committee
Re: In strong support of RESO 26-87 Proposed Charter Amendment
Aloha Chair Batangan, Vice-Chair Uʻu-Hodgins and esteemed members:
As Director and co-founder of Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund and the Hawai’i Wildlife Discovery Center in Kāʻanapali, I am writing to wholeheartedly support RESO 26-87, a Resolution which proposes the creation of a Climate Action and Resilience Revolving Fund.
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund is a 501©3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of Hawai’i’s native marine life through research, education and habitat restoration, founded in 1996 by two former National Marine Fisheries Service scientists, myself and Bill Gilmartin. We have headquarters on Hawaiʻi Island and Maui and are powered by our communities and volunteers to recover the thriving health of our nearshore ecosystems and protected wildlife. We have worked for 30 years to protect Hawaiʻi’s native wildlife and restore sensitive habitat. For the last decade, every year, operating under state and federal research permits, we have had to translocate sea turtle nests mauka because of sea level rise.
This Charter amendment would allocate 20% of the annual transient accommodations tax, minimum, to the Fund annually (using projections for the upcoming fiscal year, this would be about $13 million annually). Additional money could be added to this Revolving Fund, which must be used to implement projects identified in our County's Climate Action and Resiliency Plan.
The CARP is codified in our County due to legislation previously introduced by CM Johnson. It is the County's official plan for climate action and is required by law to be regularly updated and tracked. A list of all action items identified in the CARP, and which could be funded by a CARP Revolving Fund, is available online, listing more than 100 projects.
Here are some examples:
• composting facilities,
• waste-to-energy,
• wastewater reuse,
• curbside recycling and green waste pickup,
• walkable and bikeable complete streets,
• community gardens,
• wetland stewardship,
• invasive species removal,
• nature-based shoreline management solutions,
• evacuation route planning and implementation,
• relocation planning for culturally sensitive areas at risk of sea level rise and climate change impacts,
• green workforce development and education and
• disaster readiness.
As you know, these projects are critically important for a livable and resilient future where we play our role in regenerating the environment and sequestering carbon. While some councilmembers have expressed concerns about setting aside this funding, we believe that in a $1.6-billion County budget, setting aside money for climate action is a smart and reasonable thing to do.
These projects preserve and regenerate the land, water, and nature; support resiliency; and increase our quality of life among many things—these are the kinds of investments that are foundational and support the many other funding priorities in our County such as economic diversification and safe affordable housing. Because the CARP and uses of the Fund would need to be tracked using the dashboard, this also increases transparency and accountability in our County spending.
On behalf of Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund and the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Discovery Center, I wholeheartedly endorse Reso 26-87 in order to support funding the CARP.
Mahalo for your consideration and continued progress in protecting our environment,
Hannah Bernard
Executive Director
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Fund
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Discovery Center
TESTIMONY IN OPPOSITION TO RESOLUTION 26-87
PROPOSED CHARTER AMENDMENT TO ESTABLISH A CLIMATE ACTION AND RESILIENCY REVOLVING FUND
Chair Batangan and Members of the Government Relations, Ethics, and Transparency Committee,
My name is Edward Codelia, a resident of Kula, Maui, REALTOR®, small business owner, and survivor of the August 2023 Maui wildfires. I am in opposition to Resolution 26-87 as currently drafted.
I support responsible wildfire mitigation, disaster preparedness, infrastructure resilience, water security, and practical environmental stewardship. However, I do not support placing a permanent Charter mandate on future taxpayers requiring that at least 20 percent of Maui County's Transient Accommodations Tax revenues be automatically diverted into a revolving fund without clearly defining how the money will be spent, measured, audited, and reported to the public.
This proposal creates a dedicated funding stream before identifying specific projects, timelines, performance benchmarks, or accountability measures.
The proposed fund may be used for County programs, grants and loans to nonprofit organizations, leveraging outside funding sources, and even acquisition and management planning of real property.
These categories are broad enough to encompass an almost unlimited range of activities. Residents are effectively being asked to approve a funding mechanism first and trust that future councils, administrations, consultants, and nonprofit organizations will determine how the money is ultimately spent.
Further, the resolution allows all unencumbered balances to remain in the fund indefinitely and accumulate from year to year.
Maui County already faces significant challenges involving housing affordability, wildfire recovery, emergency preparedness, infrastructure maintenance, road repairs, drainage systems, water infrastructure, wastewater capacity, and public safety. Future elected officials should retain flexibility to prioritize emerging needs rather than being constrained by an ever-growing collection of protected special funds.
If wildfire mitigation is truly the objective, then the Council should identify specific projects and funding needs, including:
• Vegetation and fuel-load reduction.
• Firebreak construction and maintenance.
• Water system hardening and redundancy.
• Emergency communication systems.
• Evacuation route improvements.
• Fire station construction and staffing.
• Wildfire detection and monitoring systems.
• Utility infrastructure improvements.
Those are tangible projects the public can evaluate and measure.
Instead, this proposal creates a broad funding mechanism without establishing objective standards for success, independent performance audits, spending caps, grant limitations, or measurable outcomes.
Before advancing this measure to the ballot, I respectfully request answers to the following questions:
How much Maui County TAT revenue would have been deposited into this fund during Fiscal Year 2026?
How much revenue is projected to be diverted into this fund over the next five years and ten years?
What percentage of the fund may be awarded to nonprofit organizations?
What percentage of the fund may be spent on consultants, studies, planning documents, and administrative overhead?
What independent audit requirements will exist beyond standard County accounting practices?
What measurable performance standards will be used to determine whether the fund is successfully improving resilience?
How many acres of fuel reduction, miles of firebreaks, water system improvements, or emergency preparedness projects are expected to be completed annually?
Why should this funding requirement be embedded in the County Charter rather than evaluated annually through the normal budget process?
Why should future councils be required to dedicate a minimum percentage of TAT revenues regardless of future economic conditions or community priorities?
What safeguards exist to prevent this fund from becoming a vehicle for consultant contracts, nonprofit grants, and land acquisitions that may have little connection to actual wildfire prevention or community resilience?
Has the Council prepared an estimate of how much funding would be unavailable for housing, infrastructure, public safety, water, and other County priorities as a result of this mandatory dedication?
Why should voters approve a permanent funding mandate before seeing a detailed project list, budget plan, implementation schedule, and independent oversight structure?
Maui residents deserve transparency, accountability, and measurable outcomes before being asked to dedicate a significant portion of County tax revenues to a new revolving fund.
For these reasons, I respectfully urge the Committee to reject Resolution 26-87 as drafted or substantially amend it to include strict spending limitations, independent audits, annual reporting requirements, and project-specific accountability measures before placing it before the voters.
Thank you for the opportunity to testify.
Edward Codelia
Kula, Maui
Resident, REALTOR®, and Small Business Owner