Summary
Rawlins-Fernandez wanted the Open Space Fund to pay for regular removal of wildfire fuel hazards, but pulled the proposal herself to avoid crowding the November ballot. She hopes to revive it in a future charter cycle.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 3
- Last 30 days
- 1
Discussed at 1 meeting in the last 60 days; most recently Oct 8, 2026.
Impact analysis
Would have redirected Open Space Fund money toward wildfire prevention; withdrawn before fiscal analysis.
Communities at wildfire risk, particularly after the 2023 fires.
County departments may face added workload building the data set and GIS layer.
Mentions & discussions (4)
Disaster Recovery, International Affairs, and Planning Committee (2025-2027) — October 8, 2026
Members debated whether to keep the specific wildfire-data action item (mapping fire acreage, years, locations and causes) after the administration suggested broader language. Members pushed back, citing post-2023 fires, and kept the specificity already adopted.
Government Relations, Ethics, and Transparency Committee (2025-2027) — June 2, 2026
Rawlins-Fernandez wanted the Open Space Fund to pay for regular removal of wildfire fuel hazards, but pulled the proposal herself to avoid crowding the November ballot. She hopes to revive it in a future charter cycle.
Budget, Finance, and Economic Development Committee (2025-2027) — April 17, 2026
A fire survivor credited pencil cactus with saving his property and urged county-wide planting as living firebreaks; another asked the county to fund reclaimed water delivery to Bishop Estate lands so dry fields stop becoming fire hazards.
Maui County Knew Of Lahaina’s Fire Risk For Years
Maui County Knew Of Lahaina’s Fire Risk For Years Honolulu Civil Beat
Related development
We'll email you when it's on an upcoming agenda and when it's voted on, at most once a day.
The weekly brief for Maui County
What the council decided, in plain English — one email a week.
Free. Unsubscribe with one click any time. We never sell your email.