Maui County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Maui County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Mauka collector road and evacuation route feasibility study
Kihei is essentially a one-road-in, one-road-out community, and testifiers called it a death trap in a fire, tsunami, or flood. The plan emphasizes the North-South Collector Road, but speakers say a real second highway exit is still needed.
South Maui Community Plan update (Bill 108)
The 20-year plan replacing the 1996 Kihei-Makena plan would guide where and how South Maui grows — housing, transportation, watershed management, and cultural site protection. Residents fear it locks in growth the roads, water system, and evacuation routes can't support.
$1.6B CDBG-DR wildfire recovery fund status
Lionel Pascual described falling out of every aid program after his loss-of-use money ran out — making $14,000 too much to qualify for help but not enough to afford rent — and fears homelessness.
Maui County Kokua Fund for emergency donations (Bill 93)
After the 2023 wildfires, over $140 million in donations went largely to an O'ahu-based nonprofit without Council oversight. Chair Lee's Kokua Fund bill would let the County accept emergency donations directly with quarterly reporting, giving the Council a window into where the money goes.
Kula (Waiakoa) gym damage and possible total loss
High winds blew off the gym's roof and rain soaked its wooden structure; a structural engineer is evaluating whether it's a total loss, with results in about 60 days. Officials reclassified it out of the parks exclusion so FEMA may help pay, and historic, archaeological and accessibility reviews complicate any rebuild.