Maui County · issues
Civic issues
Topics getting the most attention in Maui County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they come up.
Notice to owners of redesignated parcels (6850 Makena Road)
The Makena Golf and Beach Club's representative asked for fixes: allow stormwater retention basins in gulches, field-verify gulch map lines, align affordable-housing policies with HUD rules, and correct the Makena Landing 'government facility' listing.
Piilani Promenade subdivision bond and drainage questions
Bill 58 would redirect $6 million in leftover bond proceeds to renovations of the 24 North Church Street building for the Prosecuting Attorney in the Wailuku-Kahului Community Plan Area.
Youth-led Commission on Children and Youth
A Maui High School student testified with 56 signatures for turning the Commission on Children and Youth into a youth-led body, giving young people a standing voice in county decisions. Council Member Johnson voiced support.
Structural reform of county boards and commissions
A messy meeting for the Independent Nomination Board process: Faith Chase's police commission bid failed, East Maui water authority nominees were disqualified over license-area rules, and the chair called for repealing the INB provision.
HRS Chapter 179D dam and reservoir safety barrier
Member Cook warned that state law makes liability so 'toxic' that detention basins to stop South Maui mud floods aren't being built. The committee agreed to raise it in future legislative lobbying.
Māʻalaea Triangle zoning cleanup
A Maalaea condo owner asked the plan to treat Maalaea as its historic mixed-use harbor area rather than a residential extension of Kihei, noting most complexes sit in the sea-level-rise exposure zone with no town infrastructure.
Adopt-A-Street litter and stormwater program
Volunteers adopt stretches of road, pick up litter twice a year, and keep trash out of storm drains and the ocean. The county supplies gear and hauls the bags; the program has three groups but capacity for about ten.
Restoring Hawaiian place names and history in the plan
Historian Lucienne de Naie warned that big detention basins and developments are planned over poorly-surveyed archaeological sites — repeating past mistakes like the Wailea hotel zone built atop a major burial ground.
Honua'ula (Wailea 670) fire station and retention basin overlap
Kay Anderson of Wailea 808 told the committee the Wailea Golf description in the draft plan is outdated — the Maui Planning Commission approved an updated plan in March 2025 that the community hasn't had a chance to review. The committee will need to fix it before final approval.
Central Maui base yard industrial expansion with 100-foot gulch buffers
The plan could add roughly 66 acres of industrial land east of Maui Veterans Highway, with open space buffers along Pulehu Gulch. Members liked the 100-foot buffer given industrial runoff risks, and the landowner agreed to it.
Wailea Golf mapping and the Chan proposal
Kay Anderson of Wailea 808 told the committee the Wailea Golf description in the draft plan is outdated — the Maui Planning Commission approved an updated plan in March 2025 that the community hasn't had a chance to review. The committee will need to fix it before final approval.
Reviving the Nāulu Cloud Bridge
Restoration and reforestation work spanning leeward Haleakalā to Kahoʻolawe aims to encourage rainfall for the region. The committee wants to see the work in person, which requires closing the meeting to the public because of unexploded ordnance and access limits on the island.
Deteriorating rain catchment infrastructure on Kahoʻolawe
Two rusted water storage tanks at a rain catchment area can only hold a fraction of the roughly 3.5 million gallons that half-acre collection panels could gather, limiting restoration irrigation. A consultant is needed to assess repairs.
Enforceability of community plan language
Chair Alice Lee raised a legal question suggesting the county's one-year limit on community plan amendments may only apply to private applicants — not the Council itself — potentially opening a more flexible path for post-adoption fixes.
Kulamalu Park stairway injury and missing railing
A woman fractured her hip at Kulamalu Park in Pukalani after reaching for a railing that wasn't there on a stairway landing. The park was privately built, dedicated to the county in 2011, and met code then — but no repairs have been made since the 2024 accident, and kids use those stairs regularly for Pop Warner football.
One-year plan amendment restriction may not bind the Council
Chair Alice Lee raised a legal question suggesting the county's one-year limit on community plan amendments may only apply to private applicants — not the Council itself — potentially opening a more flexible path for post-adoption fixes.
Green Waste Composting in South Maui
Currently South Maui's green waste goes to the landfill while a private facility composts in Waikapū, outside the plan area. The committee converted the action into a policy supporting land-use entitlements for a composting operation within the plan area, and flagged a broader General Plan conversation.
Duplex/ADU action struck — residents can now legally add units
The committee struck a plan action item because recent county laws already allow kitchenettes and two ADUs per residential property. Members flagged that many residents — and even building inspectors — don't know these changes exist yet.
Public access to county meeting information
Testifier Jasee Law told the committee he couldn't even find out what the meeting was about, saying residents struggle to keep up with the number of meetings and lack of accessible information. He asked the county to fund public access points in next year's budget.
Housing outside flood hazard zones
New affordable and workforce housing in South Maui must now be planned outside special flood hazard areas under an approved plan policy.
Recycled water and wastewater injection wells
New policies would require developments to connect to recycled (R-1) water systems where available, and move toward — not fully eliminate — wastewater injection wells, since state rules require backup capacity. Councilmember Cook noted many hotels already have dual meters ready for recycled water.
Emergency preparedness for kūpuna and disabled residents
Councilmember Paltin asked whether evacuation transportation for elderly and disabled residents could be strengthened in the plan; Human Concerns described ongoing work with MEO and MIMA, including wheelchair-capable shelter buses used during Hurricane Lala.
Public campgrounds in South Maui
The 'support public campgrounds' policy has sat in three county plans for years with nothing to show for it. The committee kept it — with an asterisk marking it as redundant-but-wanted — after CPAC Chair Rob Weltman and members tied it to unhoused residents and lost traditional beach camping.
Public shoreline and beach access
As shoreline parcels get walled off, the plan now pushes for unobstructed public walkways and beach access, with wetlands protection carved into its own policy — plus questions about the old 'government beach reserve' in Kīhei where homes have encroached.
Urban tree canopy and shade equity
South Maui is hot and short on shade, and the committee heard it's an equity issue — wealthy neighborhoods get tree tunnels, North Kihei doesn't. New rules tie development to the county Urban Forest Management Plan until a South Maui tree plan exists, and push for public notice before hazardous tree removal.
Wailea Golf Course plan discrepancy
Kay Anderson of Wailea 808 told the committee the Wailea Golf description in the draft plan is outdated — the Maui Planning Commission approved an updated plan in March 2025 that the community hasn't had a chance to review. The committee will need to fix it before final approval.
Wastewater disinfection and fire-break greenbelt
Travis Liggett pitched a plan to accelerate UV wastewater disinfection and build a reclaimed-water greenbelt firebreak along South Maui — funded, he proposes, by big philanthropy through new "SMILAST" legislation. Councilmember Cook asked him to submit an outline.
Maalaea land-use designation
A Maalaea condo owner asked the plan to treat Maalaea as its historic mixed-use harbor area rather than a residential extension of Kihei, noting most complexes sit in the sea-level-rise exposure zone with no town infrastructure.
Facial recognition technology moratorium question (Bill 112)
The county doesn't own facial recognition tech yet, and Bill 112 would set rules for if it ever does. Several members balked — one wants an outright ban — so action was deferred, and the administration has paused real-time crime center plans in the meantime.
Keawanui Fishpond and Kaʻamola Ahupuaʻa Restoration
ʻĀina Momona is restoring the Keawanui Fishpond and managing 437 acres mauka to stop erosion that was killing the pond's fish and smothering the reef. The group is asking the County for help permitting traditional practices and for influence with DLNR on access to rivers and valleys.
Emergency Shelters and Closures
Maui County just published the official list of emergency shelters and closures, so when a storm or emergency hits you can see exactly where to go and what’s shut down. It’s basic preparedness info—check it before you need it.
Election Results
Maui County's 2026 primary results are in, and the winners are now set to shape local leadership heading into the general election. The outcomes decide who'll be steering county priorities — from housing to budgets — so it's worth knowing who's on the ballot in November.
Taxicab fares and baggage charges
Taxi operators say Maui's baggage charges are the lowest in the state, and Bill 101 raises the fee to $10 for oversized bags, bikes, surfboards and big pet crates. Enforcement is murky — county code is technically enforced by police, and cruise-ship harbor disputes fall under state DOT and PUC jurisdiction.
Workplace safety and harassment policy review
Vice Chair Paltin asked whether HR rules cover employee safety from the public — referencing a gun incident at a county building and the council's funding of a campus security plan. The team confirmed HR-related safety and violence policies fall within the project's review scope.
Disclosure rules for county land bought with special funds (Bill 81)
When the county buys land with restricted money like the open space fund and later wants to use it for something else — like affordable housing — the bill would force the county to say so up front, including how the original fund gets made whole. It comes from the West Maui Kaulu Onapili deal, where open space land was partly redirected to housing.
Expanding fare-free Maui Bus ridership (Bill 95)
Bill 95 makes bus rides free for more people — all students, County employees, and households up to 300% of the poverty level — and lets the county run fare-free days to boost ridership. It's part of the county's climate plan to get cars off the road, at a cost of roughly $40,000 a year in forgone fares.
Holiday Closures
Maui County offices are closed for the Fourth of July, so if you need permits, records, or other in-person services, you'll have to wait until they reopen. It's a standard holiday shutdown—emergency services aren't affected.
Zoning conditions transparency for property buyers
Council Member Paltin flagged that conditions attached to rezonings are hard for new planners and buyers to find — they're buried in ordinances, not on the real property tax zoning maps. The department pointed to the land-use designation form as the current workaround and said a TMK-to-ordinance lookup could be a future IT project.
Kula Hospital recovery advocacy
The state-run Kula Hospital, housing severely handicapped patients who were relocated to Oahu, isn't a county facility but county leaders are advocating for its repair. About eight patients sent to Oahu are experiencing separation anxiety from family caregivers.
Parks facilities excluded from FEMA declaration
The disaster declaration excluded parks facilities and hazard mitigation from FEMA reimbursement — a major gap since parks took real damage. The State has appealed in writing, and Oahu's stronger case may help overturn it; meanwhile the county is getting creative with categories, like treating the Kula gym as a building.
El Niño and hurricane season preparedness
With a Super El Niño forecast, the Office of Recovery is embedding in emergency operations earlier, expanding office space, and building on workforce experience from this disaster. Councilmembers were urged to flag vulnerable spots in their districts and keep communicating with property managers before storms hit.
Board of Ethics continuity
The ethics board just lost its chair and secretary to term limits as it rolls out big new initiatives. Letting members serve one extra five-year term would keep that expertise in place.
Cost of Government Commission term staggering
Four commission terms expire in 2028 and five in 2029, risking a gutted oversight board. The commission wants it fixed by county code, not a ballot question.
Board of Ethics Staffing
The five-month-old Ethics office reported it has already outpaced two years of typical output — 62 advisory opinions, 25 complaints closed — and needs two more staff, including a second attorney for contested cases. Funding (Bill 193) passed final reading; the salary-setting bill went to committee.
Kaulana Mahina parking and tenant treatment
A disabled resident testified she faced lease retaliation after reporting a landlord charging $85/month for parking that her contract says should be free. Members flagged possible enforcement action.
Federal HUD policy shift on homelessness funding
HUD restructured Continuum of Care funding on June 1, moving away from Housing First toward transitional housing and treatment requirements. Members and the director flagged concerns about barriers to entry.
Mokuʻula restoration funding from 500 Front Street lot
Money collected at the 500 Front Street lot flows to the Hawaiian Cultural Restoration Revolving Fund for the Mokuʻula/royal complex area. Members flagged that the lot may be lost to restoration plans and asked for written confirmation of how the funding gap gets covered.
Johnson Controls Energy Performance Contract Phase 3 Expansion
The county wants to expand its energy-savings contract with a ~$9 million Phase 3 covering solar, roof replacements, and infrastructure — paid off over 20 years from guaranteed energy savings. Members probed what happens if the county backs out ($150,000 owed), who pays for solar panel disposal, and battery backup resilience.
Board of Ethics reappointment
The Board of Ethics wants its members reappointable for one successive five-year term without a waiting period, saying it now has full-time staff and multi-year initiatives — lobbyist rules, a nepotism ordinance — that need institutional continuity.
Routing county claims to Corporation Counsel
Right now residents file injury and property damage claims with the County Clerk, who just forwards them along but keeps fielding frustrated claimants' questions. The proposed charter change sends claims directly to Corporation Counsel, but county attorneys say that could conflict them out of representing the county in resulting lawsuits, and Risk Management's office is too small and short-staffed to receive the public.