A lot of good morning and welcome to the 53rd session of the Hawaii County Council. Today is December 2nd and we are located here in the Kona Chambers as well as connected by video conference to our remote sites. to ask the clerk to give us a roll call please. The final roll call for the 2022-2024 council term. Councilmember Evans. Aye. Here. Councilmember Galimba. Here. Councilmember Renaba. Aye. Councilmember Caguata. Here. Councilmember Coddily Councilmember Renaba ill Councilmember Kaguata here Councilmember Connilly Kleinfelder here Councilmember Kirkowitz present Councilmember Villegas Al Chair Kimball here madam chair. You have all members eight members in attendance Thank you. Can you please lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank you. Thank you. The time is now 902. I'll call this meeting to order. Are there any testimonies from the public? Seeing none here in Kona, don't believe we have any on Zoom. Is there anyone in the Heelow Chambers to testify this morning? We have no one in Heelilo. Thank you, Donna. Madam Chair, no testimony for this meeting. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. If you could please start at the beginning of agenda. Resolution 727-24 expresses the Hawaii County Council's heartfelt gratitude to Susan Sue L. K. Lee-Loy for her years of dedicated service to the County of Hawaii. I have a motion, please. Chair motion to approve resolution. to Susan Sue L. K. Leeloy for her years of dedicated service to the county of Hawaii. May I have a motion, please? Chair motion to approve resolution 727-24. Motion by Vice Chair, you now have a seconded by Council Member Kirkowitz to approve resolution 727-24. Any comments from my body? Council Member Kirkwoods. Thank you. I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you, Council member Evans. It's truly been, oh, sorry. We're on Council member Leigh Law. Okay, Council member Leigh Law. So Sue, I don't just consider Sue a colleague. I consider her a dear friend. She was actually one of the first people that approached me to run for a county council. And I told her, Sue, I'm not ready. I don't have the experience. There's no way I could do this. And she started laughing at me. She's like, girl, you got it. You have everything that it takes. You're a good listener. You build community. You're a problem solver, that's everything that you need to be successful in the council. And so we have gone through volcanic eruptions and pandemics together and I've always appreciated her hard work ethic, her big heart, her always showing up strong for community. And even though she's completed eight successful years here on the County Council. I'm very privileged to know that she will continue to serve our community in a new capacity at the Hawaii State Legislature. She's gotten a few really exciting committee appointments and so I know that she will continue to do things that will be of great benefit to our people and our communities of Hawaii Island. So, Maohanui, Sue, our Tidabun on the run for your many years of service. We appreciate and I'll know how you. Thank you. Thank you, Councilmember Kukuewits. Anyone else? Councilmember Kukuewana. Thank you, Chair. Yeah, I just want to, you know, congratulate Sue on her new appointment. And I mean, her new position and thank her for all her years of service at the county, which go back many. I think we'll really miss her deep knowledge of the code and, you know, just having worked in departments here, just having worked in departments here, just having that background, I think it's really served our council will. And so very appreciative of all her talents there. She's definitely kind of the OG and gonna miss that energy here. So really appreciative and just can't wait to collaborate with her for our districts in the areas that they overlap with her at the state house. So wishing her the best. Thanks, Chair, Al Yield. Thank you, Councilmember Cagueta. Anyone else? Please, Chair Yineva. Yeah, thank you. I think, I heard from Councilmember Liloi this morning, so maybe I'll just share her own quote back to her. And she says, go be awesome, then go crush it, whatever it is. So with that, you know, wishing best wishes to Councilmember are now representative, Su Lee Loy and steering, hope IE in a point of direction. We look forward to partnering with you at the legislature and your colleagues there. So, Mahalo for your time served here. Aloha. Thank you. Councilmember Evans. Thank you. So, I hope so that you will, if you're not watching that, you will watch this and know that you know, you definitely are someone that fits what it is to be an elected official. You clearly dig into the issues and you have a willingness to give perspective and make hard decisions and you have to make really, really hard decisions when you're in this. You have not only problem solved but you have to do what you feel is right for the community and what I noticed over two years is how you really spoke up when you felt the need to speak up to give that different perspective. I for one was very grateful that you took on the disabled community and kept that strong voice very alive during our debates and during the time you were on the council and that minority group will always need to have a voice and I look forward to what you will be doing at the state legislature and very excited that you're on finance. I think that's a really good spot for you and that's a place where you'll quickly learn all about the different departments. So I wish you the best for us will be the beneficiaries. I'm sure and also for you and your family and the support you're going to get. It is you'll be spending a lot of time in Honolulu. So you know people at home will I'm sure miss you when you're gone. But best wishes to you and thank you thank you for your service. Thank you council member Evans anyone else. All right I'll just wrap it up and say that I'm very grateful to Sue not only for her time and service on the council, but all the years that she has dedicated to service to the county. And I will say that her and I, you know, the relationship was a little icy at first. And I've learned about Sue that you need to really take time and earn her trust. And I hope that I've done that over the last few years and that we've come to a point where we're actually good friends and I have appreciated the time getting to know her. I really look forward to seeing what she does for us representing the county at the state. She's going to come with a wealth of knowledge that I think will be invaluable to her service there and of course having experienced the county will advise the legislation that she works on there to make sure that we are not overlooked by the folks in the square building. So we appreciate that she's going to be there to represent us. In recognition of Sue's time, we did have this black mate for her, which we'll deliver to have her in her office in Honolulu. So hopefully she will remember us all when she looks at this every day. So thank you, Sue Sue for your service. With that we'll take a vote on the matter before us, which is the approval of Resolution 727-24. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Mr. Clerk, you have eight ayes. Resolution 727-24 is approved. Before we go on to our next resolution, I'm going to invite Pastor Charles Broadhead from the church of Cone Church of Nazarene to give us our invocation. Thank you, Pastor. Well, a little hug. Good morning. I'm Chairman and esteemed council members. It's my privilege to bring you some words of encouragement on this post Thanksgiving Monday. And I was thinking a lot about gratitude this week as we had Thanksgiving as many of you sat down at a Thanksgiving table with friends and family in O'Hana. And things I'm thankful for is that gratitude changes or an attitude of gratitude changes our perspective in the lens in which we look in the circumstances in life that God gives us in our little slice of time. I'm thankful that Thanksgiving changes our perspective on things despite challenging circumstances that we might face in life and when life doesn't quite go our way. You know, I read the Bible a lot as a pastor and there are many scriptures of thanksgiving that says Paul wrote, give thanks in all circumstances. He also wrote, give thanks to God the Father for everything. And then King David wrote this. He said, give thanks to the Lord for He is good, His love endures forever. And so as I was driving down here this morning, I was thinking about what I might be thankful for, what way you might be thankful for today. Maybe a new day of life, the breath of life, the haw that has been given to us. And thankful for the people and our lives that are placed around us who we get to love, we get to do life with, that you get to do life with here in this county council. And thankful for how God provides for each one of us, exactly what we need, when we need it. And I'm thankful that in the midst of challenging circumstances, trials in life, that God is with us all the time, and that He is right beside us and walks. And I'm especially thankful for the hope that is given as we approach the added in season through His Son, Jesus Christ. And then finally, as I drove in the parking lot this morning, I thank God for you. Our elected leaders, the one that is chosen to lead us and to guide us to a better future here on the big island. And so God is good. May we give thanks to Him for His love and doers forever. May I have the honor of praying for you this morning? Okay, let's pray. Our great and gracious God, we come to you this morning with hearts of gratitude. We thank you for being a God of love and who is with us now and in this place. You are a good God in your word promises that you will never leave us, that you will never forsake us. And your grace has brought us safe thus far, and your grace will lead us home. We thank you for creating each one of us here in this room and on this island and the world uniquely and wonderfully, and that we are made in your image, and that gives us dignity, it gives us infinite worth. We thank you for the calling that you have placed upon all of our lives to be a good steward of the INA and of creation and to love our neighbors, as ourselves. Especially this morning, I thank you for these, your servants, our county council members. I give you thanks for the way of service they have chosen to take up on behalf of all of us here. And as they gather today, I humbly ask for the spirit of the loha to infuse their deliberations with wisdom, compassion, and a deep respect for our community. Heavenly Father, we know that as without you, we can do nothing, so may this council humbly rely on your guidance in every decision that they make. I ask you direct their thoughts, their words, their actions, and made the decisions they make reflect the needs of all the residents here on this island upholding the beauty and integrity of this place we get to call home. And I pray that you will give them wisdom, strength, and courage Lord, show them a path that aligns with your will and give them discernment to know and do what is right for the best and good of all the citizens. May they put their interests of others above themselves and may they act with a common good for all. And Father, if they do encounter challenges and confusion, may they turn to you knowing that you are the ultimate source of truth and clarity. May they be committed to listening with open hearts to one another, working together to build a better future for not only Kailua Kona and Hilo but for all the big island. Father, we are so grateful for your faithful servants here and your presence here and your promise to guide them. May your hand be upon them in this meeting throughout the day and may everything they do bring glory to your name. It's the name of your son, Jesus we pray. Amen. Thank you, Pastor. And on that note of hope and looking forward, can we move now to the second resolution on the agenda, Mr. Clerk? Resolution 728-24 expresses the Hawaii County Council's heartfelt gratitude to Cynthia Cindy Evans for her years of dedicated service to the County of Hawaii. Introduced by Chair Kimble. Motion to approve resolution 728-24. Motion by Vice Chair, now, but seconded by Councilmember Villegas to approve the next item. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You know, I wanted to, you know, when I talked to my constituents, I always said this was the best council that I had seen because we were strong individuals. We spoke our truth and we voted in accordance with our consciousness. I was very pleased and felt honored to have the kind of diversity and the kind of discussions that we had. We didn't always agree, but it was a healthy disagreement. I thought it was very respectful, and so I really, really appreciated that. So I just want you to know, I think that this county has been extremely well represented the last two years. You know, when you get in and then you realize how hard it is for in two years to get things done, you start respecting the administration, the staff, the people behind that do the work that help us and then the work that we do. I was shocked at the beginning with all the deadlines, we're a deadline driven entity, very process deep in the process. And the process works for you at times. And the process it feels like is a barrier. It just slows things down. And so while you're trying to do the work, things happen on the outside, like COVID happened to you. I wasn't here when COVID happened, but there's things that happen while you're trying to get things done. So it's a very interesting to know that it's told us out of the year, it's every other week, it never stops. It's just as constant, it's just as constant momentum. And, you know, I grew to really enjoy it and like the rhythm, but it really is interesting knowing that it never stops. And at the state legislature, which I was blessed to serve there its four months of intensity and then it's over. It begins it stops. This just has this culture of just constantly going and I think that the relationship with the administration, the staff, everyone is that continuum with us on that continuum that just keeps going. And so, you know, I'm really grateful for this opportunity to experience it. It's pretty amazing. And I want to thank my constituents who are just to meet where I represent North and South Koala. The people are just amazing. And the community, communities there are amazing and extremely diverse. And I felt very blessed to get closer to each one of those communities. That was one of the takeaways. And I guess I have to close in a couple of things and gratitude to our military and our veterans. I will never forget that what they fight and what they do gives us the honor to sit here with the freedom to be a democracy, to get elected and to cast votes. And without them we wouldn't have that. I want to give gratitude to my two grandmothers because whenever I need the strength for whatever I do, I always pull it from those two women who taught me so much and taught me all about what politics is all about because both of them had 10 children who had spouses and children, as you can imagine, when you have huge families, there's a lot of politics and those two women taught me, you know, about politics and balance and fairness and listening and they really, really taught me so much. And then my mom and dad who both served in the military, they came home and community service, which I think is why I'm driven. I feel it's a calling and I'm driven to be in community service. I think it comes from my two parents who came back and they just couldn't do enough for their community. Even if they were, they both had jobs but they were always on the weekend. Be it the Lions Club, the LX Club, the BFW, whatever community service projects. They were always out there in the community. And the same for my uncles, you know, that served in the military. It's just we were always out in the community doing things in the community. And maybe that's coming from large families too. But you know, I just have it in me. You know, that's just part of who I am, but I think it's because I grew up with that. And so, you know, I'm like, again, very grateful for all of you, each one of you in your individuality and what you've done over the last two years is amazing because it's a huge commitment. And your family and your friends, everybody, I'm guaranteed, probably nobody would want our job as they've told me because they understand I'm guaranteed, probably nobody would want our job, as he told me, because they understand what the commitment is, but you've done a great job. And I want to thank you, thank you, for sharing the last two years with me. Thank you so much, Councilmember Evans. Councilmember Kirkwoods. Thank you, Chair. Councilmember Evans, it's really been a pleasure to get to know you. You are one classy lady. I appreciate you taking the time to kind of illuminate all that goes into Reading Accounts Office, Operating County Government. And to also hear from you, where you draw strength, I also draw strength from my grandmother. She was an immigrant from the Philippines. And second grade was her highest education. And so there were a lot of barriers that women, our grandmother's faced to build families and to be a source of strength for all of us. Thank you for your service. It didn't start here on the council. You served many illustrious years in the Hawaii State Legislature. So I stand, we stand on your broad shoulders. Thank you for your contributions over the years, your lifelong dedication to serving your community. You are a community builder. And I know that your story doesn't end here. We all look forward to seeing what you do next and know that you have many supporters and friends here on the council that are going to be there for you. Thank you for your passion, your dedication and for always operating with style and grace. We appreciate and love you. Thank you, Chair. Thank you, Council Member Gwitz. Council Member Glimba. Thank you. Well, it's hard to follow both of you. So eloquent. But I just wanted to say that you really have been an inspiration for me and I'm sure all of us and really have, we benefited from your perspective, having been at the state government and also you know your unique community and your unique background. So yes, thank you. It was just a really great pleasure serving with you these last two years. Thank you, Council Member Villegas. Aloha Cindy. Wow, two years. Can go by fast and feel like an eternity. It has been a joy in an honor and a privilege to serve with you, to laugh with you, to cry with you, to struggle through. As you describe the challenges of serving in this role, it is a lot and it never stops. But your determination and tenacity and your ferocious commitment to your community and to standing by and sticking with what you feel is pono has inspired me and I will carry that always. I love what you said. This is about service above self and I'm really excited for you in these new roles already. A number of different organizations have swooped her up to serve in those other capacities and I will continue to stay connected. And I will view a basket out of Laohala as a representation of how something as simple as a representation of how something as simple as a leaf that may have served its purpose on the hallotry, then can be taken and molded and loved and shaped and bound together as is our community, as is this council, and to create a basket or if it was wood it would be an umeke, right, to carry something on within it is a kupu kupu fern which is endemic to Hawaii and the kupu kupu in the Hawaiian language means to sprout or to grow. And you are a woman who continues to sprout and grow and inspire that in those around you. And thank you for that. And I look forward to more time together laughing and playing and hopefully less crying But the joy and the service and the example that you have set Mahalo I Ealed Thank you councilmember Vegas Councilmember Annie Lee Clemfeller. Thank you chair Councilmember Evans it has been a pleasure As you've said to me many times over the past two years, I like your style. I like your style. You have a very strong, persistent quality to you that I enjoyed watching and also participating in. And I think after six years of being in the seat and seeing different folks come and go, I really come to judge what is done here by the not so much the words that are said on this dius, but in the kind of legacy that you leave behind. And what I've seen from you has been strong legislation. Well, that was very district-specific that really nailed down some of the issues that the community brought to you and that you brought to the council to speak for your and on behalf of your community. And that to me is the strength in what you brought. So I am hopeful that the next representative brings that same strength. But seeing you go is sad. That has been a pleasure. Yeah, thank you. Thank you. Councilmember Cuguleta, thank you, Chair. Cindy, thank you so much for your service. I'm from the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of the state of And I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, I did, Thank you so much and we'll miss you. Thank you. Thank you, Council Member Caguiwada. Nice to meet you. Thank you, Chair. Council Member Evans. We're going to miss you and I think I recall when you first joined us on the council and would come into the corner office, I'd be like, who is this lady? And I just came to grow and love you and what you brought to the table, you as a legislator and you as a person. So we look forward to continue working with you in the future. We know we'll continue to see you. So Mahalo, for bringing your personality and your life to us on the top. So. Thank you, Vice-Jerry Naba. And I'll just wrap it up by saying, yes, one of the things that I truly appreciated about UCD is you just have such a huge generous heart that is really focused on community service and hearing you tell the story now of your parents and it's like, oh, okay, like, that's where it comes from because from day one, like it could sense that this for you is all about trying to better the community, trying to help address some of the concerns. And boy, do you have a difficult community? So many diverse groups, areas, it's huge. And so being out there at all the events and participating and all the activities and getting the job done, I mean, the number of things that you were able to complete in a two-year term including getting a charter amendment on the ballot. It's truly impressive yeah and but all that is side. What I what I love most is that you know you've you've always put community first. You've spoken your truth as you said. You have educated all of us in various ways and it has really just been a pleasure and an honor to serve with you on this council. With that, we have a plaque for you too. So I'm going to come over and present that and our vice-chair has a special mahalo for you. Sing along if you know. I the Oh until we meet again until we meet again until we meet again. All right. Thank you for history now, but as we all know, like the way tears from our eyes. All right. With that, we come to the end of our agenda. Oh, yes. We have to call the vote on that. Do you need a roll call in case there's any no votes? Just want to check on that. Let's do a roll call. Do a roll call vote? Okay. I don't think she's ready for a roll call vote. She's being... She's walking away. She's first up. All right. Is there a conflict of interest on this vote too? Maybe. vote to. The interview cues yourself from this vote Miss Evans. On the motion to adopt resolution 7 to a council member Evans. Yes. Council member Gilemba. Aye. Council member Irina. Aye. Council member Kagiwana. Aye. Council member Connelly Kleinfeldt. Aye. Council member Wanda. I. Customer Cone Lee Kleinfeld. I. Customer Kirkowitz. I. Customer Villegas. I. Chair Campbell. I. Chair can we have eight votes in favor. The motion is adopted. Thank you very much, Mr. Clerk. And that brings us to the agenda vice chair. You know, before we adjourn our final council meeting for this term, I just wanted to express our Mahalo to you, Chair Kimbo, for your leadership these last two years. A lot of new things that you initiated that we have continued work to do. But I think our council has headed in a good direction and will continue forging that path forward. So just wanna model you for your leadership these last two years. Thank you, Vice Chair. Chair? Yes. Yes. I want to second that. And thank you for your leadership. Your work ethic is incredible. Your capacity to take on an elevate, not only causes and policy, but people. Your diplomacy and your commitment to positive outcome, whatever it takes, be that self-sacrifice, tongue-biting, whatever it's taken, you are an incredible woman, wildly intelligent, deeply passionate, and services ingrained in your heart and your soul. And you've shared that in this leadership role with every single one of us. And I think you personally and professionally and from your community. I look forward to serving another two years with you. And as our capacities continue to evolve, I look forward to all of the greatness that you will bring to your community above and beyond yourself. And for all the support you provided to each one of us as we navigated another term that did not come without challenges and wild occurrences but you really have been steadfast and solid and when I've needed you you've leaned in with me even when I didn't want it you leaned in with me and I appreciate that. And woman to woman, especially being in roles of leadership, that's not easy. But you've done it with style and grace and courage. And so I just want to thank you and tell you how much I honor and appreciate the job that you've done as chair for us. And I look forward to the next two years, which hopefully will be a little smoother sailing, just in the state of the world in general. But I am confident and I feel, we feel hopeful and I feel comforted that we'll continue to serve together and whatever comes our way, you will find a way. I yield. Thank you, Councilmember. If I may just briefly, just from a slightly different perspective than your colleagues just want to say it was truly you know pleasure to work with you directly as our chair and the support that you gave to our office was always genuine in your person of integrity and your very fair person and I truly believe that you just wanted to make sure that we all did the best jobs we could do in our roles to support the council. And you put a lot into that and everything and everything was sincere. And that means a lot to us. There's a staff that really does our best to support the council and the county as a whole. So I'm not forgotten and very much appreciated. Thank you very much. Oh, Council member, got you one. Thank you. Surprise, surprise, I'm gonna probably get a little emotional here as I want to do on this dius. Yeah, thank you so much. This has made my first term very feeling, very supported. I felt like you really did, as people have said, have everybody's best interest in heart and put the council before your own personal interest. Lots of times. I mean, it was amazing to have you in the leadership role of a council with seven and nine women. And I think, you know, that just says something that was know You did a good job of really supporting us trying not to be in factions and to be individual thinkers and each one do our best. So I really do some I'm so grateful for that because as my first two years on the council I want to you know continue that and go forward. And I hope that all of us who had this experience these last years can do that as well. So thank you so much. Thank you. All right, council member Ghani Lee, come out there. Thank you. Yeah, thank you very much for your time as our chair. I kind of looked at the chair to be almost like the parent of the council members and also the staff and kind of oversee. And I think you did a wonderful job. It is not easy and there's activities both within county and outside of county that the chair is expected to be present for and be a guiding light for. And you did well. You really did well. And you also did good as a mom probably was. And at times, there's government, there's different things happening. But in those times, when I look to a leader to be present for us or on my behalf or any one of our behalf or communities behalf, I really do feel like you were fair in your approach and that you took the time to understand all sides of what was happening and I couldn't ask for more from a chair. And so thank you for being that person and for guiding us over the last two years. Understandably we are on a new course but you did a good job and I'm a highly for that. Thank you. Council member, thank you. I just wanted to point out one of the things I really appreciated was the connection with the other counties and with the state legislature and trying to find that path of communication. And it's not easy when we have so much work like I was saying and never stops here at the county level. But also the outside influences of what the federal government is doing, what the state government is doing, what the other counties are doing, and trying to figure that out while we're trying to do our day to day is a real challenge and I know one of the things I that's one of the things that really stood out to me is that trying to get those pathways of communications open and that network open because we do learn you know so much. And of course, we had member Kirkowitz and Lee Boy and you know, really active on NACO. And we had NACO here in the state. And you connected with NACO and you know, just keeping all those, you know, because we learn so much from the other counties and the other people. And also there's initiatives and things coming down from the FETs. It's really hard to keep up with it. There's so much that comes so fast. And again, I will point out deadlines. There's federal deadlines. There's NACO deadline. Everybody's got deadlines. So how you manage all those deadlines so that you can take advantage of what's coming or you missed your opportunity. So I appreciate you, them that after I thought was really outstanding. So thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you all. The council member, Golland. Yes, just thank you for being the chair. I think you did a really great job of being, you know, just the, I mean, we're all equals here, really chair or not chair, but it's just an extra amount of work that you take up as chair and you did that and you did so much ounce as well that I said a very high standard and also as everyone has said a high standard of fairness I think that was really wonderful to be on this council and I look forward to continuing to work with you and it's continued to do great things. I think with this last term, we did a lot of really wonderful things that are, you know, because it's county takes a long time for the fruit to sort of ripen from these things that we did, but the good things that we've done, I think, will be evident for years to come. So thank you so much for leading us. Thank you, Councilman Bricklenba. And I'll just, it has been an honor of a lifetime to serve as chair of this council and of this council, this group of people in particular. It is really gratifying to hear that you felt supported and encouraged to do your best work and that there was a sense of fairness because that above all else was what I strove to do as chairs to provide the structure and the backing for everybody to do what they needed to do for their district and particularly, Mahalo to you, Mr. Clerk and all of the chairs staff, Laura, Chaz, Casey, Jessica and Scott over here. Thank you for your support. You made my job a lot easier as Chair, and I couldn't have done it without all of you. Of course, my district staff, Dot, and Bev, and Selena, you know, took on a little bit of additional work to support. But I'm excited to see where Vice-Chairi Napa is going to take us over this next term. And excited to see leadership from the Kona side, which I think everybody is. Consider it's really important to have that balance when we talk about fairness and balance. So thank you all for believing in me and it's been a real pleasure to serve as chair. So I am full of gratitude for the opportunity you have given me. And with that, and seeing no further business on the agenda, I will call this meeting to a close. The time is now 9.45. We are adjourned. Thank you.