Hello, Coco. Welcome to the fifth session of the White County Council Committee on Finance. My name is James Hughes. I'm the Vice Chair of this committee. Council Member and Presiding Officer Chair Matt Kelly Kleinfelder is absent today. So I will be the Presiding Officer for today's Finance Committee. We are here in the Healow Chambers and I am calling to this meeting to order at 2.24 in the afternoon. Thank you for your patience. In attendance, we have here in the Hilo Chambers, Councilmember Kimball, Councilmember Galimba, Councilmember Inaba, Councilmember Kirkowitz, Councilmember Kagiwata, and Councilmember, that is it for now. All right. Let's see, at at this time Mr. Clerk if we could take testimony Thank you so much chair. I just want to confirm that we do not have any testifiers here in the Hilo Chamber or Via zoom and from what I've been reported we do not have any testifiers at our remote sites sir Thank you mr. Arselli Mr. Clerk if you could read a Senate. Cunication 23.5, the report of a fund transfer is authorized January 1 through 15, 2025 from acting controller Wilson Criter, data January 30, 2025. Chair motion to close file on communication 23.5. Mr. Clerk, we have a motion to close file on communication 23.5 from Mr. Inaba and a second from Miss Galimba discussion comes members All those in favor Mr. Clerk, we have five eyes Oh Rebecca is an attendance back again. Okay, so we have six eyes, Mr. Clerk, Miss Kirkowitz, Mr. Onishi, and Mr. Coneyley-Clanfeller absent. Next item. We need to test one of your communication 23.6. Hearing none, communication 23. The motion is on the motion. The motion is on the motion. The motion is on the motion. The motion is on the motion. The motion is on the motion. The motion is on the motion. The motion is on the motion. The motion is on the motion. The motion is on the motion. The motion is on the motion. direct I ask a question? Please. Ms. Colombo. Thanks. To direct through not to go, I guess. Do it be the one to get closer to her? Okay. I don't see police, but it's this first one. Oh, you're up. Sorry. Didn't recognize you guys. Good afternoon, Holy Ayona, a content for Holy County Police Department. Thank you, Zayona. I just wanted to ask about the first item here, the um transfer of the money from the Kauu police, which seems to happen every year, but this year seems to be a specially big transfer. And I did see that we're potentially adding positions to Kauu, so I just wanted to ask if you could talk through that. Thank you. this untransferant particular is for the 500,000. I am sure it was 150 and the reason for that is the vacant positions. So when we run the recruit classes, the recruit classes, salary and wages come out of our administration until they are finished or FTO or feel training, then they get assigned to the different districts. So for the time being, while they're during their training, the administration will hold their SNW. So what we do is we take from the vacant positions within the budget to fill that and pay the SNW. And that's how we need to do the transfers. We can't do it before and because we don't know how many recruit classes will exactly have and how many recruits will be in each class. So... transfers. We can't do it before and because we don't know how many recruit classes will exactly have and how many recruits will be in each class. So will those then recruit then be assigned to? Yes, then they go in some ways. They finish their FTO or field training. They graduate and then we assign them to their permanent districts. Okay, fantastic. Looking forward to that. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Climba. Thank you for the silence. Any other questions from the council? Mr. Clerk Mr. Onishi has returned to the chambers Here we know the discussion all those in favor Anyone? Okay, Mr. Clerk, we have seven eyes for communication, filing communication, 23.6. Ms. Kirkowitz and Mr. Connelly-Confeld are absent. Thank you. Is there any testament of your communication, 23.7? Hearing none, communication, 23.7, and lung transfers authorized. January 16 through 31, 2025 from acting controller Wilson Criter dated. February 12, 2025. Move to close file on communication 23.7. Motion to close file on communication 23.7 from Mr. Renaba and a second from Miss Kagiwata. Council members, questions, discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor of final communication 23.7? All right. Any opposed? Mr. Clerk, if seven eyes on the motion, Miss Kirkowitz and Mr. Cnie, kind of held their arms in. Is there any testimony to communication 24.4? Hearing none, communication 24.4, report of change orders authorized December 16 to 31, to 1024 from finance director Diane Nakagawa dated February 13, 2025. Transmitting the reportuant to Section 2 that's 12.3 of the Hawaii County Code. Motion to close file on communication 24.4. Second. Mr. Clerk, we have a motion to close file on communication 24.4 from Mr. Inaba, second from Ms. Kogewata. Council members, any questions or discussion on communication 24.4? I'll give you a moment if you need a second there. Councillor Villegas, any questions from Kona? No, thank you. All right. Seeing no discussion on the matter. All those in favor of closing. Community file and communication 24.4. Please say aye. Aye. Those opposed. Mr. Clerk, we have seven eyes on closing file in communication 24.4. Miss Kirkowitz and Mr. Conn of the Clintel, they're absent. Attorney Testman, your communication is 73.1. Hearing none, communication is 73.1. Monthly budget status report for the month in July 31, 2024 from Finance Director Dan Ocagoa dated February 14, 2025 Transmitting Divide Report pursuant to Section 6-6.3H of the Hawaii County Charter. Motion to close filing communications, 73.1. Second. Mr. Clerk, we have a motion to close filing communications, 73.1 from Mr. Renaba and a second from Ms. Kagiwata. Questions, discussion from the Dias. Mr. Nama, please, the floor is yours. Thank you, Chair. Directing Akagawa, I know we're a little behind. Can you just give us an update as to when we're going to get closed right now, your office and the department have been working on it. So just a preview of what's to come. Of course, good afternoon, Diane Akagawa, finance director. Also like to introduce to you our acting controller, Wilson Criter, who has stepped in into this role as we recruit for a controller position, which is also one of our challenges is our resources. We are catching up. We are in the middle of our audit, tail end of our audit, wrapping things up. And I think Wilson has a status report on when you'll get some additional monthly budget status reports that we can get back on track. Okay, so yeah, actually August has been closed, so those should be available. You can pull the microphone just a little closer. You can pull the whole thing closer. Okay, can you hear me now? Yes. Okay. So yeah, August is closed and those should be to you guys shortly and then the staff is working on these additional months. So it takes about a month, sorry, a week once we actually close a filing period to actually process all the information. So and there's only two staff members that are working on this. So we hope to have through November by the time April rolls around and we're just gonna keep rolling through until we get caught up. And I will add that a lot of what we do is manual around the county. And so we are investing heavily on technology. So we don't have the resource at at least the technology, is advanced enough to be able to run reports that such a cumbersome process should be a lot easier as we get these new things in place. So one of the things that Wilson mentioned is that our staff is also working on implementation of our financial system at the same time. So there is a lot going on, but it's all to get us to a much better place. And so efficiency is around the corner. We're anxious as I know you are as well to get closer. But if you could put a date optimistically that will be getting these monthly status reports like within the month or at least be just up to only two months behind when would that be? So it's a little more complicated than just the technology. In the reason that the initial July reports are so late, it is late, is because the art accounts team is going through closing the entire year. So that will have a delay. What I would like for our team to propose is something that can be done quicker. Right, so I think what Wilson is talking about, there will continue to be some delay and until the year is closed. But there might be something that the system can run. That's a little quicker. So they're working on that. That's also a request that we're looking into. But it's always that first part and until. So normally the audit, if we're on time, is done in December. And that's officially when we can kind of close the books on the previous year. So that's why you get the July normally, even on time, is in January. But I understand the need for it faster. So we can see if there's something else the system can do. OK, yeah. So ultimately, besides the end of year, when we're talking about just the normal month to month, when do you anticipate that you folks will be at a place that we're only a month or so behind in the reports we're receiving? Yeah, I think it's going to take, I think it's going to take about a year. get through implementation, get our staffing in place from the controller down and get really on track and get some training. I wish it was sooner and if it can be, we'll push, but I think it's going to take that long to put some of these these processes in place. Thank you. I mean, all you're working on it. We appreciate the honesty and know what we have to look forward to. So thank you both. Thank you. I just wanted to add one other thing. In addition to the year in closing, the other big issue is we have to reconcile all the accounts. And so one of the big reconcilations is the RPT. So we've got those biennual billings. So in February and August, that reconciliation is much more involved than normalist of those particular months. It may take a little longer to actually close those out to produce, you know, the book. So. Thank you, Council Member. Any other questions from my colleagues? Thank you, Director. Thank you, Mr. Carter, for stepping into the role. Appreciate you. All those in favor of closing communication, filing communication, 73.1, please say aye. Any opposed? Any opposed? Any opposed? Any opposed? Any opposed? Any opposed? Any opposed? Any opposed? Any opposed? Any opposed? Any opposed? Any opposed? Any opposed? Kleinfelder absent. So any testimony for communication 143. Hearing none, communication 143, annual Reverend Newport July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024, from FI and Instructor Diana Cagawa, dated January 31, 2025, transmitting to a report, pursuant to section 2-12.6 of the White County Code. Chair, motion to close file on communication 143. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Clerk, we have a motion to close file on communication 143 from Mr. Annabba and a second from Mr. O'Neill. Councilman verse, any questions, comments, discussion? Checking in Kona, questions? Nothing. Ms. Kimball, please. Yeah, thank you. Director, thank you. I wanted to ask about the TAT collections from the last fiscal year or the year covered by this report. How is that compared to the previous year? Do you call? Sure. So just to clarify, so this report should have a total revenues for fiscal year 23 and 24. Are you asking about the current year, sorry, the year before? Oh, the first, the, yeah. Oh, I don't have, do you have, do you know that? I don't have it with me. 22. So that was, it was wasn't a full one. If you could just turn your microphone on there. Okay. So yeah, for that fiscal year, 22 was only for six months. So I believe it was around 13 million. Okay. We can get that for you. No, actually that explains it. I was thinking there had been a jump, but there was not because you were right. It wasn't a full year. It wasn't a full year. It was in a full year that was included. OK, and then just I know that we had some conversations about this prior, but a lot of these fees have been set now, 10, 20, 30, or more years old. Is the administration planning on looking at some of these and making sure that we're matching inflation with some of these charges, I think that we're probably in some cases paying more out of pocket than we are charging folks to do the work. Yes, and we've had this conversation. I can say, can't speak specifically for all the departments, but for finance and in particular, our vehicle registration and licensing. We are looking at our fee structure and would like to come forward to propose some increases, particularly in those areas that we are charging less than we are paying, for instance, in our plates. And, you know, so what we're looking at is to make sure that we cover our costs and also that we are in line with the other counties as well. So when we do come forward, we'll show those comparisons to see what, you know, so coming forward with fair increases to mainly come at our costs. But yes, we're looking at it. Right. Yeah. This is, you know, actually really helpful and informative report in general. But again, it suffers from the sort of lack of visual display that I think might be useful for a lot of us to kind of drill down on it. But hopefully that is something that is part of the new system, is the ability to look at this particular subset of information in a more meaningful way. We are at the point in the implementation of the system. the initial part is really the nitty-gritty of all of our financials getting that information in there. So we're finally at a point where we can start talking about visual representation of the information. So yes, we are continuing those discussions as well. If you have suggestions on this particular report, happy to take a look at those. I know we did add that Cherry Nobles request the percentage change and we can continue to do that. So if there's changes like that that make it helpful to understand the data, we'd be happy to do that. Okay, I do have some ideas on that. Okay. Thank you to share. All right. Thank you. I yield you. Thank you, Ms. Kimball. Any other questions? Seeing none, all those in favor of closing file in communication 143. Please say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Mr. Clerk, we have seven eyes with Ms. Kirkowitz and Mr. Cronley-Clanfeldt or absent. Thank you, Director. Thank you, Mr. Croner. There's any testimony for Resolution 92-25. Kering 9 Resolution 92-25 authorize the acceptance of a nation of services to pursue federal awards and assistance to a nation of supportive, consultive, and technical services from Oulu Pone and LLC with an estimated value of $90,000 that used by the Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity, Resilience, and its pursuit of rewards and funding opportunities introduced by Councilor Connolly Clampout or by request. Chair, motion to approve resolution. I need to dash 25 and forward to Council at the favorable recommendation. Mr. Clerk, we have a motion to forward resolution 9225 to Council the failed recommendation from Mr. Enaburn, a second from Miss Koi-Iwata. Council member... Mr. Clerk, we have a motion to forward resolution 9225 to counsel the failed recommendation from Mr. Ynaba and a second from Miss Kauya Wata. Council members, any questions? We also have an administrator here in the office if you have any particular questions on this. Yes, Ms. Kimball? I was just going to ask administrator Kashiya to come up and give us an overview. It's actually interesting that came up when we were in DC. see How come Hoi County hasn't signed this MOU yet? And now we are actually moving forward on this. So if you could just give us a brief overview of what this will enable us to do with Ulupona. Thank you. So Laura Akasio, Office of Sustainability Climate Equity and Resilience. So my understanding is, first of all, I'd just like to mahalo ulu po'no for offering this services, consultative, technical, supportive services, and basically, their focus, of course, is quality of life around helping communities become more self-resilient, self-sufficient through locally produced food, renewable energy, transportation, as well as management of our fresh water. So just wanted to maul hall of them for this opportunity and for you folks to look through it and make decisions accordingly. The idea is that, so for example, I just recently before this meeting got off a call with our EPA representative because we now have some access to communication with them. We're finding that it's very challenging in what they are able to share in terms of specifics around tracking particular grants. And so this is an opportunity either for for that particular grant or others coming forward to build capacity within our our county working with departments on specifically. Probably the estimate is 90,000 specifically because they're looking at one larger grant and another smaller grant or perhaps three small grants. I think a lot of that is still up to be determined and what grants it can be used for. But the idea would be to be building more capacity within our county in administering a lot of the technical sides and coordinating. So if I just be sure with my colleagues here, what some of the other counties are doing is working working with Ulepono to help draft these grant applications. They're providing the technical support again around those four areas that administer Erocacia mentioned and then working with a DC lobbying firm to actually go after those funds, either through Congressional Direct directed spending or other specifically designated pots of money. In conversations that we had over there, we are kind of trailing in our use of both Ulupponos expertise, but also the expertise of some others. So it's something I'd like to talk with you about and then the mayor about making sure we have a more significant presence over there and making sure that we are actually going after the right kinds of programs. One of the things that I was told is we are applying for the wrong programs with grants that could be funded through another program. And so just doing that in your role as the Oscar administrator, coordinating all the cats, making sure the cats are going after the right project with the right grant. I think it's something that we need to look at improving in the county. Just sharing that. Yeah, no. I look forward to connecting on that then. All right, thank you. Thank you. Hey,, Ms. Kailgewada. Just a quick question because I wasn't sure. Are you also, are they also helping with grants that we already have but maybe have not gotten the funding for in our hot little hands yet? That's a really good question that I would probably have to in terms of confirmation, get back to you on. Okay. As far as my understanding is it's also in pursuing new grants. It's mostly about that. Okay. Although we do, I mean, again, I don't want to mispeak in terms of not having been in all of those conversations. Okay. We can touch the face on. Yeah. A couple of times. Thank you so much. And thank you. I'll know your question. Okay. And thank you to your staff. Shelly. You got that for coordinating grant as well. Thank you. Yeah. Thank Miss Kauyu. Kauyu. Want to any further discussion? Questions about how hands are cats today? All right. All right. Thank you administrator. I appreciate your time. All those in favor of 14 resolution 9225 to council, the favor of recommendation, please say aye. Any opposed? Mr. Clerk, we have seven eyes. Two excused. Mr. Cunningly-Clinelder and Mr. Kirkwoods are absent. Thank you. At this time, we are at the end of our agenda. It is 248 and we will adjourn. Mallow.