BILLS AND NOTABLE RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED AT THE FULL CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON JANUARY 24, 2024
Resolutions Adopted
Reso 24-12, CD1 – Urges the City’s first responder agencies to explore and develop communications solutions that respect their operational needs while ensuring that the media and the public receive timely and accurate information during critical and emergency situations.
STATEMENT: “Public safety is of the utmost importance to me and the Council. My hope is that we can all take a common-sense approach to reviewing our processes, and update them via the most efficient methods of communication, to provide transparency to the public, particularly in emergency situations where safety could be compromised, or lives could potentially be at risk. We have to do better for our loved ones and our community.
I believe that the media plays a critical and essential role in informing the public about situations that could impact the safety of our residents. In the past, the Council has considered a resolution urging the City’s first responder agencies to restore the media’s access, so it may amplify public information efforts during emergencies. The resolution that has been adopted recognizes the media’s vital role in communicating to the public during emergency situations. Obviously, more conversation on the specifics of that access needs to happen, but we certainly want to work with them on improving their procedures without compromising their ability to safely resolve incidents.” - Council Chair and District 4 Councilmember Tommy Waters
“As the Chair of the Committee on Public Safety, I will continue to support the work HPD does to keep our communities safe. I respect and am grateful to our law enforcement officers who undertake high-stress police work. I also recognize that in order to improve public safety and transparency, I will continue to work with the department after allowing them sufficient time to complete their internal investigations, in order to address any areas of improvement. Moving forward, I am optimistic that the committee will continue to work with HPD to improve communications, promote transparency, and maintain accountability. Finally, we extend our best wishes and aloha to the officers, and their families, who were injured during the incident on January 1st.” - Public Safety Chair and District 8 Councilmember Val Aquino Okimoto
Reso 23-304, CD1 – Authorizes the execution of the Full Funding Grant (FFG) agreement with the Federal Transit Administration, allowing HART to disburse and expend the next installment of federal funds in accordance with all applicable laws, conditions, and requirements related to rail.
STATEMENT: “Fulfilling the City’s vision for Skyline is critical as we focus on connecting the community to rail by continuing to move forward with the rail system throughout our busy downtown corridor. Approval of the amended Full Funding Grant Agreement enables HART to receive the remaining $743 million of the $1.5 billion in federal funds that our federal partners have committed to this project.” - Budget Chair and District 7 Councilmember Radiant Cordero
Reso 23-299, CD1 – Outlines the reprogramming of the American Rescue Plan Act’s (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF) to be used in support of revenue replacement, with a focus on ensuring that City employees who performed essential services during the pandemic are compensated.
STATEMENT: “Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the City, with the City Council’s oversight and approval, used its allocation of the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) recovery funds to address crucial public health and economic impacts and maintain vital services; and as we emerge from the pandemic, make key investments that support the City’s long-term growth and sustained recovery efforts. With the adoption of this resolution, the Council expresses its position that ARPA funds should be used for hazard pay for eligible employees who performed essential work during the public health emergency. Our dedicated City employees provided critical services throughout the pandemic, and we must do everything we can to ensure they are appropriately compensated for the additional risks they endured in the service of our City.” - Budget Chair and District 7 Councilmember Radiant Cordero
Reso 23-162, CD1 – Initiates the process to amend the City Charter and establish a Climate Resiliency Fund. The amendment would deposit 0.5% of the City’s annual real property tax revenues into the fund and be used to enhance resiliency and finance preventive, ameliorative, and educational efforts city-wide.
STATEMENT: “Recent tragic climate events here and around the world underscore the need for us to prepare for weather events that we simply have never had to before. It is of the utmost importance that the residents of Honolulu have a say in how we prepare ourselves and the future for these unpredictable and often devastating events. It is not a matter of ‘if’, but a matter of ‘when’ we are impacted by the next severe weather event, and our community must be aligned in our preparation for any number of incidents that could devastate our island home.” - Housing, Sustainability and Health Committee Chair and District 2 Councilmember Matt Weyer
Reso 23-308, CD1 – Recognizes the important role that our City and all of the counties of Hawaiʻi have in invasive species control efforts, and urges the City Administration to collaboratively advance those efforts in collaboration with state and federal agencies.
STATEMENTS: “I am optimistic by the interest demonstrated by the City Administration, especially the Department of Parks and Recreation, recognizing that the City has a role to play in invasive species prevention and control. With Resolution 23-308, we are not just acknowledging the challenge; we are calling for enhanced efforts and cooperation across all levels of government to combat invasive species, and in the short time since the measure was introduced we are already seeing real action by the City, including identification of a potential City property in Kāneʻohe to house the Oʻahu Invasive Species Committee, which is a critical partner in invasive species management.” - Vice Chair and District 3 Councilmember Esther Kiaʻāina
“The threat from invasive species like the coconut rhinoceros beetle and little fire ants is more than an environmental concern; it’s an economic and cultural one. Through Resolution 23-308, we are not just addressing a current challenge but protecting our ‘āina, agriculture, and essentially our way of life, for generations to come.” - Housing, Sustainability and Health Committee Chair and District 2 Councilmember Matt Weyer
Reso 23-227 – Starts the process for the acquisition of land for public use of 1421 Pensacola Street in Honolulu, and determines and declares the necessity of the acquisition by eminent domain.
Reso 23-267 – Urges the Department of Parks and Recreation and the Honolulu Police Department to improve conditions, strictly enforce city ordinances, and address community safety concerns at Lualualei Beach Park in Wai‘anae.
STATEMENTS: “We need to be sure we’re looking at our communities across O‘ahu fairly and equitably. We all deserve that and I think the Mayor, our City Administration and the City Council have all recognized this. We are doing our best to ensure we all have access to recreational areas that are beautiful, safe and enjoyable.” – Parks, Enterprise Services and Culture and Arts Chair and District 9 Councilmember Augie Tulba
Reso 24-9, CD1 – Authorizes exemptions from certain City application fees, infrastructure or public works fees and charges, and development standards for the Pāhoa Ridge affordable housing project to be located on Wai‘alae Avenue near the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
STATEMENT: “The Pāhoa Ridge project will help to address the urgent housing needs of our residents who live in urban Honolulu. The Honolulu City Council worked with the developers to modify the project in ways that addressed concerns about the project's height and density, affordability, and the impact on traffic in the surrounding area. With these project modifications, which took into consideration public input, government agency comments, and vigorous committee discussion, we are confident the Pāhoa Ridge project will greatly benefit the community and provide urgently needed affordable rental housing in urban Honolulu." – Zoning Committee Chair and District 5 Councilmember Calvin Say
Bills Passed
Bill 40 (2023), CD1 – Seeks to alleviate the negative economic impacts on small businesses caused by the construction of the rail project. Bill 40 would update the allowable uses of the Transit Construction Mitigation Fund, amend the eligibility requirements for businesses seeking assistance, and add a community outreach component to the program.
STATEMENTS: “Earlier this week, Councilmember Cordero and I went door to door to discuss construction impacts with small business owners. Almost every one of them said the same thing: sales have plummeted since the work began - they don’t know how they’re going to survive. That’s why we passed this bill. While a big national chain can weather the storm, small businesses often can’t. We’re all in this together: we need to make sure they survive.” - Transportation Committee Chair and District 6 Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam
“While Skyline is a significant step forward in improving the City’s transportation ecosystem, we must remember that associated Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) calls for a mix of uses at rail stations and along the rail line. Therefore, in addition to looking forward to the creation of new affordable housing units, we should strive to retain the existing local businesses that are impacted by rail construction. This bill seeks to provide relief for an important component of a well-rounded and successful community--the small business owners who are doing everything they can to keep their businesses afloat.” - Budget Chair and District 7 Councilmember Radiant Cordero
Bill 61 (2023), CD1 – Amends the register of exceptional trees in Honolulu. “Exceptional Trees” is defined under Hawaii Revised Statutes Chapter 58 (Act 105, Session Laws of Hawaii 1975) as a tree or stand or grove of trees with historic or cultural value, or which by reason of its age, rarity, location, size, esthetic quality, or endemic status has been designated by the county committee as worthy of preservation. The ordinance includes provisions for updating the register and further specifies which trees should be added or amended.
Appointments
Resolution 23-288 (2023), CD1 – Relating to the Council’s reappointment of Jason Kekahi "Kahi" Pacarro to serve on the Clean Water and Natural Lands Advisory Commission of the City and County of Honolulu.
Resolution 23-307 – Confirming the reappointment of Jeffrey Hong to serve on the Liquor Commission of the City and County of Honolulu.
Resolution 23-286 – Confirming the reappointment of Mr. Kanekawaiola Lindsey to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
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