Hawai‘i County Council roundup: Resolution adopted urging humane action to deal with potential avian flu outbreak

The Hawai‘i County Council unanimously adopted a resolution that urges state agencies to work with local poultry farmers to humanely deal with potential avian flu outbreaks.

Resolution 61-25, introduced by Councilwoman Heather Kimball, said the intent behind the measure was to use the council meeting as a forum to create public awareness around best practices for raising poultry with respect to avian flu.

She said the “main ask” was for the state Department of Health to consult with local farmers if the flu, also known as H5N1, is detected on the Big Island.

In November, Hawai‘i became the last of the 50 states to detect the highly pathogenic avian influenza when a bird sanctuary in Wahiawā on O‘ahu was infected with the virus. The response by the state Department of Agriculture was to have veterinarians disinfect the property by euthanizing about 100 birds.

Emma-Lei Gerrish, who has a flock of ducks that she raises for eggs at her farm in Pa‘auilo, submitted written testimony saying the main method of bird flu control on the Mainland is mass culling, meaning if one bird tests positive in a flock, the entire flock will be killed.

Gerrish described this practice as inhumane and unnecessary. She suggested vaccination, quarantining infected flocks and breeding disease-resistant poultry as alternative options.

“Hawaii does not have to follow the current flawed approach. We can create a plan that keeps people safe, is humane to poultry, and supports small farms,” she said.

The resolution received support from community members who provided written testimony on the measure.

The resolution also suggests preventative measures of the highly pathogenic avian influenza as opposed to mass culling. Ideas include providing testing and monitoring protocols, strategies for public outreach and promoting quarantine and vaccination of the birds.

In other County Council news, several bills were passed on their second and final reading. They include:

Bill 1 amends the operating budget by appropriating $1 million from the Highway Fund Balance from the previous year’s account to be used for the Waiakea Stream Mitigation project.

Bill 3 accepts a $23,750 grant from the nonprofit Urban Sustainability Director’s Network to be used by the county to conduct a pilot project to train county staff and partner community-based organizations in participatory storytelling in relationship to place and what sustainability and climate action means to the community.

Bill 4 amends the county operating budget by earmarking $135,000 grant from the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture to the county’s Department of Research and Development for its coffee berry borer pesticide subsidy program. Funds would be used to assist coffee farmers by offsetting the cost of the insecticide used to control the coffee berry borer and/or approved fungicides to control Coffee Leaf Rust.

Bill 5 appropriates $318,240 in federal funds to enhance the Hawai‘i Police Department’s Records Section to improve accuracy, quality, timeliness, immediate accessibility and integration of national systems of criminal history and related records.

Bill 6 appropriates $27,780 to Hawai‘i County Police Department’s Data Grant account. The funds were provided by the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation and the National Priority Safety Program to establish a statewide traffic data system and ensure compliance with national standards.

Bill 7 appropriates $37,839.15 to the Hawai‘i County Police Department’s roadblock program to focus on reducing the number of drivers operating a vehicle while impaired. The total funding appropriated to this program is $532,839.15.

Bill 9 increases by $48,764 revenues in federal grants to the Hawai‘i County Police Department 2023 selective traffic enforcement programs for training, education, enforcement, and community collaboration to reduce the number of traffic fatalities and injury crashes.

Bill 11 allows for a zone change on a property located at 781 Laukapu Street in Hilo giving the applicant, Nimr Y. Tamimi, permission to convert an existing residential dwelling into an office building. Tamimi owns an engineering consulting firm on the adjacent property to the east. The expansion of their office space allows for the conversion to house up to 10 employees, half of which will be relocated from the existing business next door.

Bill 13 appropriates $41,792 in federal grants to the Hawai‘i County Police Department to conduct community engagement and enforcement activities related to pedestrian safety.

Bill 14 appropriates an additional $137,592 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to the County of Housing and Community Development’s Housing Trust Fund program to produce affordable housing through the acquisition, new construction, reconstruction, and/or rehabilitation of non-luxury housing with suitable amenities. In the current fiscal year’s budget, $2.85 million is appropriated for this grant.