Public hearings Tuesday for Hawaiʻi County’s proposed 2026-27 budget, tax rates

The Hawai‘i County Council is holding special back-to-back public hearings on Tuesday evening regarding the proposed nearly $1 billion county budget for fiscal year 2026-27 and the proposed real property tax rates.

The council will hear public testimony at 5 p.m. for the proposed operating and capital budgets. At 5:30 p.m., the council will hear public comment regarding the proposed real property tax rates.

To view the live stream of the special public hearings at the scheduled hearing start time, click here.

In Mayor Kimo Alameda’s proposed Hawaiʻi County operating budget (Bill 135), he is asking for a 1.4% increase of $13.47 million to fund priorities that include public safety, infrastructure and recreation.

His proposed capital budget (Bill 136) is $358.7 million, of which $42 million is intended to be funded by federal grants, $23 million by state funding and $8.5 million with private money.

The council will hold a special meeting on Thursday, May 21, where they will vote on whether to pass these budgets. The council has until June 30 to adopt the operating and capital improvement budgets.

Read more about previous budget stories below:

• Hawai‘i County Council begins budget discussions for upcoming fiscal year
• This is what Hawaiʻi County public safety departments proposed for their new budgets
• Hawaiʻi County Department of Environmental Management outlines its budget for council
• Hawai‘i County proposed budget bills move forward; first readings in May

Also during the council’s special meeting on Thursday, they will set the real property tax rates, including the newly created Tier 3 rate passed by the council in March for second homes valued at more than $4 million.

Resolution 574-26 proposed to lower the tax rate from $5.95 to $5.75 in the Affordable Rental Housing classification and the Homeowner classification, increase the rate from $13.60 to $14.50 in the Residential Tier 2 classification and set the rate for the Residential Tier 3 classification at $17 and the Long-Term Rental classification at $7.75.

During the council’s regular council meeting on Wednesday, May 20, the council will have a first reading of Bill 66, which is an amendment of the 2045 county general plan.