#Hawaii County Council

North Kona Councilman Holeka Goro Inaba will serve as council chairman for the 2024-26 term, and Hilo Councilman Dennis “Fresh” Onishi will serve as vice chairman.

27 people have died in the past 29 years at Rainbow Falls and Boiling Pots. Hawai’i County Councilwoman Jenn Kagiwada hopes new signage will encourage more safety at the state parks along the East Hawai‘i river on the north side of Hilo.

Mayor-elect Kimo Alameda announced his selections for deputy managing director and managing director.

On Thursday, the Hawai‘i County Council Communications, Reports and Council Oversight Committee listened to an update from Public Works Director Steve Pause on the progress of conducting the Puna Alternate Routes Study.

The first printout of results from the State of Hawai‘i Office of Elections came in at 11:40 p.m.

Bill 123 is aimed at increasing housing inventory around the Big Island, addressing the county’s housing shortage and enabling local families to stay in Hawai‘i. Each accessory dwelling unit can be up to 1,250 square feet in size.

On July 31, 364 days after the inciting incident, Kalani Burgher and Keli Toyama were each charged with negligent failure to control a dangerous dog, a petty misdemeanor.

Not only will voters have another chance in just fewer than 3 months to have their voices heard about who they think are the best people to lead them during the next few years at the local, state and federal government levels, they’ll also have a say on some proposed changes to the document that outlines how government actually works on the Big Island.

With about 131,358 registered voters in Hawai‘i County, less than half, 44,382, cast ballots.

Incumbent Mayor Mitch Roth will meet challenger Kimo Alameda in the general election on Nov. 5 following a relatively close primary race, according to preliminary results posted late Saturday night by the state Office of Elections. Roth maintained a lead over the packed race, with a total of seven candidates vying for the job. The […]

So far, 43,923 ballots have been received out of the 112,872 ballots that were issued.

The study, which the Hawai‘i County Council authorized Wednesday, will take a comprehensive look at Hawai‘i County’s short-term rental industry, including the types, occupancy rates, pricing, geographic distribution, direct and indirect economic contributions to the county’s economy, impact on housing availability and affordability and potential and feasibility for short-term units to be converted into long-term units.

The funding is meant to directly benefit the public through programs addressing issues such as educational concerns, culture and arts, needs of the poor, youth, kūpuna, those with physical or emotional disabilities, crime victims, those affected by health or social crises or public health and welfare of people and the environment.

Resolution 539 says differing interpretations of the Hawai‘i County Research and Development Department’s role and functions have led to frequent operational changes, inconsistent priorities and difficuluties in the general oversight and evaluation of the department fulfilling its duty to the people of the Big Island.

He will be going up against incumbent Cindy Evans.

Hawai’i County Council joins the battle to push the pests back by supporting Hawai’i County Department of Environmental Management public awareness and outreach initiative aimed at minimizing breeding grounds on the Big Island.

The Hawai‘i County Council on Wednesday adopted Resolution 487, which grants $65,000 to the Pāhoa Lava Zone Museum for the purchase, installation and maintenance of 25 new surveillance systems, each consisting of 8 cameras, meant to enhance public safety in the Big Island community.

Windward Planning Commission Chairman Dennis Lin cited several serious reservations about the bill.

Grant funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency will be used to reduce hazardous wildfire fuels such as dry vegetation and invasive species and create defensible space for several communities and large landowners affected by the massive Māna Road Fire in the summer of 2021.

The area, known as ‘Anaeho‘omalu Kapalaoa, is listed as priority No. 1 in the 2023 annual report of the Hawai‘i County Public Access, Open Space and Natural Resources Preservation Commission.