WAILUKU, Hawaii — The devastation of last year’s wildfires still very much a fact of the present, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen signed off Wednesday on a $1.263 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2025 that considers both the need to continue supporting wildfire recovery and resiliency — particularly in the area of housing — and the necessity of bolstering social services and maintaining the county’s core functions.
The Maui County Council unanimously approved the budget on June 5.
“Collectively, we have begun a daunting journey, navigating through very challenging times for our entire community,” Bissen said. “We will continue working together to address housing for survivors of the most complex natural disaster in Hawaii’s history and other recovery efforts, all while providing core county services to our residents.
“The impact of the Maui wildfires has placed an inordinate amount of demand on the County for both human and financial resources, including rescue operations, recovery, housing, provisioning, debris removal and infrastructure replacement and repair,” Bissen said. “These efforts continue into FY 2025, as we continue the process of healing our community, while continuing everyday county operations on Maui, Molokai and Lanai.”
The budget approved by the council is roughly $8.2 million higher than what Bissen had originally proposed in March.
“Following August 8, my colleagues and I recognized the need to adjust the county’s budget priorities to support the immediate needs of our community,” said council member Yuki Lei Sugimura, chair of the Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committee,. “I am grateful to community members, Mayor Bissen, his administration and the county departments who worked with the Council to craft their yearly budget.”
As part on an ongoing effort to support housing in the Lahaina disaster area, the budget allocates $3.5 million for grants to households earning 140% and below of the area median income for gap financing, if rebuilding an owner-occupied home up to its original square footage exceeds what the applicant’s insurance will cover.
The budget also includes $39 million in bond-funded capital improvement projects within the Department of Management that are related to wildfire recovery. Such projects include pump station temporary repairs; road and sidewalk repairs; roadway connectivity for evacuations including land acquisition; storm drainage, flood control and water-quality improvements; and fire flow improvements to the water system. Projects were also added for construction, permitting, operations, and maintenance of the wildfire permanent disposal site; wildfire debris removal; water infrastructure repairs; and replacement and wastewater repairs related to the wildfires.
To bolster affordable housing projects in West Maui, the budget also allows for a grant to Homestead Community Development Corporation for the Permanently Affordable Rental Unit Strategy; a loan to Ikaika Ohana for the Kaiaulu o Kupuohi project consisting of 89 units located at 258 Kupuohi Street in Lahaina; and funding for the acquisition of 258 Kupuohi Street in Lahaina, subject to a lease agreement with Ikaika Ohana.
The budget also provides for funding to build infrastructure to address fires and other threats, including $2.25 million for the Pukoo Fire Station on Molokai as well as funding to initiate the Maui Police Department helicopter program.
“Council attempted to address everyone’s needs in the budget but we made certain to help the displaced residents from the fire however we could,” said council chair Alice Lee. “That help is an ongoing commitment.”
Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.