Hawaii County Council committees weighed zoning changes, open space funding, and disaster recovery in July 7–8 meetings
Hawaii County Council members and committees held a packed schedule of meetings July 7–8, 2026, covering zoning changes in North Kona, a potential doubling of the county's open space fund, and the creation of a formal disaster recovery program. Minutes have not yet been published for any of the meetings, so outcomes and vote tallies are not yet available; the items below reflect what was scheduled for consideration according to the agendas.
Council set to vote on open space fund increase
The Hawaii County Council scheduled a second reading of Bill 165, a charter amendment that would increase the annual allocation for the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation fund from 0.25% to 0.5% of real property tax revenue. The council also scheduled first readings of three other bills: Bill 157, establishing a County Disaster Recovery Program with a recovery officer; Bill 163, creating a real property tax dedication for properties owned by descendants who held the land for at least 100 years; and Bill 126, which would rezone the Downtown Pāhoa area as a special district.
The council agenda also included Resolution 586-26, awarding $142,000 in Kīlauea Recovery Grant funds to Pōhaku Pelemaka, and Resolutions 592-26 and 593-26, authorizing amended EPA consent agreements for wastewater and cesspool projects.
North Kona rezoning proposal under committee review
The Legislative Approvals and Acquisitions Committee was scheduled to consider Bill 168, which would repeal multiple existing ordinances and amend the North Kona and Kailua Urban zoning maps. The bill would change 3.331 acres from Village Commercial (CV-7.5) to Double-Family Residential (RD-3.75) and change 3.227 acres from Multiple-Family Residential (RM-2.5) to an Unplanned zoning district. The location is described as the north side of Hualālai Road, approximately 1,000 ft east of Kuakini Highway, in Hienaloli 4th–6th, North Kona. The bill repeals Ordinance Nos. 19-38, 09-50, 09-49, 06-138, 06-137, 95-118, 92-36, 90-10, 86-49, 533 (1980), and 594 (1973).
Data center zoning definition proposed
The Policy Committee on Planning, Land Use, and Economic Development was set to discuss Bill 170, which amends Chapter 25, Article 1 of the Hawaii County Code to separate data centers from data processing facilities in zoning regulations and add a definition for "data center."
Public access, nominations, and USDA agreements
The Governmental Operations and External Affairs Committee was scheduled to review Bill 169, which amends rules for ranking and acquiring lands for public access and natural resource preservation. The committee also had two USDA agreements on its agenda: Resolution 594-26 for wildlife damage management at Hilo solid waste and wastewater facilities, and Resolution 595-26 for cost sharing to purchase a conservation easement for Kealoha Family Lo‘i. Two nominations were listed: Shawna Kaulukukui to the Hawai‘i County Cultural Resources Commission (Comm. 946) and Jonathan Zeichner to the Hāmākua Community Development Plan Action Committee (Comm. 947).
Finance Committee reviews $137,903 bond report
The Finance Committee was scheduled to receive informational reports, including fund transfers authorized May 1–15 and May 16–31, 2026, a donation report from the Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation, and a supplemental summary of bonded indebtedness that includes $137,903 in public improvement bonds for Improvement District 21 Iki Place Subdivision, reimbursable by lot owners. No decisions were indicated on the agenda.
Affordable housing and audit reports discussed
The Communications, Reports, and Council Oversight Committee was set to receive and discuss four reports: a quarterly affordable housing report for Jan. 1–Mar. 31, 2026 (Comm. 35.7); a follow-up audit of Office of Housing and Community Development affordable housing credits, Report No. 2026-101 (Comm. 941.1); a WAIWAI nonprofit grants compliance review for FY 2024–2025 (Comm. 942.1); and a review of the County Auditor's quality control system for July 1, 2022–June 30, 2025 (Comm. 943). No formal actions were listed.
Coming up
No upcoming meetings are listed for the next 14 days. Readers seeking outcomes from the July 7–8 meetings should watch for published minutes from the Hawaii County Council and its committees.