The Maui County Council has voted to approve a $1.56 billion budget for the fiscal year that starts next month.
The council voted Tuesday on a final version of Bill 41, which details a budget about $46 million more than what Mayor Richard Bissen initially proposed in March.
The budget sets aside nearly $297 million for capital improvement projects, while the rest is for the county’s operating budget.
“This year's budget session was shaped by economic uncertainty, wildfire recovery and growing community needs,” Council Vice-Chair Yuki Lei Sugimura said during Tuesday’s meeting.
“Inflation and federal tariffs have driven up the cost of living, especially for our working families and our kūpuna on fixed incomes. Shifting federal priorities have added even more uncertainty to our long-term recovery efforts.”
One effort highlighted by lawmakers is a $12 million appropriation for a Maui United Way ALICE initiative to help families that are “asset-limited, income-constrained and employed,” or those that earn more than the federal poverty level but not enough to qualify for financial assistance or to buy basic necessities.
Called the Kamaʻāina Credit program, the initiative will help those families with rent, food, car registrations, and a variety of other basic needs. Funding the program was a budget priority for Councilmember Gabe Johnson.
The council also set aside $15 million for agreements made in addition to collective bargaining contracts for county employees. The funding is meant to improve the county’s hiring and retention efforts, ultimately to fill the county’s 600 vacancies.
There’s also a $7.4 million allocation for COVID-19 hazard pay for Maui firefighters.
The council also noted the $2.4 million for the Maui Humane Society’s animal sheltering program; another $240,000 was allocated for the organization on Molokaʻi.
The size of the budget has fluctuated during council discussions, with councilmembers even bracing for possible cuts.
The final version of the bill now goes to Bissen to sign into law.
