Derek Kawakami

Each of Hawaiʻi's four mayors signed their respective county's fiscal budget this month, which will go into effect July 1. Affordable housing and sustainability were budgeted as top priorities for each county; tax relief measures and capital improvement projects were among the other expenditures mayors signed off on.

Ahead of the new county fiscal year in July, and Mayor Derek Kawakami signed the legislation last week. Key points of the County of Kauaʻi’s $400 million budget are infrastructure, tax relief and paying off debt.

Affordable housing is on the mind of many. Each mayor made it a key point in his respective state of the country address this month. HPR’s Sabrina Bodon dives deeper on how each county plans to increase housing infrastructure this next year.

Each of Hawaiʻi's four mayors gives their annual State of the County address in March. Housing, infrastructure, jobs, tourism and the budget consistently remain top of mind for the local leaders. HPR reporters tuned into the speeches on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island and Maui to learn the latest.

With soaring revenues on Kauaʻi, Mayor Derek Kawakami continues his promise to invest in infrastructure and development, while opting to pay off debts and decrease some residential taxes in the upcoming fiscal year budget. HPR's Sabrina Bodon reports.

The nonprofit organization Waipā Foundation will acquire the Halulu Fishpond on Kauaʻi from the Waioli Corporation. Although Waipā has been stewarding the area since the 1980s, they haven’t owned it until now.

HPR's The Conversation regularly checks in with Hawaiʻi's four county mayors to get a pulse on the communities across the islands. Their concerns ranged from affordable housing to finding a new landfill site. Take a listen to our interviews with Bissen, Roth, Kawakami and Blangiardi.

Housing, early education, broadband, and combating climate change are all priorities of Gov. Josh Green's administration and Kauaʻi County. Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami spoke to The Conversation about his goals in his second term.

Kaua‘i Mayor Derek Kawakami discusses working with the governor and state lawmakers to address county concerns; community activists talk about whether lawmakers should allow residential development in Kakaʻako Makai; and a UH agriculture professor shares the results of a survey on the public's perception of farming in Hawaiʻi

Kauaʻi Mayor Derek Kawakami is being challenged by Michael Roven Poai as he seeks a second term in office. H. Kawakami says he will stay the course if voters return him to office in the general election.