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Hawaiʻi County has streamlined its construction permitting process in an effort to make building easier for homeowners and lenders. Mayor Mitch Roth has signed Bill 84 to amend a section of the county law dealing with construction permit applications.
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Mayor Mitch Roth signed Bill 72 on Monday to amend the county’s Affordable Housing Policy. The changes give housing priority to residents, workers who earn most of their income near an affordable housing project, and returning residents who left the island for school.
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Some Hawaiʻi Island residents are suing Hawaiʻi County for an alleged violation of the Clean Water Act. Hui Mālama Honokōhau filed the lawsuit in US District Court this week. They say that government officials have allowed treated sewage to flow from the county-owned Kealakehe Wastewater Treatment Plant into a nearby harbor without the required permit.
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Hawaiʻi County is expanding its efforts to reduce the number of abandoned vehicles on the island. Over the past eight years, the county estimates it has towed about 2,100 abandoned vehicles per year. Officials report that the number peaked in 2021 with 4,000 vehicles.
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With more than a billion dollars, the fiscal budget, which begins July 1, highlights the need to add more personnel, invest in closing cesspools and expand housing throughout the island.
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The Hawaiʻi County Council is working to add an Office of Sustainability, Climate, Equity and Resilience. As proposed in Bill 48, the office could work to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change impacts.
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It's been five years since 24 fissures opened up and spewed lava that covered nearly 14 square miles from the Leilani Estates subdivision down to Kapoho Bay. In some places, lava is over 200 feet deep — and still cooling.
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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.
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Hawaiʻi County Mayor Mitch Roth spoke with The Conversation while he was in Honolulu to meet with lawmakers about the county’s priorities, which include housing.
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A team of state and federal emergency management officials will be inspecting the damage and impacts caused by the recent Maunaloa eruption.