County committee questions outreach, maps and amendment limits in general plan review

The Hawaii County Communications, Reports and Council Oversight Committee on May 1 heard detailed questions from council members about outreach, map presentation and the council's authority to amend the draft general plan.

April Serpurnot of the County planning department told the committee that staff have held meetings with civic groups, chambers of commerce, Rotary clubs and industry stakeholders and that the department will hold public workshops in Hilo and Kona. “We have tried to offer both of those opportunities online and in person as well as written,” Serpurnot said, adding that staff are distributing a table of contents and website tutorials to help residents navigate the draft.

Several council members raised concerns that newer online tools may leave behind residents who are less comfortable with digital formats. Councilmember Kaguewara said some testimony suggested the online format had made it harder for people to find relevant sections and track changes from prior versions. Serpurnot responded that comment-period lengths and the combination of written, in-person and online inputs make simple year-to-year comparisons difficult, and she asked staff to compare like periods before concluding that participation has fallen.

Members also pressed staff on how they define and engage "landowners." Serpurnot said the 28 landowner meetings included industry groups and large landowners such as the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands and sector representatives including cattle ranchers and agriculture stakeholders. “It was a combination of different industries as you mentioned, cattle ranchers and agriculture, but also the large landowners as well,” she said.

A major technical concern focused on map presentation. Councilmember Evans said residents need clearer, side-by-side maps to see cumulative land-use changes across large areas, citing a hypothetical example in South Kohala where thousands of acres could change designation. Serpurnot said the department provides an interactive map tool that shows the current 2005 general-plan land-use designation alongside the proposed designation, and staff have provided one-on-one assistance and room computers at workshops to help people pull up specific parcels.

On process, the committee discussed the timeline and how comments and Planning Commission recommendations will be handled. Staff said the final draft is expected to be publicly available in July 2024, with a public comment period to follow; all comments received after the draft is released will be compiled verbatim in a report and presented to the Planning Commission, which will forward recommendations to County Council.

Elizabeth Strass, Corporation Counsel, reviewed past ordinance language and advised the committee that the council’s authority to change the general plan is limited. She said a 2007 ordinance (identified in the transcript as 02/1970) allows the council to make modifications or deletions within the general intent and subject matter of a proposed amendment but requires that any change substantially altering intent, goals, policies or a land-use map be treated as a new interim amendment processed under the applicable ordinance section. “The council has limited but not unfettered authority to amend the document presented to you,” Strass said.

Committee members asked what their options would be if they were uncomfortable with the final draft, including whether voting no would kick the review to a subsequent council. Counsel and staff said those scenarios require additional sorting and a review of legislative history, and that interim amendment processes exist but details need follow-up.

Before adjourning, the chair called a voice vote to close the file on a listed communication; the chair reported three members in support and two members excused (named in the meeting as Kanie Lee Kleinfelder and Inaba), then adjourned the committee.

The final draft is expected on or before July 29, 2024; subsequent steps are the public comment period, Planning Commission review and then County Council consideration.