Hawaii HOA fees third-highest in nation, Green Fee Advisory Council sets inaugural meeting, Big Island council weighs plastic foodware ban, more news from all the Hawaiian Islands

Hawai’i Is Near The Top In Homeowners Association Fees. The median monthly fee paid to a homeowners or condo association last year in Hawaiʻi was $470, the third-highest in the nation, according to the latest estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Civil Beat.

First meeting of Hawaiʻi’s new Green Fee Advisory Council to be held virtually on Wednesday. Hawaiʻi’s newly created 10-member Green Fee Advisory Council will convene for the first time on Wednesday during a virtual public meeting to discuss how this new climate-impact tax will go into effect and how money generated from this tax will be used. Big Island Now.

Former Gov. Ige's portrait will be added to Hawaiʻi State Capitol ceremony room. In his official portrait, former Gov. David Ige stands tall in an office at the Capitol, where he spent eight years leading the state.  Hawaii Public Radio. Big Island Now. 

Hawaii nonprofits navigate federal uncertainty while protecting vulnerable communities. A recent study conducted by the University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health surveyed 24 nonprofit leaders across the islands and found that operational disruption and related anxiety was already evident, even before major funding losses mandated by the Trump administration had landed. Star-Advertiser.

Hawaiʻi lawmakers explore potential of record expungements for minor offenses. A state pilot program has cleared the records of nearly 1,000 people arrested but not convicted for certain drug charges, leading to an interest in clearing others of minor offenses. Hawaii Public Radio.

Oahu

Financial Risks Loom Over The Honolulu Rail Project. Construction of the rail line through the urban core is about to begin in earnest, but some major cost items are still subject to change. Civil Beat.

Honolulu council to consider library vending machines for Skyline stations. The proposal, introduced by councilmembers Augie Tulba and Radiant Cordero, calls for an 18-month pilot program to install library vending machines at two key rail stations: Pouhala in Waipahu and Kahauiki near Middle Street. KHON2.

Why Honolulu Bus Fares May Be On The Rise. Honolulu transit fares could go up starting next year to help make up for lower ridership and pay for escalating costs as bus service is increased and new labor contracts are negotiated. Civil Beat.

Work set to begin on 12-month flood control project in Kailua. Crews will rebuild a 90-foot section of the Keolu Stream channel wall that partially collapsed, backfill behind the new wall, and install erosion control matting. Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Island

Plastic foodware restrictions eyed. A Hawaii County Council committee postponed action Tuesday on a bill that would prohibit food providers and county facilities from offering disposable plastic or polystyrene foodware and serviceware. Tribune-Herald.

Keaau High educator named Hawaii Teacher of the Year. Judith “Elise” Hannigan still remembers the words she scribbled onto a note card for a nervous student preparing to take the Advanced Placement English exam: “You’ll do on the test exactly as well as you put in the effort to do.”  Star-Advertiser.

High court rules that former warden was wrongfully terminated. The Hawaii Supreme Court ruled 4-1 Wednesday that Ruth Forbes, a former warden at Kulani Correctional Facility, was wrongfully terminated in 2015 by the then-Department of Public Safety. Tribune-Herald.

Maui

Program to help fire survivors become first-time homeowners is flooded with applications. Maui County said it has received more than 1,800 applications from people who rented units before the wildfires and now want to buy homes. Hawaii Public Radio.

Army Corps of Engineers expect to restore temporary disposal site of Lahaina fire debris in Olowalu by end of year. Two years after the August 2023 Lahaina fire destroyed more than 2,220 structures, the transportation of 400,000 tons of mostly non-hazardous ash and debris is nearing completion — after first being taken to a controversial temporary site in Olowalu near the ocean and now to its final location on land purchased next to the Central Maui Landfill. Maui Now.

Kauai

Kauaʻi Real Property Division launches online home exemption application. The County of Kauaʻi Real Property Division has launched a new online home exemption application system that will make this process more accessible, efficient and user-friendly for residents. Kauai Now.

GoFarm Hawaiʻi seeking people interested in farming for its 15th Kauaʻi cohort. Since its inception in 2012, GoFarm Hawaiʻi has offered a nontraditional pathway to a career in agriculture.  Kauai Now.