Over 40 individuals offered their opinions to the County Council’s Budget and Finance Committee at the Community Center Monday (4/1/13) evening covering a wide range of topics ranging from numerous non profits requesting support to the SPCA Maui asking to administer the animal neutering program. The Committee, composed of all nine Council members, conducts several regional evening meetings to begin the months-long budget process, and Kihei hosted the first one. If you were unable to testify, you still can do so at any of the other regional meetings, http://www.co.maui.hi.us/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=4278, or at any of the countless hearings over next months almost daily at the Council Chambers in Wailuku.
It was disappointing to see that the next phase of the Kihei community park was not funded and no longer even on the radar. It looks like the Parks CIP department didn’t do their homework and gave the administration a ghost of a budget outline. They show scant projects with hardly any longterm outlook, as there was only one specific project listed island-wide on the 2015-2019 outlook. One project for the whole island for 4 years, c’mon guys, what are we paying you for? This lack of information from the department is a real disservice to the community, it makes it very hard to even comment on the budget. I hope our S. Maui leadership can pick up the ball and the Kihei Community Park that was clearly dropped.