UPDATE 9/28/23 THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCED TODAY HYBRID MEETINGS ARE BACK! The next meetings 10/4 and 10/11 will have remote participation!
9/22/2023 #kihei #smcp #cpac #communityplan
The South Maui Community Plan Advisory Committee (CPAC) decided at its September 20 meeting to not meet again until the Planning Department reinstates the ability for residents to participate in the meetings and to testify at them remotely. The Planning Department abruptly withdrew the remote participation ability starting at the September 13 meeting.
The CPAC began its work on the new South Maui Community Plan one year ago. Once completed, the plan will be handed off for review to the Maui Planning Commission. Normally the committee meets every Wednesday at 5:30pm at different locations in Kihei.
CPAC member Mike Moran says: “We have not been receiving adequate support from the Planning Department for our volunteer work. We have also been missing the participation of Corporate Counsel at all but a couple of the 40+ meetings, although legal support is provided to almost all other commissions and committees in the County. We expect the Planning Department to find a way for our community to participate in the last, important meetings of the CPAC. That includes those prevented from attending physically for medical reasons.”
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Has anyone from Planning offered a reason they did this?
Mahalo Stephen
This is the message the PD sent out
“Aloha community members,
At last night’s CPAC meeting, members voted to suspend all future meetings until virtual public testimony can be re-established. In the wake of recent staffing shortages at Akakū, as well as connectivity issues and network limitations at meeting venues, the We Are South Maui Team has been working for the past several weeks to find a solution to provide stable, high-quality hybrid meetings. As we have not yet reached that solution, there is no meeting next week Wednesday, September 27. We hope to have livestreaming and virtual public testimony up and running again soon.
Planners are currently in the process of updating the Draft Plan to include CPAC’s changes from last night’s meeting, after which we will post the updated Draft Plan by section on our website. Please be on the lookout for another email from us in the coming days!
Mahalo,”
However our understanding from Akaku is they can continue to provide this, as they simply can & have contract one of their former employees t do exactly what he did as an employee. This is part of te reason the CPAC finally took this action
An agency that does not want (ever easier, encouraged and sought-after) public input and review, is a covert, bureau not really interested in any opinions, or input other than their (superior, elitist) own.
I guess when you let the low level public get informed, it just slows down the people that know whats best for us.