Legislation to create a framework for regularly reviewing the list of properties targeted for acquisition through Hawaii County’s Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Commission (PONC) is moving forward after passing an initial vote Wednesday by the County Council.

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Legislation to create a framework for regularly reviewing the list of properties targeted for acquisition through Hawaii County’s Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Commission (PONC) is moving forward after passing an initial vote Wednesday by the County Council.

PONC is a long-standing initiative that allows community members to nominate properties on the island that they believe worthy of preservation for the county to explore purchasing. Nominated properties are scored out of 100 by the commission based on criteria including cultural value and feasibility of acquisition, among others.

The properties are then reviewed by the mayor and selected by council by resolution to be prioritized for preservation. From there, the county’s finance director is required to make a “reasonable effort” to acquire the land.

Introduced by Kohala Councilman James Hustace and Ka‘u Councilwoman Michelle Galimba, Bill 169 would amend a section of the county code relating to PONC to require that properties at the top of the list — those scoring 70% or higher — be reassessed every five years if they have not yet been acquired.

Hustace said at a July 7 meeting of the council’s Government Oversight and External Affairs Committee meeting, where the bill was first introduced, that it from a review of the PONC program.

“Over time, conditions change, opportunities evolve, and our priorities should evolve as well,” he said. “So, Bill 169 hopes to address this gap by establishing reasonable timelines for acquisition efforts based on the property’s priority score, and requiring that the commission reassess the council-selected properties that have not been acquired within those timeframes.

“These timelines are not intended to create rigid deadlines or force acquisitions. Rather, they establish regular checkpoints to determine whether a property remains a priority,” he added.

Action on the bill was deferred to the committee’s Aug. 4 meeting, where it was discussed again with several amendments, including adding a requirement that the Finance Department provide a report on the status of efforts to require properties to inform the commission’s reassessment.

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Finance Deputy Director Malia Kekai spoke at both meetings and said she agreed there needed to be a way for the commission to more closely monitor properties on the list.

“We (the Finance Department) do think that there does need to be some sort of process where they (PONC) do go back and look at these properties, because we have amassed, you know, a good number that continue to sit there,” she said at the July 7 meeting.

Puna Councilwoman Ashley Kierkiewicz asked at the Aug. 4 meeting whether the commission had been consulted about the bill, as it would require additional work on their part to reassess and rescore the properties.

“There is additional kuleana that they are being given here, and in my conversations with them about the program and where there should be some changes, this kind of longstanding list of properties kept coming up, and like how do you prioritize them … ?” she said. “Does this kind of satisfy in their mind how the county moves forward to go after opportunities, the best opportunities, that have been identified by the commission for land acquisition?”

Hustace responded that he acknowledged the additional work and welcomed feedback from the commission.

“I recognize that it puts another layer of work on the commission … ,” he said. “But, you know, (we are) looking for some other support for this in terms of the properties that have languished on the list for a long time, and they’re just kind of sitting there in limbo. … I’m definitely putting faith in the commission to carry out this work, and I recognize that there is more work to be said and done and happy to hear from the commission … .”

The first reading of the bill before the full council received unanimous support Wednesday from the eight council members present at the meeting. Councilwoman Kierkiewicz was excused.

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The measure will now head back to the full council for a second reading.

Email Grace Inez Adams at [email protected].